HASTINGS Valley Vikings winger Sam Hutchinson showed nerves of steel to boot his side to a sixth-straight reserve grade premiership after full-time on Saturday.
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With the Vikings staring down the barrel of their first grand final defeat in six years, Hutchinson potted a 20-metre penalty goal to overturn a 14-13 deficit into a 16-14 victory.
It came after Coffs Harbour vice-captain Kris Kent failed to put the ball out after his side received a penalty on full-time as the Vikings kept the ball in play.
The Vikings somehow found a way to win, overcoming the send-off of winger Epeli Vulaserau in the first 10 minutes.
If that wasn't bad enough, they also had another three players yellow-carded at various stages throughout the match.
Coach Mark Howard described the match as a rollercoaster of emotions - most of which came in a chaotic passage of play after full time when his side were down and out.
"Hutcho ... Clutcho... he stepped up with it all on the line," he said.
"Luck's a fortune sometimes and unfortunately for them they didn't find touch and we managed to hold the ball and punched it downfield and the penalty came our way.
"Unfortunately our under-14s were in a very similar position to get the chocolates on the bell and they missed whereas we managed to knock it over and get the rewards.
"I think I got every emotion you could get out of that to be honest."
Howard lauded his side's fighting capabilities and will to win when they could have been excused for thinking it wasn't going to be their day.
"The boys had to go to places they've never been to before," he said.
"We were down to 11 men at one stage and they dug real deep and somehow the rugby gods looked on us and let us take it away."
When asked which of the six-straight premierships was the most satisfying, Howard said some players would take more out of their 2019 success than any other year.
"Probably nothing beats the first one, but for closeness, intensity and for the thrill of the crowd it's easily the best game we've been a part of," he said.
"There was a couple of fleeting moments there of dread and what if we can't do it, but thankfully I didn't have to revisit those thoughts and feelings.
"You learn to win sometimes and when you get that belief and the trust of the bloke standing next to you, sometimes luck falls your way and that's what happened."
