WORD OF WARNING: CYMS prop Terawhiti Cooper on the rampage at Wade Park yesterday. Photo: STEVE GOSCH
ORANGE CYMS ground announcer Tony Ford couldn’t have put it any better when he said, “Look out Lithgow. We’re coming for you.”
CYMS earned the right to play Lithgow for the Group 10 premiership when they downed Bathurst St Pat’s 42-12 in yesterday’s preliminary final.
It was a tight contest before a five-try second half effort from the home side gave them the 30-point win.
CYMS were up 14-6 at the break but St Pat’s were first to strike in the second half through Terry Crane to close the gap to 14-12.
Injured CYMS player-coach Mick Sullivan said the Crane try sparked something in his players.
“We don’t give up the first try in the second half too often but I think that just snapped the guys into gear,” Sullivan said.
“St Pat’s have been a quality side all year and I think that really put the wind up them. That gave them the scare they probably needed.”
Sullivan conceded St Pat’s were more competitive than the score suggests.
St Pat’s were certainly in the contest in the first half and scored two minutes in when fullback Joey Coughlan scooted through a gap to score and then convert.
CYMS replacement Larsen Marabe’s first try of the day made it 6-4 before CYMS took a 10-6 lead thanks to a Warick Colley try and Cody Robbins conversion.
The home side was up 14-6 at the break after Epa Navale charged over.
St Pat’s looked the stronger side early in the second half and converted that into points when Crane scored and Coughlan added the two.
Then CYMS cut loose.
Two more tries to Marabe as well as one each to Josh Nixon, Epa Navale, Riley Law and Jacob Sutherland meant CYMS were clear winners.
“Our props led the way, our back row was outstanding, I couldn’t pick a bad player in our forwards and we’ve got the classy backs to finish it off,” Sullivan said.
St Pat’s coach Mick Armstrong conceded his side was outplayed on the day.
“CYMS played some good footy and held the ball,” Armstrong said.
“We didn’t hold the ball, we didn’t take our opportunities when we needed to. I thought we just ran out of puff in the second half, so well done to CYMS.”
Armstrong said his players knew they were in it at half-time and they spoke about staying in the game and pushing CYMS.
“If a pass of two sticks we might get a couple of tries. It didn’t happen. It wasn’t our week,” he said.
Armstrong praised the efforts of prop Zac Merritt as well as the entire team, who were without Jeremy Gordon and Tim Holman was sick.
ORANGE CYMS 42 (Larsen Marabe 3, Warick Colley, Epa Navale, Josh Nixon, Riley Law, Jacob Sutherland tries; Cody Robbins 4, Epa Navale goals) def BATHURST ST PAT’S 12 (Joey Coughlan, Terry Crane tries; Joey Coughlan 2 goals).