In a hard-fought match marred by challenging weather conditions, the Kempsey Cannonballs were defeated by the Hastings Valley Vikings with a score of 32-12 at Oxley Oval on Saturday, April 20.
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The Cannonballs faced an early setback with a player sent off, while the Vikings tightened up their attack to match the conditions.
Kempsey Cannonballs co-coach Jared Fuller praised his team's resilience despite the loss.
"I thought it was a tremendous effort from the 14 players that were out on the field for almost the entire game," he said.
"With 20 minutes to go, we were still a chance of winning the game. We just didn't have the ball enough and defended for the vast majority of the game," Fuller added.
While acknowledging areas for improvement, Fuller praised Harry Mainey, Tyler Allan, and Matt South for their standout performances.
"Harry Mainey was best and fairest for the Cannonballs. Tyler Allan was great in attack and defence, and Matt South's defence was phenomenal on the weekend," Fuller said.
Despite the loss, Fuller remains optimistic about the team's future.
"We're happy with the effort but there's still some things to sharpen up."
Vikings coach Mark Howard praised his team's adaptability in the face of wet weather conditions.
"We had to change our game plan late due to the wet weather, which made for slippery conditions, and I think we adapted better than they did," he said.
"We got a bit guilty of trying to play too expansively at times. But when we kept the ball in the forwards, we showed dominance and put points on the board," Howard said.
Hamish McCormack's "impressive" four-try performance stood out for Howard.
"It's pretty unheard of for a front rower to do that. He was very impressive and led from the front."
Adam McCormack, Hamish's brother, also earned praise for his leadership and tactical play.
"Adam directs the team and gets players where they need to be for scoring opportunities," Howard said.
Looking forward, Howard said the team is focused on building their combinations.
"We're a new side this year, there's a lot of new faces, so we're trying to build every week and get familiar with each other," he said.
