WALCHA will host the Tier 2 grand final after turning it on at Gunnedah on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Rams were too slick for the Red Devils in the major semi-final, winning 47-17.
The Red Devils will now face Inverell this Saturday for another crack at the Rams after they won yesterday’s minor semi-final against Barraba at Barraba, 29-22.
After leading 12-5 at halftime on the back of the first two of Michael Schneider’s three tries, and getting out to 29-15 with 10 to go, the Highlanders withstood a spirited fightback from the home side.
On Saturday, inside centre Simon Newton led the charge as the Rams earned the chance to avenge last year’s grand final disappointment.
“Our backs carved up,” co-coach Barry Hoy said.
“Soni (Halanakonuka) and Simon (Newton) dominated.”
Both crossed, with Newton scoring a hat-trick and converting six of the Rams’ seven tries for a 27-point haul.
“They ran at their gaps pretty well,” Hoy said.
They were well serviced by the forwards.
Hoy said they played well as unit and really set the platform.
The Red Devils scored the first points but, once the Rams got going, they were pretty hard to stop.
“We started off like this in the first round out here but we didn’t go on with it,” Hoy said.
“This time we were able to go on with it.”
Aside from that early penalty, they didn’t really give the Red Devils the chance to get into the game.
Hoy thought breakaways Cedric Pagot and Will Fletcher were the pick of the forwards.
They both had really strong games.
It was a stark contrast to 12 months ago when the Rams hosted the major semi-final but couldn’t put it together.
They seemed to have passed that on to the Red Devils.
“They were very good and we were pretty ordinary,” Red Devils co-coach Tim Walsh said.
Especially in defence.
“It was the same old story – falling off tackles,” Walsh said.
With the potency the Rams boast, you can’t afford to do that.
“They were enthusiastic and we weren’t,” he said.
They just couldn’t slow the flow of the Rams’ ball down and were playing “backfoot football”.
Their inconsistency also hurt them. That, too, was a same old story.
“We kicked the first penalty and within a few minutes it was 14-3,” Walsh said.
They did the same thing in the second half.
“They got to 21-10 at half-time. We let two easy tries in and the game was gone.”
He said five-eighth Jamie Mitchell tried his heart out and was probably their best along with Lachie Johnstone at eight.