Western Clydesdales earn place in BMD Premiership finals after dramatic draw with Souths Logan

It wasn’t easy, but our Western Clydesdales BMD Premiership side booked a place in this year’s finals in a game for the ages. See how they snuck into finals here.

Western Clydesdales forward Steph Hancock takes on the Souths Logan Magpies line. Picture: Ben Hassum Photography

In a match which will go down in club history, the BMD Premiership Western Clydesdales secured a semi-final place in their inaugural season after a thrilling come-from-behind 22-22 draw against the Souths Logan Magpies.

The solitary point from the fixture was just enough for the Clydesdales to take fourth spot on the ladder – only ahead of the Sunshine Coast Falcons on points difference.

Check out the biggest talking points from the game here.

Clutch converted try in final minutes

After Souths Logan scored a converted try with less than 10 minutes left to go ahead in the game and also on the live ladder, the Clydesdales needed to answer with the clock their enemy.

With five minutes on the clock, the Clydesdales were stuck deep in their own territory before a game-changing run from Steph Hancock opened up the Magpies line.

With momentum from the previous tackle, young sensation Kayla Jackson made a run for the ages as she stepped past four opposing defenders before 2023 TRL Hancock Edwards Medallist Natalia Webb was in the perfect place to receive a last-ditch pass to cross over for a four-pointer.

From there, the Clydesdales’ fate rested with kicker Zoe Cook, who held her nerve to slot through the conversion with less than three minutes left to play.

Western Clydesdales Kayla Jackson was a key figure in her side’s draw. Picture: Ben Hassum Photography

Webb fills big shoes

With Shenae Ciesiolka out due to Origin camp, Webb has played the last two crucial games at fullback for the Clydesdales and has managed to fill the sizeable void left by the Maroons superstar.

In the round 8 defeat to Norths, Webb scored two tries and against Souths, scored one of the most important tries in Western Clydesdales history.

The try came off the back of two impressive runs from Webb in successive plays.

In the play before the try, Webb had the awareness to be in the right place for an offload from Hancock to gain extra metres.

Then straight after being tackled, Webb continued to run hard off the ball and was there to receive a pass from Jackson after her line break and crossed over for the historic try.

The vision and game awareness to be in the right place at the right time in back-to-back do-or-die plays is often something reserved for the highest calibre NRLW players in the competition, but Webb showed her class as a rising rugby league talent in the biggest of moments.

Western Clydesdales Georgia Sim. Picture: Ben Hassum Photography

Clydesdales’ fighting spirit shines through

Amazingly, the Clydesdales did not take the lead once in the clash and always faced setbacks as the Magpies led on three different occasions throughout the contest.

After the hosts stormed out to an early 10-0 lead, the Clydesdales dug deep and managed to make it all square at the break.

However, Souths Logan would hit the front on another two occasions in the second half, yet Mitch Sargent’s side found a way to equalise on every occasion.

Jackson’s stellar rookie year continues

One of the biggest success stories from the addition of the Western Clydesdales to the BMD Premiership has been the rise of young rugby league rookie Kayla Jackson on the wing.

After making the switch from union, Jackson has been a force to be reckoned with in attack and defence and was pivotal to the Clydesdales’ second half surge.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Jackson crossed over for her seventh try of the campaign, then with five minutes left, made a barnstorming run to set up the Webb try which sealed the draw.