WITH a severely depleted roster, the Oberon Tigers crashed to their third successive heavy defeat at the hands of the powerful CYMS outfit on Sunday and, in doing so, slid out of the top four.
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On the receiving end of a 52-12 belting, the Tigers rued the fact that captain-coach Josh Starling and representative halfback Matt Ranse were sidelined through suspension. Adding to their woes was the unavailability of blockbusting centre Abel Lefaoseu and young gun Tye Siakisoni due to injuries.
CYMS had their strongest possible line-up, so the Tigers knew that this game would be a test. With young locals Charlie Bailey and Ray Sargent answering the call in a promotion to the bench, the Tigers started the game with enthusiasm, but just couldn't repel an early CYMS onslaught as the scoreline blew out to 12-0 after only 10 minutes.
Props Luke Christie Johnston and Nick Booth never shirked their duty in the face of the monstrous CYMS pack as they charged in time and time again. They were just as resilient in defence, supported by Blake Fitzpatrick, who, pound for pound, must be Oberon's toughest footballer.
Despite a courageous effort from the Tigers, CYMS managed to punch holes in Oberon's defensive line with ex-NRL star Chris Grevsmuhl running amok.
The Tigers were certainly not helping themselves, gifting the Orange team repeat sets through errors and poor discipline.
The halftime scoreline of 34-0 to the hosts was something that wasn't envisaged if the Tigers were going to be in the mix at the end of the season.
The Tigers came out in the second half with a stronger resolve and inspirational stand-in skipper, Jackson Brien, was rewarded for his grit and determination with a four-pointer under the posts thanks to great lead-up work from Richie Peckham.
Brien crossed again later in the game to elevate Oberon's scoreline to 12, but CYMS were simply too good on the day.
The Tigers have unearthed some great new talent this season with the likes of Elias Dukes, who put in a polished, workmanlike performance. But the next three weeks will be critical as Starling serves out the remainder of his suspension and Lefaoseu recovers from a broken hand.
The league tag girls tried their hearts out but couldn't overcome the ladder-leading CYMS team. Coach Tahlia Nugent has a committed band of girls who train hard, turn up every week and do Oberon proud.
Oberon has a rich history in rugby league and will be looking for a big crowd to get behind their team as they host the resurgent Lithgow Workies this Sunday at the Oberon Leagues Club ground.
League tag starts at 10.30am and the premier league kicks off at 2.15pm.
