GLEN INNES 60 d GUYRA 22
GLEN Innes’s second premiership in three years was built on both brains and brawn.
Against a big, strong Guyra side, the Magpies punched holes in the line with their own arsenal of big weaponry and sent the ball to the edges where the quick men capitalised.
Sam Key and his halves partner Nick Day orchestrated a lot of the attack but used the big bodies of Mone Loketi, Adam Shaw and Jeff Moate to their advantage and then crisply directed the attack to the wings where Adam Upton and Matt Crowhurst scored three tries between them.
“Sam Key was good,” coach Dale Keegan said.
“I thought that one of the younger guys, Jarred Willis, was excellent.
“Jamie Watts and Jeff Moate were good and Adam Shaw was excellent as well.”
Key, Watts and Shaw also finished with two tries each.
Keegan said the result was testament to the work the club does to build a strong squad.
“We’ve won two grand finals in three years,” he said.
“We must be doing something right.”
Guyra did plenty right to get back into the premiership mix in 2012 after missing the semis last season.
The club did well to get two sides into the grand final and its reserves into the finals.
But not a lot went right on the big day, or in the week leading up to it.
“When you look at it we had to use most of our reserve grade side in A grade,” coach Jamie Youman said.
“It turned against us last week.
“What happened last week really hurt us.”
The injuries to Dan Vidler, Simon Porter, Brad Waters and Dan Sisson in the final possibly didn’t prevent the Spuds from winning the premiership but their presence would have helped keep the grand final more competitive.
In the end the 60-22 score was a record winning total and a record aggregate score.
Guyra provided the previous highest in both categories when it beat Narwan 56-24 in 2002.
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