Round 10: Back to winning ways
In cold, showery conditions the Nomads defeated the Gunnedah Bulldogs 12.14 (86) to 2.7 (19).
Both sides were understrength, a situation surely not helped by the miserable weather, but the size of the Nomads’ playing roster left them in a better position than the Bulldogs, with more options on the bench.
Mark Handley made a welcome return, although still carrying an injury. Making his first appearance since the away fixture in Gunnedah in the third round, he kicked seven goals and received the Coach’s award for the afternoon. Six of his goals came in the first half before a knock and the cold took its toll on his mobility.
The outstanding performance for the Nomads came from Clint Ballagh. Having been moved into the half back line for this match Ballagh appeared to be involved in every contest and had numerous posessions. For his efforts, Clint picked up the Players’ Player and Captain’s awards.
The Nomads’ goals were kicked by Handley (seven), Dobos (three), Page and Alderuccio. The tally could have been more, with the Bulldogs getting hands on a number of kicks on the line and Ben Page adding another memorable miss to his list of shame.
New England were fortunate to have Alderuccio present again, having made the drive down from Brisbance for the match. His power and delivery out of the middle provided many of their scoring opportunities.
Helping to ensure the Nomads had a viable squad, Tyrone Dimer made a rare appearance despite becoming a father again on Friday night. Congratulations!
Best players for the Nomads were Clint Ballagh, Anthony Alderuccio, Glen Northway (also President’s award), Anthony Reid, Mark Handley and Johnathon Frost.
Next week, the Nomads are due to face the Inverell Saints away. Unfortunately, a combination of injuries and student holidays is making forfeiture a likely scenario. A number of injuries to Armidale-based players has weakened the squad more than expected during this holiday period.
