Sport
29 August, 2025
Redbacks stung by Temora in Women's Rugby 10s GF
Temora wins in dying minutes to deny Redbacks
SPORT is littered with Cinderella stories but sadly, it’s also riddled with tales of what could’ve been. Sliding door moments that make us wonder how things could’ve been so much different.
From 59 year old Tom Watson losing in a playoff to Stewart Cink at the 2009 Open Championship, to the Portland Trail Blazers taking Sam Bowie in the 1984 NBA Draft instead of Michael Jordan, the list of near misses, what if’s and what could’ve been moments is a lengthy one. For the West Wyalong Redbacks this will feel equally as painful. What if ...
In what can only be described as a gut-wrenching finish to last weekend’s Women's Rugby 10s grand final, minor premiers, the West Wyalong Redbacks saw their promising lead evaporate as the Temora Tuskers surged in the final minutes to claim an enthralling 26–17 victory, while enhancing their burgeoning legacy and securing their third consecutive championship in emphatic fashion thanks to a Victoria McRae masterclass and a Molly Greenham kicking clinic.
The match at Boorowa was a showcase of intensity, resilience, and, ultimately, last-gasp brilliance between fierce rivals who have gone at each other in all three previous encounters this season and this was no exception.
Despite fierce and spirited performances from standouts like Ebony Millgate, Briana Hanrahan, the industrious Pursehouse sisters, and season-long Travla Player of the Year Ava Lemon, West Wyalong appeared set to spoil Temora’s treble party - leading until the dying embers of the game. But the sporting Gods had other ideas.
In a stunning turnaround, Temora's big-game pedigree shone through. With three unanswered tries in the final minutes, the Tuskers overturned a two try deficit and sealed the fairytale finish — underscoring why they’ve earned a reputation as clutch performers when it matters most. Two of their three touchdowns came with less than five left in the match as the Temora side steamrolled their way home to cruelly usurp the crown and wrestle the trophy from West Wyalong. It’s a game the Redbacks will look back on and wonder how it all went so wrong when for nearly the whole contest they’d bullied the defending premiers within an inch of an historic defeat.
The Redbacks dominated much of the contest with a balanced blend of flair and muscle, led by Ava Lemon, whose season-long excellence earned her the Player of the Year accolade gong during the week. No doubt though she’d trade it in for another crack at the title as Temora flipped the script and showed that a champion team is never beaten.
West Wyalong hadn’t lost to the Tuskers all year and had the wood on the premiers but Temora unleashed their experience and composure, scoring three rapid-fire tries to snatch the title right from under the Redbacks’ noses and subsequently shattering the spirit of the bus load of fans who made the trip to Boorowa.
For Temora, the victory adds a third straight championship to their growing legacy - a testament to their consistency and ability to rise when under pressure. Their composure in crunch time reiterates why, for many observers, they remain the benchmark for ‘big-game performers.’
For the Redbacks, it’s heartbreak - but also validation. They pushed the champions to the edge and led deep into the contest, proving just how far the team has come from last year when the finals seemed like a distant dream. With core players like Lemon, Hanrahan, and the Pursehouse duo leading the charge, there's plenty to be optimistic about heading into next season and while they won’t admit it, revenge and redemption will be at the forefront of their minds as they look to go one better in 2026.
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