Ten years ago, at the midway point of the season, the Mudgee Dragons under 18s side had just two wins to its name before going on a memorable title run.
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Tom Baddock, Corin Smith and Sebastian Flack are all that’s left from that championship-winning squad and are looking to help Mudgee’s premier division outfit mirror that streak.
Ben Gregory’s unit has just two wins so far in 2018 but a post-season berth is still in the sights of the three men that spoke with The Mudgee Guardian on Wednesday.
Baddock, Smith and Flack all play on the right edge for the Red V and were in unison with their mindset moving towards the latter rounds of the Group 10 season.
“We need to play to our full potential,” Flack said.
“Since game one we haven’t had our full squad so it’s been tough to get continuity,” Baddock added.
Not only has chemistry been hampered by the ongoing injuries, the side has struggled to hang onto the footy – something that’s been a focal point of Ben Gregory’s post-game assessments all year.
“It comes back to having a really young side,” Smith said.
“It is maturity – knowing when to hold the ball and when to offload.
“Our whole team is under 23 except for a few of us so it’s about the young fellas knowing when to do stuff and when not to do it.”
With nine rounds to go, the Dragons sit in seventh position on the ladder but are only four points away from the sought-after fifth spot which is currently held by Oberon.
A host of players including Chanse Burgess and Todd Munn are set to return to the field in round 10 and if Mudgee has all hands on deck, Baddock thinks they can compete with any side.
“We’ve been close to beating CYMS and Oberon – we can beat anybody when we put it together… we’ve shown it.”
The boys estimate seven wins will be good enough for a finals spot, giving them room for just two losses between now and the end of the season.
After the general bye over the June 9-10 weekend, Dragons supporters will have their eyes firmly fixed on a home game against Blayney – a side they have beaten already.
”if we’re going to be serious about making a push into the semis, we need to beat Blayney at home,” Flack said.
The Dragons will host the Bears at 2pm on Sunday June 17 for a fixture that has ‘must win’ written all over it.
Jake Humphreys
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
