A man-of-the-match performance from Ryan Griffin and a first-half masterclass from Chris Grevsmuhl led Orange CYMS' shellacking of a massively under-strength Oberon outfit at Wade Park Sunday afternoon, the green and golds hammering the Tigers 52-12.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With the captain-coach Josh Starling and halfback Matt Ranse both suspended and the likes of bullocking centre Abel Lefaoseu injured the Tigers were always going to be up against it and while their effort couldn't be questioned, CYMS severely outclassed the visitors.
It was probably wasn't as polished in the second half as it was in the first but it's tough to nitpick too much.
- CYMS player-coach Dom Maley
Griffin was outstanding for the entire 80 minutes and while he scored a second-half double and laid on CYMS' last try with a neat grubber, it was his Herculean defensive effort that really punctuated his classy showing from dummy-half.
While he was substantially quieter in the second half Grevsmuhl was in everything in the opening 40 minutes and that's largely why CYMS led 30-nil at the break.
He scored one of CYMS' five tries in the opening half and by barging his way through Oberon's defensive line he played a massive role in three others as well, helping his side put the result to bed by half-time.
"We played well, we made less errors than we have been which was great. It was probably wasn't as polished in the second half as it was in the first but it's tough to nitpick too much," CYMS player-coach Dom Maley said.
Along with Grevsmuhl's four-pointer Maley scored two of his own in the first half, while Ben McAlpine and Luke Petrie both crossed too.
McAlpine grabbed another just after half-time before Griffin scored two in the space of five minutes, both directly from dummy-half as usual, and then nudged in behind the line for Lachie Munro to swoop in the 79th minute.
Oberon fought hard and they rewarded with two tries in the second half to fullback Jackson Brien, who was easily their best along with winger Ty Simmons, but they were always well off the green and golds' pace.
Most crucially, Maley said, the victory solidifies his side's place in the top four and it's another welcome boost in terms of points difference. Coupled with last week's 62-nil win over Blayney, CYMS have piled on 114 points in the last fortnight and conceded just 12.
That points difference is what separates CYMS and fifth-placed Lithgow Workies now.
Maley did concede he may be without the services of Tyrone Harrison next weekend after he was carried off five minutes before half-time, and a couple of others looked to pick up injuries too.
"We were all full-strength but a couple of guys did come off so I'm hopeful it's nothing serious," Maley said.
CYMS travel to Bathurst to face the competition-leading Panthers next weekend while Oberon, who drop to sixth with the defeat, face Workies.
- ORANGE CYMS 52 (Ryan Griffin 2, Dom Maley 2, Ben McAlpine 2, Luke Petrie, Chris Grevsmuhl, Lachie Munro tries; Ben McAlpine 8 goals) def OBERON TIGERS 12 (Jackson Brien 2 tries; Farren Lamb 2 goals)
WANT MORE ORANGE AND REGIONAL SPORT?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...