COFFS Harbour Snappers have won a grand final thriller against the Hastings Valley Vikings, prevailing 21-19 to win the Mid North Coast Rugby Union Northern Division’s first-grade premiership.

A penalty goal with just two minutes on the clock put the Snappers up for good, as they held off a desperate Vikings side for the grand final victory.

Home side fans stormed Coffs Rugby Park in celebration.

Locked at 10-10 at halftime, the second half was a tight, back and forth affair, as the lead changed hands a number of times.

Two straight penalty goals in the space of three minutes saw the Vikings take a 16-10 lead after 51 minutes.

The Snappers cut the lead to just one point a couple of minutes later, after a beautiful sweeping play out wide resulted in a try, cutting the visitors lead to 16-15 with 25 minutes to go.

With the game on a razor’s edge, a penalty goal from kicker Shunsei Okazaki saw the home side take an 18-16 lead with fifteen minutes left on the clock.

A Vikings penalty goal saw the visitors regain the lead with just five minutes left, before another penalty goal from the boot of Okazaki proved to be the match winner.

Snappers player-coach Mitch Walton was awarded player of the match, and said he was proud of not only his first grade side, but all the club’s grand finalists.

“It’s been a big two years, and I’m really proud of not only first grade, but the club as a whole,” he said.

“To do what we did today, to have every team in a grand final and to have success on a day like today, there is a lot of pressure.

“But I’m just so proud to be a red and black Snapper today, it’s unreal.”

Despite the Vikings holding a lead in the dying stages, the proud Snapper said he was confident his side would get the job done.

“It never felt like we were going to lose, it was one of those games, I think, where we knew if we just held the footy and played our style of rugby we could get there.

“It obviously helps having the Japanese maestro Shunsei just slotting them from everywhere, and he showed his class today.

“I think we played to our strengths, and I think our backline was really good today, and our Fijian boys outside are all class.”

By Aiden BURGESS