In a warning to the rest of the Western Women's Rugby League under 18s competition, Lachlan District coach Troy Gosper says he can't see his side losing a match.
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Lachlan's under 18s continued their dream debut season on Sunday by defeating the Wiradjuri Goannas 32-20 in a high-quality match at Apex Oval.
Flying fullback Liz MacGregor was again the star of the show and she finished with four tries but there standout performances from Lachlan all over the park.
Kirby Maslin and Teagan Smede were outstanding in the halves while Georgie Coote also impressed in the side's third successive win.
"It's unreal the way they're going," Gosper said.
"There's some really talented girls in there and they're just killing it week on week.
"They're just going to get better. Everyone can get beaten at some stage but I just can't see us getting beaten at the moment."
The exciting talent on show wasn't exclusively on the Lachlan side on Sunday.
Goannas prop Maggie Scott was her side's best and sent opposition players tumbling almost every time she ran the ball, while five-eighth Saxbii Shaw scored a double in the loss and Breighel Thuell, Olivia Hall and Na'shaeya Dickinson also impressed at times.
The Goannas side, somewhat surprisingly, has just one win to its name after four rounds but coach Kaitlyn Mason was remaining positive and was excited by a match which showcased the exciting potential in the western region.
"It's always disappointing to lose and it was close," she said, the Goannas having trailed by just six heading into the final minutes.
"My girls worked for the full 60 minutes but it's just about getting football in the legs and getting those combinations going and we have come a long way since round one.
"It was a very good standard of footy, I think. That just goes to show how much this comp has grown and it's great to see."
Lachlan led for the entire match on Sunday but they were never comfortable until the very last minute.
MacGregor has developed into one of the most exciting prospects in the region and she scored twice early to help her side to a 16-8 half-time lead.
Shaw's second try dragged the Goannas back but yet again it was MacGregor who responded for the visitors.
The fullback's ability to pop up and join the play on the right edge was a real weapon for Lachlan and with roughly 20 minutes to go she sliced through on halfway and raced away to score her third.
Just five minutes later it was an outstanding kick return from the fullback which led to a try for Coote.
But even with time ticking down the Goannas refused to throw in the towel and Scott got a deserved four-pointer when she crashed over from close range.
There was still time for one last MacGregor highlight though and the fullback had Smede to thank after some nice lead-up work before her fourth try right on full-time.
MacGregor now has seven tries in three games, the most of any player in the competition.
"They're a really talented bunch of girls and I think we've got a pretty good chance of being there at the end with them," Gosper said.
"There's a couple of girls in there, especially Teagan (Smede) and Kirby (Maslin) who are really good with them.
"There's a few girls who never before and they just really help on them and they brought them a long way with them already, which is really good."
Lachlan meets Mudgee at Parkes next weekend while the Goannas will travel to Bathurst to take on the Panorama Platypi.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior sports journalist for Western NSW, covering all that's happening in in Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and everywhere in between. Contact me at nick.guthrie@acm.media
