The Gulgong Terriers' Castlereagh League season ended at the hands of the Trangie Magpies, following a 20-12 minor semi final loss at Billy Dunn Oval on Saturday.
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In a match that would probably be remembered more for the inability of either side to treasure possession than anything else, the visitors maintained the momentum that saw them down the defending premiers the previous week.
The game opened up very much as an arm wrestle between the two sides, which set the tone for the entire 80 minutes but an intercept to Trangie's half back Damian Bell opened the scoring in the ninth minute that was converted.
Not long after Gulgong's five-eighth James Morrison shrugged off a number of defenders close to the line and touched down for what was to become a six pointer to lock it up. The Terriers went ahead 12 points to six in the 16th minute when their half-back, Kyle Alexander, scooped up a dropped ball and strolled over for a simple try and conversion.
Trangie hooker Braden Carney evened things up when he burrowed over from dummy half soon after to level the scoreboard 12-all. The remaining minutes of the first half saw the two sides go at each other with some degree of ferocity but no resultant change on the scoreboard as any meaningful attack by either side was nullified by sloppy ball possession.
Indeed the second half saw little improvement in the ball handling department and whilst the two sides were there to play the game as a spectacle never reached any great heights.
However another bullocking converted try to Carney and a penalty goal, as well as some stoic defence in the second half, the Magpies came away with the win. They'll now play the loser of the major semi clash between the Coonabarabran Unicorns and the Gilgandra Panthers at Coonabarabran this Saturday.
The loss ends the 2019 campaign of the Gulgong side, who finished the regular season in third place on the ladder.
TRANGIE 20 (Braden Carney 2, Damian Bell tries, Jack Powell 4 goals) def GULGONG 12 (James Morrison, Kyle Alexander tries, Alexander 2 goals).
