The Group 11 under 14s and 15s were both beaten in their respective Country Championships finals at Cessnock on Saturday.
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The under 14s took on the Central Coast in the Cup final but couldn’t get into the game and were beaten 36-6, while the under 15s were only just edged out 20-16 by Maitland in the Plate decider.
Under 14s coach Brett Smith was quietly confident going into the match, after his side’s strong performance in the Southern competition at Wagga Wagga a fortnight earlier.
However the Central Coast side had showed how dangerous they could be during their preliminary rounds and they were able to dominate Group 11 for large periods of the game.
Group 11 scored just one try while the Coast team ran in seven of their own, including a hat-trick to hooker Jamie Capwell.
Dubbo players in the under 14s side included Jayden Hyde, Noah Ryan, William Nelson, and Nicholas Tighe.
The under 15s made a strong start against Maitland, opening up a 10-0 lead before they lost momentum.
Under 15s coach Tony Woolnough said a few mistakes allowed Maitland back into the match and they scored 20 unanswered points.
A late try for Group 11 closed the gap to four points and gave them a chance but it wasn’t too be.
Aiden Lake, Tobias Dries, Randell Dowling, Jarrod Peachy, Colby Peckham and Kaleb Kearney were the Dubbo players in the side.
“The boys were shattered. They thought they were the better side but they didn’t quite get it together,” Woolnough said.
“They should still be proud of what they achieved though, I said to them after the match that I had seen the improvement in them over the last six weeks.”
Next year was an important year for the players, according to Woolnough, as they push for a spot in the Western Rams team and he is confident they will be well represented.
“I think this is a very good squad and there really should be a few of them who get a spot in the Rams team. It should also make for a strong performing side,” he said.
The 2016 League Tag Country Championship was also held on Saturday with the East Coast Dolphins edging out the Central Coast 8-7.
The Central Coast were up 7-6 before conceding a penalty in the final seconds to lose.
- CENTRAL COAST UNDER 14s 36 (J Capell 3, B Foreshew, M Russell, M Polaia, B Elford tries; M Darcy 3, D Pisani goals) defeated GROUP 11 UNDER 14s 6 (A Braneley try; N Facchi goal)
- MAITLAND UNDER 15s 20 (C Burgess, C Hollingshed, B Mitchell, J Barber tries; L O’Brien 2 goals) defeated GROUP 11 UNDER 15s 16 (R Dowling 2, B Glasheen tries; R Towney 2 goals)
