It was two long days of footy for ten teams, but in the end there can only be one – the Macquarie Scorpions.
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For the second year in a row, the Mudgee Rugby League 9s competition could be classed as a success, with teams travelling from all over the state to participate in the event at Glen Willow.
Notable inclusions were the two finalists that had made the trip from Newcastle, the Macquarie Scorpions and the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs, as well as Central Coast side The Entrance Tigers.
Locals Mudgee Dragons (sending two teams) and the Gulgong Terriers also competed in the tournament, as the Mudgee firsts eyed a defence of their title from last year.
Group 10 teams Orange Hawks and Bathurst Panthers also made the trip, while Group 11 clubs Dubbo Westside and Macquarie rounded out the competitors.
Gulgong opened the second tournament with a 12-12 draw against Dubbo Macquarie, before the Mudgee seconds downed the Panthers 14-10.
The Dragons then put a resounding message out with a 20-4 victory over Westside, but the Scorpion’s 38-6 thumping of the Tigers followed with an even-louder message.
The top sides soon became clear, and on the second day the competition moved into an elimination format, and quarter finals.
First up was a close affair between the Bulldogs and the Hawks, and although both wide-men Jordan Baker and and Mick Cooper found the strip for Orange, Kurri Kurri proved to much as they heaped on tries in the first and second half.
Macquarie came up against the Terriers in the 2nd quarter final, and a dominant half saw the Scorpions put 26 unanswered points past Gulgong, with Davi Woods claiming a double.
Dan Crane was able to grab one back in the closing moments of the match, but it wasn’t enough as the Scorpions moved on with a 36-4 scoreline.
The Entrance joined the Newcastle sides in the semi-finals with a 28-16 thriller against the Panthers as Harley Ridge put down two for the Tigers.
Then it was the Dragons quarter-final.
The Dragons quarter-final was all rush for the Mudgee side, as they looked to locked Dubbo out of the game early.
However, they were only eight points clear at half time off converted tries scored by Jared Robinson and Sam Wooden.
The second half saw Westside pushing for the equaliser, but Lachlan Hill’s try put the tie out of doubt and set Mudgee for a showdown with Kurri Kurri.
It was an early try for Nathan Orr that gave Mudgee hope that they could get back to the finals and defend their title, but Kurri Kurri proved why they are one of the best Newcastle sides in the competition as they stacked 10 points in the first half off Nic Scott and Mark Walker tries.
The game was set for a Mudgee comeback, but a fumble on the left flank that was a certain try swapped the momentum of the game, and Ben Wyborn responded soon after to stretched the lead by 6 points.
Ethan Mackenzie then heaped on the pain for the Dragons with a try that was kicked for extras, and the game finished 20-4 to send the hosts spiraling out of the comp with a scoreline that didn’t reflect the competitiveness of the match.
Then it was Macquarie against The Entrance, and although the Tigers had looked good in the tournament so far, they struggled to find their balance in the semi-final.
Matt Simon opened the scoring from the halves, before deadly winger Royce Geoffrey put two on the board.
Leading by 12 in the second half, Macquarie continued how they started, with big forward Woods scoring another as they rampaged to a 26-0 victory.
Then it was the all-Newcastle final – travelling sides Macquarie came up against Kurri Kurri, both in red-hot form.
The prize match, worth $5,000, started with the Bulldog’s Ben Wyborn and the Scorpions’ Andrew Sumner both getting over the white line to make it 4-4, before Randall Briggs broke the stalemate just before half time, with the kick converted.
Leading 10-4 into the second half, Macquarie proved why their defence was one of the most lauded of the tournament, keeping out a series of kick-chases that the Bulldogs tried to force down the wing.
Five-eighth Matt Simon closed out the competition with one more for the Scorpions, pushing the scoreline out to 14-4 and securing the Mudgee 9s tournament for the Macquarie team.
Macquarie Scorpion’s Dave Woods was named the commentator’s Player of the Tournament.
All travelling sides were impressed with the tournament and reached out to thank the Mudgee Dragons for hosting the second annual fixture.