Central West finished its 2019 Positive Rugby Foundation Under 14 Boys' NSW State Championship campaign on a positive note at Pride Park on Monday afternoon, scoring a last-start win to finish ninth.
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Cowra-Canowindra players Eoghan Killick and Daniel Britten were among those who took part for the Baby Bulls' team.
Faced with Sydney's West Harbour in the ninth-place play-off after finishing third in their pool the Baby Bulls claimed a thrilling, 31-26 win to down the Pirates.
Central West were beaten in a "physically tough" tournament-opening clash against Parramatta (19-nil) on Saturday morning before rebounding with a 48-nil win over the Central Coast.
They backed that up with another commanding victory, this one over Southern Districts and to the tune of 45-nil to rocket back into contention for the higher play-offs.
It's difficult to play against these city teams; they play a hard, fast game of football every weekend...
- Central West coach Phil English
A powerful Harlequins Victoria side got the better of the Baby Bulls on Sunday morning though, edging home 21-5.
That resigned Central West to third in pool A and pitted them against Randwick in Sunday afternoon's sixth play-off game, the Baby Bulls winning that 17-10 to qualify for Monday's ninth-place play-off.
"They (Central West) were excellent," Central West coach Phil English said, speaking after the side's opening loss to Parramatta.
"I think as a team they all stood up. We spoke about three things, mind speed, pushing that breakdown and playing our game plan and I think they all did all three incredibly well."
"The Orange boys did incredibly well, they were really passionate about doing well and proud to be playing at home."
Mixed fortunes across the State for Junior Bulls
With State Championships taking place across NSW, the Under 14s weren't the only team that competed, with Under 12s, 13s and 15s sides all taking part in matches across the state.
The Under 15s had the best results of all the groups, playing off for fifth and sixth.
Meanwhile, the Under 12s played off for 12th and 13th while the Under 13s group, featuring Cowra-Canowindra player Josh Chalker, played off for seventh and eighth spot.
The broader NSW Rugby Union community rallied around the event, with Waratahs prop Cody Walker speaking to the Under 15s group during their matches.
Members of the Under 12s squad also attended the weekend's Waratahs and Brumbies SuperRugby match.
Regular competition will resume once more in the Central West Junior Rugby Union competition again this weekend, with the combined Cowra-Canowindra junior teams set to take part in Under 13s and 15s games against Forbes and Dubbo respectively.
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