Werribee Bears have fashioned a first-grade rugby league grand final win on the back of sheer guts and determination.
The Bears willed themselves over the line for a 20-18 victory over Casey Warriors in a tension-filled NRL Victoria decider at Fregon Reserve in Clayton on Saturday to make it back-to-back premierships for the first time in club history.
It was hard-nosed defence that was the cornerstone for the Bears over 80 hard-fought minutes.
The Bears spent large chunks of the game having to muscle up in defence as their attacking moves broke down time and again.
Bears co-coach Brian George acknowledged the Werribee players’ struggles.
“Our first 20 minutes, we just defended,” he said. “I don’t think we touched the ball. Even the last 20 minutes, we just defended and defended.
“Every time we touched the ball, we dropped it or we’d give away a penalty and we were back on defence. We just kept turning up in defence.”
It was a mighty effort by Werribee to withstand the punishment thrown its way by the Warriors.
The Bears had to do it for the most part without captain and tackling machine Eddie Aukino Hughes, who was concussed in the first half and did not return to the field.
Chase Hoare led the way for the Bears with his defence.
“Other guys stepped up and made more tackles than they normally do and stayed on longer minutes,” George said. “They followed Chase’s lead.”
Another big loss for Werribee’s go forward was the injured Iosua Tauai, who did not recover in time after a head knock in the semi-final win against Casey.
While the Bears were light on up the middle of the field, contributing to a low completion rate, they were lethal when they got the ball close to the try line.
All 20 Bears points were scored through tries – five in all.
Half-back Troy Hanita-Paki, the Bears’ leading try-scorer, crossed for two, with Redeem Saleupolu, Tevita Pomale and Kuros Metuariki scoring singles.
Hanita-Paki capped a superb season with the grand final MVP award.
“He’s like a general for us,” George said. “He moves our team around and kicks in the corners. He’s only just turned 18, so we’ve been impressed with him over the past month.”
Werribee’s clubrooms were “rocking” on Saturday night with the club also celebrating premierships in division 2, under-12 boys and under-14 girls tag.
