The 2021 central west rugby season is over.
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No one's questioning the inevitability of the decision to cancel the finals of the Blowes Clothing Cup in the current climate but it's not the finale we would have hoped for for two men who have been part of the backbone of the Forbes club for decades.
Phil Prior will not renew his level 3 coaching certification and Andrew Hubbard says there's a real chance his playing days are over.
For Prior, that's the closure of a pretty significant chapter. He's been either playing or coaching rugby union with Forbes Rugby Club for 41 years now.
Similarly Hubbard, who has been part of the first grade squad since 1998 and recently celebrated his 400th senior game.
It's certainly not goodbye: these two bleed blue and they'll be fixtures of the club in other capacities in future.
But gee they would have loved the fourth-placed first grade side to have a tilt at this finals series after what was a bit of a rollercoaster season for the Platypi.
They kicked off with good numbers and good interest but injuries took a toll and there were some tough days - particularly on those away games. Still, finals are finals.
"All our injured players were on the way back and it would have been good for us to see how we would have ended up," Prior says.
Hubbard himself hobbled off with a knee injury in what turned out to be the last game the Platypi played.
"The knee would have been right for a grand final," he vowed this week, "We were looking all right for the semis, it's really disappointing."
Not so much the cancellation, that's the only decision that could have been made, but the call to award the first-placed outfits with championships.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow," Hubbard admitted. "You plan for finals, you rest players, it affects the way you strategise your season.
"But all in all, (Central West Rugby) made their decision and they stuck to it. Credit to Cowra, they were consistent through the year and come that last round they were the better side."
Prior says he couldn't get in to an argument about the outcome.
"Good luck to Cowra, they did the work throughout the season," he said. "It's a bit hollow for us ... but the way the world is, we should be grateful we got as many games in as we did."
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