Whenever the Boggabri Kangaroos and Gunnedah Bulldogs come together, it inevitably results in a memorable clash.
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Such was the case today, when the two met at Kitchener Oval for the first local derby of 2024. But, despite the Kangaroos' 44-26 victory, coach Shane Rampling left the ground with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"I have been happier with a loss than winning like that," Rampling said.
The reason for the veteran coach's ambivalence was simple: Boggabri made too many mistakes.
While the scorecard indicates a relatively commanding win to the visitors, it did not feel like a dominant performance on seeing it live.
"It was a very physical game," Rampling said.
"We know that when Gunnedah and Boggabri play each other, both teams come at each other pretty hard. There was just a lot of dropped ball from both sides.
"We just kept inviting Gunnedah back in the game."
After a relatively close first half, in which the Bulldogs opened the scoring before conceding a 16-10 lead at the break, the Kangaroos broke away in the second half and the game threatened to turn into a mauling.
At one point, the score was 44-14. But an error from the visitors resulted in a try and breathed some life into the flagging hosts.
"That back end of the second half, where they scored two quick tries, it just came from our dumb play," Rampling said.
Players from both sides will wake up tomorrow feeling worse for wear, due to the exceptional physical commitment on the field as both sides refused to back down.
As expected, there were some brief moments where tempers flared, but Rampling said the game was played largely "in good spirits".
He was particularly impressed with the efforts of several of the Kangaroos' debutants.
"I thought Keegan [Woodhead] on the wing and Jake [Byrne] in the second row, they played really well," Rampling said.
"They put pressure on our first grade squad, which is great. Hopefully that'll put pressure on everyone to go 'Right, our spot's not guaranteed'."
Ultimately, a win is a win, Rampling said.
There is plenty to learn from in this game, and the team will be better for it going forward.
"We got the two points, so that's the main thing. So we'll move on, regroup, and get ready for next week," he said.
