FULL-TIME: COUNTRY 10 – 20 CITY
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5:50 - The curtain closes on the last fixture of the City-Country series, and the sun sets on more than a hundred years of metro v rural history.
80’ GOAL! Gallen smashes it home to put the icing on the cake for the City side that play spoiler for the Country team.
5:50 - Gallen set to kick the last ever goal attempt for City-Country right in front of the sticks.
79’ Country 10 – 18 City
5:49 – TRY! It looks like it’s all over here at Glen Willow as Bryce Cartwright finds an opening to put another try on the board late for the City side.
5:48 - City have possession as the clock drags on towards the whistle – just 90 seconds left now.
5:46 - The kick ends the set instead and Moylan makes easy work of it as City look to slow down by and grind out their four-point lead into a victory in the last ever City-Country origin fixture.
5:45 - A glanced kick gives Country the ball with five minutes to go, and a run from Aubusson starts off the set that needs to end in a try for the home-town boys.
5:43 - A scrum for Country gives them another much needed chance, as Vaugn leads the assault back in to within 30 metres, but another poor pass from Walker immediately gives City the ball once more.
5:42 – Two poor passes from Country kill off their own attack before Aubusson drops the ball to give City a chance, and Addo-Carr led the charge out to give the boys in yellow some breathing room with seven minutes to go on the clock.
5:41 - Aubusson nearly makes it over two tackles later to draw a penalty for the Country side and give them six tackles to break the City line.
5:40 - Sims finds himself on a breakaway again, beating two before getting cut down just five metres away from the tryline.
5:38 - Moments later a dropped ball give City control again, and Country looked to have blown a big offensive chance.
5:38 - A play-the-ball by Gallen has no one on the other end and Country pounces, collecting it and quickly making it back within forty of the try that would level the scores – just over ten minutes to go now for the equaliser.
5:36 - Vaughn, who has just returned to the field, collects a short kick to set Country back on the attack just two metres inside their own half, but just one tackle later a long tackle sees the ball out and City back in possession.
5:35 - The middle of the paddock becomes the battleground as both sides exchange sets, and City seems content to see out their four point lead for now.
5:33 – The kick bounces favourably for Gordon to put Country back on the front foot after a strong set in defence kept City pinned in their own twenty.
5:31 – Back-to-back penalties give Country the pressure, but City’s defence stays strong as Elliott is tackled two metres out to finish the set.
5:30 – A penalty gets Country out of their own half, before Kyle Turner gets another ten metres for Fitzgibbon’s outfit.
5:30 – Country run it out off the kick off with just over 20 minutes left on the clock, and only four points the difference here at Glen Willow.
5:27 - After his long-ranged run, Gordon steps up to take the kick but sends it wide, and the score remains the same.
58’ Country 10 – 14 City
5:26 - TRY! Adam Elliott follows through on Gordon’s run to cross the line to the right of the sticks, and put four more on the board for Country in front of a cheering crowd.
5:26 – A huge run from Michael Gordon collects 30 metres for Country as he breaks through the City line, and puts Country within 30 metres of another try.
5:25 – Addo-Carr gets medical attention before playing the ball, and City set off down the field again.
5:24 - Sims grabs an intercept and makes it 70 metres, before Nathan Ross runs him down and strips the ball to give City back possession.
5:23 – Penalty called against Country after a run from Gallen, and a quick tap from Hame Sele gets City close.
5:22 – Addo-Carr is almost taken over the line by Roberts before City find their way into centre-field and force a repeat set off the back of Ross’ chase.
50’ Country 6 – 14 City
5:19 – GOAL! Gutherson is called upon to kick again, and with half an hour on the clock he drives it home.
49’ Country 6 – 12 City
5:17 - TRY! The repeat set is too much for Country, as Tamou smashes through Cody Walker and Michael Gordon to clamber over the line, and put distance between City and Country’s point-tally.
