OLD Bar Pirates women’s league tag side ended the club's premiership drought by winning the Group Three grand final 10-4 over minor premiers Port City at Port Macquarie.
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This is Old Bar’s first premiership in any grade since the reserve grade triumph in 2006 and the club’s initial league tag title.
Coach Nigel Lyons said in Friday’s Times that defence would win the game for Old Bar. His prediction proved to be spot-on. Old Bar scrambled determinedly to get to tags when under pressure, particularly towards the end of the first half. Port's roster contains some of the best attacking players in the competition. However, they were restricted to one try in a game where Old Bar always looked to have the upper hand.
“Defence won us the game in the end,’’ a jubilant Lyons said at fulltime.
“We scored a couple of tries and we defended well. A couple of the girls did some individual stuff, but it was our defence that was the difference.’’
Lyons agreed that Holli Wheeler’s kicking game also played a big part.
“Holli’s kicking game is better than half the blokes running around in this group. We talked about it before the game – kicking long and getting up there and defending.’’
Lyons said the Pirates contained Port’s Australian rugby league representative Simome Smith although he added he thought Smith carried injury into the match.
“We talk about that before the game – we had to limit her options, get up on here and get that tag off.’’
Lyons expects the club will retain the nucleus of the team for 2018.
“A couple of the older girls might move on, but I think most will stay,’’ he said as he prepared for the bus trip home which he said would be punctuated by visits to as many pubs as possible.
Courtney Hannon scored the opening try of the game when she ducked through a game from dummy half and Sarah O’Connor gave the Pirates a six point lead. Hannon made a number of incisive breaks and was named player of the game, just shading Wheeler and Jenna Rowsell, who were both superb. The Pirates maintained the advantage until the break, soaking up enormous pressure late in the half.
Rowsell gave Tayla Mullen space down the short side and Mullen did the rest to score Old Bar’s second try midway through the second section. The Breakers pulled four points back through a try to Alinta White, but Old Bar dominated field position from there to come away deserving premiers.
Old Bar 10 (C Hannon, T Mullen tries, T Mullen goal) defeated Port City 4 (A White try).
