Turriff opted to drop their full back and the Dragons chose to drop a forward utilising impact player availability. It took the Dragons longer than usual to settle adapting to a 14 player strategy rather than a 15 but likewise, Turriff took their time to settle also. It was difficult to gauge who would be the more dominant team within the first 20 minutes. Turriff’s experienced standoff, Bobbi Jack, was their game leader and most of their moves were off set pieces, the scrum and line out. They had good running lines and made use of their blind side often. However, due to the repetitiveness the Dragons were able to mark this accordingly.
Turriff put early pressure on the Dragons defence but with get turnover work in line outs and scrums by the forwards, jailbreaks were used to avoid any danger. Once the Dragons settled and went into attack mode, the back line blossomed. Aleisha Womack. Angela Drever and Amy Walker worked well together throughout game and after a brilliant turnover, side stepping Walker was on her way to score the first of three tries. Turriff responded well and number 12, Natalie McDonald, powered through the lasses in red gaining valuable ground. Turriff were also quick to the breakdown and cleared out strongly causing some players to catch their breath. However, the Dragons own weapon, Sandra Davey, returned the tackles and no one could get past her. The Dragons had pushed Turriff back into their own half and gained a turnover with Donna Wilson tackling and completing a jackle which Turriff got penalised for holding on. A quickly taken penalty by Womack found the hands of supporting Walker for her second of the game. Turriff’s captain, Isla Jack had a solid game at 13 and had excellent game awareness and feet work. An error by the Dragons on the wing was capitalised by Jack as she weaved through for a deserved try. In true Orcadian style the Dragons did not want to conclude the first half on an opposition try. A collective performance took the team up the pitch and a penalty was awarded in the 22. The forwards carried the ball in and as Turriff got drawn to the ball this opened up space on the wing. Wilson called for a bingo and after some untidy handling, drew in the players, using a skill recently learnt in training, passed behind her opponent to the returning Hannah Cursiter in the 12 shirt storm over the try line. The Dragons, more times than not, save their best until the second half. However, they were faced with more unwanted and unexpected player changes at Turriff’s request. With a player going to the Scotland v Fiji game, the teams dropped to 13 players. Therefore, the Dragons dropped a back. From the restart it was clear Turriff were more prepared for the changes and were the dominant side for the first few minutes. This dominance was rewarded with a blinder of a run by debut winger Abbie Petrie, Turriff, from well within her own half. Fortune was once again not on the Dragons side as the ref claimed there was a high tackle by Womack. A yellow card was shown and when questioned why, the ref stated it was the second high tackle by the team in close succession. This spurred on the Dragons and as the back line positionally reorganised themselves, play progressed up the pitch. Grace Macgregor and Nikita Scollie broke through the Turriff defence gaining valuable ground and the team were closing in on the try line. The ‘rumble’ which is becoming a popular move for the Dragons was called and the forwards nicely drew in the opposition. The dynamic duo of Wilson and Cursiter teamed up once again, now in the scrum half and stand off positions and with a pop pass, Cursiter got her second try. A good effort with the Dragons being a player down. The second half tries did not stop there. Womack returned with fire in her puggy and stormed up the pitch. She was supported by Walker who completed her hatrick of tries. Turriff had a little bit of fight left but improvement in tackling by the Dragons saw their opponents beginning to struggle. A superb turnover in the scrum by the Dragons released the backs again and this time it was Drever on her way under the posts. The game began to get unsafe as fatigue set in but it seemed to be the Dragons getting penalised for it when it was Turriff playing the ball on the ground and coming into rucks from the side. The Dragons did not let this get to them and Womack was rewarded with a deserved try. At the restart we thought we might have squeezed in another one as a great catch by Cady Denoon, she blasted through Turriff reaching the final 22. However Turriff’s speedy backs double tackled her. The Dragons were once again in an unfortunate situation as with approximately 8 minutes to go, Turriff requested to call time on the game. A decision we did not agree with but due to the game on principles we cannot refuse such request. Despite all the technical rules with player matching, yellow card and time cut at the end, the Dragons performance was the best yet. The forwards in a reduced pack, held their own with good strength and determination whereas the backs handling was much improved and speed on attack was great. However the highlight of the game was the support and communication from everyone. A deserved win of 39-12. The Dragons didn’t have much time to mingle with Turriff and hopped back on the bus with a selection of sandwiches. Tries: Amy Walker x 3, Hannah Cursiter x 2, Angela Drever, Aleisha Womack. Conversions: Angela Drever x 2 Forward of the match: Sandra Davey Back of the match: Donna Wilson Opposition of the match: Hannah Cursiter The Dragons are away to Caithness on 16 November 2024. DW Picture:
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