BIG HITS, desperate defence and an unpunished shoulder charge to boot. This was a typical Queanbeyan derby, one where both sides could walk off Freebody Oval on Saturday knowing they're going to be in the thick of the action when the silverware is decided.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Kangaroos collected the two competition points with a 14-12 win, but the ladder-leading Blues shouldn't lose much heart given the amount of tackling they had to endure.
''We'll get a bit out of it, but we've got to keep a lid on it, it's only a competition game,'' Kangaroos coach Aaron Gorrell said.
''The next month counts a little bit more than that, but it's good to get one up on them.
''They gave us a bit of a lesson the first time we played them.
''We just took our opportunities that we got, it was a very tough game. It was the best I've seen all year.''
Gorrell's counterpart Simon Woolford lauded his side's effort in defence, but rued a messy first half where the Blues had a completion rate below 50 per cent.
''They put us under some pressure and we didn't handle it,'' Woolford said.
The Blues are two points clear at the top of the table on 20 points, with the Kangaroos their closest challengers on 18.
Robbie Byatt's seventh-minute try produced the only points in the first half as the Kangaroos took a 4-0 lead into the break.
Forward Matt Lewis extended the advantage in the 49th minute before Levi Freeman shook off three defenders to bring the Blues back into the contest with 20 minutes on the clock.
Troy Whiley kicked a 74th-minute penalty goal for the Kangaroos, but the Blues refused to go away.
They appeared certain to score until Kangaroos fullback Ratu Tagive delivered a massive shoulder charge on Blues custodian Dane Snowden.
Kangaroos five-eighth Jordan Macey copped a whack to his hip in the process and left the field.
Freeman scored his second off the next set, but it would prove to be a consolation.
Macey is in doubt for next Saturday's penultimate match of the season against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers.
Meanwhile, the Woden Valley Rams moved into fifth with a 33-24 win over the Goulburn Workers Bulldogs, who slipped to sixth.
The Rams are two points behind the Bushrangers (14 points) after their 34-22 victory against the Gungahlin Bulls, while the Bulldogs are a further point back. Belconnen United Scholars (15 points) remain third after easily accounting for the winless West Belconnen Warriors 36-12.
