OXLEY Diggers created history yesterday, winning a premiership in their inaugural season, beating North Tamworth in the final 10-6.
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It was the only Group 4 grand final that Norths didn’t win at Jack Woolaston Oval.
The Diggers scored two tries in the first half and then held a defiant Bears out on their own soil to raise the Shield.
Jamie Hartwig was named player of the match.
The talented speedster got the Diggers out of trouble on a few occasions with some great running out of her own half.
Beaten in last year’s grand final playing for Barraba, Hartwig took her revenge yesterday with a great game.
Hartwig opened the scoring early in the first half.
Just before halftime Megan Murphy put some footwork on and got a run down the sideline before stepping inside the fullback and just beating Leica LeBrocq to the line.
The Bear pivot, outstanding all game, showed the ball skills that have the boys jealous at Norths.
Unfortunately for the home side, she couldn’t quite find that final pass as the Diggers dug deep in defence and held their line.
With 10 minutes to go, LeBrocq did put Heidi Swab over out wide and a great Jesse Brown conversion got the Bears within four points.
The Diggers held on to take the title in their first season.
Other stand-outs were Abbie Schmiedel at hooker and Tiahna Paulson.
Paulson showed some great pace and vision to keep the Bears’ left fringe out with some great diving tags on the line in the first half.
“We had our doubts at the start of the year but we have done it,” Hartwig said.
“It was our best game this year and we played for each other.
“We just went out and had fun.
“It’s what we do.”
The league tag was the only game that the Bears didn’t win yesterday as the U18s started the party early with a 28-16 win over Narrabri.
Following that, the Bears’ reserve grade showed ominous signs of things to come when it kept Quirindi scoreless in the second half to win 48-16.
Directed by skipper Ben Browning, the Norths pack ran all over the Quirindi Grasshoppers to leave them scoreless in the second half.
The victory set the scene perfectly for first grade as they then took their turn at forward domination to lift the three shields and have a Bears’ day out.
