By Michael Bushell
Forbes only played half of Saturday’s Central West Rugby Union match with the correct attitude, said coach Phil Prior, after the Platypi slumped to a 48-17 defeat to Orange Emus.
Only seven points behind at half-time, the visitors conceded 24 points in the second stanza to record their worst loss of the 2014 season.
“It was a game of two halves,” a clearly disappointed Phil Prior said yesterday.
“It was 24-17 and we were right in the mix at half-time, but we just forgot how to play I think.”
“It was very disappointing. Our one-on-one defence wasn’t good all day, but I think our attitude to defence was just amiss [in the second half],” he said.
Played in periodic rain at Endeavour Oval, Emus captain Nigel Staniforth scored four of his side’s final five tries – including a second-half hat-trick – to turn a seven-point advantage at the half into an eight-try romp.
Overshadowing a hat-trick from hooker Keith Howarth, the greens outside centre was nigh on unstoppable in the second term to help Emus chalk up its third win through the opening five rounds of the 2014 season and remain unbeaten at home this season.
Prior said Forbes should not have been surprised by the Emus, who he said had recruited well in the off-season.
“They were very beat-able, but we just didn’t play well enough,” Prior said.
“We took some wrong options at the wrong times, and our defence was 100 per cent the week before and non-existent this week, so you are left feeling a bit bewildered I think.
“At the end of the day that was one of the games we planned to win, but it just got away from us, so obviously we’ll work harder on our defence this week and try to limit our mistakes,” he said.
Engaging in an arm wrestle with the physical Platypi early, the lead changed hands five times as two tries to Howarth and then another to prop Nas Havealeta were off-set by a first-half double to Forbes skipper James King.
Fortuitously perhaps given Forbes enjoyed the better of the opening stanza, Emus went into the break up 24-17 thanks to Staniforth’s first and Sam Ryan’s second conversion of the afternoon.
But at that point, an Emus win was far from a fait accompli.
Turning to their scrum time and time again, Emus built forward momentum early in the second half and with astute kicking from Adam Perri and fullback Ryan, dominated territory for the most of the second period too.
Forward dominance established, Emus then turned to its backline.
Howarth crossed in the 49th minute to cap his hat-trick and from there, Staniforth was the main beneficiary as he crossed three times in the space of 15 minutes to shoot the hosts out to an unassailable lead.
Lamenting a lack of execution and desire, Forbes skipper James King was disappointed in his side’s lacklustre second half.
“As soon as it got wet we didn’t make the one-on-one tackles. They just ran through us. Our talk wasn’t there, you can’t play 40 minutes of footy and expect to win the game,” King said, his side’s best on Saturday.
Forbes will return to Grinsted Oval this weekend, hosting Parkes in the first of the season’s local derbies.
ORANGE EMUS 48 (Nigel Staniforth 4, Keith Howarth 3, Nas Havealeta tries; Sam Ryan 4 conv) def FORBES PLATYPI 17 (James King 2 tries; Angus King 2 conv, pen goal)
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