LAST week the Central Western Daily ran an online poll to determine the sporting performance of the year.
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The results were intriguing, to say the least.
Former Orange batsman Trent Colley took out the poll after a strong season for Orange, Mitchell, Western Zone and, for the first time, New South Wales Country.
He edged out Cavaliers skipper Richie Venner, who was nominated after scoring an incredible double ton against Waratahs in the early stages of the 2013-14 Orange District Cricket Association first grade season.
The pair gained 44.8, and 37.7 per cent of the votes respectively.
Colley had a stellar representative season in 2013, even if he was quiet for his club side CYMS. Having played with and against him for a long time there is no doubting his ability, drive and passion and it was refreshing to see Trent judged purely on his on-field performance alone.
Also from all accounts, having not seen the knock first- hand, Richie’s 222 not out was something to behold.
But for me, it is hard to fathom how the Orange City Rugby Club didn’t win the poll. The Lions languished in third position, with 9.3 per cent of the votes. The result highlights the beauty of a democratic poll, in a way.
The Lions went through the Blowes Cup as undefeated premiers, for the second season in a row, and extended their unbeaten run to 36 games.
It is impossible to deny how incredible the Lions have been over the past two seasons.
In particular, in 2013.
They dominated last season so immensely, and consistently, teams weren’t pondering how to beat the Lions.
They were left wondering if anyone could.
Of course, the Lions run will come to an end eventually. But for now, I think we need to take a step back and appreciate what has happened at Pride Park over the past two years.
It is nothing short of incredible, especially considering Orange City also won second grade undefeated, and only dropped one game on its way to winning the colts title as well.
Even though I’ve had an intense dislike of the Lions bred into me over previous years playing at Orange Emus, and then CSU Bathurst, it’s hard to not look forward to seeing what Orange City can do in 2014.
