NORTH Coast Bulldogs' women's division are in with a strong chance of progressing to the next round of the Country Championships.
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It comes after the Bulldogs registered a hard-fought 10-8 victory over Central Coast at Morry Breen Oval on March 6.
Despite the scoreline, the girls had control for most of the contest before they defended their line in the closing stages to hang on for the two-point victory.
Second-rowers Ashlee Donovan and Taylor Stevens crossed for tries with halfback and captain Larissa Ward one of the Bulldogs' best.
The Bulldogs' open men, Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) and Andrew Johns Cup (under-16) teams all had a challenging trip to Wyong with all three grades suffering defeats.
Bulldogs academy manager Daniel Tempest said the under-16s led 16-14 at half-time only to see the Roosters run in 26 unanswered points in the second half in a 40-16 loss.
"In the first half we were really good and they got straight out of the blocks to show what they can put together," he said.
"Unfortunately they probably got under our skin a little bit in the second half, but the scoreline doesn't show the way the game went.
"It was a challenging day for both sides who showed a lot of want and need to win."
The result saw the Bulldogs slip from equal first to fourth spot and now means they must beat Illawarra-South Coast at Jack Neal Oval in Taree on Saturday to progress.
As long as they don't lose by 17 points or more, they will finish in fourth position at worst.
North Coast's under-18 side also face a must-win clash against Illawarra-South Coast this weekend following a 24-18 loss to the Central Coast.
Should they defeat the Dragons they will also qualify for the finals.
The open men's team were overrun in the final 20 minutes of the contest in a 28-18 loss to the Roosters after they led 18-12 with 20 minutes remaining.
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