ROOS LET TULLY OFF THE HOOK
IF the CDRL was a game of Monopoly, Tully just used a get out of jail free card.
The Tigers just about forgot to turn up to Vico Oval yesterday, allowing Kangaroos to build a 28-12 lead before the hosts lost their heads and the game 36-28.
Jad Mahmoud was the hero with a try in the 75th minute before Aaron Daniel added the final nail on the bell.
Tully captain Johnathon Hughes said big runs from Mahmoud, giant prop Jordan Talanoa and hooker Jeremy Dickman’s return to the field in the second half were the keys to squaring up the attack as has been coach Dave Scott’s focus in recent weeks.
“We had to make sure we were hitting the right spots. First we were trying to shift it all over the place and their defence was too good,” he said,
“We had to hit them up the middle, grow a pair and actually do it.
“We were more than capable of actually winning that right from the start, but we’ve got a knack of turning up half asleep.
“But Tully is so resilient and we just never gave up. We just needed to believe in ourselves.”
Kangaroos coach Ben Laity said his side “switched off”, invited Tully back into the contest and showed a lack of experience closing out the game.
“We haven’t really been in that position all year,” he said.
“We’ve sort of been trying to come back and chase leads, so I think it’s a bit of a learning curve for the boys that you can’t stop playing footy at halftime.”
Laity shouldered some of the blame for running out of interchanges too early as a result of a heavy injury toll, but said players had to make more of an effort to keep calm in the face of referee decisions they felt went against them.
Patrick Lewis was a standout for Kangaroos, defending mostly at fullback but playing a five-eighth role in attack, which had the Tigers scrambling.