Having notched up their fourth narrow win of 2018 on Saturday, you could forgive the Wyong Roos for seeing the negatives in their nail-biting tendencies – but at this stage of the season, the two competition points is all that matters.
Trailing 16-0 just 15 minutes into their game against the third-placed Bulldogs, the Roos were asked to complete a second significant comeback in as many weeks. Following on from their thrilling victory over the Jets on Magic Weekend, the home side chipped away at the deficit until the 77th minute – when captain Mitch Williams crossed for the match-winner.
“I thought I was probably due for a run,” Williams told Fox League after the match. “I saw their back-rower went early on our lead runner, so I was lucky enough to get over.
“Not the start we were looking for, but – same as last week – the boys stuck it out all the way to the end. I’m really proud of them. Two really hard weeks for us and a great effort today.”
Williams, a Terrigal junior, was the home town hero at Central Coast Stadium, scoring his first try since the 2016 season. While the four-pointer was a welcome surprise for the 30-year-old hooker, the team’s effort after last week’s win was always going to be vital.
“We said last week didn’t mean too much if we couldn’t back it up this weekend,” Williams said. “I think they’re (the Bulldogs) running second or third at the moment, so it’s a big win for us and we’ve got to start building on these.”
Wyong now has back-to-back wins for the first time in 2018, with Saturday’s four-point triumph their biggest winning margin. Sitting three points outside of the top eight, finals football is not out of the question for last year’s runners-up, but their path will not be an easy one; it continues next Saturday afternoon when they take on new ladder-leaders Penrith in a highly-anticipated grand final replay.
