St George Illawarra halfback-in-waiting Drew Hutchison has kicked a clutch field goal to deliver Illawarra Cutters a 21-20 NSW Cup grand final win over Mounties.
The Cutters appeared to have blown their shot at the Intrust Super Premiership title when they threw away an 16-0 lead at Pirtek Stadium on Sunday.
Mounties led by four with 15 minutes remaining however Dragons winger Kalifa Faifai Loa levelled the game with a late try, setting the stage for Hutchison's 74th-minute heroics.
Hutchison has been pencilled in to replace veteran Benji Marshall at the Dragons next season after the club opted not to renew the veteran halfback's contract.
The Illawarra local played one NRL game in round 25 when Marshall was rested, but spoke of his desire to further impress NRL coach Paul McGregor in the reserve grade decider.
The 21-year-old was ably supported by Faifai Loa, who finished the game with two tries, while Kurt Mann also got on the scoresheet.
The Cutters will play Queensland counterpart Burleigh Bears in the NRL State Championship next Sunday as one of the curtain-raisers to the NRL grand final.
