Warren’s Anthony Fuller was named man of the match following the Narromine Jets 26-18 grand final win over St Johns in the under 16s at Apex Oval in Dubbo on Saturday.
Watched by a crowd of more than 1300, minor premiers Narromine went out to a 12-0 lead after tries by Robert Bowman and Ethan Sheedy plus two goals from Fuller.
The Jets went to the break 16-8 up through winger Ethan Sheedy and Fuller scored next from dummy half to take it out to 20-8. Saints got back in the game to bring the score to 20-18 but Jets captain Blake Richardson sealed the win two minutes from the siren.
Warren Under 11s also made the 2009 Dubbo and District Junior Rugby League Grand Final for the second year in a row and travelled to Dubbo to take on the Narromine Jets.
Things got off on the right foot for the local lads when an early penalty saw them camped inside the Jets half on the attack.
Josh Bermingham and DJ Kennedy threw everything including the kitchen sink but the Narromine defence held tight. The first blow was dealt when Narromine took the ball down the other end and went over to take an early 6-0 lead.
Dougal Munro and James Fisk provided some super go forward up the middle while Matt Woolnough made inroads out wide. Mark Kilpatrick had a few stepping runs while Justin Roberts was having a blinder in his first grand final. Despite their efforts Narromine crossed again just before half-time to take the score to 12-0 at the break.
The boys came out in the second half determined to hit back. Hugo Weston kept busy while Brodie Riley did a great job at dummy half but it was DJ Kennedy who provided the magic when he crossed over out wide.
With the successful conversion from Dougal Munro the Dogs were back in at 12-6. Laine Stephens made some big charges, Tom Peters continued his good work while U10s star Daniel Stanley also did well once on the paddock.
The Warren boys once again threw the kitchen sink at the Narromine defence but were unable to add to their score. Narromine, as they did in the first half, went down the other end and crossed for the match-winning try with only a couple of minutes left on the clock. The Warren boys can hold their heads high after finishing minor premiers and competing in their second successive grand final - not bad for a small town. A big congratulations to former Warren Junior Rugby League players Craig and Thomas Field who won their U13s age division with South Dubbo with Craig receiving the Man of the Match award.
Congratulations also to the other players from Warren who played in grand finals on the weekend. Our presentation day will probably be held in mid October at this stage. It will depend on the availability of an NRL player. A big thankyou to our supporters and major and minor sponsors Frank Cross Tyres, Supa IGA, Warren Polocrosse and SPAR Supermarket as well as MLB Concrete and Constructions, Brads Wear, Western Farm Machinery and 117 Bakery Café.