There are times as a coach when watching your team play can be a pleasure. There are also times when it can be excruciating.
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For Quirindi coach Jack Parfitt, the second half of the Lions' clash with Walcha on Saturday was very much the latter.
He could only watch on in frustration as their 33-5 half-time lead was whittled away to 33-22 with 15 minutes to play.
"They were little shits.. I could have killed them," he said.
"They do it time and time again.
"They go out 100 miles an hour and they're really, really good, and at half-time we ram home the message 'right we can't drop off now and go out there too cocky'...."
"Anyway they did that."
But he couldn't be too mad, they got what they wanted: the win - they prevailed 41-29 in the end - and the full compliment of points.
"That was the goal going up there, to get the five points," Parfitt said.
"So it was a good result in the end. But it could have been prettier."
The win pushes the Lions back into the top four and means their destiny is in their own hands. Win their remaining two games with a bonus point and they will play finals.
Knowing a loss on Saturday would make the finals equation that bit tougher, with the Rams ahead of them on the table and Narrabri also breathing down their necks, Parfitt confessed to a few nervy moments in the second half with the momentum very much with the home side.
It was only when Jye Paterson crossed with about eight minutes to go that he started breathing a bit easier.
But it's something they quickly have to get out of their game.
"Out of all the teams in the comp, we're probably one of the fastest starting teams," Parfitt said.
"But it's that second half that we just haven't nailed yet.
"We're going to have to work on that over the next two games because if we're playing finals footy we can't build up a lead and then play arm wrestle footy in the back end of the game.
"If we get that lead we need to hold that lead and learn how to protect it."
Elsewhere Emori Waqavulagi scored three tries and Matt Hannay two as Gunnedah beat Inverell 60-13 to hold onto top spot, while Moree were given a scare by Scone before kicking away to a 31-17 win.
Sevanaia Nadruku and Lachlan Smith both pursed doubles for the Bulls, who from 19-3 up at half-time found their lead cut back to just two points by six minutes into the second half.
TABLE: Gunnedah 65, Pirates 65, Moree 59, Quirindi 48, Narrabri 47, Walcha 45, Inverell 33, Scone 23.
