Forbes Magpies under 18s will meet either CYMS or Macquarie in Dubbo in a fortnight after finishing the Group 11 rugby league home-and-away season with a big win on Saturday.
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Cameron Greenhalgh’s team thrashed an under-manned Cobar 66-5 at Spooner Oval on Saturday afternoon to finish on top of the table, while Macquarie and CYMS stitched up second and third positions with big victories of their own in the competition’s final round.
Greenhalgh said the shortened juniors game probably wasn’t the best preparation for the finals, but the team will train hard before their next game on September 7.
“We only played 40 or so minutes so it wasn’t the ideal hit-out before the semi-finals,” Greenhalgh said.
“We probably would have liked a tougher sort of game but unfortunately we didn’t get that and we more or less scored at will at times, but we’ll be training this Saturday. We’ll be having a full-on practice match with a few of the first graders, so it will be a full game of footy,” he said.
Forbes scored 12 times on Saturday, with Bailey Hartwig adding four to his season tally, while Nick Greenhalgh converted nine of his 12 chances.
Cameron Greenhalgh said the junior Magpies should all be fit for next Sunday week’s semi-final in Dubbo.
“The boys are all pretty focussed at this stage on finishing the year strong,” he said.
“We should all be 100 per cent [for the finals] and at this stage there are no injuries.
“We’ll train pretty hard over the next couple of weeks and focus on being first in [to the grand final] and hopefully no added pressure.”
The win preceded two entertaining contests in the senior grades, with Forbes reserves winning 30-24, while the first grade sides played out a thrilling 18-all draw.
Forbes and Cobar split the points in first grade, giving Dubbo Westside the dubious distinction of being wooden spooners in their first season back in Group 11. The Magpies trailed 18-6 in the first grade encounter before two late second half tries levelled scores.
Forbes finished eighth in first grade, but would have been two positions higher if for and against percentage was the criteria, rather than competition points.
Reserve grade’s final round win improved their position, with Andrew Grogan’s men ultimately just a point outside the top five.
Rugby league results:
TOOHEYS GROUP 11 ROUND 18
FIRST GRADE
DUBBO MACQUARIE 48 (Mason Williams, Ash Widders, Kyle Cochrane, Lasaro Turagadrau, Viliame Cagibula, Etuate Gusuivalu, Jeremy Smith, Dylan Hill, Ash Conn tries; Williams 5, Perry Meredith goals) def PARKES SPACEMEN 24 (Tino Ionatana 2, Jake Dooley, Evi Neyoko, Alex Prout tries; Jake Dooley 2 goals)
NARROMINE JETS 44 (Shaun Gordon 2, Mick Clarke 2, Jordan Richardson, Murray Woolfe, Chris Ahsee, Dale Hutchinson; Janus Walford 3, Ahsee 2, Claude Gordon goals) def DUBBO WESTSIDE 28 (Dylan Fuller, Dominic Duncan, Jake Eastward, Shannon Boney, Shane Konz tries; Shannon Fuller 4 goals)
FORBES MAGPIES 18 (Zac Merritt, Jarrod Reid, Andrew Burton tries; Tim Ashcroft 3 goals) drew with COBAR ROOSTERS 18 (M Furner, Matt McBride, Kena Kili tries; Matt Grayson 3 goals)
NYNGAN TIGERS 24 def DUBBO CYMS 16
RESERVE GRADE
PARKES SPACEMEN def DUBBO MACQUARIE 24
DUBBO WESTSIDE def NARROMINE JETS 26
FORBES MAGPIES 30 (Nathan Corliss, Andrew Grogan, Tom Bourke, Jake Hanley, Jason Kennedy tries; Andrew Burton 5 goals) def COBAR ROOSTERS 24 (Marc Anderson, James Rogers, Matt Grayson, Wade Potter tries; Grayson 4 goals)
NYNGAN TIGERS 12 drew with DUBBO CYMS 12
UNDER-18s
DUBBO MACQUARIE def PARKES SPACEMEN 4
NARROMINE JETS 56 def DUBBO WESTSIDE 0
FORBES MAGPIES 66 (Bailey Hartwig 4, Sam Williams, Dylan Gunn, Jarrod Nicholson, Mitch Burke, Trae Merritt, Will Dukes, Patty Murphy, Kaleb Tyne tries; Nick Greenhalgh 9 goals) def COBAR ROOSTERS 5 (Brandon Jones try; Tom McKenna field goal)
DUBBO CYMS 40 def NYNGAN TIGERS 6
Woodbridge Cup minor semi-final results for Saturday, August 23:
YOUTH LEAGUE: Canowindra 18 def Eugowra 14.
LEAGUE TAG: Eugowra 10 def Grenfell 6.
MAJOR semi-final results for Sunday, August 24:
FIRST GRADE: Cargo 20 def Eugowra 12.
YOUTH LEAGUE: Grenfell 22 def Peak Hill 20.
LEAGUE TAG: Condobolin 18 def Canowindra 12.
PRELIMINARY final draw for Sunday, August 31, at Cargo:
FIRST GRADE: Eugowra v Canowindra.
YOUTH LEAGUE: Peak Hill v Canowindra.
LEAGUE TAG: Canowindra v Eugowra.
