A hard-fought, satisfying win

Mackie S1/2 did a bit of growing up today as they showed a lot of heart as well as skill to deservedly beat a tough Shire/Wanderers side, who themselves never gave up. Mackie are getting used to scoring out wide and, after soaking up some early pressure, some good continuity and then shipping it wide resulted in our first try. Mackie then proceeded to dominate the opening 20 minutes, with hard tackling and decent rucking forcing a lot of turnovers. The backs were still too shallow at times but good hands and fast feet helped us gain a lot of yards. However, Mackie were limited to only two more tries by determined cover tackling by the Shire/Wanderers team.

The second twenty was a more even affair. Boys started going down like flies with knocks and injuries and Mackie got a bit passive, meaning that Shire/Wanderers finished the stronger as we flagged.

The third period was hard-fought all the way, with Mackie making ground mostly with their backs and Shire/Wanderers big players (and I mean big) trying to barrage through the middle. Both teams scored but their was also some terrific cover tackling from both teams to halt dangerous attacks. When the home team scored after concerted pressure they were just a few points behind. The boys responded really well at the re-start to get the ball and recycle the the ball through several phases before scoring wide-out. It was a real team try and a great end to a really entertaining, at times nail-biting game.

There will be things such as body positions and dynamism in the ruck to work on at training, but, for now, its just a "very well done" to all the players.