Rhinos know the standard they have to reach
AN influx of new faces to blend with some longterm Rhinos has presented new coach Doug Sandry with some “positive challenges”.
On Saturday Doug witnessed a team with plenty of heart if a little less finesse.
He complimented his players on their gritty display, having spent all but 10 minutes with only 14 players after No 8 Tyrone Fleming was given a red card. The send-off was one of a number of poor decisions by players during the match and Doug was adamant that cost the Rhinos points.
Mudgee hosted last year’s grand final so there was never any question the Wombats would enter the contest as favourites but the 39-19 scoreline was not a fair reflection of the contest.
The coach, though frustrated by the way his team had performed, still took plenty of positives from their first hit out.
New Holland Cup Rd 1
Mudgee Wombats 39 (Thomas Dudek 3, Hunter Olsson, Jack Brown, James Ford tries; Brian O’reilly 2, Thomas Purcell 1 conversion) d Rhinos 19 (Kelev Ralulu, Brett Austin, Dale Smith tries; Dale Smith 2 conv)
...and scores try number one for the season
Ryan Mccracken claims clean lineout ball