Manildra has dominated the latter stages of Saturday’s Woodbridge Cup grand final qualifier to end Canowindra Tigers’ season.
Scores were locked at 12-12 more than five minutes into the second half, but it was the Rhinos on their home territory that ran away with a 32-12 win to secure their spot in the big dance.
Despite having three of their first grade squad out with injury on Saturday, the Tigers thrilled their fans by taking an early lead.
Ryan Clarke jumped in the air to take an intercept and sprinted 90m to score, the conversion giving the visitors a 6-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the match.
Manildra responded to level the scores, then backed up to extend the lead to 12-6.
Latest Stories
A big effort from the Tigers’ captain levelled the scores again.
Ron Lawrence spun, weaved, and spun again to slip Manildra’s defences and dive over for a great try for the Tigers.
The conversion by Rob Burns saw the scores locked at 12-12, and the scoreboard didn’t move again until well into the second half.
Canowindra had to put in the work in defence early in the second half, and while they created some opportunities their own attacks on the line were turned back by the Rhinos.
The Rhinos broke through in the ninth minute to lead 18-12, then extended that in the 15th to take hold of the game 24-12.
The Tigers had put in a good set in defence but Manildra put the kick up high and made a 20m run across field to score – just out of Bailey Kennedy’s reach – to take it out to 28-12 and give the Tigers a very tough task.
Canowindra was working hard to create opportunities, but the Rhinos’ defences held and it was the home side’s halfback who broke through to score the final points of the match in the dying minutes for a final score of 32-12.
The club’s Barry Traves was left to lament the injury toll and a few plays that could have gone either way as the side conceded it was all over.
“This shouldn’t be the difference in these two sides but today Manildra was too good in the second half,” he said.
Manildra now meet Oberon Tigers in the Woodbridge Cup grand final, to be played at Tom Clyburn Oval in Canowindra this Sunday, 31 August.
