HOME ground advantage proved insufficient, as the Lady Hawks succumbed to the Shortland Devils at Myall Park on Saturday, 28 May.

Shortland came out of the gate with a bang, as their #1 jersey scooped the kick-off, sprinted down the right wing and scored before anyone else knew what was happening.

The scene set, the Lady Hawks quickly rallied, putting up a strong defence, spectators commenting on their need and execution of “very quick” footwork, mainly due to the unique realities of the tags streaming from both hips.

Shortland strafed back and forth along the Hawks’ backline, looking for an opening, all the while battling with the fact that a mere flick of the wrist is enough to yank the tag and halt a run.

A strong frontal push from the Devils kept the Hawks’ territorial gains to a minimum, until Shortland found the far right corner for a few tries, making none of the conversions easy.

An awkward play stoppage was befuddling but necessary, and once the papers were all in order, play resumed with Shortland’s dependence upon one player in particular becoming evident.

Several excellent displays of footwork by Lady Hawks’ Chloe Tito and Shian Perry would have gotten them to the line, if not for the billowing tags requiring at least a metre on either side of a runner, a nigh-impossibility within the confines of the field.

Despite strong attacks, the Lady Hawks were unable to score in the second half, and the heartbreak was palpable as spectators witnessed several Hawks make clear line-breaks, only to hear that their tags had been swiped at the last split-second.

Several ref’s imperatives of “Play Tag!” also led to multiple restarts, as the latter stages of the game saw some ladies getting a little too ‘contact’ for a touch-tag match.

The full-time scoreline of 0-20 was full of learning opportunities, a situation that should not be lost on the first-timers and veterans alike among the Lady Hawks’ this season.

By Thomas O’KEEFE