Shortly after the final siren rang at the Goulburn Workers Arena on Saturday, the Goulburn City Bulldogs held their breaths.
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The score in the First Grade match was 28-26, and Woden Rams halfback Jackson McDonald was kneeling on the sideline, carefully setting up the conversion which could draw the game.
In the moments before the final kick of the day, Bulldogs co-coach and forward, Tyson Greenwood, had an inkling as to which way the result would go.
"It's a very demoralising thing, standing there waiting after we'd been 22-6 up," Greenwood said.
"I never really doubted [McDonald], I thought he was going to slot that goal from wherever he was. His whole team was behind him and he ended up kicking it."
Despite the chorus of jeers and car horns from the spectators, McDonald made perfect contact with the ball and sent it sailing between the posts.
The draw sparked raucous celebrations from the Rams and their supporters, while the Bulldogs were left to rue the strong lead they had conceded, which was built off the back of what Greenwood described as a "dominant" first half.
"That was probably our best 40 minutes of football all season," he said.
"We were very dominant in attack and defence, we were winning the wrestle nearly every tackle. We looked really good and we felt really good as a unit, and I thought we were way fitter than them in that first half.
"Nearly everything went our way, and we were rewarded with four tries."
After leading 22-6 at the break, errors seeped into Goulburn's play during the second half, and their confidence dropped.
A forward pass early turned the ball over and led to a Woden try. This, Greenwood said, caused some "flustered" passages from the Bulldogs.
"Sometimes we play a bit of panic footy when we don't really need to. Unfortunately, we've been lacking that ice in a game," he said.
"We're not putting games out of arm's reach, we invite teams back in. And that comes with age, we've got a very young squad so it's about perseverance.
"But unfortunately, Saturday was a prime opportunity to get a handy two points and come away with a very rewarding win, but we didn't capitalise and we had to share the points because of that."
A try to Steve Cummins gave the Bulldogs some room to breathe, but Woden was inexorably clawing back the momentum.
With one minute left, the Rams trailed by six points, but had the ball in hand. They charged towards Goulburn's left side defence, before swinging the ball out wide for the final try of the game in the dying seconds.
Though a draw was not the ideal result for the Bulldogs, the single point earned was enough to push them back up to fourth on the ladder.
This weekend, they have the chance to avenge another nailbiting defeat suffered in round five when they take on the Gungahlin Bulls.
The Bulls remain at the top of the ladder, having lost just the one match this year, but only four points separated them from Goulburn the first time the two teams played.
"The first time we played the Bulls was a reflection of what we're capable of," Greenwood said.
"We had them on the ropes for 77 minutes, and they just beat us with two minutes to go. The knowledge that we can match it with them is reassuring.
"It'll be up to the boys to go out there and put it to them for 80 minutes."
The Bulldogs will play the Bulls this Saturday, July 17, from 3pm at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval.
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