The Yass Magpies have moved a step closer to the George Tooke Shield major semi after once again defeating Bungendore on the fulltime siren.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A try in the final two minutes of time and a clutch conversion from the sideline handed the Magpies a 26-24 win over the Tigers at Mick Sherd Oval.
It must have seemed like deja vu for the Tigers, who after allowing Marc Townsend to score in the corner to win the round 5 clash at Walker Park, could only watch in disbelief as the same thing happened through Tim Regan.
At 24-all Regan then stepped up and coolly slotted the winning conversion from the right sideline under pressure from a vocal Bungendore crowd.
Going into the game Yass knew that three wins from their last three games would secure second-place and avoid a knockout semi with Bungendore, who are assured of fourth-place.
Running into a stiff breeze in the first half, the Aussie Hotel Magpies showed the sort of desperation in defence that befitted the occasion and despite a heavy weight of possession to the home side they held firm to trail narrowly 8-6 at halftime.
Scott Waters produced the only try for Yass in the first half, throwing a dummy to his brother Brett and running 40 metres to score under the posts.
The points then flowed in the second stanza and it was Bungendore that took the early ascendancy. The Tigers came out of the sheds firing and set up a 24-14 lead with 10 minutes to go.
Then the Waters' teamed up down the right, with Scott throwing a cut out to Brett, who planted the ball down to get his side within four points of the lead.
In that last nine minutes, both teams defended like their seasons were on the line.
Then with just over two minutes to go, Yass was awarded a penalty and found themselves in an attacking position with the clock winding down.
The Tigers defence was holding firm but they failed to shut down a quick backline play to the right, and the Waters' brothers again combined to set up hat-trick hero Tim Regan. At 24-24 Regan held his nerves to convert his own try.
Bungendore opted for a short kick-off with less than a minute to go, but the Magpies nullified the threat and played out the set before Scott Waters kicked a 40/20 to put the icing on the cake.
Waters and Regan shared Players' Player honours and the Magpies now look to their home fixture against Crookwell knowing two more wins will get them to the major semi final.
The Binalong Brahmans will have two weeks off before their final round against the Magpies, with Boomanulla forfeiting and their bye in round 13.
TOUCH FOOTBALL
The touch football was a nail-biter too, with the Yass Girlpies scoring a late touchdown to knock off the Bungendore Tigerettes 3-2.
Considered one of the better sides in the competition, Bungendore were full of belief going into the clash. But the Girlpies have only lost one match this year for a reason, and they were clinical again.
Yass took the early lead through Drew Macarthur, who flew through a gap to score, Jess Rootsey then edged the Girlpies ahead again but they couldn't shake the home side. At 2-2 and with fulltime approaching, Tess Matthews scored to seal the win and keep Yass tied at the top of the ladder with the Binalong Jersey Girls.
Yass and Binalong will meet in the final round of the regular season and then again in the major semi in what is becoming a strong rivalry. The Jersey Girls have moved into first spot on 'for and against' after their 25-1 thrashing of the Boomanulla Raiderettes.