Full gallery, wrap: Newcastle Rebels return to country summit with big win in Woy Woy
The Newcastle Rebels are the kings of the country following a big defeat of the Riverina Bulls. Catch up on all the action from the final, PLUS check out our 20+ photo gallery from Woy Woy.
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NEWCASTLE has been crowned as kings of the country after a dominant display in Woy Woy.
Taking on the Riverina Bulls in the final of the Men’s Country Championships, the Rebels were relentless in a 49-16 demolition at Woy Woy Oval on Saturday.
An incredible first half set the platform for Newcastle, racing in five tries to one to open up a commanding 30-6 lead at the break.
Among the highlights was a 90m intercept from Joe Woodbury, who turned defenders inside out on his way to one of the great individual tries of the year.
The talented winger brought up a double in the second half, with big forward Jayden Butterfield also getting across the stripe from close range.
The front rower put the exclamation mark on the win in the 80th minute, slotting a field goal to cap a memorable victory.
“It was a good performance and we spoke about not having put a first half together. We’ve missed the kick in the first few games,” coach Adam Bettridge said.
“That was the plan to come out firing, and we knew if we could get 12 or 18 points past them, it might be a bridge too far.
“We always back our fitness. We’ve had our players training prior to Christmas and we knew once we got into that arm wrestle, we could make it uncomfortable for them.
“One of the things is we like to play eyes up footy and take some risk. We don’t want to be a team of structured robots. A few kicks and passes went to hand, and it was very entertaining to watch.”
Bettridge hopes his team can take this form back to club, and wants them to come back next year to defend the title.
“I hope they enjoyed their time and forged some connections and lifelong friends,” he said.
“There’s a real passion to represent Newcastle and they see we take the program serious. There’s good backing from our sponsors and the league.
“It’s our first title since 2016, which is a credit to all the local coaches as well.”
NEWCASTLE REBELS 49 (Timanu Alexander 2, Joe Woodbury 2, James Bradley 2, Cameron Anderson, Jayden Butterfield tries; Chad O’Donnell 8 goals; Butterfield field goal) defeated RIVERINA BULLS 16 (Zane Bijorac, Brayden Draber, Latrell Siegwalt tries; Bijorac, Siegwalt goals)
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