Under 18s Pickers triumph over Tumut

The Under 18s Cherrypickers kept their hopes of the title alive with a last-gasp 26-22 victory over the Tumut Blues. The elimination final afforded no slip ups to either team, with winger Lachlan Shea’s late try sealing the victory in front of their home fans at Alfred Oval. The Pickers pulled away to a half-time lead of 14-4 with tries to Shea, Hamish Hunter and Callum Hewitt. The Blues came out firing with two tries in eight minutes to go up 16-14, before Harry Coddington put the Pickers back in front. A penalty goal extended their lead to 22-16, but the Blues weren’t done, levelling the scores with a converted try. Then came Shea’s moment to shine, running onto a cutout pass from Jack Woods to score and seal the deal. This Saturday the Under 18s will travel to Junee and take on the Wagga Kangaroos, kicking off at 10:30am with the winner progressing and the loser eliminated. In the afternoon game the Young were eliminated from the Group 9 First Grade competition, with the resurgent South City Bulls proving too strong last Saturday. The two sides traded blows with a try each early on, with halfback Kane Ball getting the Pickers on the board with a try midway through the half. The Bulls were able to pull away to a 12-6 lead with a try to their five-eighth Nathan Rose just before half-time. Rose’s speed and evasion proved to be the key weapon of the Bulls, scoring a further three tries to extinguish the Pickers hopes of a run to the grand final. Jesse Fitzhenry scored one last try to put the game to bed and secure the 34-6 win. South City have come from the clouds to pose themselves as genuine contenders, winning their last three matches 78-4, 48-4 and 34-6. This weekend South City will travel to take on the Junee Diesels in the minor semi-final, while Temora host Gundagai in the major semi.