5:16 - Six again for the City side 10 metres out off the back of a chase-down of Townsend’s kick, and the Country side are called upon again to defend a set.
5:15 – Knock-on by Tariq Sims off a Townsend kick gives City the scrum feed 10 metres out from the tryline – defence time for the Country boys.
5:13 - Penalty for City get them nearly to the halfway point, before a run by Gallen gets them just into Country territory.
5:12 - City come within a hair’s breadth of the line before the left flank of Country’s defence puts Nathan Ross onto the ground.
5:10 - And the teams are back out on the field, with Country down by a two-point deficit at Glen Willow this evening, and forty minutes left to play.
5:04 - The official crowd numbers for the clash have been reported to be 8,322.
4:57 – Laurie Daley speaks at half-time about the Knock-On Effect, the safety campaign currently championed by Country Rugby League.
HT: COUNTRY 6 – 8 CITY
40’ Country 6 – 8 City
4:53 – He slots the 2-pointer home to give the City side the lead for half time.
4:52 – Half-time at Glen Willow here for the final City-Country clash, with Gutherson going to kick a penalty right in front of the uprights as the rest of the team heads for the sheds.
4:51 - Country’s first set after levelling the score ends with Moylan catching the bomb kick uncontested – it looks like Fitzgibbon’s side is just looking to burn down the clock in the first half.
37’ Country 6 – 6 City
4:50 - Michael Gordon kicks to equal the score, and his straight kick puts Country level at 6-apiece with just minutes to go in Mudgee!
36’ Country 4 – 6 City
4:49 - TRY! With only Paul Gallen close enough to chase, Don smashes it down to put Country on the board.
4:48 - It’s an interception for Anthony Don, as he breaks away with a telegraphed pass to run 90 metres!
4:46 - An offload from Gutherson as he falls gives Sironen the chance to march another ten, and City’s set gets them within 30 metres again.
4:45pm - With just seven minutes to go in the first half a City mistake gives Country the feed in the scrum, and a chance to get out of their own danger zone.
4:34pm - Tamou finds himself one-on-one with Blair with the pie in his sights, but a big tackle from the centre puts him on the ground and keeps the scoreline within six points for Country.
4:42pm - A huge mistake from Michael Gordon from Country allows Tyrone Peachey to make it back to within 40 metres of the Country tryline, and City are back on the attack after losing their pressure just two minutes before.
4:41pm - City make 80 metres as Tamou breaks the line, but a poor pass gives Country the set and Kelly makes it just outside their own 30 metre line.
4:40pm - A second set of six puts Country inside the 10 metre danger area, but their pressure finds a strong defensive wall from City.
4:38pm - Matt Moylan takes a kick on the full at the other end of the paddock to get a 20 metre tap, with Sims and Prior immediately crunching him into the dirt.
4:35pm - A poor kick from Chad Townsend gives Country a play the ball thirty metres out, and Daniel Alvaro marches the ball out to almost make it to City’s territory.
4:34pm - Another set comes for Country as Addo-Carr nearly grabs a long-ranged ball aimed for Anthony Don, and a third set comes and ends as another pass to the other flank misses Kelly and over the sideline.
4:33pm - The kick comes to Nathan Ross but the City centre can’t make it out with the ball and gives Country a repeat set that starts 30 metres from the tryline.
4:32pm - Cheyse Blair gets Country within five metres of the line, but as the ball gets spread wide to Tyrone Roberts who is tackled ten out.
4:32pm - A mistake by the City players give Country a scrum 30 metres out from the line, with their eyes on a chance to level the score.
4:31pm - Country’s kick goes dead to give City a 20 metre restart and a seven tackle set – not what the bush side need as they trail by 6 points.
4:30pm - Country have the ball 30 metres out and looking to make metres through strong runners like Vaughn, Cook and Dale Finucane.
