Grand final spot locked
EACH hit made a statement, every try transformed the flow of momentum. But as battered and bruised as Teachers West captain Josh Fletcher was after the clash with Brothers, elation still remained.
With the Townsville and District Rugby Union’s player of the year medal around his neck, Fletcher reflected on arguably his finest performance of the season – a thrilling 26-22 triumph to send the Bulldogs straight to the grand final.
While the fly-half would have preferred to avoid a stint in the sin bin for repeated infringements, his game management proved crucial in closing out the tense affair.
Four tries apiece ensured goal kicking determined the outcome, with Fletcher’s sideline conversions on the back of Harvey Smith’s double ultimately the difference.
But it was a series of hits in defence that perhaps best underline his side’s performance, as every man from both teams threw themselves into the conflict. “I love it, it’s what we look forward to playing Brothers every year,” Fletcher said. “Every time we come up against them it’s the old arch nemesis so any opportunity you get to lay one out you will. That was back and forth, it was a bloody arm wrestle.
“We said, ‘We have to hang in there’. “We’re always in the game and we knew we could take points if we held on to the ball.
“It’s tough, it was ugly and we had to bite down on the mouthguard for a little while but the boys responded well.
“It was a good character-building win. We have a lot to take out of it.
“It was pretty scrappy, but we’ve got two weeks off now. We’ll rest up, carry a few bumps and bruises and see what happens next week.”
Teachers West will now wait to have their last rival locked in, with North Ward to face Brothers after their victory over Western Suburbs. With several players licking wounds after the ferocity of the clash against the Brethren, the week off will prove vital as the Bulldogs search for a return to the top of the podium.
The signs are strong, with Fletcher’s recognition as player of the year surprising him yet few pundits.
“I sat four or five weeks out with an injury so I didn’t expect it,” Fletcher said of his medal. “I didn’t think it was my best year but I’ll take it.
“It’s a good time to come into a bit of form. We lost last year, we’re not going to take it for granted.”