The under 16 grand final was the culmination of a stunning trilogy for Benalla Giants, with the club winning its second straight premiership in the age group, adding to the under 14 flag it won in 2015.
With the group staying largely the same over that period, around half the players have now won three flags in a row, while the rest have experienced two in three years.
It was no cakewalk for the Giants, however, with their opponents from Mansfield putting up a strong fight.
Patrick Smith was superb, while Nick Watson, Blake Hamstead, Harry Mahoney, Mitch Smith and Isaac Murray all dug deep to have the Eagles within five points at halftime.
Even at three quarter time the match was still up for grabs, with Benalla enjoying a 12-point buffer.
But the class of Rory Wapling, Adam Walsh, James Davies, Brady Purcell, Rhys Goodley and Ben Wheeler came to the fore in the final stanza as the Giants completely stifled Mansfield’s attack and added 4.3 to 0.2 to run away with a 37-point victory.
https://wangarattachronicle.com.au/2017/09/13/blues-tigers-giants-reign-supreme-wdjfl/
Last Modified on 17/09/2017 07:33