An eight-goal haul in the third goal was a major factor in the Gunnedah Bulldogs 77-point win over the Moree Suns on Saturday.
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It was a tumultuous week for the Suns, with an inspection of the Moree Showground on Friday deeming the ground unfit for play.
It forced a late change of venue to their old home ground, Taylor Oval, with club members helping to mow the ground, draw up lines and set up the goal posts to ensure the game still went ahead.
The Bulldogs traveled short on players, the game being played with 16-on-16, while the Suns had to deal with mass changes from their round one match against Inverell.
It was a tight first half, with high pressure from both sides limiting easy scoring chances, the Bulldogs going into the half time break with an 8-10-58 to 4-7-31 lead.
However, the Bulldogs came out firing in the third quarter, finding space through the mid-field to kick eight goals to the Suns one, and while the Suns fought hard in the last quarter, the Bulldogs proved too strong, eventual winners by 19-16-130 to 7-11-53.
Jacob Spackman led the way for the Bulldogs with nine goals while Jade Porter added three goals for the Suns.
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Despite the loss, it's a big improved on years gone by. The last time these two sides met, the Bulldogs cruised to a 203 to 32 win.
"We started each quarter strongly and we were right in it until the third quarter," Suns coach Eric Faulkner said.
"We fought hard until the end and never gave up."
Faulkner said there's still positives to take out of the match, particularly after an interrupted start to the season.
"In our two games we have played the two best teams in the competition and put in strong efforts despite the scorelines," he said.
"We have kept the losing margin under 100 points in both games, which is a massive improvement on years gone by."
Jack Montgomery was once again one of the Suns' best at fullback after backing up from the under-17s, while Simon Hall also stood out with his constant tackling and pressure.
Wyatt Roberts and Adrian Smith were also very strong.
Zach Collier also celebrated his 50th game for the club, becoming the first Moree Sun to reach the milestone.
Faulkner praised the efforts of the club to prepare Taylor Oval and thanked the Gunnedah Bulldogs for turning up despite the late venue change and being short on numbers.
In the under-17s, a monster first half set up a Suns win over the Inverell Saints.
The Suns led 10-3-63 to 0-2-2 at half time, and while the Saints mounted a comeback in the second half, the damage was done, the Suns winning 12-9-81 to 7-7-49.
GUNNEDAH BULLDOGS 19-16-130 (Jacob Spackman 9, Shane Paul 3, Andrew George 3, Garry Briggs 2, Mark Ewington, Peter Hallin) defeated MOREE SUNS 7-11-53 (Jade Porter 3, Keanan Duncan 2, Adrian Smith, Matt Lather).
