In the Premier Division, the Dragons dominated throughout the match to score a convincing 60-14 win against a young Hawks side. 

Rota Setu, in his first match for the Dragons after moving from rugby union, showed he will be a valuable addition to the team, scoring four tries and kicking one goal for Mudgee.   However, the Dragons’ point scorers were spread across the whole team in the high scoring match. 

Orange was playing catch-up from the outset, with Todd Munn, Camden Sutton and Setu running in tries in quick succession. 

A try by Sam Sotogi, converted by coach Jason Gangaram, put Orange back in the game with the score at 14-6. 

But two more tries by Sutton and a second try by Setu saw the Dragons leading by 28-6 at half time. 

The Hawks suffered a setback early in the first half, when Gangaram was taken off the field with a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury. 

With Orange struggling to hold back Mudgee, the home team shot to a 60-6 lead. 

The visitors fought back late in the game, when Jedd Kennedy, backing up from the Division 1 game, crossed the line for Orange. 

A try by Max Wolfson for Orange right on the full-time siren narrowed the final score to 60-14. 

Dragons president Rob O’Connor said he was ecstatic about the result, which he attributed to thorough preparation and training by the entire team since the end of January. 

“The whole team contributed, right across the field,” he said. 

O’Connor said the key for the Dragons in the coming weeks, when Mudgee face three away matches, is for the team to stick together as a group. 

“Shift work will impact on us in the next three weeks, but if everyone sticks together, we should have a pretty good year,” he said.  

The only downside for the Dragons was Ben Thompson being sent off for fighting in the final minutes of the match, after scoring two tries for the Dragons. 

Orange Hawks club president Frank Sheehan said although the young side needed to work on defence and fitness, he was confident they would improve before their match against Blayney in two weeks’ time. 

“They showed a vast improvement in the second half and this was reflected in the range of scores,” he said. 

“Really, as a club it is a work in progress and they will get better as the season progresses.” 

He singled out Nathan Potts, Liam Broderick and Sam Sotogi as strong players for the team. 

Division 1 

In contrast to the Premiers clash, the Division 1 match hung in the balance until the final minutes, following a second-half comeback by the Dragons. 

Although the Dragons took a 6-4 lead early in the match, the home team were unable to add their score in the first half and trailed by 26-6 at half time. 

However the Dragons came back with a vengeance, holding the Hawks scoreless in the second half while running in four tries. 

With less than 15 minutes of the game to go, a converted try by Glenn Kurtz put the Dragons in the lead with the score at 30-26. 

Despite a determined fight back, the Hawks were unable to close the gap and a penalty kick for the Dragons by Josh Marchant took the full-time score to 32-26. 

“The boys dug down deep in the second half and held their own,” coach Tommy Jackson said. 

“All the forwards all did their jobs and the halves also did well.” 

Jackson said Kurtz, who scored two tries and kicked five goals, was a standout for the Dragons.

Leaguetag

The inexperience of Mudgee Dragons Leaguetag team was evident in their match against Orange Hawks on Sunday. 

Playing for the first time in the season, the Dragons side went down 22-0. 

After a shaky start, the team’s confidence improved in the second half, when they were able to prevent Hawks from scoring.

Coach Haley Joseph said with only four returning players and the rest of the team new to the game, the side did reasonably well and their effort was not reflected in the scoreboard. 

“Some of the new players, like Tianna Miller, went phenomenally under pressure, and Kirralaa Williams had a phenomenal first half,” she said. 

“The middles were as solid as every and as the outsides get more confidence, we’ll be able to spread the ball about more. 

“I’m pleased that we kept them scoreless in the second half.  It shows courage and determination on the field.”