On a wet, wild and windy Sunday afternoon at Cowra’s Sid Kallas Oval, Group 10 defending premiers Mudgee Dragons have held out the Magpies 14-10.
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The Dragons scored 10-unanswered points in the opening 40 minutes but Cowra piled on the pressure in a much improved second half, only they couldn’t convert that to a lead.
In the end it was Cowra’s discipline that let them down, giving away a penalty while in possession and spilling the ball at key moments inside the final 20 minutes.
“I hate saying it, I said it all last year. There was glimpses where we looked really good, but I’m sick of having glimpses and not getting the points,” Magpies coach Rory Brien said after full-time.
“We let a drop out go 80 metres and then we knock on. And we should have scored but gave away a penalty under the sticks.”
Both sides struggled in the wet conditions throughout the 80 minutes.
The Dragons’ Hamish Bryant opened the scoring during the 13th minute, slicing open Cowra’s defence off the back of a penalty on the halfway line.
Mudgee extended the lead on halftime when front-rower Nick Harvey found a hole and crashed across near the posts for Sam Wooden to add the extras and lead 10-0 at the break.
The Magpies looked a different outfit from the restart and were rewarded in the 50th minute when Mudgee fumbled the ball which landed in winger Nick Collett’s arms who ran 60m opening Cowra’s account.
Cameron Breust converted to reduce the margin to four points.
It was all Cowra for the next 10 minutes but they couldn’t turn possession into points, and the Dragons took advantage.
From a Magpies turnover on halfway in the 62nd minute, Mudgee worked forward and from a cross-field kick Nathan Orr scrambled on a loose ball to add a further four-points. Wooden’s conversion missed.
Cowra responded minutes later through Warren Williams who gathered a nice off-load from Blake Tidswell, after playing him through Mudgee’s line, and the margin was back to four as Breust hit the upright.
Mudgee piggy backed Cowra up-field with a trio of penalties inside the final 10 minutes but it was the defending premiers’ defence which proved the difference, holding out a desperate home side.
Mudgee captain Jared Robinson was pleased with how his side stuck it out throughout the first 80 minutes of the season.
“First game of the year we were always going to be a bit rusty so we spoke about maintaining our effort and enthusiasm. We made things hard for ourselves in the second half but our defence held strong and got us over the line,” he said.
“Cowra is the toughest road trip for Mudgee. They are always very tough to beat at home. We had to dig very deep. It certainly wasn’t our best game but very happy to take the win.
“In the first few rounds if you win when your playing bad it can set you up for a good season.”
Rory Brien said his side’s discipline needs to improve ahead of Saturday’s round two clash against Oberon Tigers.
“That’ll be a tough game but we’ll be raring to go for sure,” he said.
Mudgee Dragons 14 (Hamish Bryant, Nick Harvey, Nathan Orr tries; Wooden conv) defeated Cowra Magpies 10 (Nick Collett, Warren Williams tries; Cameron Breust conv)