RUGBY LEAGUE

The mighty Forbes Magpies are just one win away from a shot at premiership glory, with first grade preparing to take on the Mudgee Dragons this Sunday at Spooner Oval for a place in the 2025 Peter McDonald Premiership grand final.

Nick Greenhalgh’s men return to their home ground fortress where they remain undefeated this season.

Backed by their black-and-white army of supporters, the Magpies will be looking to extend that streak in front of a bumper Spooner Oval crowd.

Mudgee survived a brutal clash with Wellington last weekend to scrape through 26-22, but Forbes’ first grade earned the luxury of a week off and this extra home game.

Captain Nick Greenhalgh says the squad knows the challenge that awaits.

“The mood’s very good, the boys are happy to be in this position,” he said.

“We don’t want to let this opportunity slip: it’s only going to come around once and we’re only going to get 80 minutes at it.

“It’s gonna be tough, Mudgee are gonna come with everything, but if we can stick to what we do, defend well, we give ourselves every chance.”

This squad of local and regional talent was the talking point of the competition from the pre-season and they’ve settled into a consistent line-up for finals footy.

“We’re relatively injury-free, pretty settled, everyone knows their roles - there’ll be no excuses,” coach Cameron Greenhalgh said.

“We’ll be ready and hope to play our best footy.”

Nick said it was a privilege to lead a team he calls the most talented Magpies outfit he’s seen – but he knows talent alone won’t bring home the silverware.

This week they’re staying grounded, preparing to dig in and work hard for each other in the defence they’ve prided themselves on all season.

With a sunny Sunday afternoon forecast, Spooner Oval is set to be buzzing as Forbes rallies behind their Magpies for one of the biggest games of the season.

“The reason we’re so successful at home is because of our crowd,” Nick said.

“People might think it doesn’t (matter) but being out there … you want to go to that next level, you don’t want to let them down.”

First grade is scheduled for 2pm Sunday, 31 August, at Spooner Oval.