Considering his standing as one of Group 10 and Western's premier hookers Orange CYMS' rivals should've already known this, but Ryan Griffin sent the rest of the competition an emphatic message on Saturday night - don't get lazy around the ruck on your own line.
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Cowra did just that at Wade Park and Griffin made them pay in a big way, burrowing over from dummy-half no less than three times to lead his side back to the premier league winners' circle with a much-needed 22-14 victory.
He sniped in the third and 16th minutes before completing his hat-trick with a victory-sealing four-pointer in the 75th minute, the latter was proof of how gutsy the diminutive hooker is.
He was taken from the field in the 54th minute after copping a brutal high shot and there was fears initially it may have broken his jaw, but he returned to ensure his side secured the six-point win.
WATCH: CYMS' hooker Ryan Griffin burrows over for the first of his three tries
Although those fears looked to have been alleviated after full-time Griffin was still in considerable pain and wasn't able to speak to the Central Western Daily, with CYMS player-coach Dom Maley singing his praises instead.
"He copped a fair high shot there and it was a gutsy effort to come back. I've always said in terms of athletic ability he's second to none in our club and that was proof really, a hat-trick like that, he was just very good," Maley said of the young hooker affectionately known as 'Rabs'.
Maley went on to laud the rest of his troops too, whose performance was a far cry from the "poor" effort they'd turned out in the week before's loss to Lithgow Workies.
While it was far from perfect and their discipline still left a little to be desired the green and golds were, for the most part, excellent, particularly in defence.
The Magpies had plenty of chances in the round six clash but CYMS continually turned them away, and with next weekend's bye essentially making the clash a four-point game, Maley couldn't have been happier.
"We were very poor last week against Lithgow, just bad really," Maley said.
"I'm not sure whether it was a psychological thing having guys like Timmy Mortimer and Joseph Ualesi coming back, because we weren't really that different a side on paper.
"But it was good, [Saturday]'s effort and the one against Oberon a few weeks ago, that's what I'm expecting consistently so this is a step in the right direction.
[Saturday]'s effort and the one against Oberon a few weeks ago, that's what I'm expecting consistently so this is a step in the right direction.
- CYMS player-coach Dom Maley
"The bye will help with all the injuries we've got, hopefully a few more will trickle back in, but she's a tough old competition this one, it's not going to get any easier against Mudgee and then (Orange) Hawks after that."
An indication of CYMS' ill-discipline is the fact all three of Cowra's tries came directly after penalties, although the green and golds' did too, which wasn't lost on Magpies skipper Ron Lawrence.
"We spoke about it before the game, we didn't want to give them such cheap ball but we did," Lawrence said.
"We dropped too much ball and we gave away too many silly penalties, back-to-back ones as well, that let CYMS march us down the field and they scored off the back of them, it was costly.
"It was disappointing because we have been playing some pretty good and we played some pretty good footy at times [on Saturday night] too, but we had our chances in both halves and we didn't execute. Maybe you can put that down to greasy conditions, but the errors just killed us."
The Magpies did it back from Griffin's third minute try immediately when Matt Naden latched onto an offload from Lee McClintlock, who swooped on a fortuitously-bouncing Joey Bugg bomb, CYMS fullback Lachie Munro's decision to let the kick proving costly.
Caley Mok added the extras to lock things up at 6-all, before CYMS once again pushed ahead thanks to Griffin, with McAlpine duly slotting the conversion.
The green and golds conceded back-to-back penalties in the 29th minute and the Magpies struck through Zac Browne.
Mok's kick was waved away before Griffin, again sniping from dummy-half, was held up over the line.
Neither side would score again until almost halfway through the second half, but not before Magpies five-eighth Claude Gordon spilled it over the line and Rob Mortimer and Griffin were both helped from the field within minutes of each other.
While CYMS' rake was off halfback Luke Petrie filled in capably, and Munro was able to dive on a deft McAlpine grubber in the 57th minute, although McAlpine missed the kick.
Munro was actually outstanding after his initial error in judgement led to Cowra's opening try, his four-pointer a just reward for all the tough work he did, particularly in exit sets.
He produced a try-saving tackle on Cowra replacement Toby Apps just minutes after scoring, although Apps was able to dive over not long after.
Mok's would-be equalising shot crashed into the upright though and 10 minutes later Griffin sliced his way over from dummy-half again, McAlpine's goal sealing the six-point win.
- ORANGE CYMS 22 (Ryan Griffin 3, Lachie Munro tries; Ben McAlpine 3 goals) def COWRA MAGPIES 14 (Matt Naden, Zac Browne, Toby Apps tries; Caley Mok goal)
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