4:29pm - City nearly go in on a rampaging run from Curtis Sironen but four Country defenders push him out just a metre short of the line, before City’s Addo-Carr spills the ball out of play.
4:28pm - Michael Gordon wraps up the kick but it’s inside his own goal-line and the City rundown from Addo-Carr gives the boys in yellow a repeat set.
4:27pm - A big hit from Tariq Sims over the halfway line allows Country a long kick inside City’s half, but Matt Moylan wraps up the high kick seconds later to give City the ball.
4:26pm - Scrum feed for Country 20 metres out from their line gives them a chance to attempt a reply for Gower’s opening try.
4:24pm - The kick returns to the ball to Cartwright, who offloads to Tamou for a run out to his own 20 metre line.
12’ – Country 0 – 6 City
4:23pm – Clint Gutherson’s kick adds the extras for the City outfit, extending the opening lead by 6.
11’ – Country 0 – 4 City
4:22pm – TRY! 12 metres out from Country’s line they have a scrum feed that sees a wide ball get David Gower over the line! Country trailing by 4.
4:21pm - Kelly nearly puts it down ten in from the grand-stand sideline off a last tackle kick from Tyrone Roberts, but City’s defenders wrap him up and end the set with a 20 metre restart.
4:20pm - Scrum with Country feeding twenty out of their own line, and now they’re making their way up field with a long run from Vaughn again.
4:18pm - Best chance of the game so far has come from Paul Vaughn on a barnstorming run towards the line at the end of the set, but City are now marching the ball up field.
4:17pm - Country are applying good pressure inside City’s ten metres, but the attack comes to nothing as Cartwright wraps it up to give City some breathing room.
4:15pm - Penalty goes against City origin! A chance for Country to make a strong push for the line.
4:13pm - Two sets down and the battle has started in the middle of the paddock as the forwards make strong metres.
4:12pm - Kick-off! The final City-Country origin is underway.
4:10pm - Broden Konz runs the ball out onto the field for the match, an honour he won after a Man of the Match performance in the junior leagues.
4:00pm - The crowds are looking fantastic as people continue to pour in the gates to fill the hill and pack out the stands.
Country: 1 Michael Gordon, 2 Anthony Don, 3 Mitchell Aubusson (C), 4 Cheyse Blair, 5 Brian Kelly, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Tyrone Roberts, 8 Dale Finucane, 9 Damien Cook, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Tariq Sims, 12 Kyle Turner, 13 Jack de Belin; Interchange: 14 Connor Watson, 15 Matt Prior, 16 Adam Elliott, 17 Daniel Alvaro
City: 1 Matthew Moylan, 2 Clint Gutherson, 3 Nathan Ross, 4 Tyrone Peachey, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Bryce Cartwright, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 James Tamou, 9 Cameron McInnes, 10 Paul Gallen (C), 11 Curtis Sironen, 12 David Gower, 13 Hame Sele, Interchange: 14 Joseph Paulo, 15 Nathan Cleary, 16 Pauli Pauli, 17 Jake Marketo
3:50pm - Team lists announced as per 1-17 for both the Country and City sides.
3:46pm - Both teams out on the field warming up in the sun as the music continues – kick-off is just around the corner.
3:42pm - The pre-match entertainment, Kaylens Rain, take to the field as the crowd continues to fill the Glen Willow stands and pack out the hills.
3:40pm - Pre-match interviews are heralding the beginning of the match, as the players get their marching orders in the sheds.
3:30pm – The Rescue Helicopter has arrived with the City-Country shield at Glen Willow, Mudgee, with just over half an hour until the kick-off.
3:20pm - The curtain raiser sees the Macquarie Scorpions down the CBG Wolves 30-18, for the Country side’s victory in the competition.
Information
For photos around the grounds head to the Mudgee Guardian.
The Mudgee Guardian also has all the pre-game stories for the final clash at Glen Willow stadium.
The bumper weekend also saw the local Gooree Cup run on Saturday afternoon.