The boot of Steve Tracey proved crucial as Waratahs rallied late to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive at Conolly Rugby Complex on Saturday.
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Waratahs were pushed hard by Wagga City in the second half, with the Boiled Lollies momentarily taking the lead before falling 40-28.
Tracey’s kicks in play landed Justin Shortis two tries in the second half while his accuracy in front of goals helped extend his team’s lead late in the game.
He slotted all eight attempts while his Wagga City counterparts only managed one from six.
The ladder leaders had most of the ball in the first half but struggled to make it count on the scoreboard and when Wagga City scored with two minutes to go in the first half Waratahs took a 14-5 lead into the interval.
Keifer Power then scored his second soon after the break to take the score to 14-10 before the two teams traded penalty goals.
After a lineout win against the throw, Wagga City hit the front when they spread it wide to find John Sutcliffe in the corner.
However, their lead was gone soon after when Tracey slotted another penalty goal following Jayden Stanton’s yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
A chip kick back in field from Tracey then found Shortis to extend the margin to nine minutes.
Their buffer was short lived as James Curgenven scored in the corner one minute later to take the scoreline to 27-23.
Tracey then slotted another two penalties, including one after City captain Rory Sheard was yellow carded, before Wagga City got back within striking distance when he completed Power his hat-trick.
However, five points was a close as they would get before Waratahs sealed the win with a try right on full-time.
Bart Whiteley passed the ball between his legs to find Tracey before he kicked ahead and Shortis was right there to score.
While happy to come away with another, Waratahs coach Will Mitchell thought a number of defensive issues were highlighted as his suffered from “lapses of concentration”.
However, he was impressed with the improvement shown by the Boiled Lollies after a 20-point win to start the season.
“To City’s credit they took every opportunity when we switched off whether it be for five minutes, two minutes or 30 seconds,” Mitchell said.
“They were all over it.
“They were a lot better side than they were in the first round.
“They will start to beating a lot of sides.”
Waratahs are out to end a bad record against Griffith in Griffith next week while Wagga City faces another tough test when hosting Leeton.
