'Huge relief': Highlanders withstand late Lions' surge to notch first win

Having the previous week led defending champions Moree by two points with two minutes to play only to concede two late penalties and go down by four, the Highlanders breakaway confessed to a few jitters when Quirindi fullback Bailey Swain kicked a penalty to make it 36-31.

There was only about 30 seconds left on the clock, but it was enough time for one final attacking raid.

Perhaps feeling that was where their best chance was the Lions spun it wide. But rather than keep the ball in hand, they tried to catch the Highlanders out with a kick in behind.

Fullback Harry Moffitt was easily able to clean it up to secure the Highlanders their first win for the 2024 season.

"Very relieved to be honest," Barnwell answered when asked how he was feeling.

He was also "very proud" of his side and the way they responded after the disappointment against the Bulls, and applied the lessons they learnt.

"I think those last few phases that we played were much smarter this week," he said.

"Last week we could have won had we done the same and we didn't, we threw it away."

It was a thrilling finish to an absorbing second half.

The first half was really all the Highlanders.

It was high octane stuff from the visitors, who produced some breathtaking moments en route to a 26-7 lead at the break.

With coach Jack Jack setting the tone with his constant snipes from the ruck, they played with a lot of speed in their game, and flair.

They showed no qualms about chancing their arm from inside their half, sometimes deep in their half.

Their third try was a perfect example.

Receiving a kick around his 22, rather than return serve, Moffitt took the defence on before sending a perfect cut out out to Barnwell. He in turn turned the ball back inside to five-eighth Harry King.

King advanced the play into their half and was able to get a back flick pass away to winger Jonetani Nalulu, who took them to around the Lions' 22.

With the defence still retreating and numbers out to the right, it seemed a question of who was going to score.

Rather than put the ball through the hands though, second-rower Jeremy Grills channelled his wannabe-five-eighth and kicked across to winger Iowane Bera, who had as much open space as the animals grazing in the paddocks surrounding Quirindi Rugby Park.

Their game did drop off a bit in the second half, as a bit of complacency and lack of fitness crept in, and the Lions found a bit of rhythm.

Nothing quite went right for them in the first half. Plays that would usually come off didn't, they weren't able to really build phases and their lineout struggled at times.

But, bouyed by a try right on half-time, they came out in the second half with a renewed determination, and struck six minutes in through half-back Lachie Bradfield.

It was the start of a tit-for-tat first 20 minutes with the Highlanders answering immediately to the Lions' first two tries.

A great individual effort from Swain then got them back to within eight with 11 to play.

Elsewhere Joe Baker crossed for four tries as Narrabri thrashed Scone 39-3 while Moree accounted for Gunnedah 49-22.