Tara Murray
Truganina Rabbitohs walked away with one premiership and two runners-up trophies in the NRL Victoria Storm premiership senior grand finals.
The Rabbitohs senior men’s won the first grade title, while their women’s and third grade side just fell short of premiership glory.
President Molly Niuula said it had been a really good season for the club.
“All three senior teams made the grand final,” she said. “Our under-13 boys team made it as well which was very exciting. It was the first time they’ve made it.
“It was touch and go and we weren’t sure if we would get all three senior teams there. It’s the first time all three have made the grand final.”
The first grade men’s side was able to come away with the premiership with a 36-14 win against the Sunbury Tigers on September 7.
The Rabbitohs finished the regular season in second spot, with nine wins for the season.
After winning two premierships, the side lost last year’s decider to the Waverley Panthers.
The senior men’s grand final was the final match of the day and Niuula said it was a good way to end the day.
“The last time we played Sunbury we lost by quite a bit,” she said. ”At times during the season we struggled with injuries and work commitments.
“We had a lot of players back for the game.”
The Rabbitohs had seven different try scorers in the win.
The senior women finished the regular season in second before winning a semi final against minor premiers Werribee Bears to win through to the grand final.
The Rabbitohs faced the Casey Warriors in the grand final, losing 16-12. The Warriors claimed back-to-back titles.
“The senior women did really well, but you can’t always win,” Niuula said. It was a really good match and it was close all day.
“We are quite happy with how they played.”
The third grade men lost to Werribee Bears, 24-12, while the under-13 division 1 boys lost to the Warriors, 32-6.
Niuula said the club continues to see massive growth.
“We had 20 teams this season,” he said. “That is the highest number of memberships that we’ve had.
“We had seven extra teams and had three senior teams, the growth is there. We had five female teams as well.
“We have strong ties in the community. The biggest challenge we have is the growth.”
As well as having success with their teams, several players are part of the new Melbourne Storm female academy.
