Recap

Grand Final win for Goulburn’s undefeated U15s

By JASON MORONEY

Looking up to see snow on the Brindabella’s as you enter Canberra could have been read as a good omen, as the Goulburn U15 team ‘iced’ the season with a dogged Gold Division grand final win against St Edmunds, 24 to 7 at Curtin Fields.

The day started at Maccas carpark as a convoy of decorated cars and excited parents and players left a chilly Goulburn (6.30am!!) with nervous hopes.

Coaches Mick Seaman and Bill Barker had the boys primed, but who really knows if it is ‘our day’ until you hit the field. Matt ‘Waterboy’ Tremble and the injured Charlie Booth watched pensively from the sideline.

The first 15 minutes were a tight grind, befitting a grand final. Goulburn had all the territory but no points to show as they failed to crack the solid Eddies defence. 

The first chance occurred at the 18th minute mark as Charlie Moroney found space out wide, but the touchy’s flag indicated he had been tackled into touch. 

The Goulburn crowd held its breath as some undisciplined play and poor ball retention from a jittery Goulburn team meant there were no points to show from a wealth of territory. Eddies were also defending well and Eddies were here to play.

The Goulburn backline started numerous raids, often from fullback Kennedy, and linking all the way to the outside backs Tush, Pat, Levi and Skef, but a way through was hard to find today.

Until…..’Nobody’s’ perfect, but Paddy Craig comes close, as fullback Seth Kennedy put ‘Nobody’ into space to finally score in the 20th minute.  Conversion missed. 5-0 to Goulburn. 

Through a few Goulburn errors, Eddies ended up near the Goulburn tryline. A game plan of ‘pick and drive’ from Eddies allowed them to hit back straight away as their forwards crashed over from close range. 5-7 to Eddies.

With three minutes to half time, no-one had told fly half Josh Evans that you were supposed to play conservative footy, as he launched a bouncing ball towards the Eddies tryline….and who was there? With a one-arm pick-up, was that ‘GI’? No it was a flying Bailey Shipp, who gathered the ball, outpaced the defence and grounded in the corner for a try that had the crowd on its feet. Conversion missed.

The teams headed to halftime at 10-7 to Goulburn.

At the halftime break, Coaches Seaman and Barker worked on settling the lads down, as Eddies clearly had no intention of giving the game away. 

‘Let’s control the ball boys…Will and Ben, Noah and Brendan- get to the breakdown and protect our ball. Toby and Simon, lets get the line out ball….the back three, Seth, Tush and Levi, you have been great all year, let’s keep it simple in the backs.’

So the second half starts. 

Eddies work the pick and drive again, and again it is highly effective, but this time Goulburn holds on. The forwards stand strong and turn Eddies back after what seemed an eternity of goal-line defence.

But what’s that? No, the crowd roars. Goulburn prop Will Barker has tried to remove his opposing props head and is given 10 minutes to think about it.

With only 15 minutes to go and a three-point lead to defend against a resurgent Eddies, how would Goulburn respond?

After an undefeated season, Goulburn weren’t going to throw it away. So tackle they had to and tackle they did. Forwards Connor, Ben, Joe, Josh Clarke (first game back after a broken hand) Toby, Noah, Brendan, Small Charlie and Simon all filled the gap during Will’s absence. The forwards stopped everything in blue and white.

In the backs, Captain Matt, Tom Skef, Levi, Tush, Seth, Josh, Charlie, Pat, and Bailey defended as if the game depended on it… well, because it did. 

Captain Matt Seaman was controlling the tempo well as Goulburn slowed the game while a man down. 

Sometimes it takes a little bit of backline brilliance to bust the game open, and that happened at the 53-minute mark. 

Seaman feeds a Goulburn scrum just inside Eddies half. Seaman to Evans… the next pass, in a jumble of players, who has the ball? The crowd hollers as the pink headgear of Charlie Moroney bursts through the Eddies backline, shimmies the Eddies fullback and plants the ball under the posts. Charlie converts his own try. 17-7 to Goulburn with 5 to go. Could they do it?

Will’s back, 15 on 15 again.

Goulburn works the ball downfield and end up near the Eddies try line. Eddies defend grimly as they think they are still a chance to get back into this game.

But it is fitting that the man who has scored in nearly every game this season, and is the Clubs leading try scorer, who delivers the coup-de-grace to Eddies.

Dynamic Joe Simmons, you little beauty, as he scoops the ball off the ruck and dances over from 5 metres out. Conversion successful. 

They have done it…Goulburn 24 defeats St Edmunds 7 in a great grand final. 

Goulburn had been the dominant team all season, but grand finals are different.

Goulburn’s forwards again bustled, tackled and toughed it out as they had all year. Well done pigs! The backs looked great with the ball in hand, with the footy often making its all the way to the wingers on the backline moves. Mick and Bill have moulded a team however, where the backs and forwards support each other. 

It is to Eddies credit that the game was not really decided until 5 to go.  Eddies v Goulburn should turn into a nice little derby in the years to come.

Josh Evans was player of the match. Josh runs hard, tackles harder and has developed a nice kicking game- well done.

Thankyou to the refs and touchies and to the many spectators who travelled to watch.

Goulburn 24 (Pat Craig, Bailey Shipp, Charlie Moroney, Joe Simmons tries, Charlie Moroney 2 con versions) defeated St Edmunds 7.

Man of the match- Josh Evans.

Photos: EMILY STANBERG.