FOOTSCRAY used its get-out-of-jail-free pass to mow down cellar-dweller Melbourne University 27-22 in the Victorian Rugby Union Premier1 Dewar Shield at HG Smith Oval on Saturday.
The Bulldogs made a positive start with left centre Shane Imo crossing the line first to give the visitors a lead after a 10-minute period of dominance, but that was all they could hang their hat on in an otherwise listless first half.
Bulldogs coach Junior Naufahu said last week it was a danger game for his side despite Uni sitting at the foot of the ladder, and he was left to question the hunger of his side in the first half.
“We started well, but after that first try we fell asleep. There was a lack of concentration and focus.
“[Uni] are on the bottom but, like I said last week, they have been our bogey side. They showed up to play on Saturday.”
The Bulldogs were powerless to stop the hosts from running in the next three tries.
The Uni boys were up and about with a 22-13 lead.
A comeback was a must if the Bulldogs wanted a top-two finish.
The teams that finish in the prime first and second positions after a gruelling season have the luxury of a rest in the first week of the finals and will host a final in the second week. Melbourne is already locked into top spot, leaving the Bulldogs (53 points), Southern Districts (52), Harlequins (51) and Moorabbin (51) to fight it out for that all-important second position in the last two weeks of the season.
Sensing that, the Bulldogs mounted a spirited comeback, finding tries out of number eight Tuipene Apineru and right wing Mike Toetu and a spot-on kicking game from fly-half Martin Naufahu with three conversions and two penalties. Imo was the player with the biggest impact.
“His attack was brilliant,” Naufahu said. “He kept cutting through gaps.”
Keisuke Yamada was another who burnt Uni with his quick thinking at the breakdown and fleet feet. One of two Japanese imports who have been a fixture in the Bulldogs team this year, Yamada has taken on a much heavier workload since compatriot Tomu Hiratsuka was signed to a professional contract back home a month ago.
The Bulldogs continue to win, but Naufahu says they are “winning ugly”, so they will need to snap out of their slumber for a match-of-the-round battle with Harlequins at Henry Turner Memorial Reserve on Saturday.
VRU
Dewar Shield: Melbourne University 22 lt Footscray 27
