Two titans of the table went head to head in the Young Cherrypickers and the Gundagai Tigers at ANZAC Park, resulting in an 18 – 18 stalemate on Sunday.
James Morgan was the first to grab a try for the Tigers, followed by Gabriel Gul, Wilson Hamblin and Benjamin Hannan. In the end, it came down to conversions as Young managed to even the score with only 3 tries to the Tigers’ 4, having Matthew Murray kick the points that tied them up.
Will Herring unfortunately only kicked one conversion.
From the opening whistle, it was clear neither side intended to give an inch, with the physicality and intensity matching the stakes.
Gundagai set a strong defensive tone early, with plenty of sting in contact and a clear intent to dominate the middle. Wilson Hamblin was dangerous from the outset, injecting speed and sharpness from hooker and constantly probing for opportunities around the ruck. His tempo helped Gundagai’s forwards roll forward, and the Tigers’ pack responded by owning the middle third. Their dominance, combined with second-phase play and confident offloading, kept the game alive and repeatedly put Young under pressure.
Despite Gundagai’s early control, Young’s defensive resolve was evident, and their smothering pressure on the Tigers’ kicking game limited attacking polish. The Cherrypickers opened the scoring in the 15th minute through Charlie Woodford, capitalising on field position.
However, Gundagai continued to threaten, with Tout and Tahaffe sending defenders reeling through sheer power, but the finishing touches were missing until Derek Hay switched back down the short side. A sharp pass to Sailusi Temaka created an overlap, and Temaka found an unmarked Jimmy Morgan, who crossed in the corner. The missed conversion kept Young narrowly ahead 6-4, but the momentum had clearly begun to turn.
Errors then crept into Gundagal’s game, gifting Young more ball than the Tigers would have liked. Liam Balzan capitalised on a Tigers error, scoring to extend the Young lead to 12-4. A desperate final push before halftime saw the red-hot left-edge pairing of Gul and Herring combine and come inches short, closing out a gritty first half.
The second stanza opened with the same intensity, both sides refusing to give an inch. Young would see a player sent to the sin bin, and Gundagai immediately took advantage. Jayden Steele kept a Derek Hay kick alive, the ball travelled through multiple hands, and Gul finished superbly in the 48th minute, a perfect example of eyes-up footy and second-phase play.
Young’s scramble held as long as it could while a man down, but Gundagal’s class eventually broke them. Tyron Gorman straightened the attack, and a gap opened for Sailusi Temaka, who exploded into open field with pure speed and class, slicing Young apart before delivering a sublime, late offload that put Wilson Hamblin untouched under the posts. It was a moment of individual brilliance that flipped the momentum and showcased Temaka at his electric best.
Herring’s conversion gave the Tigers a 14-12 lead. The physicality only lifted. Joe Tahaffe charged off the back fence with contact that echoed across the river, repeatedly denting Young’s line and dragging defenders with him.
But it was Tout who embodied the Tigers’ toughness through the middle. A relentless, uncompromising presence who refused to take a backward step. Every carry was a statement, every collision a momentum swing. His aggression, leg drive and willingness to absorb contact set the platform for Gundagai’s attack, and his ability to get an arm free for a late offload added a crucial extra layer to the Tigers’ second-phase play. In a game built on grit, Tout’s influence was impossible to miss, anchoring the pack and keeping Gundagai in the fight.
But the match swung again when aggression boiled over, resulting in Gabriel Gul being sent to the sin bin, leaving the Tigers with 12 men for what would be a large reminder of the final 12 minutes. Gundagai defended bravely, with Jayden Steele shutting down a wide raid, but Young eventually found a way through when prop Toataua Porima crashed over beside the uprights, gaining an 18-14 lead with six minutes remaining.
Gundagai refused to fold. Reloading and marching downfield, Gorman hit Benjy Hannan, who powered his way through a gap to level the scores at 18-18. The missed conversion left the match tied with two minutes remaining.
Young had one final chance, but a missed field-goal attempt sealed the result.
Coach of the Tigers, Hayden Ashcroft, said, “We knew that they were going to be a difficult side. We went away from what has been working in previous weeks.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start, and we made too many errors.
“It was a little bit stop-start. We conceded a penalty in the first set. It was a bit of a tussle. There were often times that it was in the balance, but far too many penalties and then a sin bin at a bad time, hurt us.
“Young is a great side, they’re definitely going to be up there and in the mix this year. I’ve said to our boys previously, if you don’t turn up on the day, sides will beat us.
“It’s a bit of a reflection of where the comp is and probably a good realisation for us to bring us back down to the playing table and not get ahead of ourselves.
“We have the bye this weekend for the June long weekend, and then we have Temora at Temora. It will be a good challenge for us; hopefully, we can bounce back. It’s a good opportunity for us to regroup and tackle Temora, which will prove to be difficult, I’d imagine.
“Reserve grade won, which was nice to see. They’ve been struggling, but they had a win.
“The 18’s boys and the girls have been struggling each week with numbers, and both got beaten, but as a club on the whole, we are in a good position, and hopefully reserve grade can kick on from that win, and look forward to the middle half of the season now. We are six games in, so approaching halfway.
“League tag is struggling a little bit, but they’ve got a young side, and they are turning up every week, and similar to the 18s, they have been short a few weeks, and you can’t fault effort. Hopefully, they can regroup and start pulling some wins together in the back half of the season.”
It is a general bye this week for the Group 9 Competition. Once the Tigers have rested up, they will head to Temora to face the Dragons on June 13.
Reserves: Gundagai 20 def Young 14.
Weissel Cup: Young 28 def Gundagai 4.
League Tag: Young 22 def Gundagai 12.
Jack Murray
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