CYMS pull off a miracle escape

IN a game worthy of a grand final, Orange CYMS escaped from the jaws of defeat to snatch a draw in a dramatic clash against the Mudgee Dragons at Jubilee Oval yesterday.

The match had all the ingredients of a Group 10 decider - tries, goals, big hits, fightbacks and controversy.

Mudgee skipped out to a 28-4 lead early in the second half but butchered a certain two competition points.

Led by their captain-coach Michael Sullivan, CYMS scored five converted tries in 20 minutes to hit the front 34-28 with three minutes to go.

Dragons bulldozer Kyle Cochrane scored soon after and Mudgee and NSW Country seconds captain Warick Colley kicked the goal 10m in from the sideline to level the scores.

CYMS had one last shot at completing their fairytale comeback but Ben McAlpine’s attempted field goal sailed wide of the posts.

Sullivan said he was glad to come away with the draw.

“It was a tough game. I heard Mudgee were always hard at home and they showed it today,” he said.

“Today shows whatever bad position we get ourselves in we usually get ourselves out because of our talent.

“We’re a good team. When we start playing as a team we get better results.”

A gutted Dragons coach Peter Hickman said his side threw it away.

“At 28-4 you don’t get beat,” Hickman said.

“We should’ve gone away with it even if they were coming back at us in the second half.”

The premiership-winning coach said a few controversial calls by the referee went against his side, one of which was a disallowed try to Chris Ward.

It appeared Ward had slam-dunked the ball on the tryline but the referee, who was there on the spot, ruled a knock-on.

“Chris’ try was a try. Two forward passes went against us, one when (Terawhiti) Cooper scored, I thought it was forward. And the pass Sully (Sullivan) got when he chipped it over the top,” Hickman said.

Sullivan regathered the ball from a friendly bounce to run away and score under the posts, which made the scores 28-all with 10 minutes to play.

CYMS posted the first try of the match inside eight minutes when Ben McAlpine crossed out wide.

But the Dragons showed why they have been the benchmark team of the competition for the last 12 months with three converted tries in the final 15 minutes of the first half to Anthony Lang - a double - and Jared Robinson.

They continued their try-scoring form when Cody Cafe and Corin Smith crossed over early in the second half.

However, from Smith’s try the Dragons would only touch the ball on two occasions for the next 10 minutes.

Mudgee players were tired and dropping off tackles and the green and golds posted tries at the 57th, 60th and 65th-minute marks of the game.

MUDGEE DRAGONS 34 (Anthony Lang 2, Jared Robinson, Cody Cafe, Corin Smith, Kyle Cochrane tries; Warick Colley 5 goals) drew with ORANGE CYMS 34 (Terawhiti Cooper 2, Ben McAlpine, Semisi Tora, Michael Sullivan, Kurt Beahan tries; McAlpine 5 goals).