Four points. That is all that stood between our U18s and a Grand Final.
Endeavour Hills came into Saturday afternoon undefeated. Field 1 at Bon Thomas Reserve, 2:30pm, and what followed was the sort of match that reminds you why you stand on a sideline in late winter.
Coach Russ Hurdle called it the best game he has been involved with. Club President Tim Adams, watching on, described brilliant attack and crunching defence from both sides, played at an exhausting pace.
Here is the number that tells the story. Endeavour Hills scored six tries. We scored four. On most afternoons that is a comfortable win for the other side. It finished four points, and the reason is Ben, who landed two conversions and two penalties to keep our boys inside touching distance every time Endeavour Hills threatened to pull clear.
Sione crossed twice. Elijah and David got the others.
Endeavour Hills looked at one stage to be running away with it. Our boys did not accept it. Two tries in the final five minutes brought them back to within four points of an undefeated side, and with a couple more minutes on the clock, who knows.
Final score: Endeavour Hills 34 Brimbank Bucks/Eltham 30.
The numbers
- Tries: Sione (2), Elijah, David
- Conversions: Ben (2)
- Penalties: Ben (2)
What this team gave
Every player who took the field gave one hundred percent, and that includes every player off the bench. Nobody coasted.
Both sides played hard and played with genuine respect for one another, and the sportsmanship on display was the highest level. A word too for the referee, who had an outstanding day in a match played at that intensity.
This merged side with Brimbank has been a real success story this season. That does not happen by accident. It happens because players from two clubs decided to become one team, and because the coaches, managers and parents from both clubs made it work week after week. We will be going around again next year.
To our lads, our young men: we are enormously proud of you. 🖤💛
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