There are still two rounds remaining in the 2023 Group 9 regular season, but the Temora Dragons have already claimed the Minor Premiership for the first time in almost 20 years.
After Young Cherrypickers knocked off the previously top-of-the-table Tumut Blues 26-6 at Alfred Park on Saturday, the Dragons trekked to Wagga on Sunday to play the South City Bulls knowing a win would guarantee them top spot and a second chance come finals.
Playing a plucky Bulls outfit at their Harris Park graveyard, the home side were on track for a win after leading 20-16 with only six minutes left on the clock.
Former NRL star and Dragons’ captain/coach Josh McCrone had other ideas after making a break before setting up Hamish Starr for a thrilling 70-metre try.
Starr converted his try, sealing the two-point win and Temora’s first Minor Premiership in nearly two decades.
At the start of the season, many pundits predicted Tumut, Wagga Kangaroos, and Young to compete for top spot - and McCrone was happy for his Dragons to keep under the radar.
“At the start of the year, there was no formal goal of being Minor Premiers or anything like that; we wanted to play finals footy,” he said.
“As the year went on, we were looking for that top two or three finish and that second chance.”
Temora now face a lengthy layoff before their next game. With a competition-bye this weekend for the annual Riverina Schoolboys and Schoolgirls carnivals on Saturday and Sunday, followed by consecutive byes in Rounds 15 and 16, and earning the first week of finals off as Minor Premiers, the Dragons won’t retake the field until September.
McCrone conceded it wasn’t an ideal scenario, but he was looking at the positives.
“It does mean there are four weeks of no footy for us, and I’ll know if it’s an issue after we’ve played,” he said.
“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t want that, but we have got a few bumps and bruises. Still, I don’t know if we needed a month to get over that.
One blessing in disguise is Hayden Lomax – the older brother of St George Illawarra centre Zac Lomax – may return from a knee injury in time for their finals campaign.
“Hayden is touch and go for that return, but he’ll get every chance,” McCrone said.
“I’m confident he’ll play again, but I don’t know if he’ll be right for our first game in finals.”
McCrone is in his third season as coach of the Dragons, and in 2022, he guided Temora to their first finals appearance in 14 years before bowing out in straight sets following Semi-final losses to Young and Tumut.
The veteran playmaker said Temora had much to prove in 2023, and he hopes a largely local group of players would be better for the experience.
“It’s good to claim a Minor Premiership, but we are under no illusion; we know we haven’t won anything yet,” he said.
“Last year, we were happy to make the finals for the first time in 14 years, but we lost both games and were disappointed with how that ended.
“We’ve learned some lessons, and this year, we’ve come up with the points we’ve needed to win close games, and I think we’ll be better for last season.”
With Temora locking up the top spot on the competition ladder, attention now turns to the race towards finals and which teams can earn a second chance.
Tumut, Wagga, and Young are all on 20 competition points and are guaranteed a top-five finish, but they’ll be playing for a chance to finish in the top three.
The fifth and final position is still up for grabs, with reigning premiers Gundagai in the box seat with the Tigers looking to hold Albury and South City in the last two rounds.
Click here for all Group 9 results and draws.
