A last-ditch try to five-eighth Chad Porter snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the Parkes Spacemen in their 30-26 win over Dubbo Macquarie at Apex Oval on Sunday.
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The visitors started strongly and led 12-0 within 10 minutes, before the Raiders fired up through Kane McDermott and it was neck-and-neck for the next 60 minutes.
The Raiders led 26-18 with 10 minutes remaining before two quick-fire tries to Jake and Chad Porter got the visitors in front and Dubbo had no response.
“We had two sets at their line to try and take the lead but we just couldn’t,” Raiders coach Dylan Hill said.
“It was definitely heartbreaking. We were all shattered because Parkes are such a competitive team and for us to match it with them for 80 minutes of football and fall short was shattering.”
Despite the loss he had high praise for his team.
Lewis Stanley was “really impressive” on debut for the Raiders, while try-scorers Ash Widders (3) and Kane McDermott were also “huge” for the home side.
“Probably one of our most gutsy performances,” Hill said.
“We were down on troops leading into the game and I had a few guys come up from reserves and slot in for me and honestly it’s probably one of the best performances we’ve put on the park.
“Just the effort – everyone was willing to work for each other. It’s something that we’ve been able to drill in and it showed today.”
In the round’s other matches, Wellington narrowly held off a rampaging Nyngan to win 26-20, Forbes defeated Westside 46-18 and CYMS continued their unbeaten run with a 58-6 win over Narromine.
The results mean the Group 11 ladder remains unchanged after eight rounds, with Dubbo CYMS leading on 16 points and Wellington (12), Parkes (12) and Forbes (10) all widening the gap on the bottom four.
Hill remains confident.
“We’ve got six games to turn it around and I’ve got confidence in the players I have,” he said.
“I’ve got good players to come back as well, which is a headache for me but it’s a good headache to have.”