The Canowindra Tigers Woodbridge Cup season has come to a shattering end in an intense grand final qualifier against Eugowra on Sunday at Cargo.
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In a mach that really had too be seen to be believed, the Tigers were the dominant team despite playing with a man down for the last 20 minutes.
Canowindra looked to have sealed victory inside the final 10 minutes when Nick Willson scored off the back of a well placed bomb from half-back Matt Mclean, but two consecutive tries in the dying stages dashed the Tigers hopes going down 22-20.
The ladder of these tries was inside the final minute after a bizarre referee ruling on the half-way line, penalising the Canowindra player for a strip when the Eugowra runner seemed to have knocked the ball on.
From there, Eugowra five-eight Luke Clarke scored and Todd Jayet sent the ball over from about 20 metres out and 10 from the left upright.
A clever restart gave the Tigers one last chance after they packed the scrum quickly with 30 seconds left.
Brydon Hughes was at first receiver and he placed a deft chip over Eugowra’s line of defence which Willson came desperately close to gathering only for the bounce to be out of reach over his head.
The Eagles gained possession and the final whistle sounded much to the despair of a healthy Canowindra crowd.
Earlier in the match Canowindra got first points on the board when Mclean knocked over a penalty goal but a Jake Stenhouse try put Eugowra into the lead 6-2 after 20 minutes.
Both teams shared possession with plenty of big hits being dished out.
Not long before half-time Tigers’ skipper Aaron Earsmen pounced on a loose ball inside his own 30 metres brushing off several defenders before offloading to speedy winger Adam Micallef who straightened up and sliced through the cover defence running 50 metres to score under the posts. The Tigers went into the break 8-6.
Mclean got Canowindra off to the start they wanted in the second period after his dangerous grubber bounced around the in-goal before he jumped on it to grab himself a try and a goal for a 14-6 lead with half an hour left.
Rob Burns was sent from the field with 20 to go but the Tigers didnt lose focus despite a fired up Eugowra side who weren’t giving in.
A penalty to the Tigers was knocked over by Mclean from about 35 metres out to further Canowindra’s lead 16-6.
Eugowra hit back after a lengthy decision process between the referee and touch judge in the right corner to winger Patt Welsh, Jayet failed to add the extras.
The Tigers went in soon after when Willson crossed after Mclean’s bomb but a missed conversion proved costly as two late tries put the Eagles in the lead.
The final score was 22-20 to the Eugowra Eagles who to their credit took the opportunity when it came their way. Todd Jayet’s pressure kick in the final minute was a great strike.
The Tiger’s now are left licking their wounds on the back of a strong 2014 campaign. A disappointing end but with such a young team there’s plenty of excitement for the future.
The grand final will be played at Grenfell this Sunday between Cargo and Eugowra.
Canowindra 20 (Micallef, Mclean, N.Willson tries; Mclean 2 goals, 2 penalties) defeated by Eugowra 22 (Stenhouse, Welsh, Barnes and Clarke tries; Jayet 3 goals)