Mid West League: Blake Schaefer scores extra-time grand final special for CSU Mungoes

Schaefer already had a try assist to his credit when the decider against Orange United Warriors went into extra-time, but it was his opportunistic try in that first period of additional time which topped his highlight reel.

Brayden Wicks put through a grubber kick on the back of CSU's second set of extra-time, Warriors fullback Kyran Ahsee was there in cover, but lost the ball in a Lachie Balcombe tackle. Schaefer dived on it.

It put CSU ahead 20-16 and some seven minutes later, Schaefer was celebrating a 24-16 triumph with his fellow Mungoes.

"I assumed he was going to go down and called held but I don't know what happened, it must've just popped out," he said.

"Then I just dived on it, it was lucky it was over the line because I didn't even move, so I was pretty lucky in the end."

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It was a try that certainly buoyed the Mungoes and stung the Warriors, but Schaefer still felt the title was not in the bag at that point. Even when Balcombe dived over for his second with three minutes left, he still had nerves.

"With seven minutes left and they're really big forward pack, they could fire up and make metres like they did all game. It wasn't until that one down in the corner that I thought we had it, but even then eight points didn't feel like much," he said.

"It was a good game, I thought they had us for a bit there for the whole first half. It was a good comp this year really, so I think anyone we played in the grand final it was going to be a good game."

Schaefer, who has been with the Mungoes since an injury-interrupted season 2017, is not sure if he'll be back in 2022.

"We've been to five in a row now and that's only the second one that we've won, so it feels good," he said.

"I think it might be my last game, it's probably a good way to end it. It was just an outrageous game."

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