SIBLING rivalry was at its finest at this year’s NSW State Cup when brothers Dylan and Ben Smith lined up against each other in the men’s open division.
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Dylan, the older sibling, ended up claiming bragging rights by the end of the tournament as his Dubbo Devils team progressed to the semi-finals.
Their run then ended with a 7-4 defeat at the hands of Ballina Bullsharks.
And not only did Dylan’s Devils make it further than younger brother Ben’s Port Macquarie Makos, but they claimed two wins from two starts.
By the second encounter, Port Macquarie were out of the tournament and the focus was on amber ales rather than a match against Dubbo.
Father, Rob, said Dubbo’s two wins over Port Macquarie came on the same day of the competition.
First, the Devils snuck home 3-2 and then were far too good in an 8-3 win at the end of the day when they took advantage of their opponents.
“By the end of the second day, Ben and his team knew they weren’t going to make it to the Sunday so they were on the beers,” Mr Smith said.
“Ben had to madly run around and try and field a team after they had all started to head to the pub.”
Previously, the only battles with each other had been with a round ball in the backyard of their Port Macquarie home before they moved out.
It was the first year both brothers had played in the State Cup.
“They played a bit of soccer at a young age before they took up surfing and were interested in girls,” Mr Smith said.
“They might have played a bit of touch footy against each other on the beach, but that was about it.”
Dylan is now a high school teacher in Gilgandra, while Ben is a theatre nurse at Port Macquarie Base Hospital.