NORTH Tamworth Bears dominated the first half of the second half to set up their 28-16 win over Narrabri Blues in Sunday’s Group 4 Under 18 grand final at Jack Woolaston Oval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two sides had gone tit for tat in the first half, heading to the break at 10-all.
However the Bears returned in better form to score three quick tries, all through livewire fullback Trent Eather.
Eather’s first came when halfback Tom Say shrugged out of a tackle, drew fullback Andrew Webber and sent Eather racing over under the posts.
The fullback then finished off a good move, running an inside angle back towards the posts for his second before taking a screamer of a bomb to make it 28-10.
Tom Say’s bomb looked to be covered by Webber but Eather arrived to leap high and take the mark and then dive over untouched.
Narrabri did hit back when centre Daniel O’Connor crashed over with eight minutes left but the Blues couldn’t add to that tally and the game finished in a flurry of punches after the fulltime hooter.
Narrabri’s Kyle Adams instigated the brawl and was sent off with Bear forwards Blake Withers and Zac Faulkner.
Faulkner, Withers and captain Brad Johnston were three of the stars for the North pack, the big forwards making a number of breaks and many metres between them.
Jack Ticehurst was another impressive forward who allowed the likes of Say, five-eighth Ryan Horton and Eather to set up some good attacks.
“We managed to compose ourselves at halftime,” Johnston said.
“We came out fired up and started to play to our potential.”
It was a great finish for most of the side who also play for Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School.
The side made the quarter-finals of the GIO Schoolboy Cup, won the University Shield and then finished off with a Group 4 premiership.
Narrabri coach Ant Sadler was proud of his young side.
“We really struggled through lack of fitness,” he said.
“We had four travelling from Bingara, five from Wee Waa as well as work commitments so it was a logistical nightmare just to get them together at any one time.
“I think the most we ever had was 11 or 12.
“They’ve done well to get here.
“There are good kids amongst them.”
Regular half Trey Doolan was lucky to play and started off the bench after suffering a back injury a month before the finals.
As it was, he could only play half pace in a distributing role.
It meant talented Sam Sadler started in number seven and he was one of the Blues’ best along with lock Dylan Gale and centre Luke Tuckey, who scored two electric tries.