The Macleay Valley Mustangs reserve grade side has been eliminated in the first weekend of the finals series, despite holding an 18-6 lead over the Port City Breakers with 15-minutes remaining.
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The Mustangs were able to take a narrow 12-6 lead into the halftime break and they extended the margin early in the second half.
It was looking as if the Mustangs were destined to win the match but on the back of consecutive penalties late in the game, the momentum swung in favour of the Breakers.
Port City were able to dominate possession and they ran in three quick tries to claim the 30-18 victory and progress into next weekend's elimination final.
Mustangs reserve grade coach Sam Drew said the side was disappointed their season came to an abrupt end but there was a lot of positives to take out of the year.
“Considering a few of the boys hadn’t played in 10 years we had a successful season,” he said. “It was disappointing to lose that way, as we had a lot of opportunities to win it but I am proud of the effort from the team.”
We suffered injuries to key players throughout the year, which hurt our chances,” Drew explained.
The Mustangs were faced with a massive set back in the week leading up to their match with the Breakers as they lost two players from their starting line-up.
Five-eighth Steven Blair injured his toe throughout the week and was unable to take the field, whilst second rower Josh Kearns partner entered labour and he was a late withdrawal.
The forced reshuffle to the side didn’t seem to have an immediate impact in the early stages of the match but it could have been the determining factor late in the game, as the Mustangs were already lacking experience.
The Mustangs had a youthful team with u18s players being promoted into the line-up to fill the holes created through injuries.
Drew stated the club has built a new and solid foundation and believes there will be a lot for them to build on into next year.
“It was a good year for the club and we will be looking to add more depth to our first and reserve grade sides next season to take the next step.” Drew said.
The Port City Breakers will now face the Wingham Tigers this Saturday at Wingham Sporting Complex in the minor semi-final whilst the Old Bar Beach Pirates are taking on the Port Macquarie Sharks for a place in the grand final.
