The Central West Junior Rugby Union under-15s grand final will go down as one of the best games of junior rugby seen in this area with the Mudgee Blues overcoming a 12-point deficit with five minutes to go to defeat the Metroll Dubbo Roos Blues 31-22 in extra time at Narromine on Saturday.
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Mudgee trailed 17-5 with only five minutes on the clock but managed to draw level on full-time to take the game into five minutes each way extra-time. In this period they managed to score two tries to Dubbo's one to secure the 2014 premiership.
The match was a tough affair with neither side giving an inch, and some of the biggest tackles and most exciting rugby played in a junior game for many a year.
Dubbo began well and opened the scoring with a penalty to skipper Pat Berryman after just two minutes.
Mudgee hit back four minutes later when Isaac Maynard scored down the blindside to make it 5-3 and for the rest of the half Mudgee dominated the field position with Country five-eighth Billy Carberry proving to be unstoppable in attack.
The Dubbo forwards, led by James Robertson, Josh Jazprizza, Mitchell Smith and Tim Cushan, worked hard around the field and kept Mudgee at bay and the score remained 5-3 at the break.
A series of penalties early in the second half led to Dubbo scoring when replacement centre Kyle Gibson crashed over and Berryman's conversion had Dubbo back in front at 10-5.
With just five minutes left on the clock Dubbo scored again, as a surge down the left from Josh Jazprizza saw prop Bill Cornish go over and the young Roos had a secure-looking 17-5 lead.
But the Mudgee side had other ideas as they recovered the ball from the kick off and camped themselves in the Dubbo 22-metre area. Carberry went over and converted his own try to cut Dubbo's lead to 17-12.
In stoppage time the Mudgee side poured on the pressure. After five minutes of repeated penalties and quick taps had pushed up to the Dubbo line, allowing Carberry to cross over again and level the scores at 17-all.
His missed conversion meant the match went to extra-time.
Dubbo struck first upon the resumption of play with a planned move that saw Berryman put a kick over the blind-side winger's head and Jack Jones scooped up the ball and score in the corner.
Despite the unsuccessful conversion the young Roos led 22-17 but Mudgee refused to go away and after creating an overlap they went over next to the posts and the conversion gave them a 24-22 lead.
Mudgee had all the momentum and as valiantly as Dubbo tried they could not stop the rampaging Wombats, who scored another late try to seal the 31-22 win.
It was a heartbreaking way for the Blues to end their season but it was an outstanding match played by all 48 boys involved.