Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cups: star players pivotal in grand final thrillers
Star players really stepped up as champions were crowned across two dramatic grand finals in the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups. Check out which sides emerged victorious on the big stage.
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After five regular season rounds and semi-finals across both grades, champions were finally crowned in the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups after two dramatic grand finals on the weekend.
The best local footy talents from across regional NSW descended on Woy Woy Oval on the Central Coast for the ultimate showdowns, with both games living up to the hype.
There were some five-star performances from future stars as both games went down to the wire.
In the Andrew Johns Cup it was a battle of the north, with the Newcastle Maitland Region Knights taking on the Central Coast Roosters.
While in the Laurie Daley Cup, it was to be a clash of the south, with the Illawarra South Coast Dragons taking on the Monaro Colts.
Also check out our photo gallery of the two grand finals below.
Andrew Johns Cup: Roosters’ superstars slay the Knights
The Central Coast Roosters had their star playmaker Jai Callaghan and industrious backrower Darcy Smith to thank after the pair put in standout performances to help their side to an 18-10 victory over the Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights.
Callaghan, who was named at halfback despite playing much of the season at fullback, opened the scoring in the seventh minute.
With the Roosters 15 metres out from the Knights’ line, Callaghan took advantage of the fact that the Knights only had one marker, picking up the ball up from dummy half and shooting through the unprepared defence to score.
He then backed that up in the 31st minute with the moment of the match.
Chasing through on an attacking bomb from five-eighth Isaac Fotu-Moala, Callaghan outjumped the Knights’ winger, before palming off another and throwing a dummy to score next to the posts.
While the Roosters deservedly led 12-0, largely on the back on a dominant performance from their forwards, the Knights, who topped their Northern Conference ahead of the Central Coast side, launched a stirring second half comeback.
Just when it looked like nothing was happening, interchange hooker Matthew McEwan burrowed over from dummy half in the 42nd minute, while winger Darcy Mitchell finished off a slick backline move with eight minutes to go to bring the scores back to 12-10 and set up a grandstand finish.
While the Knights continued to push for a match-winner, the Roosters ultimately had the last say, with man of the match Smith – who was outstanding alongside fellow backrowers Kaleb Burke and Riley Ingham – crashing over from close range with less than two minutes remaining to seal the victory for the Central Coast.
The victory comes after the Roosters last won the competition in 2021, and reverses the result between the two teams in the final round of the regular season, when the Knights prevailed 30-14.
“It felt really good, because the last game they completely pumped us. It just felt good, coming back, getting all the boys together and playing good,” said Smith after the game.
Illawarra South Coast Dragons go back-to-back in Laurie Daley Cup
The Illawarra South Coast Dragons are back to back champions in the Laurie Daley Cup after defeating a valiant Monaro Colts side in a 26-24 thriller.
An overcast Saturday at Woy Woy Oval brought out the best talent regional NSW footy has to offer, with the two heavyweights of the Southern Conference battling it out for grand final glory.
The Monaro Colts entered the match with a somewhat of a mental edge after defeating the Dragons 40-16 in the sides’ only meeting earlier this season.
Star second rower Jarrah Treweek crossed the line for the opener, backing himself for strength in a 1v1 scenario rather than spreading the ball further to the left flank, and in doing so bundled his way over the line for the first points.
Treweek would also prove to be damaging in his distribution shortly after, engaging the line before releasing winger Toby Rumble into the clear down the left wing. The winger blitzed Monaro fullback Alexander Sweeney for pace to charge down the sideline and extend the lead for the Dragons.
If anyone was going to have their say in the grand final for the Monaro Colts, it was going to be the top try scorer in the league, Xavier Cacciotti.
In seemingly a carbon copy of countless tries this season, the star hooker opened the scoring for the Colts with a short-range burrow from dummy-half under the posts.
However just as the Colts narrowed the lead the Dragons hit back again, with Treweek again proving too much to handle for Monaro.
After receiving the ball on the left flank he dummied to his outside backs before taking on the line himself, palming off halfback Mason Kearney in a size mismatch to go in to score his second.
That try sent the Dragons into the break leading 14-6.
They might have been down, but the Colts come firing out of the blocks, with Cacciotti crossing for his second just three minutes after the restart. After receiving an offload close to the line from five-eighth Blake Hovi he dove his way over for another four pointer.
As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and three minutes after scoring Cacciotti was in the thick of the action yet again, picking the ball up from dummy-half and diving over close to the line to score his hat-trick and send the Colts into the lead for the first time.
Chasing the game, the Dragons kept their cool and put together an excellent set play, with captain Ashton O’Dea feeding five-eighth Eden Hodges into a hole, before getting it wide to centre Darnell Te Ahuru, who just had enough pace to keep away from the pursuing chasers and score.
The Dragons would cross for their fifth and final try through the star of the show, Jarrah Treweek, after halfback Jarod Tiyce broke the line with a mean dummy and put the backrower on a platter to complete his hat-trick and make the scores 26-18.
Just when it looked like the game might be gone, Cacciotti put in yet another trademark dive from dummy half to pick up his fourth try of the match, the 12th of his incredible campaign, with just two and a half minutes remaining to make the scores 26-24 and set up a nailbiting finish.
It would not be enough for his side though, with the Dragons hanging on to emerge two-point winners and pick up silverware for the second season in a row.
Treweek deservedly picked up player-of-the-match gong thanks to three tries and an assist, finding fine form just as he prepares to return to the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs in the Group 7 competition.
Photo Gallery: Action packed grand finals
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