It’s not quite the greenwash they were hoping for prior to Saturday’s Blowes Clothing Cup preliminary finals but Orange Emus are still stoked to have the rare opportunity of claiming a premiership treble on home soil next weekend.
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The greens’ top grade side earned hosting rights and progressed straight to the big dance with a major semi-final win a fortnight ago, and after victories on Saturday they’ll be joined by their second and third grade counterparts at fortress Endeavour.
Emus’ third grade side dismantled Dubbo Kangaroos with ease at Bathurst’s Ashwood Park, winning 62-nil, before the greens’ second XV ground out a hard-fought 22-5 victory over Roos’ reserve graders.
Although his club’s women’s side was eliminated a week prior and the greens’ colts were pipped by traditional rivals Orange City – the Lions scoring a last-ditch try to win 26-24 on Saturday – Emus president Steve Fergus is still over the moon.
“It’s huge,” Fergus, who also propped down in Emus’ second grade win, said.
“It’s a shame that our women and colts won't be there but both sides had strong seasons, and three out of five ain’t bad. It’s great to see a group of players enjoy playing in a grand final after all the hard work they’ve done throughout the year.”
Incredibly, all three of Emus’ grand final sides will play Bathurst Bulldogs in what many already have billed as a Springfield versus Shelbyville-style grand final program.
In a show of the Bathurst club’s strength, their Westfund Ferguson Cup side also won through, giving Bulldogs representation in four of the five deciders.
Emus’ third graders never looked troubled on Saturday, racing in a plethora of five-pointers against a trying Roos side that was short-staffed.
It’s great to see a group of players enjoy playing in a grand final after all the hard work.
- Emus president Steve Fergus
That lack of players was made worse when Will Coy was shipped to hospital with a neck issue.
“We hope he’s okay, of course. You never want to see anyone get hurt on the rugby field and certainly not hurt seriously. We wish him all the best for a speedy recovery,” Fergus said.
Emus’ second grade side actually fell behind early after Roos swooped on a bomb that the greens let bounce, but those five points were the only ones the Dubbo side would score.
With a gale at their backs in the opening half Emus scored twice to lead 12-5 at the break, before that wind virtually stopped after half-time.
It was a lucky break for the greens and without the wind adding pressure, they ran in another two tries in the second half to prevail 22-5.
Saturday’s colts derby delivered, as the other grudge matches have this season. None of Emus and City’s under-20 games were decided by more than a try this season, Saturday’s was no exception.
The Lions led 13-10 at the half-time break but Emus rallied, pushing ahead 24-21 with just eight minutes remaining. With full-time beckoning, the Lions shifted up a gear again to score a match-winning, last-gasp try with seconds remaining.
“We need to send a big thank you out to all our coaches and the volunteers who have helped out around the club,” Fergus added.
“They’ve put in countless hours to help give our players the opportunity they’ve got now, and their work never goes unnoticed.”
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
