In a way, Aaron Donnelly is the embodiment of Gunnedah's season – a slow burner who has come good at the right time.
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Rejoining Gunnedah after the season had commenced, Donnelly hit peak form with a five-try blitz as the Bulldogs maintained their late-season form swing in a 44-34 defeat of ladder-leaders Kootingal-Moonbi at Kitchener Park on a glorious Saturday afternoon.
The centre’s fourth try broke a 34-all deadlock with 11 minutes remaining in the match, and his fifth try was he exclamation mark – the former a typically strong try, in which he cracked Kooty’s blindside defence from a scrum about 40 metres out from the Roosters’ tryline and raced down the right touchline to score in the 72nd minute. It was the Roosters’ second loss of the season.
Donnelly fits into the category of looks can be deceptive. There are certainly more athletic looking centres in the competition.
But he is a true footballer who knows how to find the tryline – a genuine match-winner in a team who have beaten the top two teams in their run of four straight wins, including an upset win over North Tamworth two weeks ago.
Gunnedah have a bye in the final round next weekend and will finish in third spot. They face a major-semi-final against either the Roosters or the Bears, probably the latter. Norths are now equal with Kooty on 22 points, but behind on for and against, after Boggabri forfeited their clash against the Bears at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday.
Donnelly described his man-of-the-match performance on the right edge as “all right”. He has scored 13 tries in eight matches.
“[Halfback] Matty Brady’s pretty easy to play outside,” he said “You just listen to him and you hit a hole off him and nine times out of 10 you’re gonna score. Most of the tries I got today were probably off him putting me through a hole.”
Donnelly returned to Gunnedah after a short-lived move to Newcastle. “I come back and I was a bit unfit,” he said. “I wasn’t training much in Newcastle, and it’s probably taken me about a month to get match fitness back.
“Being back home and playing with mates I’ve played with for the last six, seven, eight years, it’s good. So I’m enjoying it and I’m glad to be back and hopefully we continue to win through the finals.”
Gunnedah led 22-12 at halftime, with in-form Bulldogs fullback Dylan Lake scoring the try of the match – finishing off his penetrating run up the middle by chipping fullback Mitch Doring and regathering in the in-goal area under the posts. He has scored seven tries in the past three matches.
But the Roosters scorched the Bulldogs after the break to cross for three quick tries. No.9 Ryan Martin, the Roosters best along with Doring, scored the second try from close range and then sliced the Bulldogs up the middle from deep in his own half and passed to Doring, who scored under the uprights and converted and Kooty led 28-22. Martin later came off with an apparent leg injury.
The Bulldogs stopped the bleeding when Donnelly posted his second try from close range and five-eighth DJ Smith converted from out wide to make it 28-all.
Seven minutes later, Donnelly sparked a blindside raid and found winger Nic Altmann, who raced down the western sideline before providing the inside ball for Donnelly to score under the posts.
Kooty drew level at 34-all when Doring scored his second try.
GUNNEDAH (Aaron Donnelly 5, Dylan Lake, Nic Altmann, Callum Hayne tries; David Smith 6 goals) d KOOTINGAL-MOONBI 34 (Mitch Doring 2, Ryan Martin 2, Jordan Sharpe, Jack Anderson tries; Doring 5 goals).
