Forbes Magpies have ridden their underdog status all the way through to the Grand Final of the Peter McDonald Premiership after beating Dubbo CYMS 28-16 on Sunday at Apex Oval, Dubbo.
CYMS were the heavy favourites going into the decider after a run of 15 consecutive wins, but Forbes coach Cameron Greenhalgh told the Daily Liberal he knew his side’s best was good enough to secure the premiership.
"We were massive underdogs, people didn't rate us, we were up and down, (but) we knew in the group that we were right up there," he said.
"If we played our best footy, we would be hard to beat."
Forbes were in control for most of the game, with their defence standing up and handling the pressure of a dangerous CYMS attack.
"We knew we were going to win it with our big defence and that's what won us it today was that defence," he said.
Forbes were up for the fight right from the kick off, soaking up the pressure brought by the CYMS forwards. The Magpies managed to make the first breakthrough early with centre Alvin Maungaati beating two CYMS defenders out wide to score in the corner.
Dubbo capitalised on back-to-back penalties after moving the ball downfield before Alex Bonham crossed for a try to level the scores.
CYMS had the momentum, and were presented with another opportunity to score when Forbes dropped a high ball 10 metres out, but they couldn’t capitalise with the Magpies defence proving tough to beat.
Forbes regained the lead when Toby Hurford snuck over from dummy-half, with captain Nick Greenhalgh successfully landing the conversion.
Dubbo had another chance to press their claims after Greenhalgh was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul, but the Magpies defence stayed strong despite being a man down.
CYMS crossed the line for winger Corey Drew but the pass was ruled forward and Forbes took a 10-4 lead into half-time.
After the break, the Magpies were boosted with Greenhalgh’s return to the field and he had an immediate impact, setting up Jake Grace to extend their lead.
Things went from bad to worse for Dubbo after they were found to have infringed in the lead-up resulting in an eight-point try.
Greenhalgh converted his first attempt, before Drew tried to save time by chasing after the ball. He pushed a Forbes trainer out of the way, prompting the referee to sin bin him.
With Forbes leading 18-4 with 30 minutes remaining, CYMS found themselves back in the game when Bradley Pickering scooped up a dropped ball to score and convert, reducing the margin to eight points.
The Magpies continued to test Dubbo and were rewarded when Grace crossed for his second try of the match. Greenhalgh converted to extend their lead again to 14 points with the Magpies faithful sensing victory.
CYMS pulled the margin back late through a Ben Marlin try which was again converted by Pickering, but it was all too late as a couple of Magpies penalty goals sealed an incredible win for Forbes.
It was Dubbo’s worst performance of the year according to CYMS coach Shawn Townsend, who told the Daily Liberal that Forbes were deserving winners.
"We got beaten by what we knew they were going to bring," he said.
Townsend also expressed his disappointment at his side’s lack of discipline.
"To win grand finals you've got to be disciplined, you've got to hold the ball," he added.
"We had a bloke in the (sin) bin over something silly, we had a couple of silly penalties at the wrong time and had no composure.
"You get what you deserve there, and we were beaten by a better side."
Magpies captain Nick Greenhalgh told the Daily Liberal that the win was the result of a full team effort.
"We dug deep for each other and put together an 80-minute performance," he said.
"We were down to 12 men there for a while but just kept turning up for each other."
Forbes star fullback Mitch Andrews was awarded the inaugural Scott Weir Medal for Player of the Match after another impressive performance, keeping the CYMS attack at bay with relentless tackling.
The win marks the Magpies third premiership in seven years after taking out the 2016 and 2018 Group 11 Grand Finals.
Forbes Magpies 28 (Jake Grace 2, Toby Hurford, Alvin Maungaati tries; Nick Greenhalgh 6 goals) Dubbo CYMS 16 (Ben Marlin, Bradley Pickering, Alex Bonham tries; Pickering 2 goals) at Apex Oval, Dubbo on Sunday 4 September.
