Dubbo CYMS captain-coach Jarryn Powyer said Wade Kavanagh will know he did the wrong thing after a moment of ill-discipline proved decisive in Sunday's Presidents Cup meeting with the Glebe Burwood Wolves.
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Trailing by just two with 17 minutes to go, CYMS had a golden chance to take the lead for the first time when the Wolves knocked on just 10m from their own line.
But some push and shove and chat from Kavanagh resulted in CYMS giving away a penalty and handing the ball back before the scrum had even been packed.
The Wolves made the most of their chance, marching downfield and scoring what turned out to be the final try of the match through Matt Stimson to secure a hard-fought 24-18 win.
"Frustrating is the word," Powyer said.
"It showed in our play too, we were a bit frustrated. We turned them over there and had the foot on the throat in a one-possession game and we give away a penalty with the ball and you can't expect to do that and win the game.
"Our momentum dropped after that and we tried to crawl back into it but it was deja vu with penalties building up.
"It's a no-no of the game. Kav knows that and he'll be disappointed."
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CYMS had earlier shown a huge amount of determination to stay in the game.
Again heavily out-sized by a physical Wolves pack, the Fishies trailed by 14 early in the second half when Bayden Searle threw an intercept which resulted in John Olive running 90m to score.
That seemed like it could have been the opening of the floodgates but CYMS, without injured key man Jayson Bukuya and Tony Pellow, never went away.
Searle put Jyie Chapman over and after a mountain of possession prop Jack Quinn crashed over to make it a two-point game with 24 minutes remaining.
But the Kavanagh penalty and Stimson try took the wind out of CYMS' sails and while they fought to the end it was not enough.
CYMS' finals hopes are disappearing as they still have just the one win to their name while the victory for the Wolves ensure they sit two points off the ladder-leading Maitland Pickers.
"We knew it would be hard from the get-go," Wolves captain Jackson Garlick said post-game.
"Coming out here and playing Dubbo at home, we knew the odds were stacked against us.
"They're a good team and stuck it to us. They played some good footy and we were lucky because in that last 20 minutes we were really in trouble ... we were hanging on by a thread there."
Five-eighth Sitiveni Moceidreke, who played one NRL match for South Sydney in 2017, scored the visitors first inside three minutes and was lively throughout while towering prop Thomas Hazelton was a constant handful for the Fishies and also got across in the first half to set-up a 16-6 lead.
Josh Toole had scored CYMS' lone first half try after grabbing a pinpoint crossfield kick from halfback Claude Gordon.
The visitors' lead was extended early in the second half and while CYMS rallied they head into the bye still seventh on the nine-team ladder.
"We love the psychical stuff and we'll be back in two weeks fresher and I guarantee looking a lot better," Powyer stated.
"Every team in this comp sweats on a bye here and there to reassess and get some people fresh because everyone has had a short turnaround to get footy fit and a few extra niggles come with that.
"We'll rest up and then we've got back-to-back home games and I can't wait."
- GLEBE BURWOOD WOLVES (Sitiveni Moceidreke, Lorenzo Mulitalo, Thomas Hazelton, John Olive, Matt Stimson tries; Moceidreke 2 goals) defeated DUBBO CYMS (Josh Toole, Jyie Chapman, Jack Quinn tries; Searle 3 goals)