Group 11 defeat Group 10 in Western rugby league rivalry match

Trevor Mawhinney and Mark Booth coached their respective Group 11 and Group 10 sides during the under 18s clash in Blayney on Saturday, a match that came right down to the wire.

Using a make-shift line-up following a few injuries to key players, the home side found themselves down 20-4 at half-time.

"We just didn't complete our sets early and gave them too much ball. As I said to the boys, if you don't control the ball, you're going to be chasing. They're a very good tackling side, but that's footy," Booth said.

"I had a back-rower playing wing, a lock playing centre, but anyhow, that's footy and you just have to deal with it. Trev's a good coach and he's got a good side."

Group 10 stormed out of the gates in the second half, out-scoring the opposition, but it wasn't enough as Group 11 took home the 30-22 victory.

"We went out there with the mindset to take it to them early," Mawhinney said.

"We knew if they had their fair share of the ball that they'd come back at us. The second half they showed that.

"We invited them back in with dropped balls off kick-offs and penalties. We were good enough to hang on to the win after a solid game of footy."

With plenty of chat between the two sides during the match, both coaches were positive that the rivalry was still there, even on a day where Group 11 won all three games.

"We always want to get over Group 11, definitely," Booth said.

"I love it and we look forward to it every year. This will be the last rep game some of these boys will ever play. Unless they go to Sydney, that was their last crack at rep footy, which is another thing we try to remind them.

"The big thing is there's been a lot of gun footballers come before them and we touch on that. We got a couple of old boys to remind them it's not necessarily the best team on paper that's going to win it, it's who has the most passion."

As for Mawhinney, he looked forward to defending the triple-crown on home soil next year.

"I think the turnabout of Group 10 and Group 11 hosting them is a must," he said.

"The game, it's got to keep going."

Group 11, 30 (Fletcher Hunt, Michael Ross, Dane Richards, Will Black, Michael Coady and Will Cuthill tries, Cooper Black 3 goals) def. Group 10, 22 (Tallen Egan, Kaydden Hoad, Kelly Constable and Haydn Edwards tries, Tallen Egan 3 goals).

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