Condobolin Rugby Union
MATCH REPORT- Round 14
Condo VS Young
Saturday 1st August saw the Rams make the trip to Young for the final round of the regular season. It was fourth versus fifth, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs. No pressure.
The weather turned it on, and so did the blue and gold faithful. A huge crowd made the trip across, proving once again that Condo supporters will happily travel anywhere if there’s rugby and the chance of a cold beer involved.
Whatever Wynnie served up in the pre game chat deserves to be bottled and sold. Whether it was motivation, intimidation or a bit of both, it hit the mark. The Rams came out breathing fire and wasted no time showing they meant business.
Gil Toole barely gave the paint time to dry before crashing over in the opening minute. Will Clemson added the extras, and before Young had worked out who was marking who, Payney decided he wanted one too, crossing five minutes later. Will Clemson made it two from two with the boot.
Not wanting to miss the party, Will Moxey barged over soon after and suddenly the Rams were rolling. At that point, every old boy on the sideline was already mentally booking accommodation for finals.
Unfortunately, rugby has a nasty habit of lasting 80 minutes.
Young fought their way back into the contest with three tries and two conversions to lock things up at 19-all by half time. It was anyone’s game.
The second half saw the game open right up. The hits got bigger, the carries got harder and every bloke knew the next mistake could end the season.
Our George crashed over for a meat pie before Phar put three defenders on the missing persons list and crossed for another five pointer.
With seven minutes to play, Tom Clemson caught a textbook case of white line fever, and crossed for one himself. His twin brother Will, stepped up and calmly slotted the conversion. A family business, really.
Young managed one late try to keep everyone’s blood pressure up… but the Rams held on to claim one of the biggest wins in the club’s recent history.
Full time.
Finals.
This wasn’t one bloke having the game of his life.
This was the whole squad doing their job, trusting each other and playing disciplined, physical footy for the full 80. Every bloke emptied the tank. A few emptied both tanks. It was arguably the best performance this group has put together since the club returned.
This win is a credit to every single player who’s pulled on the jersey, Wynnie and the coaching staff, the committee who keep the lights on, the volunteers, our sponsors, and every supporter who’s travelled the highways all year to back this side.
Then came the important fixture. The Third Half.
The celebrations rolled into the Australian Hotel where the Rams lined up against Young in the traditional post match boat race. The result? Condo. By roughly the length of a Carlton Dry.
Just when everyone thought the day’s work was done, our mates from Harden and Temora wandered in on their way home. Naturally, the only sensible thing to do was organise a four-way boat race…. The scoreboard might’ve been switched off, but the Rams weren’t done collecting wins.
The Rams completed a clean sweep.
Special mention to Mick from Young, who delivered the quote of the afternoon “That Condo bloke’s got a throat like a long drop.”….A compliment doesn’t get much higher than that in country rugby.
The regular season is done, but the story isn’t.
Next Saturday the Rams head to Cootamundra for the Minor Semi Final. If Saturday proved anything, it’s that this group belongs on the big stage.
Get to Coota. Wear the blue and gold. Make some noise. These blokes have earned a crowd behind them.
The job’s not finished yet.
Points:1 Point: Tom Clemson; 2 Points: Will Moxey; 3 Points: Gil Toole. Players Player: Tom Patton.
Deep Heat Diaries.
Source: Condobolin Rugby Union Facebook Page.