Western Rams under 16s have suffered an agonising after the siren loss in an entertaining clash against Macarthur Wests Tigers.
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A try to Tigers winger Drake Ayers off a Hail Mary kick left Rams players devastated as the home side prevailed 24-20 at a muggy Kirkham Oval in Camden on Sunday, February 4.
The Andrew Johns Cup opener got off to a chaotic start with Rams prop Kemp Riches taken off for a head injury assessment (HIA) inside two minutes.
The visitors didn't miss a beat however, finding themselves up 10-nil by the 15-minute mark thanks to tries from Bloomfield Tigers player Jock Selwood and Parkes Marist's Triston Ross.
In what was shaping up as a game of quarters, Macarthur began to get a roll on, enjoying good field position and forcing repeat sets.
The green line was eventually breached via a strong effort from centre Elijah Sefo who managed to ground the ball in the corner despite the attentions of three Rams players.
They then evened scores up with a remarkable run from Sefo who got a pass away behind his pack after being held up on the line, the ball bouncing up and into the grateful arms of halfback Curtis Lakeham who dived over on the buzzer.
The second half followed a similar script as Western again took the lead via a clever chip and chase from Ross for his second of the morning.
Rams then looked to have secured the two points when Taj Jordan sprinted 60 meters after being put through a hole by Ross.
The Bloomfield fullback led Wests players on a merry chase as he raced left to right and touched down in the corner.
Ahead 20-10 Rams needed to hold the ball but some aggressive Tigers defence and sweltering conditions made the going tough.
A dropped ball presented the first of the Tigers three late tries, the home side putting the ball through the hands before Dallis Taoai went over.
Jhevon Lee's effort with two minutes to go presented Tigers with a chance to level the scores but Lakeman's rushed conversion drifted wide.
Macarthur had one final shot after the Rams kick-off and as the siren sounded Lakeman put up a Hail Mary only for their prayers to be answered as Sonny MacGregor spilled the ball under pressure and into the arms of the waiting Ayers who dived over in the corner to win the match.
MACARTHUR WESTS TIGERS 24 (Elijah Sefo, Curtis Lakeman, Dallis Taoai, Jhevon Lele, Drake Ayers tries, Lakeman 2 goals) def. WESTERN RAMS 20 (Triston Ross 2, Jock Selwood, Taj Jordan tries; Callum Miskell 2 goals)
