Hall wants Hawks to keep the ‘foot down’
Following a slow start to their Blumers Lawyers George Tooke Shield campaign, the Harden Hawks have spread their wings during a 32-12 victory over the North Canberra Bears at McLean Oval on Saturday.
Entering the Round Four contest, the Hawks had been well-beaten 50-nil by the Bungendore Tigers in Round One and went down 18-14 in a close contest to the Cootamundra Bulldogs in Round Three.
Splitting those games was a forfeit by the UC Stars in Round Two, meaning Harden hadn’t enjoyed the opportunity to sing their team song in 2024.
That changed on Saturday, though, as the predicted competition heavyweights put six tries past the Bears.
Drew Arabin crossed for a double, while Austin Power, Joie Whybrow, Williams Hills, and Riley Manwaring crossed in the dominant victory.
Harden coach Nick Hall was pleased to see his side register a win after a stop-start beginning to their campaign.
“That first week was rough, and the forfeit didn’t do us any favours,” Hall said.
“Against Coota, we played well but we hadn’t played enough footy and ran out of gas.
“It’s easy to say we can see the positives and work on them, but sometimes, having a win brings confidence, and we needed that.
“It’s early days, and we’ve got a good enough side. It’s pretty much the same side we’ve had the last couple of years, and we’ve had those ebbs and flows, but it’s the same footy team.”
While this weekend’s bye round for the representative game between George Tooke Shield and Woodbridge Cup comes at an ‘ordinary time’ for Harden, they won’t stop working ahead of a Round Five trip to Boorowa on Saturday, May 18.
“We’re going to keep working. We’ve had a slow start this year, and it hasn’t been great in terms of preseason and attendance,” Hall said.
“A couple of guys weren’t playing and came back, and we’re conscious of keeping the foot down now.
“We can’t just show up and win games; there’s no such thing as beast mode.
“There is trained and untrained, and the issue for us is that we haven't quite done the work, and we need to find that momentum before a tough game against Boorowa.”
While much of the hype has been around Bungendore, Binalong, and Cootamundra to start the 2024 season, Hall isn’t writing off a Harden outfit that has featured in recent post-seasons.
“I think every side looks at Harden because, for the last few years, we’ve not been a huge side, and they think they can wrestle us off the park,” Hall said.
“The thing is, if you don’t pay attention, we’ve got a couple of players that can hurt you.
“We’re a side that plays in spits and spurts, and it’s frustrating as a coach, especially not playing field position, and it can be challenging when we’re defending at our end, but similarly, we can score tries from our end.
“There are some good teams we must pay attention to, but if we turn up, we can play good footy and match it with those teams.
“The last two years, we’ve fallen out at the end, and that is the challenge this year: to find a way to continuity.”
While Harden gets to revel in their big win over the Bears, in other Round Four games, Binalong reaffirmed their status as competition favourites, travelling to Boorowa Showground on Friday night and defeating the reigning premiers.
The undefeated Brahmans scored six tries as they defeated the Rovers 34-10 on their home deck.
Bungendore bounced back from a 24-22 loss to Binalong in Round Three, defeating the Cootamundra Bulldogs 40-6 at Mick Sherd Oval on Saturday.
The Tigers look the real deal in 2024, with Josh Baker leading the Black and Gold to a dominant victory over a Bulldogs outfit, which many pundits have finishing in the top three.
On Sunday, Crookwell reinvigorated their campaign with a 38-18 win over the UC Stars at Crookwell Memorial Oval.
Celebrating Devils Day, the Green Devils were led by Charles Dawson, who finished with a quartet of tries in front of the big home crowd.
Click here for the George Tooke Shield men’s tackle ladder, draw, and results.
Binalong knock off Roverettes
The Binalong Brahmans league tag side moved into fourth position on the Blumers Lawyers League Tag ladder following a 20-10 win over the Boorowa Roverettes on Friday night.
Playing at Boorowa Showground, the Brahmans saw Annie Kent and Bronwyn Pollack each score a double as they won four tries to two.
The top-of-the-table Harden had a tough outing against North Canberra on Saturday, with the Hawkettes defeating the Bears 14-6 at McLean Oval.
The Bullettes bounced back from their Round Three loss to Harden, defeating Bungendore 40-6 at Mick Sherd Oval on Saturday.
Crookwell won their third game of the season and kept pace with the ladder-leading Hawkettes following a dominant 46-nil win over the UC Stars at Crookwell Memorial Oval on Sunday.
Kimberly Allport stood tall for the home side, winning player’s player and earning three points in a massive performance for the She Devils.
Click here for the George Tooke Shield League Tag ladder, draw, and results.
