A 36-6 loss to Western Suburbs wasn't the result they wanted but the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs gave club legend Mick Campton a heart-felt tribute to mark his 300th league game.
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Campton, who notched up his 300 games with Kurri Kurri and Coalfields rival Cessnock, was presented with his match jersey by his father Barry, at half-time of the reserves match, joined by his sons Darcy and Oliver.
The boys ran out with Campton before the start of the game and it looked like it was going to be a memorable day for the Dogs with the side trailing 6-0 at half-time with a great defensive effort and forcing the normally sure-handling Wests into plenty of errors.
But within a minute of play resuming, Wests were on the board when centre James Elias caught a deflected Terence Seu Seu kick and ran 40 metres to score a try.
The Bulldogs struck back when centre Tyme Dow-Nikau scored out wide and Kade Hardy converted, but Wests switched up another notch and the toll of a heavy first-half defensive effort told on the Bulldogs.
Bulldogs coach Ron Griffiths said it was disappointing to lose in Campton’s milestone game as he had been and continued to be such a fantastic servant of the club.
Griffiths said he believed fatigue set in after a strong defensive effort in the first half.
“When you play a team like Wests, who are very good at all the basics, you have to go set for set with them or they build pressure and pull you apart which they did to us.
“The loose carries are a disappointing thing. That’s something the players need to take a bit of pride in when they are carrying the footy. We were of a victim of it last week, we turned over too much cheap possession and we’ve done it again.”
Griffiths said forward Mick Steele was the Bulldogs best.
“He personifies what we are trying to achieve here. It is all about effort and there was no greater effort on the park than from him,” he said.
“His defence was spot on, in attack he is forever putting his hand up and he is an unselfish teammate with his support play.
“I thought Terece (Seu Seu) was good, he was very busy but probably a bit unsupported I suggest at different times.”
Griffiths said it was difficult to regain momentum against Wests when they got a run on.
“When you play a side like that, because they do everything right, if you lose momentum it is extremely hard to wrestle it back.
It’s a matter of someone coming up with a big play and changing the complexion of the game, which when your fatigued is even harder to do. We weren’t able to do it today.”
Western Suburbs coach Matt Lantry insists the Rosellas will need to improve on the 36-6 win to compete with the competition heavyweights.
Lantry, who is in his first season at Harker Oval, was highly critical of the error-rate in the opening 40 minutes.
“We made nine errors in the first half and completed at 55 per cent,” Lantry said. “We addressed that, and came out and played some good footy in the second half.”
The win on Saturday followed a 26-14 result against Cessnock.
“We are well off the pace with where we need to be with the footy,” Lantry said. “I’m comfortable with where we are at defensively. I thought this week we were very good in relation to the defensive component of the game. But if we turn up with that attitude with the footy and complete at that rate, Lakes will make us pay. We have a lot of improvement in us.”
“Credit to Campo. His service to the Kurri club and rugby league in general has been tremendous. We needed to weather that storm because there was going to be some emotion. We did that well, but we didn’t execute our opportunities. In the second half, when we got those opportunities we made them count which helped us get out to a decent lead.”
