Macleay Valley Mustangs under-18 centre Luke Calthorpe scored three tries, but it wasn't enough to get North Coast Bulldogs over the line at Lank Bain Sporting Complex on February 11.
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The Bulldogs had to settle for a 14-all draw in their Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) clash with Macarthur Wests Tigers when Tigers second-rower Ewan Xuereb crossed with under a minute remaining.
North Coast would have been forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu at Wauchope.
Seven days after they threw away a 26-0 lead to lose 30-26 to Northern Rivers following a last-minute converted try, the Bulldogs again conceded late in a 14-all Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) draw with Macarthur Wests Tigers.
Coach Matt Freebairn, however, preferred to look at the situation as a point gained rather than a point lost.
"We made our errors, but to take the one point away keeps us in the hunt because if we lose that game, we're no longer in the competition," Freebairn said.
"Last year the draw we had was the difference so that could be the difference again at the end of the season."
Calthorpe starred with a hat-trick on the left edge, but it wasn't enough.
"Luke had an absolute blinder," Freebairn said.
"This is his second year in the 18s and he was really good again on Saturday which is great. He's starting to get some consistency with his form which is really good."
The draw means the Bulldogs must now win their remaining three matches to all-but guarantee a spot in the finals.
It starts with a trip to Cessnock next weekend where they tackle the Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights.
After that, they head to Kempsey and a clash with the Central Coast Roosters before a final-round trip to Ballina where they will take on Northern Rivers Titans.
"We're going to focus on finishing top two and we've got to learn from [the first two rounds]," Freebairn said.
"You can't rely on other results from other teams so we've just got to control our own fate and I've got a lot of belief in the team and the squad; we've just got to be better.
"We're developing and pulling a rep team together is a challenge, but we're starting to really grow and figure out what works for us."
The focus for the Bulldogs over the next three weeks will be on winning those moments where they have come up short in the opening two rounds.
The coach remained upbeat about their chances of again qualifying for the finals despite the slow start to their 2023 campaign.
"If we're that much better at those small things we win those (first two) games," he said.
"Last year we won those games by that much, but then we dropped the grand final by 20 points so let's hope the lessons we learn early on are going to serve us well when it matters.
"We've got to be mentally tougher and more resilient at pivotal times in the game, but 14-all... good game of footy."
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