Pressure cooker for Country

QUEENSLAND Country girls were forced to come from behind twice, but they sealed a dramatic 22-20 win in the final seconds in the inaugural clash against their City rivals.

The Country side featured two emerging Townsville starlets in Kirwan High’s Theophilia Mosby-nona and AnnaMina Bin Awel.

It was a gripping contest between the two sides with City getting the better of the starts both early on and immediately after half time.

But both times Country showed the determination and grit to claw their way back into the contest with a late try to Jayde Herdegen levelling the scores.

The pressure then fell on the shoulders of exciting fullback Mackay’s Emily Bella, the niece of Queensland Origin legend Marty Bella, who slotted the game-winning conversion after the siren.

The Country under-17 boys side, which featured a strong contingent of Townsville young guns, was beaten comprehensively by their City rivals in Redcliffe.

City ran in four tries in 10 minutes in the second half to run away with a 52-20 win.