It took a penalty goal and then a try just before the siren for the Bathurst Bulldogs to finally bury their CSU rivals in their Central West rugby clash on Saturday at Ashwood Park.
The two Bathurst sides spent most of the match level on the scoreboard but it was the Bulldogs who were able to break the deadlock and walk off 34-24 winners.
It was their second derby win of season 2008 after earlier defeating CSU 42-15.
In a tight match neither side could take the ascendancy for long and both sides had trouble keeping mistakes out of their games.
Bulldogs co-coach Michael Burgess said after the match he felt that his side were able to win the game out wide.
“We scored all four of our tries out wide and out in the centres Scotty Johnston had a big game and Adam Dywer was one of our best just running a bit wider off our five-eighth, but it was our pace out wide that got us home,” he said.
The Bulldogs went into the match full of confidence after a good win against Forbes last Saturday and sitting in second place on the ladder while CSU had lost three in a row, including a disappointing defeat to Dubbo Rhinos.
CSU had the first scoring opportunity of the match, but Jeff Stewart was unable to land his penalty goal attempt.
Instead Bulldogs were the first on the board when fullback Scott Johnston sliced through the defence and dived over line.
Mitch Lavelle converted to give Bulldogs a seven point lead.
From the re-start inside centre Paul Miller looked like doubling the advantage when he broke the line, but he was brought down 30 metres out and coughed up the football, allowing CSU to go on the counter-attack.
Angus Blackwood scored for the students and Stewart’s conversion levelled the scores before another converted try to both sides saw the teams go into the half-time break at 14-all.
A Mitch Lavelle penalty goal early in the second half got the home side back in front and Bulldogs had the opportunity to extend the lead when Jono Cody made a break, but a wayward forward pass killed saw the chance go begging.
Bart Bogart set up Tyson Smith for a converted Bulldogs try to take the lead to 10 before CSU grabbed two quick five-pointers via Alex McKendry and Charlie Croucher, meaning scores were locked again, this time at 24-all.
That was the score until Lavelle added a second penalty goal to his points collection and from the restart the Bulldogs were in again through Johnston after a break by Shaun Healey.
Burgess conceded after the match he would have been happy with a draw.
“At 24-all I would have been happy to take that, I thought it was a fair result,” he said.
The mentor said at half-time he felt the team were putting too much pressure on themselves. It was a trend that continued.
“We were trying to run out of our 22 and with the intercept in the first half I said to the boys no floating passes because we would score then we’d let them back in for a try and we’d score again so we had to cut out putting ourselves under pressure,” Burgess said.
“But pretty much the same thing happened in the second half and got back to 24-all which wasn’t good, but we got away with it.”
BATHURST BULLDOGS 34 (Scott Johnston 2, Tyson Smith 2 tries; Mitch Lavelle 4 conversions; Mitch Lavelle 2 penalties) defeated CSU 24 (Angus Blackwood, Tim Ashworth, Alex McKendry, Charlie Croucher tries; Jeff Stewart 2 conversions)
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