ALBURY Thunder is counting the cost of its 36-14 loss to ladder-leaders Southcity at Greenfield Park on Sunday.
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The Thunder lost Andrew Cowhan to a broken thumb early in the first half before Andrew Smith came off with a knee injury after the break as the rampant Bulls showed why they’re the team to beat with a dominant display.
Boom recruit Buchanan Rawhiti showed flashes of brilliance for the Thunder but finished his first match in six weeks on the bench as he continues to recover from a broken foot.
Jon Huggett defied injury to take his place in the Albury line-up and was the best player for the Thunder, which missed Joe Silafau and Jack Watson.
Thunder coach Ben Jeffery said Cowhan would miss up to two months while Smith’s injury would be assessed this week.
Jeffery refused to make excuses for his injury-hit team after the match, saying they had simply been outplayed by the Bulls.
“We had the personnel there and we could’ve done the job if we did things right,” he said.
“They’re a class outfit and they’re the benchmark of the competition at the moment.
“They’ve got strikepower all over the field and if you give them too much ball all over the field, they’re going to hurt you.
“We gave them too much ball and too much time in our half.”
The Thunder looked to have taken the lead 13 minutes into the match when Lachie Hampton crossed out wide but the home team was denied by a forward pass.
They’ve got strikepower all over the field and if you give them too much ball all over the field, they’re going to hurt you.
- Ben Jeffery
Southcity made Albury pay for the slip-up, with Pani Manawatu, Nathan Rose and Kyle McCarthy crossing for three tries in eight minutes as the Bulls skipped to a 16-0 lead.
Jeffery got the Thunder on the board six minutes before half-time when he found space in the Bulls defence but Jack Lyon restored the visitors’ 16-point buffer with a try just before half-time.
Albury came out firing in the second half with the lively Shannon Rupapere and Jeffery scoring in the opening eight minutes to bring the scoreline back to 20-14 and give the Thunder a shot at victory.
But that would be as close as they got as the Bulls finished full of running to score the final three tries and send the Thunder tumbling from second to fifth on the table.
“I thought we got back into the game but then they got back on top and it didn’t unfold well for us,” Jeffery said.
“We weren’t good enough around the ruck and their ruck speed was too much for us, we couldn’t keep up.”
The Thunder faces Young next after the Cherrypickers recorded a thrilling 35-32 win against Brothers.
Xavier Mardling
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
