Northern Wairoa pulled off their best away performance of the season by beating second placed Moerewa to stay in contention for the playoffs in the Whangarei and Districts Rugby League.
The Bulls' hooker Tamati Dick scored a well worked team try just beyond the three-quarter mark, which was converted by Shelford Edwards to give the visitors to Simson Park a 18-16 lead. Moerewa had a number of chances to add to the score in a lively final quarter, but the Bulls defence held and although they failed to extend their lead with four attempted field goals, they held on to record a valuable win.
The Bulls' Charlie Selkirk said his side have largely relied on their home form to keep them in the playoff race and have too often fallen short at the last hurdle in close away games.
"It was a big thing for us to win on Saturday. We've been there before but the boys don't always know how to close these tight games out," he said.
He said it was vital the side learned from the experience with five rounds remaining. The win sees them remain in sixth place on goal difference behind the Muriwhenua Falcons but importantly they are only a point behind Takahiwa and Hokianga in equal third.
The Bulls now seek to capitalise on their success with three home games in a row. They play Kaikohe this weekend, followed by must win matches against Takahiwai and the Falcons before away encounters against Otaua and Hora Hora.
Selkirk said Joey Paniora and Edwards were standouts as the Tigers swarmed seeking a late try but the Bulls defended like a team that were determined to win.
It was an unusual weekend for the competition with not one, but two games abandoned without a ball being played. A rare default by Hora Hora showed the lack of playing numbers available to the new club. They were well short of getting the numbers needed to make the long trip to Kaitaia to play the Falcons and were forced to make a late cancellation.
The other abandoned match between leaders Hikurangi and third-placed Hokianga wasn't played because the appointed referee failed to show up. Given the important nature of the game both sides failed to agree on a suitable replacement and following the competition guidelines both sides had to settle for a share of the points.
Rugby League Northland CEO Alex Smits appealed for former players to step up and sign up for the next refereeing course starting on Wednesday evening at Sport Northland. He said the area's dwindling refereeing numbers could be the biggest hurdle to growing the game in Northland.
Takahiwai leapfrogged Hokianga into third place in the competition, thanks to a superior points' differential, after a solid 30-10 away win over Otaua. The other completed matches saw City Knights keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a comfortable 34-6 win over Kaikohe, while Bay Slayers beat Marist 44-18.