‘Didn’t quite survive’: Wanderers break trophy during celebrations
Wanderers nursed sore bodies and sorer heads after their 26-10 grand final win against Southside Crusaders – but it was the FNQ Rugby Women’s trophy that came off worse for wear.
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Wanderers nursed sore bodies and sorer heads after their 26-10 grand final win against Southside Crusaders – but it was the FNQ Rugby Women’s trophy that came off worse for wear.
“There was a lot of team celebrations with the trophy,” coach Chloe Dray said.
“Some Champagne was drunk out of it and it didn’t quite survive the first 24 hours, but we’re going to get it fixed up and put it on display in the shed.”
The full-blown celebrations were just what you would expect from the Wanderers, who avenged last year’s grand final defeat to Mudcrabs – a match they were leading 21-10 at halftime.
The Green Machine held a 12-0 lead at the break after captain Nett Brown bagged a double in the first half, and extended the margin to 19-0 when Rachel Viniki went over under the posts early in the second stanza.
Two quick tries the Crusaders’ way gave the Wanderers a scare but – having learned from last year’s grand final fade out – they remained composed with gun flyhalf Becka Marsters sealing the premiership with a penalty try, after scrumhalf and Belgium 7s international representative Evelien Rosier made a break down the right flank to get her side in attacking position.
Dray said Rosier, who claimed player of the final honours in a dominant display, had been a huge asset for the club since rocking up to a training session a few weeks into the season.
“She comes from Belgium and she’s been travelling around Australia,” she said.
“She met one of our players, Melissa LeBlanc, at the gym and said ‘you look like a rugby player, do you play rugby in Cairns?’, and Melissa said ‘yeah, come down to Wanderers’.
“She’s the vice-captain of our team and really motivates everybody. She’s very professional and is an inspirational leader on the field.”
JCU Mariners take out second title in three years
The sleeping giant of FNQ Rugby has awoken.
JCU Mariners have completed the ultimate revival by securing their second Rainforestation Cup in three years with a comeback win against the Port Douglas Reef Raiders in a seesawing grand final.
The Mariners trailed 17-10 in the moments before halftime before Hemson Koi broke off the back of a scrum and scored on the blind side to get JCU back within two.
The little sniff of momentum was all the Mariners needed as they took the lead early in the second half through Claude Thomsen.
A Myles Hardy try extended JCU’s lead to 29-17 before Port Douglas’ Shihan Aue scored one of his own in the dying stages to set up a grandstand finish, but the Mariners defence was up to the task, holding off the fast-finishing Port Douglas to claim a 29-22 grand final win.
JCU inside centre Bradley Manoi said it was an “unreal” feeling.
“I’m still trying to get over it,” he said.
“When that last whistle blew I was just like ‘what’s going on, what’s going on’, but as soon as the boys started running on I knew we took the win.”
He said the Mariners, who snapped an eight-year premiership drought in 2019, had been determined to redeem themselves after they failed to get to the grand final in last year’s premiership defence.
“We missed out last year against Wanderers in the semi-finals, this year we rallied and pushed through,” he said.
“We had a great start and got a couple of wins under our belt but then we started losing players midseason due to injury, but then the boys backed each other up and pushed through the finals and got through the big one.”
Manoi said it was the club’s strong family culture that had driven it’s recent success.
“We’re actually not a team – we’re a family,” he said.
“So it’s a family from 1 to 15 to whoever’s sitting on the bench, from our families pushing us to go to training, from our girlfriends, wives and partners who all rallied behind us.
“This one’s for them.”
JCU captain Kai Lowah said he was “over the moon”.
“I’m stoked,” he said.
“It’s the second one that I’ve had the pleasure of captaining to a victory.
“The boys worked hard all year round, to get to the big dance and come out on top, it’s on another level.”
He praised Port Douglas, saying they were “a very tough team” and that he expected them to be up there again next season.
“For them to get to back-to-back grand finals, it’s amazing,” he said.
“It’s a solid effort from those boys, and to come out and give us a scare like that, that speaks volumes, so I think all the teams should be scared of Port.”
The Reef Raiders were shooting for their fourth grand final win in four grand final appearances, but were unable to keep the perfect record intact.
Aengus Dickson was named player of the final in a dominant performance for the Mariners.
“He brings a lot to the team,” Manoi said.
“With him on the outside, you know he’s always going to back you up 100 per cent.”
In reserve grade, Barron Trinity Bulls defeated Northern Beaches Mudcrabs 23-10, while Wanderers claimed the women’s premiership with a 26-10 win over Southside Crusaders.
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Originally published as ‘Didn’t quite survive’: Wanderers break trophy during celebrations
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