Group 9 Grand Final Mega Preview: Can Temora break its drought or will Gundagai make history?

Tallon Smith

Temora will look to end one of Group 9’s longest premiership droughts and complete a rare hat-trick of premiership victories across the grades in the process when it faces defending premiers Gundagai in the Group 9 Grand Final at Geohex Park on Sunday.

Only Cootamundra (21 years), Wagga Brothers (31 years) and Junee (40 years) have longer premiership droughts than the Dragons’ 20-year wait for a title, while the club’s reserve grade side will be aiming for a first title since 1984 when it faces Albury in the match prior.

With the Dragons’ league tag squad also hunting revenge for last season’s heartbreaking loss to Wagga Brothers in the opening match of the day, Temora president Jack Morton said it is a big achievement for the club to have three teams competing for silverware on the last day of the season.

“From Temora Rugby League, it’s massive to have three sides [in the grand final],” he said.

“It’s been 20 years exactly since [first grade] played in a grand final and won one.

“For reserve grade it’s 42 years since we’ve won a grand final.

“The girls have been there year after year, so it’s something we’re very proud of, and I’m proud of the fact that I’m part of it.

“It’s a massive credit to the coaches, Jordon [Burley] and Chris Wallace in reggies and Emily Perrot in league tag.

“It’ll be a big day for Temora.”

Temora five-eighth Lachie Cole looks to evade the Tigers defence in the major semi final (Photo: Tallon Smith)

Those sentiments were echoed by first grade mentor Jordon Burley, who was awarded Coach of the Year both in the official Group 9 Team of the Year and Battlers For Bush Footy’s version in his first season in the competition after joining the club from Group 20 outfit Yenda.

“I’m just so happy, for the boys, for the town, for the volunteers to be able to get back on the big day, they haven’t felt it for 20 years, so really stoked for everyone involved with the Dragons,” Burley said.

“It’s just a massive honour to coach this club and this group of boys, and when I say boys, that’s from first grade all the way down to under 18s.

“We’ve had a lot of players roll through both grades, and to get three grades in on grand final day from little old Temora is just a massive effort, and it’s full credit to absolutely everyone involved.”

Temora winger Jimmy Stewart in action during the major semi final (Photo: Tallon Smith)

Dragons looking to bounce back from major semi final loss

Looking to the first grade game itself, the Dragons will be looking for a different outcome to the sides’ last meeting in the major semi final a fortnight ago.

Despite being well beaten in a 36-point loss on that day, Temora enters the final match of the year knowing they have what it takes to topple the Tigers, having done so a month ago in the final round by 34 points to 10 at Anzac Park.

Dragons coach Jordon Burley said his side takes plenty of confidence from that earlier result and learnings from the latter into Sunday’s showdown, and watched the game before their come-from-behind 22-18 victory over Southcity in the preliminary final.

“[For] video this week, we actually watched the game before the final against them, and just went over some things we did really well and why we got to that point in that game,” he said.

“I think we’ve just got to go at them, meet fire with fire, they’re a really good side and so are we.

“We’ve learnt our lessons, and we’ll be better for it, and come Sunday we’ll be absolutely ready to go.”

Gundagai hooker Wilson Hamblin sights a gap in the major semi final (Photo: Tallon Smith)

Tigers looking make history with consecutive titles

As Temora looks to break its two-decade long drought, Gundagai is hoping to create history of its own by becoming the first Group 9 club to go back-to-back in a decade, and win the club’s first consecutive premierships in the process.

While the Tigers have claimed five titles over the past 11 seasons and technically won sequential crowns in 2020 and 2022 around the COVID-19 cancelled season of 2021, no side has won the premiership in successive calendar years since Southcity in 2016 and 2017.

First-year Gundagai coach Hayden Ashcroft said he was proud of the way the side has put itself in the frame again this season after carrying the expectation and pressure of being the defending champions.

“[It’s] a massive occasion, and a big achievement getting this far, it’s been a number of years for a team to have gone back-to-back,” he said.

“Winning a premiership is difficult enough at the best of times, let alone being able to back up, and put yourself in the picture which we have.

