With Coach Andrew McKinnon watching on the sideline due to a shoulder injury sustained against Rangers last week, Goondiwindi scored three tries in the first half through the usual suspects McPherson, Saunders and Campbell, to go to the break 19-0.

Usually known for not taking their foot off the pedal, it was Goondiwindi that fell asleep in the second half as Roma clawed back to be trailing by only 19-15.

With the game in the balance, the Emus were repelled during several scoring opportunities before front rower Doug McDougal crashed through some tired Echidna defense in the 63rd minute.

Frances Hayes ably supported Emu’s Man of the match Sam Munsie.

Hayes, though only a relative lightweight, has a defensive technique that produces the kind of hit usually attributed to bigger men.

Pearce Saunders was strong in attack and appears to be reveling in the support given by his wingers Johnston and O’Byrne.

The score could well have been considerably improved by these two if only for the cover defense of speedy Echidnas fullback Lyle Lucht.

Damp conditions and a constant southeasterly breeze played a major role in the low score line.

This is the second week in a row the Emus have kept their opponents to a nil score-line.

The tight pick and drive game adopted by the Emus continues to wear opposition teams down. Although Dave Gladman was always on hand for the grind of second and third phase play, it was Jeff Suhr who scored the only Emus try.

In the second half and with the breeze at their backs, the Echidnas had Goondiwindi trapped in their red zone for thirty minutes.

Against the wind, Goondiwindi were unable to kick their way out of trouble and so their relentless defensive effort to keep the Echidnas scoreless was all the more outstanding.

Dave Bower, though starting the game under an injury cloud, was very solid on the right wing.

Scott Holcombe has also returned to the emu’s fold and contributed well from outside centre.

Scott Jackson was the standout performer at halfback. He and five-eighth Luke Fritz shared the tactical kicking duties throughout the match. Fritz managed a conversion and a penalty goal.

Such is the club spirit shown by all when on the road, B Grade Manager Matt Quinlan made a late entry at halfback.

He was then to see winger Tim Cuthbert open the scoring after 10 minutes with a clever sidestep and dash to the line.

But better was yet to come.

As predicted last week, Matt Dunlop has continued his scoring spree with a fantastic solo performance.

In an effort that could see Socceroos Coach Pim Verbeek calling for some pointers, Dunlop toed a loose ball through the first line of defense and repeated his silky soccer skills against the Echidnas fullback.

A subsequent 30m sprint for the ball saw him register the Emu’s second five pointer.

Clay target sharp shooter Dave Robb could manage only one conversion. Roma scored the winning try with only minutes to spare.

Playing against the Wheatmen at Dalby, Goondiwindi took the field with only thirteen players.

From the whistle, Goondiwindi man of the match Jed Roberts could be found in the thick of a ruck or at the top of a lineout.

Nathan Quinell and Nick Townsend were consistently lifting Roberts over his lineout opponent, to enable him to steal the majority of Dalby ball.

Although running against the wind in the first half, Goondiwindi were able to create numerous scoring opportunities.

However, it wasn’t until the 30th minute that Lee Harwood scored and John McNulty converted.

Even though Sam Tweedy suffered a shoulder injury early in the second half but courageously chose to play on, the challenge of taking the field without a full complement of players would prove too much.

With the very safe John McNulty at fullback, Kyle Tillack was able to make a meaningful contribution from the wing.

According to Coach Mick McKenzie, Tillack’s kicking game has come along substantially over the course of the season.

Eventually however, it was some poor decision making that led the young Pups to some unforced handling errors.

It was only then that Dalby were able to force the scoreboard attendant out into the wet and windy conditions.

Dalby scored three unanswered tries during the 15-minute period prior to full time. Final score was 21 to 7 to Dalby.

The coming weeks will see some U20 DDRU players considered for attendance at a three-day camp that culminates in the selection of the Queensland Country squad. Good luck Pups.