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Cowra's Darcy Howard has won the NSW Young Auctioneers' final at Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The delighted MCC Chudleigh Dobell agent was back at Forbes' Central West Livestock Exchange on Monday morning, ready to sell at the weekly cattle sale - and still grinning ear to ear about his experience.
Ten young auctioneers from across NSW were selected for the Sydney final including Jack Harper who works for Allan Gray and Co in Cowra.
Darcy is employed by MCC in Forbes.
The young auctioneers had a busy few days, travelling to Sydney on Thursday with the Young Auctioneers dinner and charity auction on that night.
ALPA raised $60,000 for Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trails Limited through the night's auction, and Friday's finalists drew their sale positions.
Darcy drew number 10 and was last of the NSW agents to sell, but said on Monday he wouldn't change a thing.
"It was unreal, it was so enjoyable," he said.
Each finalist sold three steers in the arena, before the judging panel and industry.
"I was lucky enough I got three of Stuart Hobbs' steers from over at Molong, and he presented them very well which was great," Mr Howard said.
"It was just a great experience, the whole thing, it couldn't have worked out any better.
"It's an unbelievably humbling recognition, in front of the best in the industry up there in Sydney."
On Monday, it was back to business as usual.
"Back to reality, back to trying to do the best job you can for your clients at the saleyards," Darcy said.
He will now have the opportunity to represent NSW in the competition's national final at the 2025 Sydney Royal Easter Show - and the winner of that represents Australia at Calgary Stampede in Canada.
"That'd be pretty awesome," he said.
Darcy was also a finalist in 2022 and said that experience stood him in good stead when it came to meeting the expectations of the competition.
