They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. Try telling that to Mudgee’s Women’s 30s team.
Fresh off their triumph at the Country Championships, the Mudcrabs’ were looking at clawing their way to State Cup success at the Covid-19 2020 NSW tournament in Port Macquarie.
It was not to be.
For the second consecutive year, Mudgee finished fifth – one spot out of the semi-finals.
Again it came down to a game against the Manly Sea Eagles.
In 2019, Mudgee went down to the women in maroon and white by one try. It ultimately cost them a place in the top four.
This year, Mudgee again had to beat the Sea Eagles in order to book a spot in the finals. But similar to 2019, Manly was victorious. This time 3-0.
It was a disappointing end to a fantastic season for the Mudcrabs.
They swept all before them at the Country Championships and it wasn’t until their first meeting at the State Cup against the eventual divisional champions, Cronulla, that Mudgee suffered their first loss.
The Sharks were too good winning 8-0 but like any good team, Mudgee dusted themselves off and bounced back immediately with a 5-1 win over Central Coast.
Day two was a frustrating day for the Mudcrabs.
Up against their rivals Maitland, Mudgee was up by one with only a few minutes left on the clock. But the Redbacks scored -despite cries of a touch from Mudgee – to level the scores at 1-1 and it remained that way when the full-time hooter blew.
Annoyed at their unfortunate draw, Mudgee went down to Coffs Harbour in an upset, 3-2.
Day two’s results made Mudgee’s semi-final quest a little bit harder as they had to win their remaining two fixtures and hope for some results to go their way.
They started day three without any issue, defeating Newcastle 7-2.
But that’s when the good times ended, as Manly proved too strong in the final round match.
Despite their disappointment at the State Cup, the Mudgee Women’s 30s created history when they won the Country Championships in October. It was the first time in more than 15 years a Mudgee team had achieved success at the Country Championships.
