The Inverell Hawks won the under-18 title in Group 19 rugby league for the second year running as they downed the Ashford Roosters 24-6 at Varley Oval on Sunday.
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The hosts held a far from safe 12-6 half-time lead before scoring two unanswered tries in the second half.
Inverell's triumph was all the more meritorious considering captain Brad Hickman was forced to sit out the grand final with a dislocated shoulder. Hawks five-eighth Nikolas House was named player-of-the-match after a very involved display.
The Hawks were on the back foot in the opening stages as the Roosters made a break before Damon Harrison was held up over the tryline. Having withstood the early pressure, Inverell capitalised on an Ashford mistake.
Will McAuliffe fed Luke Hodgson whose superb cut-out pass sent winger Jack Stafford heading for the right corner. The Hawks paid for scrappy play, and Ashford hit the lead with a converted try as front-rower Layne Fitzgerald scored between the posts as he was swarmed in a tackle. Inverell hit back quickly as House crossed for a four-pointer, but the conversion attempt bounced off the left upright. The Roosters turned over possession after they chose not to accept a gift penalty goal, before the Hawks profited from a penalty as Joel Humphreys broke through to score.
Another failed conversion attempt restricted the margin to a converted try, before both sides showed some erratic play leading up to half-time. The second half was sealed by Billy Stewart when he evaded a last-gasp tackle to score a try before landing a great conversion.