STOPPING short of rash promises, Southcity captain-coach Daniel Fitzhenry was at least breathing easier after the Bulls thrashed Junee 60-20 at Harris Park on Saturday.
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Although far from declaring Southcity’s Group Nine premiership was completely back on track, Fitzhenry definitely seemed relieved the team was ready to make a stand in the semi-finals.
“The first 30 minutes of each half was pretty good,” Fitzhenry said later.
“We fell away a bit at the end of each half, but I was fairly happy.
“When you beat a quality team like Junee by that margin you have to pleased.”
Fitzhenry’s reaction was mirrored across at the board at Southcity as the team finally showed traces of its premiership form of 2011.
Not surprisingly, the Bulls revival coincided with the return form of Kyle McCarthy from a stretch out with injury.
With the Weissel Medal winner in the team, the Bulls were ever so much more effective with the ball.
McCarthy played at number seven and was a perfect foil for Fitzhenry’s playmaking and the sparkling touch of hooker Pani Manawatu.
As if waiting patiently for McCarthy’s comeback, Manawatu also hit his top in flashing fashion on Saturday, striking for three tries, including two sensational solo efforts.
Along the way, Manawatu also made the break for Fitzhenry to score a try in the 37th minute as the Bulls surged ahead 38-10.
Much earlier, Manawatu slipped over for a try from dummy half in the third minute as Southcity gave Junee the rounds of the kitchen in a blistering opening to the game.
By the time they were finished, the Bulls had scored five tries and blasted on 26 points inside 20 minutes.
The die was cast and the Bulls were never going to be tested by a team being shown the door.
For the Diesels, Saturday’s horror 11 tries to five massacre officially marked the end of the road for a team in diabolical trouble.
The sad reality is, however, Junee really bombed a month ago at least, but it took until Saturday for it to sink in.
One-time rated as contenders, Junee was a pale imitation at the weekend, with more than a few of the players going through the motions.
The heavy loss, which assures the Diesels will finish no better than sixth or seventh, was another shabby display of disregard for departing captain-coach Damian Willis.
Set to possibly retire at the end of the month, Willis deserved more than he was given by the under-performing team.
In contrast, Fitzhenry has at last sparked the Bulls into action and they will finish in the top five and get a shot at a second title.
Still, the odds are not good that the campaign will be successful, but anything is better than missing out on the chance.
Aside from Manawatu and McCarthy, fullback Scott Bowden and centre Wil Merritt were in good touch, while Daniel Foley tried hardest for the losers.
Between now and 2013, the Diesels will need to break open the bank account and spend $30,000 on a coach and stock up on players.