Runaway try turns tide for U18s

The Bulls were chasing three straight titles but had to settle for two with Pirates getting home 29-25 in a pulsating contest.

It was their only win over the Bulls all season and was “pretty sweet” co-coach Stuart Prowse said .

The Bulls scored early through Mitchell Parker but Pirates got on top after that and led 16-7 at half-time.

Nick McCrohan extended that to 19-7 early in the second half but Parker put the Bulls back in it, and with 17 minutes to go they had a golden opportunity to level.

But they coughed up the ball with two unmarked players, and then after getting it back spilled it again. 

It was scooped up by Pirates centre Josh Devine who raced away almost the length of the field to make it 26-12 and turn the game  Pirates way.

The Bulls stormed home with two tries to Zac Barrett but couldn’t quite bridge the gap, McCrohan kicking a penalty in the final seconds to seal the victory for Pirates.

Prowse said Devine’s try was a turning point, and the dropped ball from the Bulls a gift from above.

“It would have been hard to come back,” Prowse said.

He said when they got in front they just told the boys to “keep the peddle down and keep going”.

They knew the Bulls would keep coming at them.

“They’re a good team,” Prowse said.

He felt they were on top in the first half.

“The first 10-15 minutes was all them,” Prowse said.

“We knew the first 10-15 minutes would be the toughest and we had to stay in touch.”

The things they had spoken about having to do, they did.

They were more effective at the breakdown and the backline ran straighter channels.

The second half they started to get a bit frustrated.

“The discipline at the breakdown wasn’t as good and our ball retention wasn’t as good,” Prowse said.

But they managed to hold on.

“We spoke about defence winning grand finals,” Devine said.

“We knew we had to hang in there.”

McCrohan was named player of the grand final and deservedly.

“He kept us going forward,” Devine said, and had a great day with the boot.

But they all had good games. The pack played how they wanted them to, he said.

“The boys worked as team for the whole game,” he said.

Fifteen of the side were stepping up from the 16s side that won the title last year. 

Bulls coach Kylie Dawson was at a loss to explain the loss.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said.

What she was certain of, was the runaway try was the turning point.

“If we’d have got over it would have been a different game,” she said.

They did look the better for a lot of the second half.

“The intensity was a bit better on our behalf and the ref gave us a bit of a better run,” Dawson said.

It enabled them to get quicker ball and a bit more momentum.

Parker was among their best along with Duncan Woods, Adam Duncan, Cameron Thorne and Angus McTavish.

CENTRAL NORTH UNDER 18 GRAND FINAL

PIRATES 29 (Roland Stinson, Thomas Brazel, Josh Devine tries, Nick McCrohan 4pens, con) d MOREE 24 (Mitchell Parker 2, Will Kelly 2 tries, Toby Knight con, Kelly con). Player of