Parkes Boars point-scoring whiz Lloyd Rogers is from Wales and, aside from being a huge Tom Jones fan, that means the 23-year-old has grown up playing rugby union with no post season.
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It’s first-past-the-post-wins rugby in the northern hemisphere.
No preliminary finals, no semi-finals, no grand finals. Nothing.
Which makes last weekend’s act of magic at the death in the New Holland Agricultural Cup preliminary final at Northparkes Oval all the more remarkable.
With the Boars trailing CSU Bathurst 34-32 following a Joe Nash try right on full-time, Rogers stepped up to take what was potentially the conversion that would send the clash into extra time.
With the wind howling, the ball fell off the tee twice before a third wobble, with his team’s season on the line, brought about a bit of panic.
Pressure-cooker situations will do that to you.
But, as the CSU Bathurst chasers charged out from the goal line in an attempt to smother the conversion, Rogers picked up the ball and coolly potted a drop goal to nab the two points and level things up at 34-all.
All from a player that’s never tasted the pressure of finals footy.
“I was looking around hoping one of the boys would come and help me out but the ref shouted ‘10 seconds’ and I went in for the kick and it fell off again ... I just thought ‘stuff it’ and I went for it. I was just focused on the posts … but the heart was pounding,” he laughed.
“I was pretty excited after it went through, I wanted to cheer but I kept calm.
“Momentum swung our way after that. We eventually got over and the boys went ballistic.”
Parkes went on to win 41-34, Joe Nash again scoring, this time in extra-time, to secure the Boars a place in the Central West Rugby Union’s second tier decider at Narromine on Saturday.
It’s Rogers’ first grand final appearance – and Parkes’ first since taking on Orange City in 2013 – having linked with the Boars at the start of the 2017 season.
I just thought ‘stuff it’ and I went for it. I was just focused on the posts … but the heart was pounding.
- Lloyd Rogers on his conversion attempt to level things up right on full-time in last week's preliminary final.
“Originally I had plans on travelling, but (skipper Josh Miles) asked if I’d fancy playing some rugby,” Rogers, a Central West Blue Bull, said.
“I’ll be going home in November. I’ll play the Dubai Sevens with an invitational team from England on the way, we wear snazzy leopard-print kit there, but this game, the grand final, has always been in the back of our mind.”
Narromine has been the best side all season and heads into Saturday’s decider red-hot favourites to cap an undefeated 2018 with a premiership.
The Gorillas accounted for Parkes 17-3 in the major semi-final but Rogers said if his side’s pack – which this week will include NSW Country gun Dan Ryan and another big body in the form of Keiren Mattocks – fronts up then the Boars can bridge that margin and cause an upset at Cale Oval.
“They’ve got a great pack and they disrupt the ball, but I’m confident we can get it done. If we can get clean ball we can get them in the backs.
“We knew it’d be us and Narromine … anything can happen in the finals. Fingers crossed.”
Narromine takes on Parkes in the New Holland Agriculture Cup grand final from 3.15pm on Saturday at Cale Oval.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
