BATHURST Bulldogs returned to the field for the second half of Saturday's Blowes Cup first grade grand final down 13-7 to Orange Emus, but they knew with the wind at their backs they could get themselves back into the mix.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
All it could take was one magic moment and the Bulldogs could find themselves back on top.
Enter Adam Plummer.
In the 51st minute the Bulldogs centre found a way through the Emus defensive line near their own 22m line but still had several defenders to evade if he wanted to reach the try line.
He raced for the right corner and beat the defenders to lift the spirits of the home supporters and give his teammates the spark they needed to ultimately win the grand final 15-13.
It was the brightest moment in a glowing highlight reel for Plummer, who would go on to be named the player of the grand final.
Plummer was quick to praise the run that teammate Hunter Davis produced to help set him up for the try.
"Davo did a lot of the work. He goes hard at the line and that drew Nigel [Staniforth] in and that allowed me to get a soft shoulder there, which is great to get," he said.
"I don't have much toe so I don't get many. Feels great to get one here."
His try brought Bulldogs within a point, but Kurt Weekes' missed conversion from the sideline - much to the delight of the Emus faithful in the stands next to him - kept the hosts in front.
Weekes would have the last laugh when a penalty just a few minutes later allowed him to put his side two points up.
The question at that point was whether the Bulldogs could either extend or defend their advantage.
Bulldogs weren't successful in the former option but they were able to ensure the Emus didn't cross again.
Plummer said the defensive effort from his team was something to behold.
"As you could see it was hard for anyone to gain ascendancy over that time," he said of the scoreless final 25 minutes.
"It was in the balance there the entire time. We were probably lucky that we had the wind at our backs. That territory was a little bit easier to come by for us, which is great because Emus were looking really dangerous with the ball in hand.
"It was a massive from Kurty Weekes. He's done a massive amount of work on his defence this year. He made two try-saving tackles today that won us the game. It's awesome for him to have developed that far throughout the season."
It's been a brilliant season for Plummer, who can now say he was one of the backline commanders for a premiership-winning squad.
He said the experience has only been made all the better by those around him.
"I've transitioned from being one of the younger players in the side to taking on more of a senior role," he said.
"It's awesome being a part of this backline. I've come through colts with Glasso [Brad Glasson], who I've been able to build combinations with, and then there's my main man Hunter Davis in the 12.
"It's just such a great group of boys to play footy with."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News