The sun beat down on the Gundagai Tigers, baking their black and gold jerseys as they took the field.
The air was thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and the low hum of anticipation from the crowd. Across the pitch, the Young Cherrypick-ers, in their determined red and white, looked every bit the formidable opponent.
This wasn’t just a game; it was a statement. A chance for the Tigers to prove they were more than just contenders—they were champions in the making.
From the first whistle, the Tigers played with a ferocity that seemed to rattle the very foundations of the stadium. It was a blur of motion, a symphony of coordinated chaos.
Their star fullback, Tyron Gorman, known for his calm under pressure, was the first to strike. He weaved through the Cherrypickers’ defence with the grace of a gazelle and the power of a bull, planting the ball over the line for the opening try. The roar from the Gundagai faithful was deafening. It was a clear declaration: the Tigers were here to win.
But the Cherrypickers were a proud team, and they refused to roll over. They dug in, their defence holding firm for a few tense minutes. Yet, the Tigers were relentless.
Toby Dasey, a livewire on the wing, found a gap and sprinted down the sideline, a crimson blur in pursuit. He dove for the try line, the ball held triumphantly aloft, extending the Tigers’ lead. Just minutes later, Gabriel Gul, the Tigers’ explosive forward, showed his incredible strength, crashing through a wall of red jerseys to score a try of his own. The scoreboard began to tell a story of com-plete domination.
The first half was a masterclass in attacking rugby. The Tigers’ offence was a machine, each part moving in perfect sync. James Morgan and Meli Drau each added to the try count, their efforts a testament to the team’s depth and skill. The Cherrypickers, for all their heart and grit, looked stunned, their usual rhythm disrupted by the sheer pace of the Tigers’ attack.
By halftime, the scoreboard looked more like a running tally than a competitive score. The second half began with the Cherrypickers determined to regain some pride. They came out with renewed intensity, their forwards driving with more purpose, their backs looking for any crack in the Tigers’ line. But the Tigers were like a coiled spring, ready to snap back at a moment’s notice. Even with a significant lead, they didn’t ease up. Wilson Hamblin and Pat Birch crossed the line, adding more points and twisting the knife in the Cherrypickers’ already wounded hopes.
Gundagai Tigers’ coach Aaron Gorrell was pleased with the win but acknowledged the team’s early struggles. “We were a bit patchy early, I thought, we were making errors in our first set, which is never ideal, and then they went bang and scored straight away,” Gorrell said. But he believed that the early setback might have been the catalyst for their dominant performance. “I think that might have clicked us into gear a little bit, and after that, we were pretty dominant.”
He praised the team’s defensive effort, particularly their ability to contain Young’s key players. “We knew we had to limit their big blokes through the middle,” he explained. “When Young played Temora, I don’t think Giles hit the deck once; he stood in nearly every tackle and either got an offload or a quick play the ball, so we knew we had to limit that.” This strategy, he noted, made it harder for the likes of Tom Demeio to impact the game. “He’s a very smart player, and we knew that the slower we could get that play, the harder it was for him,” Gorrell added.
The Cherrypickers, to their credit, refused to be shut out completely. In the final quarter, their efforts finally paid off. Jake Walker broke through the Tigers’ defence to score a much-needed try, giving the Young fans something to cheer about. It was a brief flicker of hope, but the Tigers’ lead was insurmountable. Still, the Cherrypickers pressed on, with Jesse Corcoran adding a late double. He was a force to be reckoned with, and his determination was a stark contrast to the despair on his teammates’ faces.
Young’s kicker, Tom Demeio, was perfect with his conversions, but it was a small consolation in a game that had already slipped away. When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 42-18. It was a victory of epic proportions for the Gundagai Tigers, a statement win that reverberated throughout the league. The players embraced on the field, their faces streaked with sweat and mud, a mix of exhaustion and elation in their eyes.
For Tyron Gorman, who also handled the goal-kicking duties, it was a day of mixed results, with a 3/9 conversion rate, but it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. For Tom Demeio, a perfect 3/3 conversion rate was a point of pride despite the loss.
Gorrell credited the team’s overall dominance, particularly their physical play. “I thought that we were too physical for them, and we played some smart footy off the back of it,” he said, noting how that led to opportunities for their outside backs. “Our outside backs just had a bit too much speed for them, but when you dominate the middle as much as our middles did, it makes it pretty easy for everyone else.”
He also highlighted some of the key performances. “It was pretty much the usuals who made an impact. Will Herring was good, I don’t think we really had a bad player,” he stated. He was also pleased to have Royce Tout back. “Royce had his first game back, and when it blew out a little bit, we just kept him off, but he was keen to get back on; I didn’t think it was worth it, so we just kept him on ice for this week, and he will be better for the run too.”
Gorrell also singled out James Morgan for his consistent play. “Morgs was good again, it’s week in, week out for him, he’s been a standout all season,” he said. The win gives the Gundagai Tigers a ticket to the major semi-final, a clash against their biggest rival, the Wagga Kangaroos.
The Tigers are the only team to have defeated the Kangaroos this season, a fact that will undoubtedly be on both teams’ minds. The Kangaroos, coming off a bye and the minor premiership title, will be well-rested and eager to prove their dominance. This upcoming match is more than just a game; it’s a battle for a direct spot in the Grand Final. The winner will book their place, while the loser will face another week of finals football.
For the Young Cherrypickers, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, but their season isn’t over. They will have a chance to regroup and host the minor semi-final against the Temora Dragons, who are riding high after beating the Tumut Blues in the elimination quarter-final.
The Cherrypickers’ dream of a Grand Final appearance is still alive, but they will have to fight their way through a hungry Dragons side to keep it going.
As the Gundagai Tigers celebrated their victory, they knew their work was far from over. Gorrell looked ahead to the next match with confidence. “We had an easier run-in than most sides, so we are fresh, and I think everyone is fit. We can’t complain about how we are travelling,” he said. “It’s nice to have the fact we’ve beaten all the remaining teams in the back of our mind, but nothing like that matters now; it’s each game at a time. We will just worry about ourselves. We know the brand of footy we play and what suits us, and we have got to stick to it and not go away from that, and I’m confident that if we play and do that, we will be there in the 80th minute.”
The win against the Cherrypickers was a powerful declaration, but the true test lay ahead. They had ripped apart the competition, and now they had their sights set on the biggest prize of all: a chance at a Grand Final victory.
– Tully Potts
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