Following his side's round 11 loss to Orange Emus, Forbes captain-coach Jack Hammond said winning away in the last month of the season was absolutely paramount to the Platypi's hopes of featuring in the Blowes Clothing Cup finals.
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Just seven days later Hammond and his troops ticked their first box in that, upsetting third-placed Cowra at Cowra on Saturday to somewhat throw a cat among the pigeons.
With three weeks left in the regular season Bathurst Bulldogs and Orange Emus are all but assured top two finishes, with Cowra, Dubbo Kangaroos and Forbes now in a race to third and fourth.
Cowra remain in the box seat to finish third despite the 21-14 defeat at the Platypi's hands, with Dubbo losing to Emus they remain in third and 11 points clear of the fourth-placed Roos.
The impact of Forbes' win was felt slightly further down the table, with Roos losing it slashed the gap from fourth to fifth to just three points, and Cowra still have to play Emus, Bulldogs and Dubbo in their final three games too.
As it stands, it looks likely that Emus' trip to Bathurst's Ashwood Park in round 14 could decide the minor premiership and it looks just as likely Roos' trip to Grinsted Oval to face Forbes the following week could decide which side finishes fourth.
Speaking after the Cowra game, Hammond said Forbes just had to be patient given the contest's scrappy nature.
"There was times in the first half where we had opportunities but we just flustered and we dropped the ball or panicked a bit," Hammond said.
"We just had to be patient... grind it, stick it out and really, get over that game line."
He also said part of the reason for the second half improvement was found in a willingness to back the team's own brand of footy to get the job done.
"We just didn't want to fall into the mentality of taking the game into our own hands... We really stuck to our guns."
Meanwhile, Eagles co-coach Colin Kilby said it was simply a lack of discipline that cost his team.
"We played into that... we started talking amongst each other... we got to get back and play our game, it's the only thing we can control."
The win was a thrilling one with scores locked at 7-all and then 14-all heading into the dying stages before the Platypi crashed over for one final, converted try to seal the seven-point win.
A scrappy contest riddled with penalties on both sides, the game was nevertheless evenly poised at half-time, with neither team managing to put in a decisive period of dominance.
The scores were locked at 7-7 at half time before Hammond scored a try in the 65th minute that was duly converted by King.
The Eagles hit back to level the scores again and with the home crowd up and about as the game approached the final whistle and the Platypi's season on a precarious footing if they lost the match, the stage was set.
In the dying moments an exquisite bit of foot work from Stewart broke the Eagles' line to ensure a try under the goals and the easiest of conversions for King in the game's 78th minute, giving the Platypi a seven point win.
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