The Macquarie Raiders have clung onto their top spot in the MAAS Western Youth League's northern pool, holding off a fast-starting CYMS assault that controlled the scorecards for almost all of their sixth round match at Apex Oval.
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While the scorecards read favorably for CYMS, they were unable to halt a late-game fightback from the Raiders, who drew the scores level at 14 all with a minute to go.
CYMS under 18s coach Bret Fisher admitted it was disappointing to see the game slip away from his side, especially after a strong start.
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"I thought we were the better side, in this comp I'd rate us top four, we're just not stringing things together well enough," Fisher said.
"It was the same story against Wellington, we came out firing and then we let them work back into it."
Fisher said his side would have to avoid mistakes in crucial moments in able to ensure the penalties didn't continue to sting.
"We've got to stop giving away penalties and errors at crucial moments, the momentum was all ours up until the end, we were down there end with back to back penalties, but we had too many kids trying to force things from dummy-half, thinking that we had to score."
Joe Yeo opened up the scoring for CYMS with just a minute elapsed from the timer, with an early Macquarie error allowing Fisher's squad to quickly regain possession and set up a try for battering-ram Charlie Holman to bully his way across and add on four more points.
Noah Ryan added two more points in CYMS' only conversion of the day, before the Raider's Brendan Hamilton was able to strike back in the dying moments of the first quarter, slicing through CYMS line and putting his side on the board.
While CYMS held onto the bulk of the possession in the game's second stage, it was the Raider's skipper Macauley Ryan who made the most of the time, leaping on a lost ball and diving across the try-line to close the gap to 10 - 8.
The gusting winds continued to frustrate the attempts at a conversion from Kaiden Hill, with a penalty goal attempt from CYMS Noah Ryan also ending up wide of the mark.
Ryan found some redemption in the game's third quarter, with CYMS knocking at the Macquarie try-line a number of times before Ryan was able to slip across and extend the gap to 14 - 8.
The scoreline would hold there until the last five minutes of the match, with CYMS costing themselves possession with poorly placed tackles and giving Macquarie's Dalin Smith the perfect opportunity to force his way over from dummy half to tighten the gap to 12 - 14.
Kaiden Hill's kick found it's mark this time, curving the ball perfectly through the uprights to bring the scores level with barely a minute to go.
"I'm feeling pretty happy after that," Hill said of the draw ensuring kick.
"The wind was too strong, I just had to take my time, kept my eye on the ball and hope for the best, really, it just happened to go through."
While his side lacked in possession, Hill saw the effort with ball in hand.
"We've got to control the ball a bit more, but we put all our effort in when we did."
Macquarie Raiders (Brendan Hamilton, Macauley Ryan, Dalin Smith tries, Kaiden Hill conversion) 14 draw Dubbo CYMS 14 (Joe Yeo, Charlie Holman tries, Noah Ryan try, conversion).