The Braidwood Redbacks welcomed the Bungendore Mudchooks to their home turf on Saturday, for a local derby which provided spectators with ample entertainment.
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Although the Redbacks were sunk by the Mudchooks in the end, 16-7, they fought hard and, according to coach Nick Kemp, were only let down by the penalties that they conceded.
“The penalty count was pretty significantly against us, and that really was the difference,” Kemp said.
“There were a couple of times when we were pressing the lines and were overeager.”
Kemp explained that many of the penalties were simply a result of their players being new recruits to the game and still learning the ropes.
“It was very competitive, we had a number of players coming into the squad that have only been to training in the last few weeks,” he said.
“It was great to have players come in, but their backgrounds are leaguies.”
The Mudchooks took control early, and went into the break with a 10-0 lead.
However, one of the most impressive aspects of the Redbacks’ game was their ability to fight back, which will be crucial against a developing ADFA side in Canberra next weekend.
“All in all, the commitment to the game, the passion of the guys, the camaraderie is excellent,” Kemp said.
“We [the coaching staff] were really proud of their performance. It’s taken a few weeks for the guys to hit their straps, but it feels like it’s coming together.
“I think we’re feeling fairly confident, we’ve gotta watch the ADFA guys because they’re fit young guys.”
Having a match in Canberra will ease the burden for many of the players.
“That should be a good game for us because we’ve got about six players who travel from Canberra,” Kemp said.
He also explained the key area that the Redbacks will look to address at training.
“The main area of problem is the breakdown, and the technicality is in what you can and can’t do at the breakdown,” he said.
“In previous weeks we’d been making good tackles but we hadn’t been targeting the ball.
“We saw some good improvement in that area this week.”