COFFS Harbour’s best touch teams have won the ultimate prize during a big night of grand final action.

Coffs Harbour Touch Association wrapped up its summer season with a night of five exciting grand finals at the Bayrange Coffs Rugby Park.

The Men’s A-Grade featured Harvey Excavations and Mercedes-Benz Coffs Coast.

The game was played at a frenetic pace, with several of the players being of representative standard.

Harvey Excavations ultimately took out the honours in a close 4-2 victory.

The closest game of the evening was in Women’s A-Grade, which saw Klaustel Phones and Data go up against The Hunters.

The scene was always set for a close battle, with the two teams having met in the last three grand finals.

Like the two prior seasons, the score was even as the final buzzer sounded, forcing the game into an exciting drop-off, in which only 4 players per team are allowed to take the field.

The speed of their more junior players like Indi Klaus was instrumental in Klaustel’s success, but it was a final try to Kassey Reeves that saw Klaustel take out the honours in a 3-2 victory.

The Women’s B-Grade competition was taken out by Bishop Druitt College, with Stephanie Evans showing impressive pace and agility, during her team’s 7-2 victory over Giant Media.

The majority of players in the Women’s B Grade Final were under 16.

Coffs Harbour Touch Association vice president Judith McNeill praised the performances of the younger players in the grand finals.

“All these players have developed a lot over the past 6 months, and we’re hopeful that we can send both a 14s and 16s team to Junior State Cup in 2023,”
“What was most exciting about the Grand Final evening was seeing the junior players coming up the ranks in the senior comp.

“Because touch footy is not a collision sport, players of different sizes and ages can go head-to-head safely.

“The competition has many teams that feature parents playing with their teenage children.

“It’s a great way for the more experienced parents to pass on their knowledge and love of the game to their kids and it is such a healthy way for families to enjoy time together.”

High schoolers also featured in the Men’s C-Grade Grand Final, with North Coast Lending being primarily made up of the under 14s representative side that had success at Northern Eagles Champs earlier in the year.

Whilst their agility and energy provided a challenge for their opposition, in the end, the experience of the Sawty Has Beens won out, with them beating the younger team, 9-3.

McNeill said it was good to see the younger talent take it to the older players.

“It was great to see twelve and thirteen-year-old kids matching it with the men,” she said.

Men’s B Grade was taken out by WJs who defeated Send It with a final score of 10-6.

It was a hard-fought battle, which saw both teams making use of the wet conditions as they desperately dived for the line.

The Coffs Harbour Touch Association is looking forward to the senior winter competition which will kick off on Monday, 2 May.

Contact coffsharbourtouch@gmail.com for more information.

 

By Aiden BURGESS