ON THE REBOUND
Tahs bounce back
RYAN Ayres admits there was pressure on his side to win at TIO Stadium yesterday, but it didn’t show as Waratah beat Tiwi by 74 points.
The Warriors entered the Round 2 contest following a disappointing three-goal loss to Palmerston, in which they failed to kick a first-quarter goal.
They had no trouble hitting the scoreboard early against the Bombers, though, and held the ascendancy until the last to win 19.10 (124) to 7.8 (50).
“The pressure was on this week to make sure we got our season on track with a win,” Ayres said.
“I didn’t see (a 74-point win) coming, though.”
Waratah took a 20-point lead into the main break, but from that point completely dominated, kicking eight of the last nine goals. Ayres’ men dictated terms out of the middle, spreading from the contest better than Tiwi.
Justin Beugelaar marshalled his troops from halfback with class, with Sam Wedell strong in a forward role. Lachlan Collihole finished with five goals, as American Alexander Aurrichio and Zach Westerberg gave ‘Tahs first use.
The Bombers — mourning the loss of a teammate — had a positive period early in the second term, with Dion Munkara brilliant.
But they failed to capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking three behinds in as many minutes.
And from there, it was all red and white.
Ayres said he was thrilled with the way his troops responded from last week’s setback.
“I was really impressed all round, there were so many positives,” he said.
“Round 1 was disappointing, but in pre-season, all things had pointed towards a good season for us.”