Leading into today's game, Josh Schmiedel was "50-50" to play at best.
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The veteran North Tamworth Bears forward was two weeks removed from eye surgery, which he said "helped a little", but for all intents and purposes, he couldn't really see out of his right eye.
![Even age and injuries aren't enough to stop Josh Schmiedel winning games for North Tamworth. Picture by Zac Lowe. Even age and injuries aren't enough to stop Josh Schmiedel winning games for North Tamworth. Picture by Zac Lowe.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ijfQKXbsEKgSKGW5xB5NiF/a9478cd0-a206-414d-80f6-33a99c565628.jpg/r9_206_3459_2428_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The vision's not going to come back, by the looks of it, because it's got too much scar tissue," Schmiedel said.
"We had a few blokes injured today, so I thought I'd just sit on the bench. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go on."
Despite his reservations, Schmiedel did enter the field of play during North Tamworth's crucial fixture against the Dungowan Cowboys in Dungowan today, and duly won them the game.
After a strong start from the hosts left the score at 12-0 by the end of the first half, North Tamworth had plenty of work to do to recover.
"We went into the sheds with our heads down a little bit, but we knew what we could do and what we needed to do," Schmiedel said.
"We just grinded away in that second half, made sure we got some complete sets together and got the ball in some good percentage areas."
The Bears were lucky not to be down by more, as Dungowan had squandered a handful of opportunities to score just metres out from the line in the first 40 minutes.
So much so that, despite their lead, Cowboys stand-in captain Cody Byrne was not overly happy with the opening period of play.
"I thought we were good, but I still think we can be better," Byrne said.
"After that game last week against Moree, we were pretty good then. We started well [against North Tamworth], but our second half's killing us."
Tempers began to fray in the second half of the game as North Tamworth worked their way back through attritional football. A couple of melees broke out, after the second of which Dungowan's Jack Cameron and North Tamworth's Brock Wadwell were sent off.
Two early tries to North Tamworth went unconverted, and with five minutes left in the game, the Cowboys led 12-8.
Until Schmiedel got his hands on the ball.
He broke through on the right edge and outran multiple Dungowan defenders to score his first try, which was closely followed by his second with 90 seconds left on the clock to put victory out of reach for the Cowboys, 20-12.
"It always feels good to score a try, and always feels good to get one to win the game," Schmiedel said.
"I just had to try and create something for us, and it was off the back of some good teamwork and a good set."
While the man himself was modest after his match-winning efforts, Bears coach Paul Boyce was effusive in his praise of Schmiedel.
"He said he was 50-50 [to play]," Boyce said.
"But 50 per cent of Josh Schmiedel's better than most players in this comp ... he's just one of the toughest players I've ever been associated with.
"He consistently wants to play in those tough games. He doesn't cherry-pick, playing against lesser opposition. He wants to play in those big games, and he wants to stand up for us."
The victory effectively guarantees the Bears a spot in the finals, while Dungowan will take on the Kootingal Roosters next weekend in another must-win clash.
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