The BHP Billiton Hunter Valley Group 21 under-18 encounter paused for a minute’s silence to pay respects to the Taylors, who recently lost a much-loved family member.

Then, after the referee blew his whistle, it was down to business for the young Rams and Devils.

In an entertaining no-holds barred fixture, both outfits threw everything at each other.

And, it won’t surprise anyone to see Muswellbrook and Denman among the competition frontrunners in 2017.