Cover Photo: Junee Diesels Facebook

Tallon Smith

The Junee Diesels marked the club’s centenary celebrations in the best possible fashion after scoring 14 unanswered points late to defeat the Young Cherrypickers 24-16 at Laurie Daley Oval on Saturday.

With the namesake of the ground and winning NSW coach in attendance alongside fellow members of the side’s 1986 triple premiership cohort, the Diesels secured a four-point swing to move within one of the third-placed Cherrypickers in the battle for a double chance in the finals.

Junee co-coach Damian Willis said the sense of occasion was evident, with a huge turnout and a pre-game speech from Daley inspiring the team ahead of what was a crucial match in the context of the club’s season.

“I don’t think you need much bigger motivation than a centenary celebration for your football club,” he said.

“The 40 year reunion guys from the 18s, reserves and first grade, we were fortunate to have those guys come in to present the boys their jumpers.

“Laurie Daley came in on the back end of that and spoke to the boys about commitment and what the club means to him and the community and what the boys were going to play for and the jumper they were playing for, which was quite inspirational.

“The atmosphere at the ground was huge, the juniors played against Young as well, so from [under] 6s all the way to first grade Young came over and participated in the day.

“It was such a good day in terms of the weather was excellent, the crowd attendance was great, the support was unbelievable from the footy club and the supporters coming out to watch.”

After the Diesels struck early to open the scoring through centre Tevita Toloi, it was the Cherrypickers who took a 10-6 lead into the break following tries to Cooper Smith and Boro Navori.

Junee’s Jakeem Morgan hit back to level the game at 10-all 10 minutes into the second, but Young reclaimed the lead when Matt Murray found Jonah Latu with an offload to send the front rower over the tryline.

Staring down a 16-10 deficit in the final quarter of the match, the Diesels sprung into action, with Morgan collecting a Connor Garrety kick spilled by the Cherrypickers at the back to level the scores, before Stu Dunbar gave the home side an 18-16 lead with his second penalty goal of the day.

Second rower Jack Schubert then sealed the deal late, crossing for a try to extend the lead  beyond one score and kickstart a night of celebrations for the club.

Having put together consecutive wins for the first time in a month, fourth-placed Junee is in the box seat to gain a place in the finals, a game clear of three sides tied for fifth with four games to play.

A big reason for the side’s recent success according to Willis has been its big men, who have laid the platform for the side’s damaging outside backs and handled the Cherrypickers’ powerful forward pack on Saturday.

“They are a big part of the reason we have been successful, Tommy Carroll and Jaydyn Hoeta, along with Chase [Bernard] and Schuey [Jack Schubert] in our back row,” he said.

“We have had a couple of hooker changes over the last handful of weeks due to injuries and things like that, but the bulk of those guys that start those games of football have been really good, laying the platform, and we are really fortunate this year to have a lot of depth, coming off our bench.

“We have got a couple of other front rowers sitting there and another back rower and a lock, so we have been very fortunate with those boys that they are a like for like when they come on the field and do a job for us.

“The engine room is going really well at the moment and hopefully it continues to push forward.”

Meanwhile, again having an impact on the scoresheet was Morgan, who finished with yet another double as his strong form in his first Group 9 campaign continued.

Willis said the young outside back has been “really good” since arriving at the club from Narrandera over the off-season, with his increasing confidence leading to further improvement the season rolls on.

“He’s a confidence player, and he is definitely playing with a lot of confidence at the moment,” Willis said.

“I think a lot of people underestimate his ability and probably he does a little bit too.

“He’s been a really good get, he’s been playing some really good footy over the last handful of weeks, and he can only get better as he gets a little bit older and a little bit stronger.”

Next up for the Diesels is a home bout with Southcity, a side hot on the heels of Junee and entrenched in the battle for finals spots.

With Saturday’s match presenting Junee with a golden opportunity to take a huge step towards finals, Willis said he is hoping that source of motivation will help the side avoid a drop-off after the huge occasion on Saturday.

“I guess the trick for us now is to make sure that we’re up every other week, very similar to what we were on the weekend,” he said.

Young will look to bounce back when it hosts Tumut at Alfred Oval on Saturday.

JUNEE 24 (Jakeem Morgan 2, Tevita Toloi, Jack Schubert tries; Stu Dunbar 4 goals) DEFEATED YOUNG 16 (Cooper Smith, Boro Navori, Jonah Latu tries; Kane Ball 2 goals) at Laurie Daley Oval, Saturday July 18.