WITH 45 seconds remaining in the second half of extra-time in Saturday's under 13s Group 10 Junior Rugby League grand final, St Pat's White five-eighth Lachlin Randall is tackled short of the try line but reaches out and grounds the ball for a four-pointer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was a moment that not only sealed St Pat's White a come from behind 16-12 grand final win at Jack Arrow Oval, but marked the first time in five years that Mudgee White had been beaten.
Not surprisingly the try triggered scenes of elation from those in blue and white, while a Mudgee outfit which was denied a fifth consecutive premiership finally felt the sting of disappointment.
"We were pretty stoked, it was a pretty good game and a well deserved victory, but Mudgee were by no means easy-beats, they put everything they had into it as well," Saints coach Tony England said.
"It's extremely surreal, they are a very, very high quality team. To be able to walk away and say we beat those guys on grand final day, it's the first time they've been beaten in such a long time - it's just exceptional.
"It's just a credit to the boys, they've worked hard for a couple of years to get to this point. That Mudgee team has always been their nemesis, so the smiles on their faces and the cheers and 'who-hoos' coming out of their mouths at the end of the game was well deserved - it was two or three years in the making.
"For a bunch of 12 and 13-year-old boys, that's a lot of dedication."
Having survived two weeks of sudden death league to join Mudgee in the grand final, the Saints carried with them the belief that they could finally end the Dragons' remarkable run of success.
But in the first 25-minute half the four-time defending champions showed exactly why they had such an imposing record.
They dominated possession and scored the opening try of the decider.
However, the Saints still had belief.
"I think they'd had the better half, we only had about two attacking raids in their half in that entire first half. But in the second half my boys just came out with a different attitude and we spent a lot more time in their half," England said.
While Mudgee crossed for a second try, eventual man of the match Jack Branda scored for the Saints to have the scoreboard at 12-6.
As the clock ticked down the Saints pressured and while Mudgee repelled a number of sets deep in their half, England's young players did not give up.
"I'll be honest, with about eight minutes to go I thought we were in trouble, but three minutes later, with five minutes to go, the boys had just thrown their heads back and we were well into Mudgee's half of the field," the coach revealed.
"Our attacking raids were making good in roads and our defence was pretty much keeping them in their own half.
"It really turned towards the Pat's boys in that last five minutes and they took that and ran with it. That's when I thought we were a chance. Even when it got down to a minute to go, me, the whole bench, we all felt the boys had it in them.
"We continued to have faith."
It was star lock Branda who kept the Saints' hopes alive when he split the Dragons' defence and scored his second try of the match in the final minute.
He still needed to land a pressure conversion from a tricky spot in the gusting wind, but Branda kept his cool and piloted his attempt between the sticks.
That saw the game forced into extra-time, with the rivals to battle it out over an additional five minutes each way.
There was no change to the score in that first period and as the minutes ticked down in the second, it appeared as if the Saints and Dragons would remain locked at 12-all.
But Randall came up with the match winner in the dying seconds, just managing to reach out and plant the ball on the stripe.
"It was just brilliant, I had 17 kids grinning from ear-to-ear, I had tears of joy from the boys. It was a fairy tale from where we sat, it really was," England said.
"The parents are so pleased and happy for them, they've come along for the ride as well. The celebrations are just as sweet for them."
Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here
As much as the final whistle triggered an outpouring of elation from the junior Saints, England believes it will be a day that long brings a smile to those who wore the blue and white.
It is because they are the first Saints team - seniors or juniors - to have won a grand final at the venue.
"It's absolutely believable that some of these kids will never reach a grand final again, winning a grand final is not an easy task. This is something that they will have forever as a memory," the coach said.
"To do it at our home ground is just phenomenal ... that premiership on Saturday is the first premiership ever won on our home ground for our club.
"That's something the boys will be able to carry forever with them, that's something they'll be able to keep, 20-30 years from now they can tell their kids that 'We won the first ever premiership at our home ground'. That's just a brilliant memory for them."