MUDDY and wet the Bathurst Giants Youth Girls gathered in a circle at full-time on Sunday afternoon and sang in full voice "And we will never surrender, we'll fight until the end."
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It was doing those two things - not surrendering and fighting until the end - which saw them sing that song as the newly crowned AFL Central West youth girls premiers. The Giants had held off a determined Orange Tigers to win their grand final 2-7-19 to 0-7-7.
While Jessica Macauley and Tasmyn Davies kicked the goals and Paige Lowe was named best on ground, it was the way these Giants fought together which made the difference in terrible conditions at George Park 1.
"The field was absolutely drenched, it was like a swimming pool, but it had stopped raining. So the girls went out there and it was like 'What the hell are we doing?'. It was just crazy," Giants coach Katie Kennedy said.
"We got the first goal in the third quarter and we didn't score again until the last. We needed the whole time to get going because the Tigers were on our back the whole game and they just did not give up.
"The Tigers had about four injuries throughout the game, so we started 17-a-side and just kept taking people off ... it got down to able 12 or 13-a-side and it was just a scrimmage and the wet footy was just so, so heavy.
"They got in there and they fought hard, it was so tough but they did not stop until the final siren."
Both sides could only manage four behinds in the first half, but in the third term the Giants finally booted a major and in turn held the Tigers scoreless to take the lead.
With just eight points in it with a quarter to play, the Giants knew they had to fight until the end as promised in their team song each week. That they did as they came away with a 12-point win.
"I just have no words because they played amazing all season, they get around each other and clicked so well. I am so proud of them and they deserved it," Kennedy said.
