The Junee Diesels have returned from one of the most dreaded away trips in Group 9, with a 20-14 win over the Albury Thunder at Greenfield Park in Albury on Saturday.
Going into the game on the back of a three-match winning streak, the Diesels once again came from behind to be triumphant, with the Round 14 success moving Junee into third position.
Although not playing to their potential for the entirety of the game, Diesels coach Damian Willis said being the better disciplined of the two sides certainly played a factor in securing the two competition points.
“Fortunately, we were on the right side of the penalty count and were able to scrape home,” Willis acknowledged.
“Our defence and scramble is what’s winning games of footy for us this year, and we know the areas we need to improve are things we can control, so they will be an easy fix.”
Cooper Wright and Daniel Foley scored the Diesels first half points and had Junee leading before Albury struck twice before half-time to lead 14-10.
A see-sawing battle in the second half saw neither side truly gain ascendancy, before Neti Latu crossed for the Diesels to give the visitors the lead once more.
Try as they may, the Thunder couldn’t manage to claim another big scalp to add to Gundagai and Cootamundra, with a second try to Daniel Foley sealing the result for Junee.
Now sitting in a top three position on the competition ladder, the Diesels have the opportunity to secure a double chance come finals time, and Willis is adamant complacency won’t be an issue as their final two rounds are against the bottom two sides.
“We have to be mentally and physically prepared for the next two weeks heading into the semis and cement that top three spot and get two bites of the cherry. We won’t be getting too far ahead of ourselves,” a determined Willis said.
The Diesels will play host to Tumut this coming Sunday, who will travel to Junee on the back of a surprise win against Wagga Kangaroos last weekend.
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