Faster, more attacking and maybe, just for now, a little bit better?
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Group 11 sides showcased their quality on the weekend and produced a clean sweep over their Group 10 rivals in the latest Peter McDonald Premiership crossover round.
Dubbo CYMS defeated Mudgee 16-10 in a gripping top-of-the-table battle on Sunday, a day after Macquarie had beaten Orange CYMS and Nyngan edged past Cowra, while Parkes and Forbes piled on the points against Lithgow and Bathurst Panthers respectively.
It was a far cry from round one back in April of this year when Group 10 sides won every game against Group 11 opposition.
Daniel Mortimer and Jack Littlejohn, both former NRL players and now captain-coaches at Orange CYMS and Mudgee respectively, said their sides were well below their best in the round 10 defeats but the pair also praised their Group 11 opposition.
The weekend's action was the third crossover round this season and both Mortimer and Littlejohn said there were some slight differences when it came to playing Group 11 sides.
"It's interesting. It's a slightly different style of footy," Mortimer said after Saturday's 32-24 loss to the Raiders at Apex Oval.
"It's a little more expansive, I think, and that's a style we try to play anyway so I've enjoyed the contests."
Littlejohn spoke about the speed of the match after one of the games of the season against Dubbo CYMS.
It was a bruising encounter played out in front of a strong crowd at Apex Oval but a double for CYMS centre Jeremy Thurston led his side to a hard-fought 16-10 victory.
The loss was just the second the Dragons have suffered this season, the first coming back in round two when they were beaten 22-20 by Forbes.
"They're pretty similar. I think it's a little quicker," Littlejohn said of Group 11.
"It's very similar but you haven't really played these sides. Coming into the game you don't know how the boys play so you've got to watch a little more video and study up as much as you can to get the feeling of them. That's the big thing."
Both the contests at Apex Oval on the weekend had a finals feel about them.
Multiple players and supporters said after Sunday's game it felt like CYMS and Mudgee would be seeing each other again while the feeling for both the Raiders and Orange CYMS was the best is yet to come in 2022.
Dubbo CYMS now has the best record in the competition, having won one more game than both Mudgee and Orange CYMS this season.
Forbes sits second in the Group 11 pool after getting back to winning ways with an impressive 40-26 win over Panthers in Bathurst on Saturday while Parkes is third, having made it four straight wins with a convincing 54-24 victory over Lithgow.
The Raiders are fourth, a win off Parkes, while Nyngan is a further five points back after defeating Cowra 24-14 on Saturday.
"I think it will be a great finals series," Mortimer said.
"It's a really open field at the moment. All you can do is put yourself in a position to win those finals but I don't know who the team to beat is at the moment. That's great for the competition."
"There's a lot of good teams in both groups," Littlejohn added.
"I think we (Mudgee and Dubbo CYMS) are both in the mix, no-one can deny that but there's a lot of strong teams in Group 10 and a lot of strong teams in Group 11 who will be pushing for a grand final spot."
The Peter McDonald Premiership returns to regular pool action next weekend but crossover matches will be played again in rounds 12 and 14.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
