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under 14s and under 16s in Grand Final !!! On another day of absorbing finals football, Penshurst RSL's under 14s won through to their Grand Final, whilst our under 11s and under 12s fell agonisingly short of making the big day.
The expectant Penshurst RSL crowd was treated to a gripping game first up on Saturday as our under 11s played superbly in the first half to lead 10-6 at the break. The balance of an absorbing battle in the second half swung towards the opposition, Brighton Seagulls, when they were able to post to 2 quick tries from quick play the balls and hard running. A late try was not enough to continue the season of our young green and golds. Congratulations to the under 11 players, their coach Glenn Dufty and his staff on another tremendous season.
Starting the game as distinct underdogs, our under 12 Golds competed strongly against much bigger opponents - Earlwood Saints. Unfortunately, some handling errors were converted by the opposition into points and our boys were trailing 0-18 midway through the 2nd half (0-8 half-time score). Displaying a spirit to match their determination and guts, the green and gold boys fought back to 12-18 with moments left on the board. Alas, time was up and so was their season. To the u12 Gold players, coach Paul O'Loughlin and his staff, congratulations on a season of significant improvement which saw them qualify for their first finals series, finishing 3rd overall.
In the final game of the day, our under 14s took the field against Brighton Seagull as slight favourites. After a first half of impressive football played at speed with good direction, the u14s were on top at the break 14-0. However, our boys nodded off after the break and Brighton were good enough to take advantage and gained the momentum, pulling the score back to 14-10. A tense and tight contest ensued as our boys pushed the lead out to 18-10 before having it reduced to 18-16 with moments to go. The u14s hung on to qualify for the Grand Final next weekend against the favourtites - Earlwood Saints.
On Sunday, our under 16s became the second Penshurst RSL team in the Grand Finals when they defeated North Ryde 52-22. The boys in green and gold dominated from the kick-off to lead 24-0 at the break. Despite a short period when North Ryde threatened to come from behind, the boys managed to stay on top in the second half to complete a comprehensive victory. The u15s will challenge the favourites, Kingsgrove Colts, in next week's the Grand Final.
Good luck to both the u14s and u16s in next Saturday's Grand Finals. Enjoy the week and enjoy the experience.
| Saturday, 22nd August, 2009 | | u11 | Penshurst RSL | 14 | Brighton Seagulls | 18 | | u12 | Penshurst RSL Gold | 12 | Earlwood Saints | 18 | | u14 | Penshurst RSL | 18 | Brighton Seagulls | 16 |
| | Sunday, 23rd August, 2009 | | u16B | Penshurst RSL | 52 | North Ryde | 22 |
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