The Bowral Blacks will go into the Queen's Birthday long weekend with a win.
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After a tight first half, Camden were no match for the Blacks in the second, going down 43-25 in damp and muddy conditions at Eridge Park on Saturday, June 4.
The Illawarra Zone match also coincided with Emergency Services Day which allowed the public to thank their first responders.
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Blacks assistant coach Tim Small was pleased with the way his side stepped in the second half during their seven tries to three victory.
"In the first half, we struggled to get out of our end due to the mud," Small said.
"In the second half, we simplified our game and played much more simple and direct football.
"We played the football we knew we could play and executed really well.
"To dominate the second half just shows what we can do when we apply and execute our basic skills."
One of the worrying things though, was the one sided penalty count they were on the receiving end of.
"We conceded a lot of penalties, so we probably need to address our discipline," he said.
"Winning the game by that margin with the heavy penalty count against us speaks volumes of the boys' application."
The rain that'd been hitting the Southern Highlands recently definitely left its mark on the ground, making it difficult to run on at times.
That resulted in a different game plan for the Blacks compared to other matches.
"We tried not to be too expansively due to the muddy conditions," Small said.
"You can get longer studs, but when it was that wet and boggy, then there's not much you can do.
"Foot work was difficult, so we had to play really directly and kick into the dry parts of the field.
"We did that and the scoreboard proved it."
The Blacks are a few games into their season and Small is happy with the way things are going.
"We've probably played the biggest teams in the competition already, so we're pretty happy because we've lost quite a few players due to COVID," he said.
"We've got a lot of young guys who are really developing as well.
"We're currently eighth on the ladder, so we need to keep the wins coming if we want to stay in touch with the top four."
CJK Irrigation's Chris Heathcote donated $20 for every try and $5 for every conversion to the local SES crews, which totalled to $230.
The Blacks have a week off before taking on the Shoalhaven Rugby Club at their ground from 3.15pm on Saturday, June 18.
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