LETTING in 40 points in a rugby league match is often enough to send a team home with humiliation hanging over them, but somehow that's not the case for the CSU Mungoes.
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In a Woodbridge Cup game dominated by attack, but lacking entirely in defence, the Mungoes returned home on Saturday with a 44-40 victory over the Grenfell Goannas.
Mungoes watched their early lead slip before the teams traded tries all the way to full-time in the entertaining 84-point bonanza at Lawson Oval.
It wasn't a perfect performance by any means from the CSU men but it saw them pick up their first points of the Woodbridge Cup season and put round one's big loss to the Oberon Tigers behind them.
Four Mungoes players came away with try scoring doubles in the win - Charlie Hutchings, Deryne McKenzie, Dylan Marmion and Ash Magaya.
Defence goes missing but entertainment value is through the roof
CSU put away just two tries in their round one game against the Tigers but had far more freedom to move the ball against the Goannas.
They made the most of their chances though they also provided plenty of opportunities to Grenfell thanks to their own errors in defence.
"It was a pretty poor defensive effort from both teams but the attack was on full display. Our defence needs work, so that'll be the focus on training this week - getting those defensive errors out of our game," Mungoes co-coach Ray Sargent said.
"Obviously scoring 44 points is unreal but letting in 40 is something that we're pretty angry with ourselves about. We'll take the win though."
Sargent said there were mixed emotions from the team after the game but there was enough in the performance to let him know there's good times ahead.
"We went into the sheds and it was kind of weird. We felt happy to come away with the two points but at the same time we knew that we were a lot better than that," he said.
"It's not disrespect to Grenfell but we came away from that feeling that we could have been a lot better, and we're looking back on it thinking that we could have been maybe 20 points ahead if we tightened up our defence.
"We grinded it out. We know there's work to do but we believe we can still be a strong side in this competition.
"We were disappointed in the Oberon game the week before. We knew we had to come in and match Grenfell because they'd be just as strong physically.
"It still wasn't good enough and we're going into a game against Eugowra who look really strong this year. We're in for a good game in week three."
It was a wild weekend of Woodbridge Cup action, with a pair of drawn matches between the Blayney Bears and Orange United (30-all) plus Oberon Tigers and Cowra Magpies (26-all).
Meanwhile the CSU Mungals couldn't open their account for 2024 after going down to Grenfell 18-6.
Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
