A LONG tough match against Tullibigeal Lakes United left Leeton down by 10 points and victory just out of reach.
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The Greens struggled to gain momentum from the beginning and were expecting a difficult match going against the Sharks.
With TLU drawing first blood, the Greens were set to give chase.
The whole 80 minutes seemed a bit flat from both teams so I suppose,” TLU coach James Williams said.
“It was 12-0 at half time and it seemed like we couldn't get out of fourth gear.
“We played a bit to their level and I know we are a bit better than that so hopefully we can peak at the right time.
“We need to work on not dropping to the level of the oppostition.”
“There weren’t too many bad plays out there today, just bad options when we had the football.”
- Greens coach Brent Pike
As the pressure built it was the Greens who were fighting for ground.
The Sharks however had hit their mark and were easily working their way across the field.
The team struggled to coordinate their efforts and lost the ball in several critical drives.
“We dropped it about four or five times and we had to go right to defending our line,” Pike said.
“It puts a lot of pressure on you straight away.”
Going into halftime TLU led the Greens 12-6.
The Greens returned to the field and looked for redemption in the second half, but were immediately set back.
The Sharks bit through the Greens defense and ran two unanswered tries within the first several minutes.
The charge led by TLU set the tone for the remainder of the match.
Leeton continued to fight back, but were unable to close the gap and lost to the Sharks 36-26.
“There weren’t too many bad plays out there today, just bad options when we had the football,” said Pike.
“At both ends of each half we started off slow and came on strong in the last 15 minutes.
“We just ran out of time.”
Over the previous weeks Pike felt the Greens have hit the ground running, but in Sunday’s match they were slow to get going.
Next on the horizon, the Greens will travel to West Wyalong to test their skill against the Mallee Men.
“It’s going to be a tough road trip, it’s going to be another physical game” said Pike.
The Mallee Men sit in fourth on the Ladder and Leeton will have to work hard if they hope to leave West Wyalong with a win.
Pike hopes to see the Greens start strong.
“We’re going to need to build momentum early, hit and stick with our contacts,” said Pike.
TLU now move to second on the table level with first placed Black and Whites.
