The Macleay Valley Mustangs first grade side locked up second spot on the ladder with a 54-30 victory over the Forster-Tuncurry Hawks on Sunday.
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The Mustangs hearts were in their mouths inside the opening 20-minutes when star five-eighth Malcolm Webster went down with an ankle injury.
Fortunately, Mustangs captain and halfback Anthony Cowan said the injury didn’t seem too bad but Webster will likely be out for their final regular season match against the Wingham Tigers.
“He was walking around on it yesterday (Sunday) after the game okay but with the finals a fortnight away we will be cautious and let him rest,” Cowan said.
“There is no reason to risk it as we can’t go higher or lower on the ladder.”
The injury forced a reshuffle in the backline which put Willy Lockwood onto the wing.
Lockwood was backing up after playing in the U18.5s and he bagged four tries.
Centre Stephan Blair earned a hat-trick in the victory.
“Willy has played up for us a few times this season and has played strong in all of those matches,” Cowan said.
The Mustangs got off to a great start in the high scoring contest, scoring the opening three tries before Webster went down with his injury.
The side was able to remain composed and Cowan credits the victory to a team effort.
“Everyone did their role and followed the game plan,” he said.
“We are building momentum heading into the business end.”
The Mustangs held a comfortable lead throughout the match but Cowan admitted they will need to improve if they are to compete for a premiership.
“We switched off for about 10-minutes in the second half when we thought the game was won and they scored three quick tries,” Cowan said.
“If we have a period like that in a finals match then our season could be over.”
The Mustangs were able to regroup and they crossed twice to put the icing on the cake to round out the scoring.
The side hosts a Tigers outfit that will be playing for their season on Saturday, as a win could give Wingham a finals berth.
The Mustangs reserve grade side earned a 22-14 win over the Hawks which locked up at least fourth spot on the ladder.
Macleay Valley’s U18.5s side suffered consecutive defeats and will need to win on Saturday against the Tigers to claim the minor premiership.
Meanwhile the Mustangs Ladies League Tag side lost 42-0.
Saturday’s first grade game kicks off at Verge Street Oval at 3.15pm.