UNDER 18s
THE Mudgee Dragons have pulled off a remarkable grand final win to snatch the Group 10 under 18s premiership and in the process complete a sensational single-season turnaround.
Their 28-18 win over Orange CYMS handed the Dragons the trophy after they were sitting dead last after nine rounds of the competition.
In a high-speed and entertaining match fitting of a grand final at Carrington Park, five tries and some magnificent last-line defence ensured that CYMS would leave empty-handed.
Having headed into the match as favourites after finishing as minor premiers, CYMS coach Luke Morris was understandably disappointed but gracious afterwards.
“Mudgee just played a lot better than us, it is simple,” he said.
“You are always disappointed to lose a grand final but you can’t say much when the other team plays that well.
“All our guys played well as individuals but didn’t put it together as a team.”
Earlier, CYMS halfback Sandon Gibbs-O’Neil burrowed over from dummy-half in the third minute to open the scoring, with Michael Nixon adding the extras.
In a preview of the remainder of the first half, Mudgee hit back almost instantly when prop Hartley Sutton steamrolled his way over as Stuart Skillen tied things up with his goal.
Soon after the Dragons were at it again when their own playmaker Tim Condon went over from dummy-half himself as the Mudgee side seemed to catch CYMS almost unawares.
In the very next set, though, CYMS winger Jeffery Tushuizen punted on a long ball from Mudgee and came up with the intercept before running in to level the scores at 10 apiece.
It would be the last time CYMS had a sniff of the lead.
In another rapid two-try passage of play, Dragons centre Tom Baddock scored a pair of simple tries from well-worked plays, the second of which involved a perfect cut-out ball from pivot Jackson McKay.
Consecutive sideline conversions from Skillen and a bone-rattler from Sutton on CYMS prop James Agustin provided further highlights for the big crowd as Mudgee went to the half-time break 22-10 in front.
The points dried up in the second half but not the action and both sides swapped line breaks and squandered some chances.
Just as CYMS began to look the slightly better side, Dragons winger Cal Hobson pulled off the defining play of the match.
Orange headed wide with some quick hands and appeared certain to score when Daniel Simmons threw what looked to be the money ball to speedster Jamie Bassman - but Hobson plucked the ball from the air and ran 90 metres to score a spectacular try and the game was as good as over.
CYMS continued to press hard and were rewarded with two tries in the last 15 minutes but they could never quite get in position to win the match.
Mudgee coach Mick Reynolds was elated with the result and in particular the way his side achieved it after their position halfway through the year.
“We have been building up to this performance right through the semi-finals,” he said.
“I think maybe we dropped off a little bit in the second half but in the end it was our scrambling defence that won us the game.
“I thought Tim Condon (man of the match) was outstanding but really we didn’t have a bad player out there today.”
McKay was another good contributor for the Dragons while CYMS halves Brodrick and Gibbs-O’Neil tried hard throughout the match.
But the day belonged to the Dragons in one of the great recent grand final stories.
MUDGEE DRAGONS 28 (Tom Baddock 2, Cal Hobson, Tim Condon, Hartley Sutton tries; Stuart Skillen 4 goals) def ORANGE CYMS 18 (Jeffery Tushuizen, Jared Brodrick, Sandon Gibbs-O’Neil, Will Ostini tries; Michael Nixon goal).
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