A BATTLE-WORN Hastings Valley Vikings side blew a seven-point lead in the Mid North Coast Rugby grand final, with just 15 minutes left on the clock.
Their opposition, Coffs Rugby – playing on home soil – went on to steal the game 34-17.
Vikings president Al Tonkin said his beloved club paid the price for the enduring a 100-minute game against cross-town rivals Port Macquarie Pirates a week ago.
“You could just see the boys starting to tire at the closing stages of the game,” he said.
“They were digging really deep and showed a lot of courage in their defence but they just couldn’t hold on.
“The extra-time game a week ago against the Pirates really took its toll on the players.”
It was the visitors who had control of the grand final from kick-off and it wasn’t until around the 65th minute mark that they started to unravel.
“The end score really wasn’t representative of the game at all,” Tonkin said.
“It was a really close match, which we dominated for the majority of the game.
“But a number of penalties and some dubious calls put us on the back foot and we weren’t able to recover.”
The defeat, Tonkin said, has rekindled the fire within the Vikings to go on with it again next year.
“The way were embraced by the supporters really made us the winners on the day,” he said.
“Our supporter numbers would have matched Coffs Harbour’s. That is a great achievement in an away grand final.
“The whole experience has brought us a lot closer as a team and most of the players are already talking about next year.”
Proud captain David Tunstead said his troops could stand tall, despite the crushing defeat in the final.
“[In the closing stages] Coffs had around 75 per cent off the ball,” he said.
“I could not fault one player, they all defended their hearts out.”
Like Tonkin, Tunstead said the team will be back to bigger and better next year.
“The guys play because we are all mates,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re five-eighth in first grade or hooker in reserve grade, everyone is mates in this club.
“And we are still the number one club in town.”
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