Group 10 has produced one of its gutsiest performances in a decade, Oberon half Matt Ranse starring in a 22-14 triumph over Western rivals Group 11 at Forbes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Group 10 made the trip to Forbes two players short and selectors were hoping a couple of late phone calls would rally the troops but the call to arms didn't succeed.
Luckily though, Workies centre Keelan Bresac was in Forbes to watch girlfriend Shannon Legge play with the Group 10 league tag side; he ended up wearing trainer Anthony Boza's boots and played on the wing.
Still, Group 10 played the entire 80 minutes minus a reserve and lost Jack Siejka just after the break after the Panthers backrower copped a heavy knock.
The visiting blues went down in the penalties 8-6 and trailed 8-0 by the 29th minute following tries to Group 11 pair Alex Ronayne and Brock Naden.
But Osborne's side showed immense grit and a dogged determination you wouldn't normally see from a representative side to firstly grind their way back into the contest and then power over the top of an impressive Group 11 line-up, Ranse scoring a second-half double to sit alongside tries from Jackson Brien and Casey Burgess in the win.
Osborne was filled with pride following second straight Group 10 victory over Group 11 after last year's 40-28 win in Bathurst.
Group 11 threatened a fightback late but any thoughts of a final stand quickly evaporated when Wade Kavanagh was handed five minutes in the swear bin, Ranse safely piloting home the resulting penalty to kick Group 10's lead out to the final 22-14 margin.
"The message was to just go out there and enjoy the game," Osborne added.
- GROUP TEN 22 (Matt Ranse, Casey Burgess, Jackson Brien tries; Matt Ranse 2, Mitch Squires goals) def GROUP ELEVEN 14 (Sam Coe, Brock Naden, Alex Ronayne tries; Mason Williams goal)
READ ALSO: