Old Boys win battle
NORTH Ward will go into the club’s second ever Townsville District Rugby Union A-grade grand final – and first in over 15 years – with belief they can get the job done.
The Old Boys, who finished the season the way they started it, shocked reigning premiers Brothers with a 22-19 come-from-behind victory.
But it was their resolute goal line defence in the final five minutes that had coach Scott O’neill excited.
North Ward know they will need to do it the hard way, up against a Teachers West side determined to win their sixth TDRU title in seven years, but they showed on the weekend they have the resilience to fight in the moments that matter most.
“It was fantastic and great for the club, getting in the grand final is great reward for commitment and hard work of this squad,” O’neill said.
“But while we are in there, the job is only half done. We have got to get back to work this week and get the job done in the big one.
“That was a tough physical game, and everyone needs to get their body right to go again. But it is grand final time, the boys will be up for it.”
While North Ward went into the break with a comfortable lead, O’neill said he never felt they could take the foot off the accelerator.
Brothers, led by a commanding performance by flyhalf Brendan Morgan, forced their way back into the contest in the second and even took the lead late, after Dan Cooper scored.
But the Old Boys refused to give in, with their 19-year-old playmaker Declan Marchioni scoring the matchwinning try later in the second half.
“(Declan) was outstanding for us and made a try-saving tackle with two or three minutes to go,” O’neill said.
“He was far more confident in himself and he ran a really good show. I think having that experience helped. He was a bit nervous the week before, he admitted that. But I just said to him to relax and play your football, because he is naturally talented.
“It was a great game for both clubs. We really enjoy playing footy against Brothers, we love the challenge.
“We were nervous at the end because we have been in that situation the last two years. We were beaten by a couple of points by LARCS in 2019, we were beaten by five or six points by Brothers last year.
“But our effort to get back on-side when we were under the pump, the effort to defend was incredible.”