U14 MINERS IN HUNT FOR PREMIERSHIP GLORY
FOUR Charters Towers junior rugby league teams chanced their hand at a spot in the finals last week, with the Under 14 Miners the last men standing in the race for premiership glory.
UNDER 14
The road to the semi finals was not an easy one for the Hammer and Co Under 14 Miners.
The Miners entered the finals after a playoff against Burdekin on Wednesday night, with the team enjoying playing under lights for the first time.
Coach Darren Glenwright said a confident start and plenty of energy from the cool conditions meant the Miners were like Energizer bunnies with the speed of the game.
“They were out in front and continued to dominate with outstanding defence,” he said.
“Burdekin weren’t able to cross the line until the second half.
“Our points were well earned with a lot of decisions going against us.
“The team showed tenacity to get the win and advance to the next round.”
Bryce Mayfield and Mahava Leo scored twice, with Khye Burke, Chase Glenwright, Kelly Muke and Tom Kirkwood getting one apiece.
Mac Sharp-callaghan nailed four conversions with the final score 4210. The Miners followed the mid week game up with the semi-final against Upper Ross at 9am on Saturday.
Glenwright said the 6am start leaving town hadn’t worked well for the team all year, but the Miners had a solid start to the game with minimal errors.
Jaxon Ernst drew in the defence early and put Darby Linton over in the right corner for the Miners’ first points.
“The Rams responded almost immediately with a penalty near the try line, they used their sizeable prop to crash over the line,” Glenwright said. “Darby received the ball back off the next set and broke the defensive line going the length of the field to score again.
“Jaxon Ernst was next to score and seeing a gap he charged the defence and made it over the line, giving us the lead of three tries to two going into halftime.
“Spirits were high but the realisation that Upper Ross would come back harder in the second half was the reason the team was playing for one another.”
The coach said there were some big hits from both sides to start the second half and this showed how much the win meant to both teams.
“Simple handling errors placed the Miners under pressure but, against the odds, Khye Burke found a way through the Rams’ defence and scored next to the posts,” he said.
“Upper Ross got another chance near the try line and using their size and speed crashed over for another try. The Miners finished the game off putting Darby over for his third try and Mac Sharp-callaghan converting three from five, giving us the win 2622.”
The Miners take on Brothers Friday night to earn a spot in the grand final.
UNDER 13 GIRLS
Saturday’s semi-finals game was a tough one for the Charters Towers Miners Under 13 Girls, who unfortunately were downed 28-10 by the Western Lions.
UNDER 15
The Columba Catholic College Under 15 Miners went down 48-10 to a well-drilled Brothers White on Saturday.
UNDER 17
The Towers Power Equipment Under 17 Miners went into the elimination final with the wood on Centrals after winning their previous outing, but failed to repeat their performance, losing 36-22.