Fighting Miners call it even in home clash against Cerberus

In the final minutes of the round 13 match Cerberus made a penalty goal which locked the scores at 29-29.

The Miners put in plenty of hard work earlier on after overcoming a 19-point deficit to lead half-way through the second half - but then conceded 10 points in the last 20 minutes of the game.

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Bendigo's performance earlier on in the match was strong, with Matt Boyle dominating lineouts and superiority in the scrum.

Cerberus showed their might with strong defence and scoring three long-range tries against the run of play.

Bendigo swiftly replied with two tries from loose head prop Josephar Malai to bring the gap down to seven at the break.

A converted try from prop Rangi Needham after a rolling maul at the start of the second half brought the Miners back to level scores with Cerberus and was then followed by two tries from flanker Iowane Ratawake to put the Miners ahead.

It was then that Cerberus buckled down with dominant possessions and the final penalty goal which saw the scores level at 29-29.

Scorers: J. Maiai 2, R. Needham 1, W. Ratawake 2 tries; McDonald 2 goals.

Currently sitting in sixth position on the ladder and only one regular round remaining, the hope of a stint at finals is officially over.

Nonetheless, the Miners are determined to finish the season on a high-note which already includes defeating two higher teams in Ballarat and Brimbank and drawing with the second-placed Cerberus.

Miners finish their season next week on the road against the Melbourne Chargers.

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