Albury Thunder stand-in halfback Bronson Meehan produced the ideal audition to retain the role in a thrilling 40-30 win over Wagga Kangaroos on Sunday.
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The lightweight youngster scored one try and set up four others as the home team scored in the last two minutes to finally put away a gritty opponent.
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"He's a young Albury boy and played plenty of halves in his junior grades, I think he's got a great opportunity to play that position," coach Adrian Purtell said.
"You've got to remember he's only young and that's his second start, so he'll improve and there were some positive signs."
Halfbacks are the game's puppeteers, directing play and controlling the tempo.
His effort was even more meritorious given Purtell was forced off after 18 minutes with a suspected tear in the quad.
Meehan, who has played fullback in the top grade, produced the first try with a lovely grubber kick for Curtly Jenkinson.
However, Thunder dropped the ball shortly after the kick-off and that would be the constant theme.
"I thought the crucial thing for us was we didn't complete after any of our points, I think on the first four times and you can't build pressure if you do those sort of things," Purtell said.
The 'Roos scored shortly after to level the scores and then grabbed the lead.
Meehan tied the match back up when he swooped from 15m out.
But the Wagga outfit carried a six-point lead into half-time and pushed it beyond a converted try early in the second stanza.
Meehan's pinpoint bomb allowed Etu Uaisele to cross and Jenkinson landed a pearler from the sideline.
Thunder regained the lead when Liam Wiscombe barged over, but four minutes later Robbie Byatt threw the ball to 'Roos' Eddie Jackson-Brennan, who raced 90m.
The visitors led 30-28 with 14 minutes left, but another Meehan bomb for Keanau Wighton and hooker Joe Lumb's late try sealed the win.
"We definitely weren't at our best, in some ways we probably didn't deserve to win, but we found a way," Purtell said.
While Meehan was the standout, Lumb and Jenkinson also produced consistent displays.
Roos' coach Glenn Dumbrell was off late with a suspected broken wrist.
Thunder now hosts leaders Gundagai on Saturday.
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