Jaylen Bell and Tom Jamieson were among multiple first grade debutants.
The whistle shrieked, a highpitched exclamation point on the end of a breathtaking display of rugby league. It sliced through the roar of the crowd and hung in the late afternoon air over the hallowed turf. For the Tuggeranong Bushrangers, it was a sound of absolute triumph, a resounding declaration of their dominance. The scoreboard, a silent, unblinking witness to the carnage, told the story in stark, unforgiving numbers: Tuggeranong Bushrangers 62, Yass Magpies 12.
But the numbers alone couldn’t capture the electric energy that had coursed through the ground. The Tuggeranong side hadn’t just won; they had dominated, a machine of speed, power, and surgical precision. Their attack was a symphony of perfectly timed passes and blistering runs. The crowd had been on its feet for most of the second half, their cheers a wave of noise that crashed down on the field with every try. The game was a masterclass in modern rugby league, a testament to what a young, fit, and hungry side could achieve.
The hero of the day was undeniably Lachie Davis. He was a blur of motion, a ghost in the defensive line who seemed to materialise in the perfect spot to score again and again. His five tries were not just points on the board; they were moments of individual brilliance, a series of punishing sprints and powerful charges that left the Yass Magpies grasping at air. But he wasn’t alone. It was a true team effort, with Julian Haywood-Whiley, Jayden Pollard, Josh Eppelstun, Eddie Tiaina, Lachlan Cunanan, and Darby Medlyn all crossing the line. Their conversions, a near-perfect nine out of eleven attempts, were split between the unerring boots of Liam Oakley and Hayden Bradley.
For the Tuggeranong players, the jubilant celebration was one they had earned. For the Magpies, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Their two tries, scored by the determined Kaidan Bell and Travis Ginders-Mason were small consolation in a match where they had been comprehensively outplayed.
As the opposing teams went through the solemn ritual of shaking hands, the stark contrast in their emotions was clear. The Tuggeranong players were all smiles, slapping each other on the back, while the Magpies looked deflated, their shoulders slumped in defeat.
The Magpies’ coach, Luke Berkrey, watched it all from the sidelines, a thoughtful expression on his face. He knew the score told only part of the story. Later, he spoke with the media, his voice heavy with the weight of a season that had been defined by inconsistency.
“They haven’t added anyone in; it’s the style that works for him,” Berkrey said of the Tuggeranong side. “They are certainly a real dark horse in the competition, but probably not anymore, having knocked out everyone in the competition. They are a good side; they are young and fit. They haven’t won eight or nine games in a row by accident.” Berkrey didn’t make excuses. He was honest, frank, and direct in his assessment of his own team. The result was disappointing, yes, but it was also a reflection of deeper issues. The Magpies had gone into the game without some key players, choosing to give their younger Under-19s players a chance to step up.
“It was obviously a disappointing result for us, but pretty down on troops and then with the reserve grade going through to the finals and we didn’t really want to take anyone out of there, and give a few of the Under 19s boys a crack and they certainly held their own, but yes we were disappointed, and it is not the way we wanted to finish,” he explained.
He was quick to point out that the Magpies’ problems weren’t a one-game issue. They were a symptom of a much larger problem. “It has certainly been up and down throughout the season, and really, our fitness and our defence weren’t where they needed to be,” he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “It was certainly something that I really wanted to push and make sure that we were strong in those two areas, but the lack of will to want to train is what really hurt us in the end.”
Berkrey’s words were a blunt wake-up call, a challenge to his players and the club as a whole. He was a firm believer that success began on the training pitch, long before a game was ever played. “There’s only one way to start winning, and that is to train,” he stated. “Hopefully, the Club, in moving forward, can put things in place to get that effort at training because until that training turns around, results are never going to turn around. You might have a few byes here and there, which we did, but consistently over a long period through a season and playing against good sides, you are going to come back and get burnt.”
The Magpies had shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season. They had a strong pre-season, filled with optimism, but that fire had faded when it mattered most. “Just our consistency from week to week was not up to scratch,” Berkrey lamented.
“We certainly had a really good pre-season, but dropped away as we got close to the season, which was a shame, but moving forward, there are some good players in the club. If they can get the off-field right, I’m sure they will start seeing better results on the field.”
He was still optimistic, though, about the future of the club. He knew they were a young, inexperienced side, and the journey would be a long one. “I was certainly very optimistic going in,” he said. “I knew that we had to get a lot of training in to get the revs under our belt and we had a relatively new side, we had a very young side, so I knew there was going to be ups and downs throughout the team, particularly with a young side and a pretty inexperienced first grade team, but the fluctuation between our best and our worst was way too big and I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but at training that is where you build a bit more resilience and making sure your best and worst aren’t too far apart and then making yourselves a hard team to beat.”
He also acknowledged the financial reality of being a smaller club. “We are coming from a lower base, probably money-wise, compared to some of the other sides, so you have to make up that ground somewhere else. It’s just a shame that at the back end of the year it ended like it did and just the big fluctuations because definitely on our day we could play good footy.”
The path forward, he believed, was clear. The club needed to hold on to the talented players they had and build on that foundation. “Hopefully, the club can maintain the majority of that squad and just add what they need to,” he said.
Berkrey’s final words were a heartfelt call to action, a plea for the club and its players to commit to the long road ahead. “I hope the Club does become successful in the future, there are some really good people in the club and people that want to see Yass do well, but it comes back to the players, the committee and the club to give the players everything they need,” he concluded. “I hope the players pull their fingers out and make things work.”
– Tully Potts
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