CYMS keen to improve despite grand final berth
Nick Guthrie, Daily Liberal
FLYING FISHIES: Daily Liberal photographer Belinda Soole captured these great moments from the CYMS-Nyngan major semi-final.
Dubbo CYMS won through to its sixth straight Group 11 grand final on Sunday but there was little celebration, with players and coaches adamant the side still needs to improve.
The Fishies easily accounted for an understrength Nyngan Tigers 44-24 at in the major semi-final at Caltex Park but fullback Kieran Cubby-Shipp said his side aren’t getting too ahead of themselves.
“It’s not good letting in 24 points but the way we reacted to them scoring the first try and getting the early points was good,” he said.
“We didn’t lose our cool, we’ve done that a few times, so it was good.”
CYMS will now enjoy a week off, with first grade, reserve grade and the Ladies League tag sides all straight into their respective deciders, while Nyngan will meet Forbes at Parkes after the Magpies defeated Macquarie in Saturday’s minor semi.
The Tigers were missing four key players with Reece Goldsmith and Jone Yacadrau suspended while captain-coach Byron Warren didn’t recover in time from a groin injury and winger Mitch Rixon was also out with a leg injury.
Despite that, the Tigers began the better crossed first through winger Sam Simmons.
But the undefeated minor premiers got going and were soon up 6-4 following a classic Luke Jenkins try from dummyhalf.
A Brad Pickering penalty goal had it all square but CYMS lifted and scored three times in eight minutes through Cubby-Shipp, Alex Bonham and Billy Sing to really set up the win.
“It was tough coming here missing some players but we had players in there who could do the job so it’s a bit disappointing,” Warren said after seeing CYMS go on to win the second half 20-10.
“We’ve got to get ready for Forbes and we’ll hook in at training a couple of times this week and we’ll be ready to fire."
A double to prop Jarryn Powyer was the highlight of the second half for CYMS while Bonham shrugged off an early corked quad to be in the thick of everything.
The five-eighth set up tries to Alex Ronayne and winger Hayden Howell in the second stanza before Nyngan scored a couple of late tries through Hammond Erepan and Pickering, who a real standout in a losing effort.
“This is what you turn up for all year for,” Cubby-Shipp said of the grand final berth.
“And the week off is always good when you’ve got niggling injuries so we’re looking forward to that.”
DUBBO CYMS 44 (Jarryn Powyer 2, Luke Jenkins, Kieran Cubby-Shipp, Alex Bonham, Billy Sing, Alex Ronayne, Hayden Howell tries; Bonham 4, Cubby-Shipp, Colby Pellow goals) defeated NYNGAN TIGERS 24 (Sam Simmons, Derek Knight, Hammond Erepan, Brad Pickering tries; Pickering 4 goals)