Group 20 premiership hopefuls Griffith Black and White Panthers overcame a lethargic start to beat a spirited Leeton 42-22 on Sunday.
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The second-placed Panthers weren’t expected to have any trouble against the home side but encountered serious resistance in the first half.
Black and Whites co-coach Craig Morriss said the Panthers weren’t switched on for the kick-off.
“The mindset wasn’t really there at the start,” he said.
“Defensively, we got brushed off a hell of a lot.
“It was good to come back in the second half and put a few plays together and get a few points.
“But it wasn’t a convincing game for us. We need to work a lot harder.”
The effort Morriss has come to expect from his side this season was nowhere to be seen in the opening exchanges as Leeton raced to a 16-0 lead.
Centre Matt Arnold starred for the Greens and crossed for the opening two tries. His first came after a hit and spin close to the tryline before he used his pace and step to beat three defenders in a 25-metre dash.
Winger Hayden Southgate dived over in the 23rd minute for the Greens’ third and could have extended his side’s advantage soon after but dropped the ball over the line in the left corner.
Black and Whites made the most of the reprieve to score three tries in five minutes when Leeton’s defence opened up.
James Williams, Stephen Broome and Shane Makea crossed to make it 16-all before Leeton stole a converted try through Arnold near half-time to take a six-point lead into the break.
The Greens faithful would have been hoping for more of the same in the second half, but it was Black and Whites who scored first after the restart.
Forward Veti Mataa barged his way over near the sticks in the 45th minute, the ensuing conversion drawing scores level for the second time in the match.
The Greens thought they had retaken the lead with a try of their own a few minutes later, only for the effort to be disallowed for a double-movement.
Black and Whites didn’t look back from that moment, with four-pointers to Andrew Lavaka, Tom Caqusau (2) and Kelvin Simpson securing the victory.
Morriss said a stronger commitment to defence sparked the Panthers’ turnaround.
“The defence on the line was great in the second half,” he said. “It was a big improvement. We stuck to some structure and there was nowhere near the leakage in the second half.”
