An offside call preventing a late try and giving up a penalty kick in front of goals has cost the Candelo-Bemboka Panthers early entry to the Group 16 grand final.
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The minor premier CBU reserve grade outfit came unstuck at the hands of the Bega Roosters in Cooma on Sunday, going down 24-22 after a gritty contest.
Some lapses in defence had let the Roosters slip through some long-range tries in the first half.
Roosters fullback Ben Tyler was the feature player, dominating with a hat-trick of four pointers during the clash.
Kicking proved troublesome for both sides in powerful blustery conditions with a few shots drifting to land out on the full, but it also made the ball difficult to pluck from the air with a few dropped-ball woes for both squads.
Play fluctuated through the middle, but the Roosters showed pace through any gaps and opened up a solid early lead before the Panthers fought back into the contest, trailing just 18-12 at the break.
Trent Rollason had a huge impact with big runs, while Nathan Moon also made his presence felt as the pair landed four-pointers for the minor premiers.
Battling the wind, Bevan Taylor slotted some challenging conversions as the teams locked up at 22-22 in the dying stages.
However, the Panthers gave up a penalty in front with Billy Hudson making no mistake on the kick to lead 24-22 and as the clock whittled away the Panthers were denied a late try with Adam Blacka ruled offside from Jamie Glenn’s chip kick.
The Panthers will now meet the Bull Ants.
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