The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Blairgowrie rugby captain praises side despite Bowl final loss:
McOuat hails attitude after show of passion in Murrayfield final
Blairgowrie skipper Andrew McOuat believes the future is rosy for the club after a battling performance in the final of the BT Bowl competition ended in a 33-23 defeat at the hands of East Division Two side Portobello at Murrayfield.
McOuat and his men refused to buckle against opponents who looked to have sealed the silverware when they went 30-18 ahead with less than 10 minutes to play.
And Blair made a strong statement when they bagged the closing score with the final play of the game.
That, believes the skipper, is testament to the progress made this season.
“We have really turned things around this season. For us, in the past it has always been the last 20 minutes that have let us down”, he said.
“Actually we seemed to up it a gear in the last 20 minutes. We never give up. We’ve got a lot of passion there.
“We decided to give it our best shot and we had nothing to lose – that’s the attitude we’ve got now and it’s fantastic.”
Roared on by more than 400 of their supporters, who had left JJ Coupar Park in a fleet of buses for the biggest day in the club’s history, Blair started slowly and did well to restrict Portobello to a converted try.
However, once they clicked into gear, McOuat and his colleagues showed what they are capable of and contributed to an entertaining encounter.
Euan Constable touched down for Blair and Stephen Souter booted a penalty as they reached half time 17-8 in arrears.
A try early in the second half by impressive back rower Finlay Ormiston – a stand out performer for Blair – cut the gap to two points.
Two tries and a penalty eased Portobello into a 15-point lead with 10 minutes to play but Souter thumped over a penalty and Ormiston had the last word when he sliced through the Portobello defence for his second try.
The captain was proud of the way his men had battled back into the match, adding: “We picked ourselves up and started to come together in bits and pieces although our discipline let us down a bit.
“We gave away too many soft penalties and they gained a lot of yards through that.”
And, he believes the club’s future is in good hands, pointing to the emerging talent that featured in the final when seven of the squad were 20 years old or younger.
However, he acknowledged that Blairgowrie will always find it difficult to attract the player base enjoyed by some rivals.
“We are a small club, so,to get here with a relatively small squad is significant”, he said.
And he reserved special praise for the senior member of the Blair squad, 44-year-old Alan Walsh, who came off the bench in the second half.
“He is a real leader in the changing room and he is the kind of guy you need.”
We decided to give it our best shot and we had nothing to lose. ANDREW McOUAT