August 1, 2016
Nanango Stags will face the Cherbourg Hornets in the South Burnett seniors rugby league Grand Final next weekend after a nail-biting finish to the Preliminary Final played at Nanango on Saturday.
A big crowd turned out to cheer the home team on, but equally vocal were the many Murgon fans who had plenty to applaud for most of the game.
It was like a rugby league final of old, with cars around the ground and hundreds of spectators.
It was also a keenly fought game – fitting for finals football – with fans from both sides getting more than their money’s worth.
Defence from both sides was strong, with the big men from Nanango quickly shutting down many of Murgon’s faster players.
At half-time, the Mustangs were ahead 22-14 but it was still anyone’s game.
Nanango came back strongly after the break with Brad Staples and Robert Ryan scoring quick tries to put the Stags in the lead 24-22.
Two high tackles within a few minutes on Murgon player Tyrone Murray then seemed to spur the Mustangs back into action.
They crossed the Stags’ line four times in the next 10 minutes for three tries – and almost a fourth, stopped only when Nanango’s Ashley Smallwood managed to hold the Murgon player up over the line.
With just 13 minutes left to go, the Mustangs looked home and hosed when Kane Liddy grabbed the ball in his own quarter and scored a runaway try for Murgon.
Chris Bond’s conversion attempt hit the posts but went in, taking the Murgon lead to 44-24.
But Nanango had been in the game all day and weren’t about to throw in the towel.
Hogging possession, they scored three tries in eight minutes – including a double to Brent Greenslade – bringing them within four points of Murgon.
With the clock counting down the last few seconds, Murgon fans on the sideline began to celebrate … but the game wasn’t over yet.
A desperate kick ahead into the goal area by the Stags led to an equally desperate bid by a Murgon player to stop a try.
Unfortunately for Mustangs’ fans, the referee ruled the Nanango player would have made it to the ball and scored if he wasn’t interfered with.
With the scores now level at 44-all, Dylan Gilland converted the try, and then took the penalty shot right in front, taking the full-time score to Nanango 48, Murgon 44.
There was confusion around the ground, with some Murgon fans still celebrating their “win”, while others closer to the action couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.
One irate Murgon fan was frog-marched away by police to a waiting paddy wagon while most just seemed stunned.
Nanango fans also seemed stunned but many others began celebrating loudly on the club’s balcony.
The Nanango win has now set the stage for a huge South Burnett A Grade Grand Final which will be played at Kingaroy on Saturday.
But that won’t be the end of rugby league for 2016. South Burnett teams are still competing in the U18s and U16s competitions, and the local junior league also has weeks to go.
And there will be another A grade game, too.
The winners of the North Burnett seniors competition will play the winners of the South Burnett competition (in the Burnett Grand Final) at Nanango on August 20, the grand final day for the junior competition.
