RUGBY LEAGUE
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WESTERN Division will have to wait another year for Tier 2 Country Championship glory after a disastrous start led to them suffering a 48-40 defeat against the Northern Tigers at Carrington Park on Saturday.
In a game where defence and ball security were well below par, the Tigers raced out to an 18-0 lead after 12th minutes.
Incredibly, Western clawed their way back and at one stage with all the momentum behind them in the second half, they led 34-30.
While the Tigers responded with a pair of tries to snatch back the advantage, when an off-load from Parkes colossus Brandon Tago and quick hands from St Pat's hooker Benjamin John put Demtrius Ainnu in for his team's seventh try, it saw Western ahead 40-38.
With four minutes to go that could have been the game, but a bomb from Tigers half Matt Nean and a brilliant chase, leap and catch from winger Harold Duncan to score saw the visitors reclaim the lead.
Another try on the siren took the final margin out to eight points.
"I didn't really think we'd blown it when Western got back to the lead. On days like today a lot of points are going to be scored and I thought that if we controlled the ball, we could pull it back again," winning coach Darryl Rando said.
"The way we started was exactly how we wanted to - three tries early on. But from there we dropped too much ball and invited then back into the game.
"We knew going in that we had a lot of points in us, but defensively there are obviously a few things we need to fix going into the next round."
The signs weren't good for the Rams when they coughed the ball up three times in their first four sets. They were made to pay as Tigers lock Daniel Ritter and winger Joel Harrison each crossed in the first five minutes.
The teams exchanged more errors before a grubber from Nean hit the left upright and bounced straight back into the arms of Ritter, who scored the Tigers' third.
Finally Western found some solidity and a bullet pass from Garry Reilly found Jyie Chapman. He combined with Ben McAlpine in sending John Grey over for Western's first try.
McAlpine was involved again soon after when Corin Smith scored their second and with McAlpine's conversion, the score was back to 18-10.
The teams traded tries again before Western looked like they'd pinched the initiative via a try to Forbes back rower Jake Grace.
However, the Rams conceded another try seconds from half-time to Scott Blanch to trail 30-22.
The Tigers spilled the ball on the resumption of play in the second half, that error coming on the back of an opening stanza were both teams completed at barely 50 per cent.
Smith made a big bust down the left edge but couldn't finish, but he was on hand to take advantage of a long McAlpine break soon after. It meant Western were again within two points.
After going off to have stitches in his face in the first half, John came back with 25 minutes to go and it lifted the Rams. Tago's second stint also had an impact and he smashed his way over to score Western's sixth try.
In front after playing catch-up all day, the Rams didn't quite know how to bury the game and they gifted Northern a try almost immediately to go back to 34-all.
Duncan scored the first of his two tries for the Tigers with 12 minutes remaining, before Ainnu's effort looked to have given the Rams a win. It wasn't to be the case.
"Somehow we got ourselves into a winning position, but we gave away a pretty rare penalty and helped set them up to go back in front," Western coach Michael Sullivan said.
"They [the Tigers] kept playing footy even when the pressure was on, they continued to back themselves and threw it around.
"That last try was a case of wanting it more, their winger wanted to get to that bomb more than our guys and he did it."
Smith and McAlpine were outstanding for Western as well as Tago and Jack Afamasaga in the forwards, while Ritter was superb for the Tigers along with fullback Tim Smith and prop Marshall Barker.
NORTHERN TIGERS 48 (Daniel Ritter 2, Harold Duncan 2, Joel Harrison 2, Scott Blanch, Tim Smith, Aaron Donnelly tries; Matt Nean 6 goals) defeated WESTERN RAMS 40 (Corin Smith 2, John Grey, Demetrius Ainnu, Jake Grace, Brandon Tago, Justin Toomey-White tries; Ben McAlpine 6 goals)
VIDEO: What the coaches had to say after full time: