Woden win West Wyalong Knockout over defending champions Young

By Tallon Smith

The Woden Valley Rams have won the 51st annual West Wyalong Knockout after completing a late run with a 20-12 win over the defending champion Young Cherrypickers in the Final on Saturday night.

After dropping their Round 1 game 10-6 to Temora and only progressing to the second day as a lucky loser on points percentage, the Rams clicked into gear to win all three of their Saturday matches and take home the title.

Young took an early 6-0 with 12 minutes left in the first stanza, before the Rams crossed three times in the space of 7 minutes to take a 16-6 lead into the break.

The Woden side extended their lead to 20-6 after the break, before Young hit back with 7 minutes to go to keep the game alive.

However, it was to be Woden’s evening (and weekend), with the Rams holding on for the 20-12 victory and the title of the most prestigious pre-season competition in Regional NSW.

Woden Valley face off with Young in the Final on Saturday night (Photo: Tiarna Robertson)

Full Day 2 Recap

In the opening match of the day, Temora defeated the Queanbeyan Blues 16-4 to be the first team through to the final four.

The Queanbeyan side, who had the bye through to the second round, were gallant in defeat but were ultimately no match for the strong Dragons outfit.

Queanbeyan Blues kick off to the Temora Dragons in the opening match of Day 2 (Photo: Tiarna Robertson)

Next up, Young completed an 18-0 whitewash of the Tuggeranong Bushrangers to progress to the Semi Finals.

The result was certainly not a surprise given that Young were the defending champions, but the scoreline was the impressive part, with the Group 9 outfit holding last season’s Canberra Rugby League runners-up to nil.

Young during their Round 2/Quarter Final win over the Tuggeranong Bushrangers (Photo: Tiarna Robertson)

Following this was a Wagga Derby between South City and Kangaroos, with the Bulls getting the spoils 16-12.

The result was a surprise given that the ‘Roos dominated both encounters last season and finished as runners-up in Group 9, while the Bulls finished in 7th.

The final match of Round 2 saw the home side, the West Wyalong Mallee Men, face off with the Woden Valley Rams.

Unfortunately for the home side, the Rams dominated the contest from start to finish to record an impressive 22-0 victory.

Local heroes West Wyalong kick off to the Woden Valley Rams in Round 2 (Photo: Tiarna Robertson)

The First Semi Final was a tough affair, with Young claiming a 10-6 victory over fellow Group 9 rivals South City to book their spot in the decider.

The Second Semi which followed was the total opposite, with Woden Valley ending Temora’s run with a 20-0 shutout, setting up the aforementioned showdown with the Cherrypickers in the Final.

All photos courtesy of West Wyalong Mallee Men Social Media Channels