Group 4: North Tamworth Bears women defeat Gunnedah Bulldogs

Gunnedah were not far removed from a win over the Dungowan Cowgirls, the reigning premiers, in round two, and completed a 24-point win over the Moree Boars the week following.

So had assistant coach Resch ever thought that North Tamworth would keep them from scoring entirely?

The answer was a resounding no.

"We knew it was going to be a tough battle," Resch said.

"Gunnedah are always strong, they're always consistent every year. We definitely had to turn up and play today, because if we slacked off, they get straight through."

Despite the Bulldogs' reputation for relentless effort, North Tamworth outclassed the hosts at Kitchener Park to the tune of a 26-0 win.

And this despite, according to Resch, there being no specific focus on defence in the lead-in.

"We weren't really focusing on defence," she said.

"We did a bit throughout the week at training, but when we look at the scoreboard and it's 26-0, that's all we had to say at half time is 'What we worked on at training, worked'.

"So it was a defensively awesome effort by the girls, and it came as a bit of second nature too."

The Bears played well across the board, but of particular note were Amy Barraclough at five-eighth, whose renowned kicking worked its magic again to help North Tamworth maintain the pressure on Gunnedah's defence.

New hooker Abby Schmiedel and fullback Tayla King also came in for praise, after their footspeed and agility helped the Bears break through the Bulldogs' defence on multiple occasions.

"Abby and Tayla had a job today, they were doing our running," Resch said.

"They did it really well. They're both lightning fast, so to have them out the back picking holes is definitely where we want them to be.

"Amy Barraclough has an amazing kicking game. We kept her on the field the whole game, and she did her job, kicked us out of trouble."

But Resch saved her highest praise for last, after Jorja Barnett's performance earned her North Tamworth's Players' Player award despite a dislocated finger.

"We gave her a new role in the team today, and she did it really well," Resch said.

"We wanted Jorja's energy in the middle and in defence, so she attacks on an edge and defended in the middle for us, and she didn't question it. She's a great asset to the team."

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