RUGBY LEAGUE
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WHILE a disappointing 27-point defeat to Blayney in Sunday’s Group 10 premier league minor preliminary semi-final means St Pat’s bid to claim back-to-back premierships is now over, the Saints still have positives they can take away from their 2015 campaign.
And they are positives which could lead them to another premiership in the not too distant future.
The Pat’s side which triumphed over Cowra on grand final day 2014 was very different to the one which lined up this year.
Gone were Luke Single, Pat’s stalwart Brent Dennis, brothers Cyp and Antonio Ale as well as Campbell Scott, Dane Fisher and John Hanscomb.
However, with a handy group of new recruits like Brady Cheshire, Tim Holman and English duo Joe Batchelor and Nathan Lawrence, a title defence was a distinct possibility.
The Saints won the annual pre-season Bathurst Rugby League Knockout, beating Lithgow Workies 14-0 in the decider, then went on to win their first two games of the 2015 season proper.
But injuries – and a host of them – soon took a toll on the Saints.
For much of the remainder of the season they played with a less than full strength side, but they still did enough to qualify for the finals with nine wins and a draw over the 16 rounds of competition.
Winning from fifth was always going to be a tough ask and the Saints fell at the first hurdle as Blayney defeated them 37-10 in Sunday’s minor preliminary semi-final.
Still, the bright point over the course of the season was the junior players who impressed at premier league level.
The high injury count meant they got more game time than they might have otherwise enjoyed, with Hudson White and Harrison McCarthy two of the brightest prospects.
White became a common sight in Pat’s first 13, showing his versatility as he played in various positions. He even acted as a backup option at hooker for captain Benjamin John.
White picked up a try as early as the round three derby win against the Bathurst Panthers.
McCarthy was a later inclusion as Pat’s options in the forward pack became limited in the weeks leading up to the finals.
He too has shown his worth against bigger and more experienced opposition.
Pat’s coach Kurt Hancock said his young players showed how much they had learned over the course of the season out in the wet of Sunday’s match against Blayney.
“We lost Timmy Collins, Mick Armstrong and Matt Tilley during the week. Harrison McCarthy and Hudson White out there, 18 and 19-year-old’s, played out of their skin,” he said.
“It’s a learning experience for all the young blokes out there and they’ll get a lot out of it for next season.
“Hudson White was outstanding out there today in a losing side. Even while getting beaten by that much, he was playing tremendous. He’s out there playing lock and he could still be a jockey.
“Harrison was also great when I gave him a stint in there.”
Jack Mackey is another one of the younger Pat’s group who often found himself thrust into the starting Saints side.
He, along with White, McCarthy and Nick Millar, made for a youthful but energetic set of options off the bench in Sunday’s match.