For the first time since 2014 Orange CYMS won't play a part in the Group 10 premier league finals series.
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Sunday's derby loss to Hawks put an end to the green and golds' campaign - the club's snowed-out games with Mudgee won't be replayed.
Captain-coach Dom Maley admitted the season was disappointing and inconsistencies reduced CYMS' season to a case of two steps forward and one step back.
The won six games and lost nine to miss the finals by three competition points. Cowra finished fifth on 19 points.
THE GROUP 10 LADDER AFTER 18 ROUNDS
Following Mick Sullivan's nine-year tenure in charge of the club's top grade side, this year was Maley's first as coach of CYMS and he said he'd let the dust settle on their 2019 campaign before weighing up his options ahead of 2020.
"We'll see what happens in the off-season," Maley said.
Maley views a host of young players earning a debut this year as a positive for the club moving forward while the form of hooker Ryan Griffin is the obviously bright spot.
The Group 10 hooker starred each and every week for CYMS and will take some beating in the race for this year's player of the year gong.
He's stepped up this year and in our pre-season interview we sort of thought he might. His athletic ability on the field is unreal.
- CYMS coach Dom Maley on Ryan Griffin.
"Obviously I only see our games and not the others but in my opinion he is (the player of the year), he's unbelievable," Maley said.
"He's stepped up this year and in our pre-season interview we sort of thought he might. His athletic ability on the field is unreal.
"To be in the race for player of the year and top try-scorer in a side that didn't make the finals is a credit to him."
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Maley added the finals race will be extremely competitive, as the regular season has been as well.
He said minor premiers Orange Hawks has been the best side CYMS has come up against this year but couldn't rule out any of the remaining top five - Hawks, premiers Bathurst Panthers, Mudgee, Lithgow or Cowra.
"Panthers sometimes don't get spoken about as much as they should but they're defending premiers and a quality side. It's going to be an interesting finals series to watch," he added.
CYMS' under 18s, league tag and under 18s league tag sides will also feature in the Group 10 finals in 2019, which start on Saturday at Bathurst and continue on Sunday in Lithgow.