The Kempsey Cannonballs faced a tough challenge against the Port Macquarie Pirates in the Mid North Coast Rugby Union northern division competition
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The Pirates snapped their two-game losing streak with a 41-19 victory at Crescent Head on Saturday, May 18, notching up their second win of the season.
The Cannonballs, who started the season strong with a victory in round one, have struggled to win games since.
The Pirates took control of the game early. Although the Cannonballs managed to score two tries through Harry Mainey and William Hiagh, the Pirates managed to head into halftime with a 26-12 lead.
The Pirates kept the momentum going throughout the match to secure the victory.
Leading the charge for the Pirates were seasoned players Sam Begbie and Andrew Boyce, each scoring two tries, while Kaes Besseling and Connor Robinson added the remaining two tries.
Port Macquarie Pirates coach Trent McBlane credited a change in team mentality for the turnaround.
"The boys really stuck together for the first time this year," McBlane said. "The win has come from a good change in the team's mentality."
McBlane said there's been a renewed focus on team culture after a few "disappointing" losses.
"We took a step back and spoke about the culture we want to have this season, and we've focused on improving that," he said.
"I think the team was fixated on it being our 50th year and being defending premiers, which added a bit of pressure."
The Cannonballs will face the Marlins next week, the team they defeated in round one, in the hopes of turning their season around. Meanwhile, the Pirates prepare for a clash with the ladder-leaders, the Hastings Valley Vikings, in the second local derby of the year.
Looking ahead to the upcoming derby against the Vikings, McBlane said the team wasn't putting much weight on the game.
"It's just another week for us," he said. "We're not reading into the papers or their form.... we're just treating this as another game.
"It's always going to be a good atmosphere when we've got that rivalry at their place, so hopefully the boys step up for that one."
