The Cowra Magpies will rue the game that got away after a Jeremy Gordon brain snap with only seconds left on the clock resulted in a 12-all draw with the Mudgee Dragons.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A win over the third placed Dragons would have not only been five on the trot for the swoopers, but would have sent a serious message to the competition heavyweights.
And all was going to script until, with 20 seconds left in the contest, Gordon laid on Dragon's skipper Jack Littlejohn a little bit too long and was sin-binned for a professional foul, allowing Mudgee's Ben Thompson to level the scores.
A frustrated Magpies captain, Blake Tidswell, said his side's discipline and fifth-tackle options need to be looked at ahead of the finals.
"I think everyone's enthusiasm is there and aggression is good, I just think sometimes we go a little bit too far," he said.
"I think we're better off grinding out our sets and getting a bit of field position. Other than that, a few little fine tunings through the week and we'll be right."
Tidswell paid credit to second rower Brydon Ramien, who led the Magpies' defensive efforts until he too was sin binned towards the end of the game.
"When someone shoots up out of the line and does a good, clean, hard tackle like that, it does lift the boys so it's good to see," he said.
"He did have a good game, just a bit fired up there at the end."
Littlejohn said he expected a grinding contest with the black and white.
"They're a solid footy side, they don't do much wrong, they just get through their sets and get to their kicks, and they've got some class players in their halves and their fullback," he said.
He also noted lack of discipline from his troops after the referee had to separate the two sides a number of times during the match.
"That wasn't our best performance that's for sure, I say it every week, our discipline's just not good enough to win against the good sides anyway," he said.
"We dropped too much ball, we gave away too many penalties."
Despite the result, Mudgee have all but cemented third place after the Lithgow Workies were belted by the Orange Hawks 64-4.
"That's what we are looking for, just to get in that top three so we get an extra chance in the finals," Littlejohn said.
The Magpies will now face their toughest challenge before the finals - the ladder leading Panthers in Bathurst.
"That will be tough on the road down there," Tidswell said.
"The Chad Nealon Shield means a lot to both clubs but I think we'll fire and give it a red hot crack."
Mudgee's Nathan Orr opened up the scoring for the visitors before a perfectly placed grubber kick allowed the Magpies' flying winger Lee McClintock to level the scores.
A Benji Marshall-esque flick pass from Ramien then allowed Claude Gordon to cross to further the Magpies' lead.
Some push and shove on the eve of halftime saw Caley Mok unsuccessfully attempt a penalty conversion from 47 metres out.
Mudgee flew off the blocks after the break, with Ben Thompson scoring and converting his own try.
With seven minutes remaining in the contest, Mudgee's Tom Shearman was sent off following a shoulder charge on McClintock before Ramien was also sent for ten.
With only a conversion separating the two sides, Thompson converted the Gordon penalty after the final hooter for the draw.
