Orange City moved back into the Blowes Clothing Cup top five after holding out CSU Bathurst in a tough encounter at Pride Park on Saturday, while Emus maintained their stranglehold on the competition by thumping Parkes.
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The greens thrashed Parkes 72-5 while the Lions claimed a 31-25 victory, an emotional victory for the Lions.
Midway through the day’s second grade fixture at Pride Park Orange City coach Steve Hamson suffered a heart attack, but has since reached a stable condition.
The Lions came out determined to put on a performance for their coach and rushed out to the early lead at Pride Park.
CSU began to work their way back into the game after the break but the hosts did just enough to win, and keep their finals hopes looking strong.
“Obviously it was a tough day for them with what happened,” CSU coach Scott Hatch said, in regards to Hamson.
“Everything that happened in the game sort of felt insignificant after that.”
Hatch said his team could count themselves unlucky not to come home with the win.
“I think that we were pretty harshly done by. There were a couple of moments in the game that were taken away from us,” he said.
“I don’t say that very often, but those moments changed the course of the game.
“The good thing we can take out of this game is that over the last few weeks we’ve shown that we’re a team who are capable of fighting for sixth or seventh.
“While we’re not a top four club we could be right up there.
“It’s just the transitioning nature of our team, with boys moving in and out each week, that it becomes hard for us the gel as a group.”
The win, combined with Cowra’s loss to Forbes, keeps Orange City’s finals hopes alive and puts them in the box seat to claim fifth.
The Lions play Mudgee and Parkes in the last two rounds while the Eagles face CSU Bathurst then Dubbo Kangaroos.
If Orange City can emerge victorious from both those games, it will earn a finals berth.