A high scoring second half has led the Dubbo Rhinos to a 28-19 New Holland Cup victory over the Mudgee Wombats at Apex Oval on Sunday.
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The Rhinos came out of the gates firing in prop Brett Austin's 300th first-grade match but could not crack open to Wombats defence.
Rhinos coach Doug Sandry was pleased at his sides defence efforts, especially in the first half.
"That was a terrific win," he said.
"The first half set it up, I think defensively we were on song and kept to our structure.
"The belief built from that and every time we were behind in the second half we stepped up and came back."
Sandry felt kicking penalty goals as opposed to trying to score tries relieved the pressure on his side.
"We took the shots at goal when we needed and we are probably a team that has never done that in the past," he said.
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"We are a side that normally likes to score tries.
"We know that if we get opportunities now and we have two fantastic kickers in Dale [Smith] and Jesse [Redenbach] we have to take the points."
Sandry opted to move Dale Smith from fullback into fly-half and it paid off as he slotted the first points of the game with a penalty goal but the Rhinos coach felt it was an easy choice to move his star player.
"We looked much better with Chris Daley at full-back and Dale, we have been trying to get him to play number 10 all year and he hasn't liked it," he said.
"Today we said mate, we need you here as an option and I thought he was outstanding."
Sandry admitted Smith was reluctant to move away from his preferred position.
"He doesn't like to be the man running the show," he said.
"He doesn't seem himself as that but that's why having Nash [Forgione] at inside centre helps him because he is in his ear telling him what to do.
"We just say to him, we play off the back of you and it worked today so let's hope it's the focus for the next few weeks now."
The first half came to a close with the score 3-0 and it did not take long for that to change as Smith tore through the Wombats side to score a brilliant individual try before adding the extras.
Mudgee hit back minutes later through Lochie Brown before Brian O'Reilly converted to bring the score to 10-7.
Dubbo scrum half Te Ahu Baker received a yellow card and Mudgee made the hosts pay immediately scoring their second try of the afternoon.
Penalties back and forth slowed the momentum of the game as Smith calmly slotted another penalty goal to give Dubbo a 13-12 lead.
Rhinos winger Mitch Williams ran over his opposite number on the way to scoring in the corner which looked to give the hosts some breathing room until Mudgee prop Tom Bunstan drove over for a try of his own with O'Reilly making no mistake with the conversion attempt.
Smith again stepped up late in the match to kick his third penalty goal of the match before Neil Madden kicked a loose ball along the ground only to dive on it in the corner before it also was converted giving the Rhinos a 28-19 lead.
Full-time blew with the Rhinos celebrating their second win in their past three matches while they also entered the top three on the ladder for the first time this season.
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