The Launceston Gorillas had another tough outing in week two, falling to the Hobart Knights 34-6 at Royal Park.
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Club president and acting head coach Brett Wheldon said the team played well in the first half, but key injuries caused things to fall apart for the Gorillas in the second.
Defensive lineman Rob Williams went down with a hamstring injury, and starting quarterback Fletcher Harding would be sidelined with a minor finger injury after a pitch-turned-fumble.
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They would fare better than Gorilla Luke Corcoran, who suffered a serious concussion after taking a knee to the head on a special teams play.
"Losing our giant [Williams] in the second half made it a bit hard ... we had a guy come back from a power-lifting comp in Hobart jump in at three-quarter-time to play," Wheldon said.
"All-in-all it was a good game and we'll learn from it."
The muddy turf made it hard for Launceston to get things going offensively, with a number of turnovers including a killer interception deep in Gorillas' territory.
While the Gorillas' secondary proved staunch against the pass, the Knights were able to run through a beleaguered defensive front.
The North-West Raiders' scoring woes continued in the day's first game, falling to the UTAS Devils 28-0.
All-in-all it was a good game and we'll learn from it.
- Brett Wheldon
The Gorillas will head to Burnie in round three to play the Raiders.
"We can work out from Saturday where we were lacking, and that's what we'll focus on in training before we head to Burnie," Wheldon said.