Is it really a derby if there's no controversy and drama?
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Well the round three clash between the Taralga Tigers and Crookwell Dogs had it all; three sin bins, late drama and questions raised about whether the timekeeper got it wrong.
Things heated up late in the first half when a fight broke out, resulting in a sin bin each.
A third sin bin shortly after due to repeated offences saw the Tigers go down to 13 men.
The Dogs capitalised on the decision with a try and went into the main break with a 10-6 lead.
However, the Tigers pushed with all their might in the second before finally breaking the deadlock with 10 minutes remaining, or so the Dogs thought.
The final whistle blew to the surprise of the Dogs players, coaching staff and fans, but the referee stood by his decision and the Tigers held on for a gutsy 11-10 win.
One of the men sent off for the Tigers, Sam Conlon, said it was a very physical battle and thought his side was pretty lucky to get away with the win in the end.
"It was tough at the end of the first half and that was when they let the try in," Conlon said.
"However, everyone, especially the young fellas, all aimed up and we stuck to our plans."
Dogs coach Bruce Nixon on the other hand, wasn't too concerned with the result and focused more on the drastic improvement from their thrashing at the hands of the Yass Rams last week.
"The Tigers were the premiers last year, so they've set the standard for us to go to," Nixon said.
"Following last week's disappointment, I think we're back in some sort of unit.
"Everyone's backing each other and having a go."
Although communication was a lot better compared to last week, there were still problems to address during general play.
"We're still letting our ball carrier isolate himself by not having support, but where we are now compared to last week is a much better spot," he said.
The Tigers have a bye next week while the Dogs take on Cooma at their home ground on Saturday, May 8 from 2.30pm.
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