Griffith Black and White Panthers continued their revival with a 22-18 victory over reigning premiers Griffith Waratah Tigers at Exies Oval on Friday night.
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The 2014 Group 20 wooden spooners now have two wins from two games this season and also added the Joe Fabris Memorial Trophy to their cabinet with the victory.
Both teams were guilty of sloppy handling in the clash, but the physical nature of the contest excused some of the mistakes.
Black and Whites trailed 12-6 at halftime, but Panthers co-coach Craig Morriss said his side’s comeback evidenced the progress the club had made since last season.
He credited hooker Andrew Lavaka, forwards Veti and Tutonu Mataa and halfback Stephen Broome for lifting their teammates.
“It was good to see the boys come back from behind at halftime. I thought they showed some good determination and courage there," Morriss said.
“We played okay. I wouldn’t say we played our best.
“There was a lot of loose ball from both sides, but the boys were down and came back and showed a lot of spirit. That’s what I was looking for.
“In saying that, it’s back to the drawing board for us.
“We have to work harder on sticking with our patterns.”
Morriss also acknowledged Black and Whites had to improve their execution if they wanted to stay near the top of the ladder.
“Execution is the key,” he said.
“If we can stick to that, I think the competition is there to be won by any team out there.
“It’s the team that completes and sticks to their structures and execution. It (the premiership) is up for grabs.
“You’ve just got to stick to that. It was physical (against Waratahs), a lot of good hits, a lot of ball popping out, but loose carries were a big thing for us.
“But overall it was very pleasing.
“The club is starting to develop really well, but there’s still a lot of work to come for us.”
The Tigers will have similar thoughts after starting the season with two losses.
While it’s hardly panic stations for Waratahs, captain-coach Kose Lelei would be disappointed to be sitting on zero points ahead of this week’s competition break for the representative fixture between Group 20 and Group Nine in Wagga.
In other results on Friday night, Black and Whites won reserve grade 30-22, while the Panthers’ league tag girls prevailed 18-10.
