Warialda's mighty wombats downed the Ashford Roosters at home in a tough preliminary final earning them a spot in the Group 19 second division grand final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Coming off the back of a tough loss against the Bundarra Bears the weekend prior, coach Peter Stevens said preparation was all about mental strength.
"It was a physical game against Bundarra, so we didn't do much leading up to Saturday except go over what we thought had been working for us earlier in the year and made sure everyone was mentally right to go," he said.
Read Also:
Playing into the wind in the first half, Warialda found it hard to grab a comfortable lead over Ashford. The score at half time was 6-4 to Warialda.
Stevens felt his side was completing "all the little things" and before taking the field for the second half, the boys spoke about keeping their nerve defensively.
"We just had to keep chipping away to wear them out and in the end, that was the story.
"We thought later thought we could get them through the middle and we started making some inroads from there," he said.
Tries from Corey Alexander, Ashley Churchland (also converting) and Colin Hammond-Tighe saw the final score at 18-4 to the Wombats.
Warialda will now progress to the grand final this Saturday against the Bears at Bundarra's Sports and Recreation Club.
Stevens said any player who needed motivating going into the weekend "shouldn't be there".
The past three clashes between Warialda and Bundarra have been entertaining for all except Stevens who found it "frustrating".
"As spectators it's probably pretty entertaining as both sides get into each other but as a coach, I tell you, it's frustrating to watch.
"The boys need to be prepared mentally to play a tough 80 minutes, making sure to get all the little things right."
Bundarra won grand final hosting rights two weekends ago against Warialda due to a last minute conversion by Jake Deaves to secure a 22-20 victory.
Stevens said as long as his sides gets into the game, stays as long as possible and takes every opportunity offered to them; they should walk away premiers.
"If this game is like the other three this year against Bundarra, it won't be one to miss. It'll be a very entertaining day," he said.
The second division grand final will kick off at 12pm on Saturday, August 17.
