Mudgee's dual assault on the Hornets Championships had a disappointing end with both sides knocked out in the semi-finals.
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The Mudcrabs ventured to Maitland for the annual regional tournament hoping to kick-start their representative touch season on the right note.
Unfortunately, it was not to be as the mixed open and women's 30s teams were beaten in the semi-finals, 5-3 to Newcastle and 7-1 to Maitland respectively.
The semi-final loss was Mudgee's only defeat in the mixed division after they finished on top of Pool B and were given a direct path to the final four.
Mudgee had a 7-all draw against Nelson Bay in a gritty and tense match where the lead changed several times.
They managed to step up an extra gear for their remaining matches with big wins over local rivals Orange Thunder (12-1) and Beresfield Bandits (12-6).
However, playing against a strong Newcastle outfit, Mudgee was their own worst enemy in the semi-final.
Captain-coach Justin Gossage did not shy away from his feelings saying it was disappointing to finish the tournament like they did as he thought the mixed team could have gone all the way.
It was a hard-slog for the women's 30s who went down narrowly to Newcastle 2-1 and later Nelson Bay 4-2 in their opening matches.
They played their best game at the end when they defeated Wallsend 3-2.
Mudgee qualified in third spot to set up a date with the Redbacks.
Mudgee was hoping to gain revenge after losing to Maitland in last year's decider.
However, like in 2018, it was the hosts coming away victorious over the women in purple.
Both Mudcrabs' sides have a fortnight to regroup before playing at the NSW Country Championships at Tuggerah.
