IT took plenty of heart in defence and some great vision in attack, but the Bathurst Panthers under 11s beat a brave Cowra Magpies 30-18 in Saturday's Group 10 Junior Rugby League grand final to be crowned undefeated premiers.
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Cowra ran hard in attack and tackled in numbers at Jack Arrow Oval, but Panthers responded to that pressure with big efforts of their own.
Halfback Riley Carter scored two tries, had a pair of try assists and made a pair of try saving tackles as he iced an impressive 2020 with another standout display which saw him named best on ground.
But he was not the only Panther to impress. Lock Hudson Reynolds made good yards in attack, forward Leon Mokaraka some inspiration charges, while five-eighth Riley Hall and fullback Lucas Babbage had a number of highlights as well.
Panthers coach Zarlia Griffiths certainly experienced some nervous moments as she watched on from the sideline and it was not until her side crossed for try number five in the final quarter she knew the game was won.
"It was very heart-racing that first couple of quarters, but the boys dug in and did it for each other," she said.
"I told them at half-time that they had 20 minutes left and that they had to go out there and do it for each other, I told them I couldn't do it for them. They just had to dig deep.
"It wasn't until that last eight minutes when had the ball and then we held them out in defence, that's when I knew we were home.
"It's very rewarding to win a grand final with little ones like this and to go through undefeated was even better. Perfect finish."
It was Panthers who scored the first try of the decider and it was their skipper Carter who provided with a piece of individual brilliance.
He drifted across the field, spotted a gap and with a step and burst of acceleration was through. He ran 35 metres to score and converted to make it 6-0.
But Cowra was back on level terms at quarter-time after Jamez Brown finished a nice back line move by diving over in the corner. Leo Frazer converted to lock it up at 6-all.
In the first four minutes of the second quarter Carter helped Panthers again move into the lead as he played a hand in two tries.
The first came when his kick in behind the line bounced up perfectly for the chasing Reynolds to catch and ground the ball, then Carter did it himself as he scooted down the blindside, beating a number of defenders on his 25m run to the line.
That made it 18-6 but Cowra refused to lie down. Just before half-time Lachlan Tarrant crossed and James Craig converted to put the Magpies back within a converted try of the lead.
The sides continued to trade points in the third quarter as Mokaraka charged straight over the top of a Cowra defender to score, before Thomas Craig spun out of a tackle and dived over for the Magpies.
With a quarter to play it was Panthers leading 24-18, but then came the moment that Griffiths knew the game was won.
Carter threw a cut-out pass to Hall on the left wing and the five-eighth finished perfectly, diving over inside the corner post. Rory Elphick converted to make it 30-18.
Cowra coach Justin Tarrant was naturally disappointed his side fell short, but could not fault their effort.
Leo Sheehy made good yards all match, breaking a host of tackles with his strong runs. Lachlan Tarrant tried hard to spark his side in attack and halfback Craig proved elusive.
"Panthers they were at the top of the ladder for a reason, they are a good little team, good little outfit," Tarrant said.
"Our boys tried their hardest today, they tried hard to the final whistle. It was a good game to watch."
Griffiths also paid tribute to Cowra.
"They were definitely brave, they were a good side," she said.
