PORT Macquarie's Wayne Gleeson was battered and bruised on Sunday afternoon, but he came away from Coffs Harbour a Touch Football World Cup champion.
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Gleeson's Australian men's 40s team overcame New Zealand in a nail-biting tournament decider on Sunday afternoon to take the title, and it was thanks to an amazing comeback.
The side, coached by another Port resident in Peter Vincent, was down 6-3 with just eight minutes left on the clock, but came back to 6-6 before winning in extra time.
Gleeson scored a touchdown and then had what would have been the winner disallowed after a defender claimed to touch his boot as he crossed the line.
Footage showed it was probably a try.
"That's the game we play," Gleeson said, referring to the phantom touch.
Gleeson played a big part in the winning try, but it wasn't in attack. He pushed up and caught the New Zealand dummy half with the ball, forcing a turnover.
Australia scored the winner two rucks later.
The earlier rounds weren't without incident. Gleeson lost a tooth, busted his nose and required stitches to his lip after a nasty incident involving an opponent's boot.
That was also against New Zealand.
Winning the tournament provided a quick fix to his injuries.
"That eased the pain," Gleeson said.
Hearing the anthems and seeing the haka before the match got underway gave Gleeson goosebumps which were "the size of golf balls".
"It was a very emotional day," he said.
The win ticks another achievement in an incredible career in the sport for Gleeson. He's now triumphed in two World Cups and two State of Origin series.
"As a country boy, you don't win many comps like that," he said.
He paid tribute to his teammates, who come from Penrith, Hornsby, Brisbane and others, but Gleeson also made special mention of Vincent.
"He had a lot of egos to manage," he said. "He was awesome. He had the right recipe to keep us going."
Australia came close to a clean sweep, with eight wins out of nine divisions in Coffs Harbour.
New Zealand won the remaining division:?the men's 35s.