Five points now separate the second placed Glen Innes Magpies and the chasing pack after a 50-34 win over the Goondiwindi Boars at Mead Park on Saturday.
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It was again a tale of two halves for the Magpies.
The first half was the best 40 minutes of rugby league they had played this year, but the second half was close to their worst of the season.
Prop Mone Loketi opened the scoring for the Magpies 11 minutes in, which kick-started a 20 minute clinic by Glen Innes on attacking football.
Second rower Jock Waters barged over from a tap 10 metres out only three minutes later.
It was only another three minutes after Waters’ try that winger Andrew Grob nabbed a Sam Key bomb out of the sky and went over for his first try of the season.
Prop Sam Schiffmann steamed on to a beautiful Key pass in the 24th minute from 35 metres out and a couple of goose steps later he was over the line.
Fullback Ben Lonergan and centre Craig Browne scored in the 28th and 30th minutes respectively to give the Magpies a 32-nil lead.
The Boars got one back late in the half, but the Magpies went into the sheds at the break high on confidence after dominating the first 40 minutes of football.
But instead of replicating that performance in the second half, the Magpies switched off.
At times their defence was embarrassing and Goondiwindi took full advantage and reduced the deficit to 32-22 with over 20 minutes still to play.
Jamie Watts scored a trademark try from dummy half with just under 20 minutes to play to bump the score-line out to 38-22.
The Boars scored another three quick tries to have the Magpies reeling with 10 minutes to play, but another try to Watts and one to Loketi on the bell saw the Magpies escape with a 50-34 win.
Key was obviously disappointed his side didn’t go on with the job in the second half, but said there were some positives to take from the match.
“It was a great back end to that first half,” he said.
“We went to sleep for most of the second half, but at the end of the day we got the two points.”
Key said lock Adam Upton, Watts and centre Mark Ierome were his best on the day.
The Magpies reserves were the only Glen Innes side to lose on the day and in doing so let a golden opportunity to sew up third place slip from their fingers.
Glen went down 22-20 to the Boars in a game that was heavily affected by rain.
Ewan McGrady, Will Newberry, Mark Ierome and Travis Patterson scored tries for the Magpies, while Nick Lehman booted two goals.
The loss sees the Magpies remain in third place, but a win would have shot them six points clear of the Boars and only two points behind the second placed Inverell Hawks.
The Magpies juniors rebounded from their first loss of the season with a convincing 36-10 win over Goondiwindi.
Jayden Ehsman and Brayden Gallagher scored doubles for Glen to go with tries to Jai Campbell, Jack Miller and Kyle Mongta. Ehsman booted four conversions.
The Magpies leadies league-tag minor premiership hopes received a major boost with their 50-6 win over the Boars.
Breanna Grange and Alisa Tunamena both scored two tries apiece.
Amelia Tunamena, Tanarah Boney, Fiona Williamson, Megan Fuller and Kate Fakes also crossed for Glen Innes, while Shannan Marchant booted seven goals.
On Saturday the Magpies travel to Inverell to take on the Hawks in all four grades.
All matches will have a significant bearing on semi-final placings.