WHILE Jakiya Whitfeld's finishing skills saw her cross for an impressive six tries on Saturday as the Bathurst Bulldogs beat Mudgee 50-19, what the score-sheet didn't show was how crucial her forwards were.
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It was the hard work of the Bulldogs' pack which created space for someone of Whitfeld's speed and strength to capitalise in the round three Ferguson Cup clash.
After bonus-point wins against under strength Dubbo Kangaroos and Orange City teams in their first two matches, the Bulldogs were presented with a much sterner test by the Wombats.
In a 10-on-10 match, the hosts tested Bulldogs early via their forward pack. But the Bathurst side absorbed the pressure and went on to assert their own authority.
"It was good, it was a much tougher opposition. Mudgee were quite big in the forwards and did make the girls work really hard," Bulldogs captain Mel Waterford said.
"It was definitely a shock in that first five minutes for a lot of the girls because they are used to not such a strong opposition starting off.
"They probably had the go-forward on us in that first five, they had strong forwards that then probably ran out of puff. They've recruited quite well from rugby league.
"So what we did was work really well in centre then create room on the wings. Because they were bit bigger girls we played it through the forwards in the middle then swung it wide."
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A player with Australian sevens representative experience, Whitfeld showed what she would bring to the defending premiers' attacking arsenal when scoring a multitude of tries in their pre-season fixtures.
So after the Bulldogs forwards got on top of the ruck against Mudgee, the ball was spread wide into the hands of Whitfeld. She inflicted plenty of damage, but Waterford was pleased with the performance of her side as a whole.
"So it was definitely a bit of a step up for the girls this week. Our fitness got over them in the end, we've done a lot of work on our fitness and we seemed to do better in that second 20 whereas they tired," Waterford said.
"If they [Bulldogs players] had a five minute rest they were good to come back again and play with the same intensity as they did in the first half."
