TALK about a wake up call - after Bathurst Bulldogs conceded an early try in Saturday's Ferguson Cup match against Cowra-Canowindra they replied with 14 of their own.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bulldogs rocketed out to an 82-5 lead before a decision was made to stop keeping official score in the final quarter.
The bonus-point win sees Bulldogs finish the regular season in third place behind Orange Emus and West Wyalong, earning them a spot in a qualifying final.
Nicole Schneider captained Bulldogs on Saturday in the absence of regular skipper Mel Waterford, who is recovering from an ankle injury.
She was delighted with how Bulldogs responded after conceding in the opening minutes.
"Cowra, their forward pack, they drive it hard up the middle, so it just really gave us a good wake up call to get into it. I think that's something we lack sometimes, that urgency off the kick-off, that urgency in the first few minutes," Schneider said.
"After that though we realised we had to pick things up and pull it into gear.
"In the end we probably could have scored a few more points, but we really wanted to work on the little things, really work to our game plan and get things ready for what we'll face in the finals."
Australian sevens star Jakiya Whitfeld crossed for seven tries and Courtney Auld bagged a brace, but Schneider said the more pleasing thing was how Bulldogs stuck to their structures.
READ MORE: CSU enter finals on the back of a win
"After we scored a few tries ... we saw it as a good opportunity for us to work on our plays and our set pieces," she said.
"Instead of everyone trying to score and hitting the hole to build a score, we found contact and went through each phase as if we were really working hard in a game.
"The good thing was that everyone worked, everyone put their 100 percent effort in for the time they had on the field. That was the thing that stood out for me, everyone's discipline and the support for each other.
"Credit to the Cowra girls too ... I don't think score really reflected the game at all. They run hard and they tackle even harder."
Want a discounted subscription to follow Bathurst sport this winter? Click here
Bulldogs will now face West Wyalong in a qualifying final this Saturday at Molong's Dr Ross Memorial Recreation Ground.
Meanwhile, CSU will look to put a 68-5 defeat to Forbes behind them when they fight for survival this Saturday against Mudgee.
CSU will be boosted by the return of a number of players from injury - the likes of skipper Rachel Brown, playmaker Laura Belfanti and strong ball runner Bridie Gordon - for its elimination final.
