2013 Group 10 grand final: Looking back at Orange CYMS' premiership success

It sounds like a grand final success story, doesn't it?

The only thing is ... that moment, McGarity's incredible goal from over 40 metres out to secure that memorable victory, came two weeks before the grand final.

And, if you ask some of the Orange CYMS boys on the losing end of that 12-11 score line back in the 2013 Group 10 major semi-final, that right there was the moment they knew they'd win it all.

Why?

"The Hawks boys had their Mad Monday early," CYMS backrower Riley Law recalls.

"I remember we were doing recovery in the pool the day after the game and those boys were all still at the pub on the piss celebrating.

"We knew if we got them again we'd beat them."

As it turns out, thanks to an Ali Beale hat-trick, CYMS chalked up a 28-20 win over Workies in that prelim and then, as captain-coach Mick Sullivan recalls, nailed the week leading into the grand final to eventually secure a third Group 10 premiership in four years.

"We got so close to Hawks in that major semi-final and then Brock sunk us after the bell," Sullivan said.

"But I've never been so confident of winning after that game. For me, Hawks played their grand final then.

"We beat Lithgow, I got Brett Kimmorley out to Orange for grand final week. We had a dinner at Kelly's. We talked about CYMS' rivalry with Hawks, and we really got the Sydney guys to buy into it all. Not winning against Hawks throughout the year was our winning edge, for me. We wanted it so bad. And there was no way we were going to go a whole year without winning a derby.

"The day was made for it. I've never been so confident."

Confidence is a fine line. Exude too much of it and you're a big chance of falling flat on your face. Lack it, and you're up against it from the get-go.

Sullivan's CYMS, on that day - Sunday, September 8, 2013 - used it perfectly to manifest a faultless grand final day. The 22-14 victory was never really in question throughout the 80 minutes, thanks to a Ben McAlpine master class.

CYMS' 2013 premiership winning side will gather in Orange on Saturday to mark 10 years since that 22-14 decider triumph against Hawks.

For many, the 2013 Group 10 grand final stands above any other in the history of the competition. Certainly any in the last 25 years.

It marked the first time - and only time, so far - CYMS and Hawks have met in a Group 10 decider.

The grand final capped a marvelous final series for Group 10, which generated monster crowds over a month-long smorgasbord of bush footy. There was a game in Orange each of the four weeks. Lithgow's team was stacked with quality. While St Pat's and Oberon had good years to make the top five, too.

Over 6000 people poured through the gates at Wade Park on grand final day. That generated a record gate for Group 10 - over $50,000. The whole finals series reaped the competition over $100,000 in gate-takings alone.

No other finals series or grand final before that went close to those numbers. And certainly none have come near that since.

For Sullivan, it's a tough grand final to match. He'll never forget the Oberon "fiasco" in 2017, but the victory over Hawks is "a special one for me".

"With the size of that crowd, it was just the perfect day," he said.

"That night and that day against Hawks was surreal. Those two games (versus Hawks in 2013 and Oberon in 2017), personally, I was under the most scrutiny.

"There was a lot of pressure and a lot of jibes coming my way. But we were tight knit. Riley was enormous. He spoke from the heart about what it meant to play Hawks and that brought the Sydney guys together, guys like Sarge. That was a huge part of our success."

Brett Sargent travelled the three hours from Pemulwuy, near Parramatta, each weekend to be part of CYMS' premier league team for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

He spent some time in the region has a kid, living in Cargo and playing some footy with St Joseph's Sheahan, but hadn't had a real taste of the CYMS-Hawks rivalry until linking with Sullivan.

He said the bitterness of the Orange derby first caught his attention after the infamous 2011 drama.

"I was fully aware of the big blow up. Ray Hadley went hard on both teams on the radio and I had 'Gibbo' (Pat Gibson) on the phone to me about it," Sargent said.

"Then the fact, big 'T' (Terawhiti Cooper) went to Hawks; I knew about that. I'd played with (then Hawks coach) Timmy Mortimer at Wenty. I knew the way the rivalry worked and was aware, I'd read all the stories ... it was bitter. I was fully aware of what it meant and I knew younger guys had played against Hawks since they were 10."

For Law, a CYMS junior, knocking off any team wearing blue was the only religion he knew.

And after being thrashed by Lithgow in the 2012 grand final, coming back in 2013 and being competitive again - for what would be a fourth straight season - was fueled more by the knowledge CYMS' crosstown rivals were also building to something special, rather than any form of retribution over Workies.

"We knew Hawks were going to be good. Myself, Bubb, Hill, Penny, Maley, Basso ... we had that drive to get into the local derby grand final," Law said.

Hawks defeated CYMS in the pre-season Bathurst knockout, then again on both occasions throughout the regular season before that famous one-point, major semi-final win as well.

Everyone - on and off the field - was gunning for CYMS in the decider.

"There was a lot of heat. That major semi, there were some things said after that; personal things said that year that got a few people off side and that made for more heat than normal in the grand final," Law said.

"It's the biggest derby we've had. It was unreal. From our club's perspective, we had a massive following then. So many families, kids, nieces, nephews, aunties and uncles ... to have them on the hill cheering us on, as far as bush footy goes ... not many teams get to experience that.

"When the crowd ran on the field, it was pretty special being in the middle of all of that."

Ben McAlpine dominated the opening of the match, and when he's in that sort of a mood everyone in Group 10 knows he's virtually unstoppable.

The match, though, wasn't without its drama.

Sargent lasted 20 minutes before his grand final was cruelly cut short after he tore his hamstring, while Sullivan's knee went on him mid-way through the second half.

As defiant as they come, Sullivan was determined to play on: "You don't go off in grand finals," he said.

But, even he admits with about 15 to go he was "a liability". With CYMS up 22-14 and Hawks seemingly with the wind in their sails, Sullivan left the field.

"I couldn't stand. I had to go off. We had enough points, I knew that we weren't going to win it by scoring more. We just had to defend and we were so gutsy."

His only option was to move hooker Sam Hill to halfback and shift Matt Penny to hooker for the rest of the game. Neither had played a minute in either position prior to then.

"Hilly told Sully to f--- off," Law laughs, looking back at the end of the game.

"Matty Penny said the same thing."

"But I knew they'd be fine," Sullivan adds.

"They were two of our best defenders and all we had to do was hold them out. They were enormous for us."

In the end, the green and golds held on through their defence, with a goal line try-saver from Hill on a flying Chris Anau in the 71st minute typifying the green and golds' desire on their own line.

The bulk of the 2013 grand final winning team will be at Wade Park on Saturday for the first Orange derby of the 2023 season.

They'll then gather at the Ophir Hotel where the club is holding a reunion ball.

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