Last Tuesday afternoon, Canberra Region Rugby League decided to pull the pin on season 2021.
For the Yass Magpies, it’s incredibly disappointing, as two of their Senior Sides were arguably the favourites for their respective premierships. A decision on how or if premierships will be awarded is expected in the coming days. In the meantime, it’s time to review their seasons.
For the First Grade Magpies, it was an underwhelming season. They finished the year in seventh with three wins and eight losses and a points differential of -86. Their lead try scorer for the year was Bruce Barrie with seven tries. Barrie also scored the most points with 28. Despite being competitive in almost every game they played and arguably played their best football against some of the premier sides of the competition, unforced errors and poor decision making proved their undoing far too often. As a result, the Magpie Firsts failed to win a game against sides outside of the bottom two. It’s a damning statistic that perhaps represents the costliness of making mistakes against top-performing teams. It’s not all bad news, however, as they were able to blood plenty of young talent throughout the season, who showed they would be more than capable in years to come. With another preseason under their belt and greater consistency across the board, hopefully, a return to finals football is on the horizon for season 2022.
The Reserve Grade Magpies under Coach Chris Rawlinson had an excellent year finishing on top of the ladder and should be awarded the premiership if there is one awarded. They finished only one point clear of the second-placed Queanbeyan Blues, with eight wins, three losses and a points differential of +116. Richard Maher was the top try scorer for the whole competition with 15 tries. Maher was also the leading points scorer for the Magpies with 60. Their competition was tight at the top. They had an even one win apiece season record against their most likely threat to a premiership, the Queanbeyan Blues, and a tantalising finish to season 2021 beckoned.
The Magpies Ladies Katrina Fanning Shield side are the biggest losers from the competition being called off. Under Coach Mike Inkster, the Ladies finished in second, missing out on the minor premiership and potentially the whole competition by less than a converted try. They played the likely premiers, the Goulburn City Bulldogs, on one occasion, comfortably defeating them 22-4. A mid-season lapse against the Queanbeyan Blues was their only loss for the year. That loss will be at the forefront of their minds as they rue what might have been and begin preparations for season 2022. The Magpie Ladies boasted a healthy points differential of +296 over the course of the year. Lucy Prosser led all comers with 14 tries for the season, whilst Shannon Wright finished in third place for points.
The Under 19’s were shaping up nicely for a deep finals tilt despite being in 4th under Coach Jack Lemon. They were set to have a full squad for the first time all year in the weeks leading up to finals and were looking forward to potentially upsetting the top three. The Under 19’s finished with five wins and five losses and were competitive most weeks, despite the many obstacles in their path, exemplified by their season points differential of +33. Ryan Prins was the leading try scorer with six tries, whilst Kai Douven was the top points scorer with 34. From a development perspective, the year was a raging success, as many in their squad featured in the First or Reserve Grade sides at one stage in the year.
All in all, having three out of four sides set for finals and two very much in the premiership equation makes for a successful year for the Yass Magpies, despite the season’s early conclusion. The Magpies First Grade side has the most substantial need for improvement before next season, but as Coach Cameron Hardy stressed all year long, they have all the tools to be a great team. Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s their execution that lets them down.
Max O’Driscoll
