5 key talking points as Clydesdales suffer defeat to Burleigh Bears

The Western Clydesdales faced off with the Burleigh Bears in round 2 of the BMD Premiership on Saturday night. See the five biggest talking points from the thrilling contest here.

Ali Brigginshaw was one of the star players for the Clydesdales in their clash with Burleigh on Saturday night. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The Western Clydesdales BMD side suffered its first loss of the season, with the rampaging Burleigh Bears holding on for a thrilling 18-14 win at Club Pittsworth on Saturday night.

After a nailbiting finale between two star-studded outfits, we reveal the five biggest talking points from the clash.

Bears take the ascendancy with 15-minute assault

The Clydesdales were left shell-shocked after the visitors hit the ground running with three tries in the opening 15 minutes.

Caitlyn Ah Fook, Shaianne McGlone and Dannii Perese all crossed over for four-pointers to help Burleigh take an early 14-0 lead

The Bears’ all-out assault saw the hosts immediately on the back foot as they struggled to even earn possession with Burleigh’s three tries coming in the space of eight minutes.

Brigginshaw brilliance steadies the tide

Ali Brigginshaw picked up where she left off last week and was a weapon on offence for the Clydesdales.

With the hosts on the back foot early in the first half after the stellar opening from Burleigh, Brigginshaw stepped up to relieve the pressure and bring the Clydesdales back into the contest.

The half-back’s kicking game was a joy to behold as she forced several repeat sets before star centre Leianne Tufuga scored in the 22nd minute to bring it back to a two-score game.

From delicate chips, to perfectly weighted grubbers, Brigginshaw unleashed her full arsenal attempting to pull off the comeback for the Clydesdales.

Bears’ right-side offence simply unstoppable

All four of the Bears’ tries came on the right side of action with the hosts targeting that side of the field for the majority of the 70 minutes.

Zahara Temara was electric at five-eighth as she created countless opportunities down the right hand side.

After the Clydesdales had no answer for the stunning play between Temara, McGlone, Ah Fook and Perese in the early stages, they eventually settled and were able to hold them out more often.

However, even then, Burleigh was still a persistent threat with every attack they made on the right for the entire game.

Simple errors have major consequences

With the Clydesdales chasing the game, they needed to be near perfect if they were to pull off a comeback against one of the sides expected to contend for the premiership at the end of the season.

However, far too often when they had the opportunity to claw back at the deficit, simple knock-ons undid all their hard work.

Burleigh forwards pack-a-punch

With two of the best forward packs in the competition, there was always going to be big hits and the game certainly delivered on that promise.

The Bears were relentless in defence, making bruising tackles and holding the Clydesdales to limited gains through the middle.

After the Clydesdales had to make countless tackles without reprieve in the opening 15 minutes, Burleigh’s forward pack used the extra energy they had to make extra hard tackles to further cement their ascendancy.