The Mudgee Dragons have taken out the inaugural Mudgee Nines, but the $5000 winners cheque was not the team’s only reason to celebrate.
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Making the win even more special, the trophy was named after Dragons committee member and die-hard fan Darryl “Radar” Meers who passed away of cancer early this year.
The Dragons were coached by six-time premiership winning coach Tony Pascoe.
Pascoe won three titles for Mudgee in 2000, 2002 and 2004 in a fifth straight year run in the grand final.
In 2005 Pascoe moved to Port Macquarie and won three titles, in 2005, 2010 and 2011. So in 2016 the super coach of bush footy returns home with the job of taking the Dragons to their famous glory days of making five grand finals in a row in first grade.
The Dragons came into the nines with a good team led by fearless leader Jared Robinson and helped by great local boys with the likes of Todd Munn, Hamish Bryant, Jack Beasley, Ben and Kurt Thompson, Timmy Condon, Glen Kurtz, Nick and Fuzz Harvey, Andrew Warwicker, Camden Sutton and Jack Afamamasga, as well as star recruit from the Mudgee Wombats, Rota Setu, making his debut for the club.
The first game at the nines for the Dragons was a good win over Coonabarabran Unicorns 20-0 a game that Dragons were always in control for whole 18 minutes of the game.
The second game was a bit tighter for the Dragons after a slow start considering the first try, but the Dragons’ fitness came out in the end and they came up trumps 14-6 against Dubbo Westside Rabbitohs.
The third game ended up in the draw 14-14 against Bathurst Panthers. Mudgee were down 14-4 with two and a half minutes left and tries to the Dragons to make it 14-14. But a debacle with communicating who should take the drop goal basically cost the game for Mudgee.
The fourth game was an epic game with a 10-8 win for the Dragons against the pre-competition favourites The Entrance. With a try on the bell to Ben Thompson and Camden Sutton leading the drop conversion.
The final pool game for the Dragons was an easy 28-6 win over Glenmore Park to score first place in pool A and a huge chance to win the first Mudgee nines.
The first semi- final against Dubbo Macquarie was a great win for the Dragons 16-10 to the first team in grand final.
The second semi-final was between Moore Park and the Entrance and Moore Park just got home 18-16 to take on the Dragons in the final!
It was time for the first ever Mudgee nines final and it started great for the home boys with Andrew Warwicker and Camden Sutton converting to make the score 6-0 in favour of the Dragons.
The Dragons thought they scored again via Kurt Thompson but it was called back for a forward pass. Shortly after that Ben Thompson scored and Sutton converted to make the score 12-0. Then minutes later, the Dragons captain scored and Sutton converted to make it 18-0 and that was the half time score.
At half time Pascoe stressed to the boys it’s nil all boys; rugby league is a funny game anything can happen.
Right after half time Moore Park scored and converted to make the score 18-6. But a few minutes later Mudgee scored thought Nathan Orr scored wide out but Sutton didn’t convert to make the score 22-4. Then minutes later Moore Park scored next to the post and it was converted to make the score 22-10. Moore Park tried a short kick off but it back fired with the ball leading in the hands of Nathan Orr who went under the posts to score his second try of the final and Sutton converted to make it 28-10. Then right on full time Orr scored his third and made the score 32-10.