KURRI KURRI have prevailed 14-4 following an arm wrestle with Western Suburbs at Harker Oval on Sunday.
The Bulldogs joined Souths and Macquarie in opening their Newcastle Rugby League accounts for 2022 after all three clubs had their first two rounds washed out.
Kurri led by four points for a good chunk of the game but the result hung in the balance, only sealed in the closing stages when Harry Duggan capitalised on a Rosellas mistake to help increase the advantage to 10.
The visitors crossed first in each half, winger Brodie Linnane in the 20th minute and centre Jesse Wighton just after the main break.
Malu Fiu's try in between levelled proceedings for Wests at 4-all, which is how the scoreboard read at the change of ends.
It remained 8-4 for most of the second half with both sides locked in a tight tussle.
"Obviously the conditions played to that, but it was a gritty win for sure," Kurri coach Aaron Watts said.
"Wests were down on our line that last 15 and we repelled them so it was a big effort from the guys."
Kurri try scorer Wighton left the field with a strained hamstring late in the piece.
Wests now have a 0-3 record so far this season.
Elsewhere on Saturday and Souths made the most of a strong Sleapy's Day crowd at Townson Oval, defeating Central 36-22, while Macquarie overcame the previously unbeaten Goannas 20-10 at Cessnock Sportsground.
Lakes, bolstered by the return of Floyd Tighe from the Knights, edged out Wyong 18-16 at Morry Breen Oval in what Seagulls coach Ian Bourke described as a "resilient" performance.
Darcy Heaney broke the half-time deadlock of 12-all midway through the second stanza before the Roos hit back, only to miss a fourth conversion attempt.
Competition leaders the Pickers maintained their perfect start to the year with a third straight win, accounting for The Entrance 38-12 at Maitland on Saturday.
James Bradley made it back-to-back hat-tricks, taking his individual tally of tries to seven in 2022, while Dungog junior Ethan Curtain-Edwards debuted for Maitland.
LADDER: Maitland 6; Cessnock 4; Kurri, Lakes, Souths, Macquarie, Wyong 2; Wests, Central, The Entrance 0.
