Interim Canterbury Bulldogs coach Mick Potter has questioned the West Tigers’ decision to sin against Ben Aaron Scope at a crucial stage in his team’s rate, saying the center’s tackle was “unintentional”.
In his first match as the Bulldogs since leaving the Trent Barrett Club this week, the Potters fought valiantly, but the Tigers won 36-22 at Leachhart Oval.
For the Bulldogs it looked like a long evening when the Tigers made three straight attempts to take an 18-0 lead in the first half before the match turned upside down after the break.
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However, Potter’s side were inspired after half-time, with three attempts in the 12-minute tumultuous game, drawing between two points.
The Bulldogs got all the momentum when Schoupp was put on the report and in the 61st minute the Tigers were sent to Sean Bean for a dangerous tackle on fullback Starford Toe.
The call proved to be crucial, with the Tigers scoring virtually seconds later through Fa’manu Brown, who made his first attempt since 16 rounds, 2018.
Jock Madden added a second try seven minutes later, with Sean Bean virtually sealing the contest before Scoop returned to the field 10 minutes later.
When asked about the scope scene-binning after the match, Potter let out a frustrated smile and expressed his concern about the call.
He said it was an unintentional drama.
“She (Schoupp) left the player when she took him in a bad position. I don’t see what else the player can do.
“It wasn’t a professional foul. I don’t understand why it was a sin bin.”
Despite his frustration with Schoupp’s sin-binning, Potter admits his side need to be more disciplined after conceding 11 penalty fours.
“We need to change discipline,” he said.
“We made some mistakes there that we need to correct. If we fix our discipline there will be no points score against us. We should be able to defend the line, we should not allow cheap points.”
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Scoop gave his side a glimmer of hope, scoring a goal in the 73rd minute just minutes after returning to the field, but it proved too low, too late.
Potter also made headlines before his first match in charge, bringing $ 2.2 million off-season recruit Tevita Pangai Jr. off the bench.
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Although the move proved to be inspiring, with the Pangai Jr. Bulldogs setting Matt Burton’s efforts to start a comeback in the second half, the interim coach advised that the bench’s move would not last.
The bottom-placed Bulldogs will face the Dragons at home next weekend, while the West Tigers will head to the Acre Stadium to fight the South Sydney Rabbits.
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