MOUNT Gambier’s Blue Lake Knights have returned home on a high after an impressive win in Round 8 of the Limestone Coast Rugby League season.
The Knights defeated the previously unbeaten Gunditjmara Bulls to the tune of 44-26, despite trailing early in the first half.
With star player and experienced head Lloyd Pearce-Raisin out injured, an assistant coach role ensured he remained in touch, with the win something he was impressed with.
“It was exciting to get the win over the Bulls,” he said.
“They have a lot of quality players, but we have been working hard and it is playing off.
“I think we are starting to hit our straps at the right time of the year.”
The opening minutes of the game caused a few headaches for the Knights, with the Bulls off to a quick start, something that has kept them ahead of the pack this season.
They utilised the width of the park to score two tries, but the Knights fought back and took the advantage to the break.
“The Bulls utilised their outside backs and scored a couple of tries on set plays,” Pearce-Raisin said.
“But Jackson Standen started putting our forwards in nice holes for a few tries before half time to go in up at the break.”
The tries continued after the break, with the Knights finding some good form on the back of a big effort from the forward pack.
“The Bulls are a fast and well drilled side, but they struggled to contain our forward pack,” Pearce-Raisin said.
“We have some versatile big forwards who can play in the middle or on an edge.
“Karl Schaefer, Chris Driver and Grady Hutchesson made plenty of metres and defended hard, which allowed our halves to take control of the game.”
But Pearce-Raisin also noted the defensive effort across the board, which he said had improved vastly in the recent games.
“They scored the first few tries out wide and you could tell that was their game plan,” he said.
“But our line is coming up a bit quicker and a with bit more fitness into our bigger forwards, they are starting to put on some good shots.
“The boys are understanding the game a bit more and the defence has really picked up.”
Tries came thick and fast, with two from Schaefer, Standen and Daniel Fisher, along with singles to Driver and Tom Neil.
Jay Mariano was again on target, converting six of the eight tries.
Pearce-Raisin said the experience of Standen was a bonus for the side, with NSW Country competition under his belt and the extra work at training from the likes of Mariano was starting to pay off.
Apart from that Pearce-Raisin considers the side to have the best forward pack in the league when everyone is committed.
He said the return from injury of Fisher also made a big difference on the weekend, who he said is handful in the centre.
“With us, we have a really good forward pack,” Pearce-Raisin said.
“We know we can get the metres out of our forwards and have worked hard on our structure.
“The Bulls have been up and about, undefeated, but I said at training if we wanted to have a crack at trying to win the competition, we needed a big scalp.
“We just came in full of confidence from the win last week.
“Even though they got the jump on us the boys did not drop their heads, we stuck to our game plan and it worked.”
Pearce-Raisin said one thing that has stood out in the recent games is the commitment from every player on the ground.
He said no longer are those fringe players waiting for the game to happen, but are now stepping up to take a more positive role.
“I think the boys have lifted five or 10pc,” he said.
“Our outside backs, our wingers and our centres are taking a bit of pressure of our forwards, coming in and taking a few runs.”
To claim such a big scalp as the finals approach is certainly the ideal preparation for the Knights.
There is a possibility the side could jump up to third place, depending on how the final two rounds pan out.
The penultimate round will see the Knights with a bye, but this weekend they face yet another tough test.
“After the win there was a really good vibe around the rooms, the boys were up and about, but they know we have a really big challenge with Warrnambool this week,” Pearce-Raisin said.
“They are a really well drilled and well coached side.
“The boys celebrated but kept a lid on it.
“We want to take the whole thing out, so we still have a long way to go.”
