KOOTINGAL-Moonbi pulled off a huge upset with a 12-11 win over previously undefeated North Tamworth in the league tag tier-one grand final at Jack Woolaston Oval on Sunday.
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A Jess Baker penalty goal late in the game clawed the Roosters to their one-point win.
The Bears then had enough time to kick off and win the ball back but not enough time to launch a desperate final attempt in a game where the Bears led 11-nil in the first half after tries to Kimberley Resch and Tiarn Bayliss.
Kooty had scrambled a try through Aimee Diebold just before the half-time break to make it 11-4.
The game really started to warm up when Kooty’s Monique Cook scored with 15 minutes left and Baker converted to make it 11-10.
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That came after a string of penalties and the penalties kept coming as the Bears day disintegrated.
First Tiarn Bayliss was sin-binned for a professional foul, then captain-coach Leica Le Brocq was binned with six minutes left.
That left the Bears with nine players.
With one minute and 40 seconds left in the contest, Baker calmly converted the match-winning penalty.
The Bears had looked sharp early on with a scintillating try by Resch after a brilliant inside pass from Le Brocq.
Bayliss had swelled it to 11-nil before Aimee Diebold hit back for Kooty.
During the break Roosters coach Damien Allen told his girls “we’re still in this”.
“Believe in yourselves,” he said.
They did.
“They were awesome,” Allan said.
“(They) played out of their skins. Worked hard for each other”.
He said the side had bounced back enormously well from their semi-final flogging against Norths.
That Baker was named player of the match was also a bonus for a side with a number of standouts including Diebold, skipper Kendall Horne and Cook.
Kate Ferguson, Alex Rogers, Resch and Le Brocq led the way for the Bears.
KOOTINGAL-MOONBI 12 ( Aimee Diebold, Monique Cook tries, Jess Baker 2 goals) d NORTH TAMWORTH 11 (Kim Resch five-point try, Tiarn Bayliss try, Amy Barraclough goal)
