THE Grafton Redmen turned a Brothers Grimm production into a fairy-tale on Saturday when they defeated competition front-runners Coffs Snappers 33-31 in a thrill-a minute contest at Rugby Park South Grafton.
Down 31-26 with five left on the clock, Redmen fullback Aaron Taylor swooped on an ambitious Snappers’ pass like a bird of prey racing 50m to score under the posts. Grafton captain Kyle Hancock made no mistake with the conversion attempt to give the home side a two-point lead.
The last two minutes had both sets of fans on tender hooks, and when Redmen scrum-half Michael Wright found the sideline from a scrum deep in the Grafton half it sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
As they have in the past, Grafton once again struggled in the early exchanges and failed to combat the visitor’s raw and ruthless aggression.
At one stage the contest threatened to become one-sided affair with Grafton trailing 31-12 at the break.
Snappers continued to apply the pressure early in the second-half and looked like running out comfortable winners, however, Grafton suddenly sprung to life scoring two tries to reawaken the contest.
The last 20-minutes was a tense, gripping affair which hung in the balance until the final siren. It was a bitter pill for Snappers to swallow as they were arguably the better side for most of the game.
Redmen coach Gary Powell was ecstatic after the come-from-behind victory, but still had concerns with his side’s inability to get off to a good start.
“We have started slow most games this season which is disappointing,” a relieved Powell said after the game.
“We knew they (Snappers) were going to play out wide. They have a really good backline, and they are fit and mobile across the park.
“We played with a bit more patience after the break and started to put a few phases together.
“I thought we also built up more pressure and defended a lot better.”
Powell, who captained-coached Taylor in the past, said his fullback’s intercept on the stroke of fulltime was a defining moment in the game.
“I was running down the sideline with him,” Powell laughed.
“He is always going to roll the dice and have a go at it (intercept), but it has been a worry in the past.
“With the intercept rule if he knocks it on it’s a penalty and he has already been done twice this year. But in saying that, I’ll back him every time…hey…it won us the game.”
Powell admitted it was a team effort and added his bench played a huge role in their victory.
“I thought Kyle was outstanding they way he managed the game and Smidty (Adam Smidt) was fantastic in his first game at number twelve. Also, Hara at hooker was really good in his first run on game.
“It was a real team effort today and I thought our bench gave us a bit of punch in the second half and all played their role.”
NICO
