On Sunday the co-coaches almost pulled off a stunning reversal for the club when they lost a tough testing first grade grand final 16-14 to Daniel Ritter and his Scone Thoroughbreds.

They had led the game for large periods of the game after Cade Boney had scored first to make if 6-nil after nine minutes.

When Lennie Craft raced over after 30 minutes they led 10-6 and then drew level at 12-all just before halftime with a Jeff Saarikko penalty goal.

Another Saarikko penalty goal 23 minutes into the second half made it 14-12 but that was as far as they got when a Saarikko penalty just three minutes from full time could have levelled the game and sent it into golden point extra time.

Saarikko missed and Scone, who had scored a brilliant team try 12 minutes from fulltime via Lachlan Walmsley, Hayden Topliss, Josh Adams and Tim Smith, won through 16-14.

Gary Jones wasn’t playing the “what could have been game.”

He and Steve Haylen had put their heart and soul into the young side right from the start of the season.

“Everyone was enormous,” the challenge of the day and the closeness of the finish had him down on his haunches trying to keep the waterworks at bay.

He couldn’t and, while some of his young players were also gushing and dispensing their own tears in a frank outpouring of emotion to their loved ones, he composed himself to talk to the media.

It was an impressive act, a coach hurting to the core of his soul, but then collecting himself to provide an exact account of a match that was so close to their grasp.

“We got close enough,” he said.

“But we just dropped a bit of ball at the wrong times and then didn’t come away with some points at other times.”

He pointed to talented young players such as centre Jake Ellis.

“He probably shouldn’t have played with that hammie but he did.

“We didn’t really have anyone else.”

However the talented centre completed the game and made some vital interventions at times.

Or young Jacobe Dowell, who came of the bench, the number 15 smashing it up into the bigger Scone forwards and giving his side large doses of dynamic spurts in attack and defence.

Or of Clinton Blenman’s cover tackle on Tim Smith.

The rangy second rower was able to chase back and bring down the flying winger when Smith looked certain to score a second half try.

Then there was fullback Elliot Serhan’s magnificent try-saving tackle on his Scone opposite Hayden Topliss.

How he was able to pull Topliss from behind with a grabbing tackle around the shoulders is a magical mystery.

“There were a lot of heroic efforts out there,” Gary Jones said.

“We came back to help the club get back on track. Only have to look at the big crowd.”

He is likely to retire now glad to see the club going forward with a strong first grade roster and some good kids (Under 18 premiers) coming through.

“I love working with the kids,” he said.