The Cootamundra Bullettes League Tag girls exchanged blows all game with the Bungendore Tigers last weekend in their 24-20 win.
Clashing at Crookwell Memorial Oval on Saturday, the stakes were high as the loser would be eliminated and the winner continuing to the next stage of the finals.
The Tigerettes were tight favourites over the Bullettes coming into the game as they won their last clash with a try on the buzzer 16-12 in round 9.
The Tigerettes were playing exceptional in the first half, racing out to a 14-4 lead, which included three tries from the Tigerettes and one from Coota’s Ella Mc- Tavish.
Cootamundra clubman Ned Miller was impressed with the girls’ resilience in a, “pretty tough game” saying, “our girls held their own and scored a couple of good tries.”
Making a remarkable comeback with a couple of tries around the ruck, the Bullettes leapt out to a 24-14 lead.
Feeling confident as there was only three minutes left in the game, the Bullettes relaxed a little too much on a kick-off, letting the Tigerettes back into the game with a late try.
Both teams were tense as the score sat at 24-20 with one set to play, but the Bullettes showed their determination as they defended a challenging set from Bungendore.
“They didn’t panic when they got behind and they maintained their cool,” said Ned Miller
Coming away with the win, the Bullettes now play the North Canberra Bears in Cootamundra in another crucial elimination final.
The Bullettes and the Bears have only faced off once in the early stages of the season, where North Canberra came away with a 22-12 win.
The Bears have had a good season, only losing three games while boasting 19.7 points per game and keeping teams to an average of 9.7 points per game.
The Bullettes on the other hand have had five losses and allow teams to score an average of 15.2 points per game. The Bullettes strength comes from their attack, as they score an average of 22 points per game, the majority coming from the indestructible Maddison Gillies who has nine tries this season.
With a do-or-die elimination final this weekend, Ned Miller knows, “the Bears are going to come here pretty confident as they beat us before, but we’re at home and hoping to have a good crowd there knowing it’s cutthroat. So, it’d be great to win and go through another week of finals.”
This week’s elimination final is an attack versus defence type game that could sway to any team.
The Bulldogs will need all the advantages they can get to give them the competitive edge, so get down to watch the Cootamundra Bulldogs League Tag girls now battle against the North Canberra Bears in the win-or-go-home game at Les Boyd Oval, Fisher Park at 1:50pm.
Ed Dodds