The Western Suburbs Devils claimed back-to-back Harrigan Cup titles after edging out Collegians in a nail-biting grand final at WIN Stadium on Saturday. In front of a large and passionate crowd, the Devils triumphed 14–8 in extra-time, sealing consecutive premierships in dramatic fashion.
With the game locked up at 8-all after 80 minutes, it was a moment of individual brilliance from Devils halfback Dane Chisholm that sealed the win, slicing through a fatigued Collegians defence to score the winning try in the first half of extra-time.
After playing a hand in the first and last try, and just about everything else in between, Chisholm was awarded Player-of-the-Match for the second consecutive year.
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The decider was an arm-wrestle from the outset. Wests drew first blood when hooker Joseph Dickson pounced on a Chisholm grubber kick in the 20th minute, before sharpshooter Clay Baldock added the extras. A penalty goal late in the first half extended the lead to 8–0 at the break.
[Watch] Fancy Footwork. Wests halfback Dane Chisholm breaks the line before kicking through for hooker Joey Dickson to score the opening try
Collegians refused to fade, with Nicolas Hall breaking through in the 69th minute after stealing a towering Blair Grant kick from Baldock’s grasp. Callum Gromek’s conversion reduced the margin to two points before a clutch penalty goal from Blair Grant in the dying seconds tied the scores at 8–8, sending the final into 5 minutes each way of extra time.
[Watch] Game On. Collies centre Nic Hall plucks a Blair Grant bomb from Clay Baldcock’s grasp, bringing his side back into the contest.
In the 83rd minute, Chisholm produced a moment of magic, slicing through to score the match-winner. Baldock’s conversion increased the lead to 14–8, which they clung to grimly until the siren, which sparked jubilant celebrations among the Devils faithful.
[Watch] The Man. The Moment. Chisholm scores the matchwinner.
Chisholm, named Player of the Match, admitted it was one of the toughest games of his career:
“Wow, that was one hell of a final. We sure gave the crowd what they paid for. That was tough, honestly, the hardest game I’ve played in a long time.
“Collegians have been the benchmark all year, cleaning up a lot of teams by big points. We knew if we rocked up today and defended well, we’d be in it to the end.
“I didn’t think it’d be that close, but we’re just glad to get the job done back-to-back. It’s going to be a good night.”
On his match-winning try, Chisholm laughed:
“I didn’t think the legs were going to get there. I was cramping up. But I saw a bit of space, took the ball to the line, and went straight through. Both teams were out on their feet, something was going to break eventually, and I’m glad it happened our way.”
Player of the Match | Dane Chisholm
Devils coach Peter McLeod praised his side’s resilience and defensive grit.
“What a grand final that was. They’re hard enough to play for 80, and the boys had to play 90 today.
“Credit to Collegians, they came back strong, but a bit of class at the end got the job done. Our defence has been questioned at times this year, but the last couple of weeks it’s been outstanding. The experience in this group showed through, and I’m just proud of the club.”
Grehan Upbeat Despite Heartbreaker
Across the field, first-year Collegians coach Jimmy Grehan was full of pride despite the heartbreak.
“It hurts right now because we didn’t get the chocolates today, but I’m so proud of the boys.
“There were stages where we weren’t at our best, but we hung in the game and gave ourselves a chance.
That little break before overtime might’ve hurt us, but it could have gone either way. They’ve now felt the pain of a grand final loss; next time, hopefully, we go one better.”
Goal-kicking hero Blair Grant, whose late penalty goal forced extra time, admitted the slow start cost them.
“It’s very disappointing. Proud of the boys, but our first half wasn’t good enough. We came home strong and tied it up, but Wests were a bit better than us in extra time.
“We’ve got to be better for the full 80. Playing alongside my brothers this season has been special, though, and we’ll come back stronger.”
The Lower Grades
Harrigan Plate: Devils Claim Three-peat
The Devils claimed a three-peat in Harrigan Plate action with a 22-10 victory over the Avondale Wombats, who were playing in their first grand final after joining the competition last year.
The Wombats got out of the blocks early with a try to Tevita Vea in the 7th minute. But it was the Devils who took a 10-4 lead into halftime in a hard-fought contest, with tries from Simon Maslanka and Josiah Brierley, who also picked up Player-of-the-Match honours.
A second-half double to Wests winger Ethan Barker broke the game open for the defending premiers, establishing a 20-4 lead before a consolation try to the Wombats Calvin Tonga five minutes before the final whistle to reduce the margin to 20-10, before the Devils put the icing on the cake with a penalty goal on the siren.
Three-peat: The Devils picked up their third consecutive Harrigan Plate title with Saturday’s win over Avondale Wombats
Harrigan Shield: Greyhounds stay on track in decider
In a repeat of last year’s Harrigan Shield Grand Final, the Avondale Greyhounds defeated Figtree Crushers 32-18 to secure back-to-back titles. The Greyhounds established a handy 18-6 lead at the break, with converted tries to Damien Riggs, Militoni Vereaqali and Shaun Baulch.
Shortly after the break, the Greyhounds extended their lead when Dylan Riggs converted his own try. Matt Hobbs crashed over for the Crushers to give hope to their supporters at 24-12 and plenty of time remaining on the clock.
However, the Greyhounds were next on the scorebaord, Sean Trindall evading several defenders to score out wide. Riggs converted Trindall’s four-pointer, to continue his perfect day with the boot, adding a penalty goal on the hour mark for a 32-12 lead with just 10 minutes to play.
Crushers halfback Chris Browne scored the final try in the dying stages, adding the extras to also finish with an unblemished record with three goals from three attempts.
But it was all too little, too late, as the Greyhounds secured a comfortable win with a 14-point margin. Greyhounds hooker Militoni Vereaqali was awarded Player-of-the-Match
Words | Angelina Raula
Pictures | Denis Ivaneza