The final siren blared, a mournful sound that echoed across the field and through the hearts of the Temora Dragons. The scoreboard, a stark and unforgiving judge, displayed the numbers: Young Cherrypickers (28) and Temora Dragons (14).
The season, a journey of grit and determination, had reached its final stop. The Dragons fought valiantly, a fire burning within them to the very end. Tries from Nick Bett and Will McDermott were moments of brilliance, flashes of hope against the relentless tide of the Cherrypickers. But it wasn’t enough. The Cherrypickers were a force to be reckoned with, their victory a testament to the skill of Tom Giles, Nayah Freeman, Kai Parker, Jayke Hogan, and Boro Navori, who all crossed the line for a try.
“It was a terrific game. We started strong. That’s what we always intended to do, because that’s generally what Temora do, they are always a strong starting side. We got out and scored the three tries and got ahead 16-0,” Cherrypickers President Andrew Smith said.
“Then we had a bit of a lapse there for the middle part of the game where, probably just following the half-time break, towards the end of the half, we were lapsed off a bit, and then straight into the second half, we let them back in the game, but then the last part of the game, we got everything back together again and finished the game off.”
Smith praised the Dragons’ tenacious play. “He was terrific for them, too. Like I just said, Temora never go away. They are like pests; they are always at you, they are super consistent, so you always have to be on your toes. You just have to keep playing footy if you are ever going to win against them.”
The win was especially impressive given the team’s health. “We were pretty close; we weren’t missing many. We were missing big Isaac Matalavea-Booth. We did have Che Hyslop on the bench. He didn’t really take too much part in the game because he had a bit of a pectoral issue,” Smith explained.
“Tom Demeio was available; we got him downgraded at the judiciary, but he only played probably 50 minutes of the game. He was quite ill all week with the flu, so he just had a bit of trouble on the field getting breaths, but we managed to get the job done without having to play him for eighty minutes. He certainly showed his capabilities in the first half. He was definitely the best player on the field there.”
Smith also singled out several other players for their contributions. “Jayke Hogan was excellent again. He had a couple of good touches, but he’s not the flashiest of blokes. He’s just an 80-minute player and just holds that middle together, tackle, he’s just in everything there. He’s always carrying the ball or he’s always tackling. He was very good.”
“Both our wingers were really good, Boro Navori and Naya, it was great to see Naya play again too. That just allowed Dev Makoare-Boyce to go to his favourite spot in the centres and just changed the side so much. They were very good. There really wasn’t a bad player on the field, to be honest, everyone gave their bit towards the victory.”
While the Dragons’ season concluded, the Cherrypickers’ story continued. Their victory earned them a spot in the next round, a face-off against Gundagai at Twickenham Oval in Tumut.
Looking Ahead to Gundagai
Smith is confident heading into the next match. “Not that I’d want to be playing Roos, but I’d rather play Roos in Tumut than Gundagai,” he said. “I think Gundagai will travel better going to Tumut, but anyway, you have got to beat everyone everywhere to show what you can do and get there, so we will go into the game confident, but we will be a different side to when we played them last time.”
A previous loss to Gundagai is a key motivator for the team. “Previous to the game a fortnight ago (42-18), our biggest loss (also against Gundagai) was by eight points earlier in the year. It certainly left a really bitter taste in the boy’s mouth,” Smith said. “I think it just drives them to be better. They’ll come out wanting to get one back on these guys, and it’ll make them even tougher, in my opinion.”
Smith watched Gundagai’s last game closely. “It was a tough game, I watched it on TV. That was a tough day. They actually skipped out to a 12-0 lead. Gundagai did and looked the better side at the start, but Roos are too much of a quality side to let a game like that slip; they just slowly toiled and ground them down, and I think towards the end, it blew out a little bit. Then Gundagai went into a bit of a rut doing what we were doing when we played them, just not icing their moments and taking those opportunities. I’m sure that they will come out a lot better next week against us.”
He also noted some roster changes for Gundagai. “It looked like they may have lost their winger, Charlie Barton. I saw that he went off with a leg injury, but I think other than that, they are pretty full strength,” Smith said. “I did notice that Rosey (Nathan Rose) was playing fullback, whether he’s just defending a fullback or not, but that was a bit interesting. He had 6 on his back, and he was sort of back defending at full-back; he might be just nursing something.”
Women’s Tackle Team Also Advances
The success wasn’t limited to the men’s team. “The ladies tackle had a great result as well, beating Southcity, we won 22-18,” Smith said. “We scored, I think it was about three or four minutes to go to win that game. Now they’ll join the boys in Tumut when they… Yes, because they lost 18-0 to Estella.”
Smith reflected on the growth of the women’s competition. “It is the second season of the women’s competition, but it’s the first competitive season. So I coached them last year in the inaugural season, which was like a no-finals, just play every week. And the time was shorter, but now it is a fully fledged competitive season.”
For the Dragons, it was time to rest, to reflect, and to look toward the future, knowing they left it all on the field. The loss was more than just a defeat; it was a farewell.
For Josh McCrone, the Dragons’ captain-coach, this was the final chapter of his remarkable career. As he stood on the field, the weight of the moment settled upon him—the end of a season and the end of an era. The journey was over, but the memories of the game, the team, and the roar of the crowd would forever remain.
– Tully Potts
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