Nothing separated the Harden Red Devils and Boorowa Goldies in Saturday’s opening round of the 2023 South West Cup competition.

Playing in Harden, it was a typical early season game, with discipline lacking at times, but the Round One contest turned into one for the ages.

Harden shot out of the blocks to lead 12-nil after 10 minutes, but after Boorowa’s Henry McMurray broke his ankle, leading to a significant injury delay, the Goldies fought back to be in front up 24-19 with 10 minutes to go.

A late try to our cross-town convert, Brendan Madden levelled the scores, with the Red Devils unable to convert to take the lead.

The Goldies had a chance to win the game with the last play of the game, but they missed the penalty conversion attempt, and the scores remained locked at 24-all when the referee blew his whistle for the final time.

Harden coach Jack Alcorn was not upset with the result, and he expected it to be a ‘scrappy’ contest against one of their biggest rivals.

“We always knew it was going to be scrappy. We weren’t going in there expecting to have a flawless game, and there were knock-ons, penalties, and that’s how it will be for the first couple of games,” Alcorn said.

“Overall, I am pretty happy with the performance.”

Alcorn believes the break in play following McMurray’s injury hindered his side and buoyed on Boorowa, who played the final half-an-hour with just 14 players.

“Boorowa had a couple of major injuries, a severely broken ankle and a head knock. After the second delay, we lost our momentum, and Boorowa had something to play for, which really turned their game around,” Alcorn said.

“Boorowa made a comeback, and they were the last to lead, and if anything, it was their game to win at that point, but we scored with 10 minutes to go.

“I think it was a fair result, and after our good start, it was our game to lose, and the same can be said for them later in the game when they led, and to be honest, I don’t think either team deserved to win at the end of the game.”

 

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