Tumut bounced back to winning ways by causing an upset at Jarrah Oval on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wagga City were favoured to take out the clash, but buoyed by some strong home support it was the Bulls who came out on top to take a 29-19 victory.
The Boiled Lollies tasted defeat for the first time since round one as they struggled to contain the Bulls.
Tumut scored first and were always able to keep their noses in front for most of the clash.
They led 15-14 at the break and scored the next two tries to ensure their third win of the season.
Five-eighth Harrison Friswell scored with about three minutes left to seal the win for the Bulls before an error from the restart.
Stu Dyer made them pay, but it was too little to late for last year’s grand finalists.
After losing to Albury last week, coach Morgan Grivas was impressed with how his team responded.
“The win was really important to stay in touch with the top sides,” Grivas said.
“The big difference was we were a lot better defensively.
“A lot more willing to stick our tackles and our body height was a lot better.”
Grivas was impressed by how Friswell controlled the game.
Friswell had big boots to fill as the Bulls looked to replace Christino Manuolevao this season.
However the young Englishman is starting to find his feet and adjust to the different style of play.
“He controlled the pace of the game with the ball excellently,” Grivas said.
“He played a lot straighter, which was something we were missing last week as a side.
“He really set the platform well.
“We’ve been asking him to do a few things that he hadn’t done previously playing England and he’s really coming along in leaps and bounds.”
Jon Carmody and Joe Ioane were also strong up front.
The Bulls have one injury concern with Tim Graham suffering a shoulder injury.
Traditionally Jarrah Oval has been very poor in the wet but despite around 50 millimetres of rain falling prior to the game, Grivas was impressed by how the redeveloped surface stood up.
Grivas is now looking for his team to build on the win when they travel to Wagga to tackle Ag College.
“We are really looking for consistency in our application,” he said.
“We’ve been a bit up and down week-to-week.”
Meanwhile, Wagga City will have a big task ahead as they face an undefeated Leeton outfit coming off a 107-0 thumping of Albury.