WHEN Bathurst Bulldogs came from behind to beat Forbes 49-14 last Saturday it marked their first win of the 2020 Blowes Cup, but for two players the match brought with it another special first.
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For Taumutu Nohotima and Tom Felsch the game at Ashwood Park was also about scoring their maiden tries for Bulldogs' first XV.
Felsch's try came off the back of a rolling maul from a line out, the flanker helping to drive the ball towards the Platypi's line before barging his way over.
It was moment which delighted coach Matt McRobert.
"Tom had a great season with the colts last year, he's come up into first grade and is playing with his mate Zac [Taylor]. Those big two in the back row were really strong," he said.
"Tom has been such a good club man, so it's great to see him go so well and score a try."
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After lining up in the second row a week earlier against Emus, Nohotima was shifted to number 8 for the match against Forbes.
The Kiwi rugby league convert brought plenty of energy to the contest and was rewarded with a try in the left corner inside the final six minutes.
"He came via St Pat's, he's from the North Island of New Zealand. Once Group 10 stopped he came over and he's been fantastic," McRobert said of the new recruit.
"He's a good talker and he just loves the game. I think every rugby club in the zone has one or two league players who have come across.
"It's probably a bit of a shame they don't get to experience the social side of rugby as much as they could have given the current circumstance, but we're really happy to have them and happy to give them a game."
The bonus-point win lifted Bulldogs off the bottom of the ladder and gave their for and against differential a boost as well. It also showed what the Bathurst side can do when executing in defence and attack.
"We don't really worry about scores or scoreboards, we just talk about doing our job properly and if we do that, the scoreboard takes care of itself," McRobert said.
"We weren't doing our job properly in the first 20 and we got schooled pretty badly, we looked like we were in a lot of trouble, we were very worried. But after that we settled into the game, started to do our job, started to work off the ball for one another and the tackles were made."
