The Macquarie Raiders' hard-fought win at Wellington could prove to be one of the most crucial results of the Western Youth League season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 22-16 win, one which featured some of the Raiders' best footy so far this season, resulted in the Raiders leapfrogging the Cowboys into top spot in the hugely competitive northern pool.
The Raiders are expected to get past a battling Mudgee side in next weekend's final round to stay top and that will ensure the Jim Kelly-coached outfit avoids the best from Group 10 in the first week of finals.
"It was very important," Kelly said of the win.
"We know that Bathurst St Pat's is a red-hot side and if you finish third in our pool you're likely to play them.
"It was a big motivation for us and you'd think we would get the better of Mudgee so we should say top now unless something drastic happens.
"That was the main thing for us."
READ ALSO:
The Raiders are now almost certain to play Parkes, the expected southern pool runners-up, in the quarter-finals and should they produce some of the play they did at Wellington there they could go a lot further than the final eight.
"The second quarter (on Sunday) was the best football we've played all year," Kelly said, his side overcoming an early 4-0 deficit to lead 18-4 at half-time.
"It was the type of football I've been looking to get out of them for awhile.
"We spoke about keeping it going but fro the kick-off we dropped the ball and the heads went down again."
The consistency remains the key for the Raiders but the pleasing thing for Kelly on Sunday was the heads didn't stay down long when things were going against his side.
There might have been more errors and penalties in the third term, something which allowed the talented Wellington side to get back within two points, but the Raiders never threw in the towel.
The youngsters got through a huge amount of defence in the final quarter while also nabbing a late try to secure the six-point victory.
"It's always hard to get a win at Wellington but they played well and defended well for long periods," Kelly said.
"Wello is a good side and they threw heaps at us but the boys dug in.
"They don't do much easy and it make it hard for themselves but they never chucked it in. They could have in the third quarter when Wello was coming home strong but they knuckled down and kept defending until the opportunity to score came again."
Back-rower Aston Warwick was given the three points following the win after putting in his best performance of the season so far while Kelly also praised the efforts of Brandon Hamilton, Dallin Smith, Kobe Ley-Andrews and the consistent Sonny Knight.
The Raiders and Mudgee meet in next weekend's final round while Wellington and Dubbo CYMS will do battle for second spot.
Have your say:
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
