Port Macquarie's senior mixed touch football side was forced to dig deep to claim the NSW Country Championship title over Newcastle on the weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The championships were held at Tuggerah on the Central Coast.
The Makos won the final 7-3 with two tries to Kobie Knight and one each to Matt Farthing, Megan Bryant, Luke Sprague, Amanda Davies and Kelly Shipway.
The Newcastle City Knights were undefeated throughout the rounds - beating the Port Makos 5-3 in the process - before the teams faced off in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Adding to the burden for the Makos was the loss of Brett Cloake to a dislocated shoulder in the early rounds.
Coach Wayne Gleeson said playing eyes up touch was the key to the success of the squad.
"After Newcastle got us in the rounds, we just starting getting our pods working for the semi finals and finals," Gleeson said.
"We just blitzed it. It was great (touch football).
"The game is going a bit robotic but we are all old school touch footy players who enjoy playing a good game.
"We played eyes up footy; play what's in front of you," he said.
Gleeson said the loss of Cloake - along with a couple of other injuries - could have played into the hands of the Newcastle side.
"We really did win on the strength of our female players.
"In the mixed game, the attacking plays are set up to target the girls in the opposition sides.
"But our girls were impenetrable.
"Anna Gleeson was named MVP and is still kicking rainbows after being awarded the most valuable player at the World Cup.
"She just can't put a foot wrong at the moment.
"Our catch cry is one team, one dream," he said.
Wayne Gleeson was also named most valuable player.
The coach said the NSW Country win was a good trial run for the annual State Cup which will be held in Port Macquarie in December.
He said winning that title was their ultimate goal.
"Getting this win under our belts was important for when the city sides come to Port for the State Cup," he said.
"Newcastle do have some players to come back into their side, while Penrith are also being tipped to be a strong outfit this year too.
"As well, Balmain are the current State Cup winners in this competition and they will be hard to beat."
Gleeson praised all team members for their efforts on the weekend along with assistant coach Cath Eichmann and manager Karen Barnes.
The squad will take the week off training before starting up in earnest on Wednesday in preparation for the state cup fixture.
Also making news:
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.