A youthfully exuberant West Wyalong have been making their presence felt in the 2023 Group 20 competition, with the iconic Mallee Men safely inside the competition’s top five and just one win off the third-place Darlington Point-Coleambally Roosters.
From nine outings, West Wyalong has won five games and drawn one, and in Round Nine, they fired against the struggling Yanco-Wamoon Hawks when landing a decisive 56-10 victory at Yanco Sportsground.
Captain/coach Tim Dore touched on a young squad going places.
“A big thing for us is that we have a very young side,” Dore said.
“We have got a good mix, with a few older fellas coming back to help those young blokes keep their cool, but a majority of the side is very young.
“Our halfback is 20, and five-eighth is 18, so we have got young halves, which will end up being better for them, and the club.”
Depth has been an issue at times, and West Wyalong's recent run of form is all the more impressive because they have been missing a truckload of talent.
“We’ve been hot and cold because we have a lot of injuries at the moment,” Dore said.
“That’s in both first grade and reserves, and numbers have been dwindling, although we will start to welcome more players back.”
Group 20 teams most recently enjoyed a competition bye and heading into the final five rounds of the regular season, Dore expects his Mallee Men to grow in numbers and confidence.
“The week off was really good, and we should be nearly at full strength against Hay on Sunday,” Dore said.
“We have a lot of blokes coming back at the right time of year, especially leading into finals.”
The last time West Wyalong played Hay they scored a thrilling 17-16 victory at Hay Park in Round Three. Dore explained that another win over their rivals in Round 10 was vital as they commenced their run home to finals.
“If we can get the win this week, it gives us some breathing space between fourth and fifth, and it gives us a chance to move into the top three, and if we can do that, we will get two cracks at finals, which is what we want,” he said.
In terms of expectations, Dore believes West Wyalong can match it with the likes of Leeton, Griffith, and Darlington Point-Coleambally.
“The top four teams are very competitive if you include us, and it's really open,” Dore said.
“I think any team can win it on their day.”
It should be another thrilling Round 10 of Group action on Sunday, with Tullibigeal-Lakes United hosting Darlington Point-Coleambally, Yenda paying a visit to Leeton, West Wyalong at home to Hay, Yanco-Wamoon on the road to Griffith.
Group 20 – Round 9 results: Hay def Tullibigeal-Lakes 25-nil, Darlington Point-Coleambally def Leeton 26-20, West Wyalong def Yanco-Wamoon 56-10,
Group 20 ladder: Leeton 16, Griffith 14, Darlington Point-Coleambally 14, West Wyalong 11, Hay 8, Yenda 4, Yanco-Wamoon 4, Tullibigeal-Lakes 0.
