Lithgow Bears Rugby League Football Club's league tag side kicked off their first competition game on Friday, April 12 against 2018 grand finalists CSU Blue at Tony Luchetti Sportsground.
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This was the first night game in years played at Tony Luchetti under lights, and the Bears looked tough having the ball in the half for majority of the game.
The Bears have been training hard and practicing getting the ball passed along the line out to the wings, and in this circumstance it worked. It was passed through players, with newcomer Andrea Savage passing off just in time before she was tagged, to Tash McCann who fired her way to the try line.
CSU Blue found a hole in the Bears defensive line and ran to the posts. Half time saw CSU lead by two points.
Second half, the Bears used their team work again with a pass from Jasmine Spittles to Latia Hardie who dived over the line. Hardie also converted her own try.
With 20 Minutes to go the Bears took over the scoreboard taking the lead again being four points in front. Seven minutes, both teams were getting frustrated with mistakes being made and unfortunately a mistake made by the Bears within 10 metres off the CSU try line, saw CSU taking over the lead. The final score being 12-10 to CSU Blue.
The Bears players player award went to Latia Hardie and the Dominos best and fairest going to Kaitlyn McLaughlin. This was Mclaughlin's first time playing league tag and she played outstanding.
The next league tag game will be played at CSU Bathurst fields on Saturday, April 27. While the Bears Rugby League team will need to hold out for another week with all New Era Cup teams to commence at Portland on the first weekend of May.
Rugby League
The Lithgow Bears Rugby League side participated in the Group 10 knockout on Friday 6 April 2019. The Bears play in the New Era Cup Football competition and fall under the Group 10 banner.
The Bears had a tough first round with the draw being pulled out of a hat, and coming up against the Orange Cyms. Cyms had won the Group 10 knockout in 2018 and were a competitive team in the Group 10 Competition.
Knockout games only run for 30 minutes, and the Bears held their own and were first under the posts with Cyms hitting back and scoring a try. After the first 15 minutes and going into the half time break it was a six all draw.
READ MORE: Lithgow Bears are set for 2019 New Era Cup
Second half showed two disallowed tries to the Bears with the New Era Cup Bears going down to the Group 10 Cyms 20-6.
The Bears boys should be proud of themselves as majority of the players have never played before and up against a team that has gelled for years.
All five New Era Cup teams played really well against the Group 10 sides with CSU only loosing by one try, Portland and Orange both hit hard and managed to be within points of the oppositions.
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