IT was a case of one step forward, two steps back for Benalla All Blacks on Saturday.
The Panthers were back to their blistering best in a 28-point win over Tarrawingee at Friendlies Reserve, but it was a victory that came at a heavy cost.
The club's most consistent player, Richard Bull, will spend the rest of the season sidelined after suffering a broken jaw during the opening quarter.
And star forward Duane Haebich, who finished tied for the league goal kicking award with a season tally of 108, will face the tribunal on Wednesday night after being booked for the third time this season.
Haebich served a one match suspension after he was found guilty of striking Moyhu's Cameron Forrest in round 15, but was cleared of a tripping charge which arose from the same match.
This time Haebich was cited by a goal umpire for an incident involving Bulldogs defender Kaz O'Keeffe in the dying stages of the first term.
But it wasn't all bad news for the Panthers.
They took an 11-point lead into the second quarter after Daryl Webb and Michael Donehue slotted two goals each in the opening term.
Despite starting the period with only 17 men on the field after Duane Haebich was sent to the sin bin, Benalla dominated the early stages of the second, with Ian Rawlings, Drew Haebich and Kaine Dockery instrumental in building a 28-point buffer.
Ironically, once the numbers were evened up it was the Bulldogs who seized the momentum, booting five straight goals to take an unlikely lead late in the quarter.
BY - SCOTT ANDERSON.
Last Modified on 24/08/2011 08:27