“We’re under no illusions that this game is going to be difficult and Temora will certainly be at their best, but we’re certainly confident, we just need to be playing our best footy too.

“Obviously it’s exciting for myself and really exciting for the club.”

Tyron Gorman took home the John Hill Medal as the best player in last year’s grand final (Photo: Tallon Smith)

The biggest threat to the defending champions retaining their crown lay in Temora’s playmakers, halves Jake McGovern and Lachie Cole, and principally fullback and recently crowned Weissel Medallist Hamish Starr.

Ashcroft said his side will discuss plans to contain the Dragons’ key men, but ultimately, the focus remains on playing the brand of high-percentage football that rewarded them with a big victory last time the sides met.

“Obviously we have some conversations around some players like Hamish, he’s had a great year and he’s a great player, we know that he’s a livewire and can come up with points anywhere across the park,” he said.

“We certainly have conversations about those players, but I think probably more our focus is on us, and that’s probably what [it] has been in the last few weeks, and I think that’s probably what’s worked best for us.

“Although we have a conversation about those players and how we can manipulate them and take them out of the game, I think the focus is just on us and our style of football, which we certainly played against them last time.

“I’m a massive believer that this grand final is going to certainly go down to the wire, it’s going to take 80 minutes of football.

“They’re not a team that you can put away in the first few minutes or the first half, I think they’re a team that consistently keep showing up, whether they’re in front or behind, so for us to counteract that I think we just need to play 80 minutes of football, complete high and worry about us.

“When we seem to play our best brand of football we win the middle, so that will be a challenge for us through the middle as forwards.”

Rival captains Hayden Ashcroft and Hamish Starr at the grand final press conference this morning (Photo: Peter Hurst)

Grand Final History

Gundagai and Temora have met in the grand final on three previous occasions, with the Dragons taking the win each time.

1957: Temora 13 defeated Gundagai 7

2004: Temora 28 defeated Gundagai 24

2006: Temora 40 defeated Gundagai 16

Gundagai is hunting its ninth premiership after previous wins in 1946, 1963, 1983, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2025.

Temora is looking for its 10th premiership after taking out the title in 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1977, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Previous Clashes

The Tigers and the Dragons have met three times this season, with the Tigers holding a 2-1 advantage after their 36-point win in the major semi final a fortnight ago.

Round 8: Gundagai 38 defeated Temora 24 at Nixon Park

Round 16: Temora 34 defeated Gundagai 10 at Anzac Park

Major Semi Final: Gundagai 42 defeated Temora 6

Gundagai halfback Derek Hay has plenty of big match experience (Photo: Tallon Smith)

Team Lists: Gundagai v Temora

Grand Final, Geohex Park, Sunday September 20

Gundagai Tigers: 1. Will Herring, 2. Corey Wilson, 3. Gabriel Gul, 4. James Morgan, 5. Sailusi Temaka, 6. Tyron Gorman, 7. Derek Hay, 8. Joseph Tahaafe, 9. Wilson Hamblin, 10. Hayden Ashcroft (c/c), 11. Jack Elphick, 12. Mark Asquith, 13. Royce Tout, 14. James Luff, 15. Sheldon Diaz, 16. Benjy Hannan, 17. Pat Birch, 18. Nick McDonald

Temora Dragons: 1. Hamish Starr (c), 2. Drew Robinson, 3. Brandon Nima, 4. Will McDermott, 5. Jimmy Stewart, 6. Lachie Cole, 7. Jake McGovern, 20. Hayden Philp, 9. Bailey Wallace, 10. Tyler Madden, 11. Billy Reardon, 12. Brodie Mirtschin, 13. Sam Burley, 14. Josh McCrone, 15. Grant Hughes, 16. David White, 17. Zach Starr, 18. Yoan Veve. Coach: Jordan Burley.

The Battler’s Tip

Both sides have shown that they can outperform the other on their day over the course of the past month, and this game shapes as the final instalment of an enthralling four-leg contest that has been played out over the course of the season. Temora will be hungry to overturn the big major semi final result and end the drought, but the week off and the experience in the Tigers’ line-up is huge. It will be a close one, my tip is Gundagai by 4. John Hill Medal: Derek Hay (Gundagai).