Both first grade and the under-18s are finished for the 2018 season while the Ladies League Tag team still has a shot at the division two title.

The under-18s Dragons finished in sixth spot and missed out on fifth spot by five points.

But while they will not contest the Group 6 finals series, the young Dragons finished the year on a high, beating Thirlmere Roosters 54-20 at home on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Matt Burke said while the Roosters were down on troops, it was still a strong performance from his team.

“It was a good win. There were plenty of line breaks. We stuck to our planned structures which we’ve been trying to teach them all year. So it was a reward for persistence,” he said.

Blake Hunter and Nick Kamchevski were among the Dragons who crossed the try line in the home side’s strong win.

Just one spot off making the finals series, Burke said a bad run run of injuries through the middle meant the Dragons couldn’t get the consistency they needed to secure a top five finish.

They finished the year with a lot of younger players stepping up and while they missed the experience of some of their injured players, Burke said the younger members of the team had all played well and “should be commended.”

‘I’d just like to thank the guys for this year and staying in there when it got a bit tough. We look forward to bigger and better things next year.”

For first grade, it was not the result they were after, finishing with a 30-0 loss against Thirlmere.

But coach Jeco Makatoa said it was a gutsy performance from the Dragons which wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard.

“We actually played pretty well. It was probably the best we’ve played,” he said.

Moss Vale had no players on the bench for Sunday’s match and Makatoa said the effort from all the players on the field was impressive.

Injuries was again a problem for the Dragons and after losing some key players midway through the season, Makatoa said it “went downhill from there”.

While it was a tough season for the Highlands team, Makatoa said captain Brad Meuleman continued to stand up and lead the team each week, proving to be an inspiration for some of the younger club members.

“It’s been a tough season but it can only go up from here. We’re looking forward to next year.”

The Ladies team were also beaten in the final round, going down 46-0.

But they still have a chance and will face Mittagong at Appin Park on Friday night in the division two elimination final with kick off at 6pm.