Late drama settles spicy clash between Saints and Magpies

But in the end he was the one left cheering loudest when his late try against his former club helped seal a 24-all draw at Jack Arrow Sporting Complex to end one of the greatest games of the 2024 Peter McDonald Premiership so far.

It's a game that is sure to be talked about for some time, featuring an endless selection of big hits, four sin bins and four separate occasions players came together for an all-in push and shove.

Two big supporter camps in full voice added to the electric atmosphere under lights, and adding to all that was Merritt crashing over to score in his return to first grade.

Merritt had spoken during the week about the buzz he'd gained from scoring the late winner for St Pat's reserve grade against Lithgow Workies and was determined to give it his all at the top level again.

"Moments like that where you level it up against your old club are pretty special," he said.

"I thought I really let the boys down with a bit of ill discipline but they dug deep and I really had to repay them a favour at the end there because they hung in for me. That's a good draw.

"I had to do something. I was calling the whole way up and I finally got it at the end. I knew they were shot and we had them down that left edge the whole game, so I thought I'd have a crack there and it paid off."

The draw was a hard result to come away with for Forbes coach Cameron Greenhalgh after his team had put themselves into a strong position earlier in the game.

"I felt like we should have kicked on with it at times but we kept letting them back into the game," he said.

"We should have iced it but we didn't. We stayed in the grind, but so did St Pat's and that's why they've got the draw.

"We tried to build on every week and I feel like we've stalled a bit today. Even though it's a draw it sometimes feels like a loss when you could have won the game. We need to move on to week and be better."

Pat's made a late and difficult call to rule out fullback and former Forbes player Mitch Andrews due to a hamstring injury.

His fellow former Magpies teammate, Ray Towney, covered for him at fullback while Lochlan Randall stepped up to make his first grade debut on the wing.

Randall made the most of the opportunity as he opened the scoring with a try down the right edge, though Magpies made a swift response through a try to fullback Jack Smith.

Tom Caldwell's converted try pushed the Magpies out to a 12-4 lead but Pat's brought the contest back within four points when Noah Griffiths found a way through from close range.

Magpies were dealt a blow right before half-time when Smith was sent to the sin bin for a late tackle, and Pat's punished them after the break as Jackson Brien flirted with the sidelined but found a way to stay in the field of play for an impressive try.

Forbes still managed to score while down a player when Charlie Lennon latched onto a well placed grubber kick from halfback Nick Greenhalgh, making it 18-14 in their favour.

Merritt's sin bin threatened to let Forbes put the game beyond the Saints' reach but time it was the hosts' turn to score while down a player - and in the most unlikely manner.

After fumbling the ball backwards several times on the fifth tackle Luke Single gathered the ball and ran towards the right edge, finding Randall in support for the winger's second try on debut.

Tom Toohey silenced the home crowd with a try in the left corner and Nick Greenhalgh hit the tough sideline conversion for a vital six point lead.

The last few minutes of the match became a 12-on-12 affair when Lennon and Griffiths found themselves in the sin bin.

Pat's fans found their voice again when Merritt crashed over with less than two minutes to spare.

Matt Beattie, who had undergone a rough night with the boot, made sure his last attempt was on the mark to seal the draw.