South Darwin Rabbitohs win thriller of a grand final over Casuarina Cougars
SOUTH Darwin Rabbitohs claimed the 2020-21 Darwin a-grade rugby union crown following a thrilling 15-14 win over a valiant Casuarina Cougars.
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SOUTH Darwin Rabbitohs claimed the 2020-21 Darwin A-grade Rugby Union crown following a thrilling 15-14 win over a valiant Casuarina Cougars.
Intensity and passion was on show from the opening whistle with both sides eager to show what they’re made of, with a shot at premiership glory on the line.
Cougars struck first earning a penalty deep in Souths territory and they were quick to punish their opposition through the boot of their captain Zach Phillips.
But the Bunnies didn’t let that early setback stop them and soon found themselves deep in Casuarina’s 22 zone with an offensive lineout in their favour.
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It was that platform and the direction of captain Vincent Mehn that saw the Rabbitohs go through for a try to David Nichol on the opposite end of the ground.
An almost replica move with strike runners applying pressure to the Cougars’ defensive line saw fullback Nichol over for another score on the left wing.
And a penalty on the stroke of halftime through the boot of Nichol saw Souths in command going into the break.
It was an arm wrestle start to the second half, with Cougars gaining ground on the back of penalty kicks.
Souths looked likely to seal the game with another try down the wing after strong runs from Mehn and the season’s leading tryscorer Jone Vakacegu.
But a forward pass resulted in a scrum.
However, it was Cougars who had the ascendancy in the scrum late in the game with Souths hooker Bryn Templeman coming off the field.
It was that work and power in the scrum from props Dylan Rutherford and Eric Erickson that kept Cougars in the game and back onto the offensive.
Souths held their line against scrums and hard runs, but it was fullback Cooper Segeyaro who eventually found his way over the line on the right wing after the 15-minute assault.
But a missed conversion from Phillips kept Souths one point ahead in the dying moments, which was ultimately the deciding factor to see out another thriller of a grand final.
Mehn credited his side’s persistence in defence in the second half, and forwards such as Josh Cockbain and Brad Hunt for their continued efforts.
“It feels great, just so good. We’ve had a hell of a season with the boys and to finish it off like that was special,” Mehn told the NT News.
“There was a fair bit of work on our structure to get the best out of our side all season and it wasn’t always easy but we managed to finish off which was really enjoyable.
“It was a close one. We had a big 15 minutes defending our line and we both had our chances that we didn’t quite finish off but we just really wanted to win and we managed that.
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“All the forwards did an outstanding job. They’ve been great for us all season and that’s where the win came from.”