IN A fiery and somewhat heated encounter, the Denman Devils held off a fast-finishing Muswellbrook Rams to secure the Hunter Valley Group 21 under-18 title at Greta Central Oval last Sunday.
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With up to five players spending time in the sin bin at various stages of the match, the Devils prevailed in the end to the tune of 14-10.
Denman began the grand final in style, posting tries to centre Hamish Wolfgang and five-eighth Riley Ayre.
Ayre slotted both conversions to give his side a 12-0 advantage at the break.
Tempers flared early in the second half, with Muswellbrook’s Beau Dixon and Wolfgang each receiving a 10-minute spell on the sidelines.
Ayre then extended Denman’s margin to 14-0, courtesy of a penalty.
The Rams refused to surrender and winger Kyle Robertson dived over the tryline. Ryan Holman added the extras for a 14-6 scoreline.
Holman also found himself in hot water with the referee, leaving the Muswellbrook team with just 11 men on the field.
Despite that setback, it was the Rams who troubled the scoreboard.
Winger Jayden Sampson re-ignited the decider when he touched down in the corner. Dixon missed the kick, leaving the Devils in front 14-10.
With a vocal crowd cheering on both sides in the dying minutes, discipline went out the window.
Denman skipper Jaeger Shepherdson and Dixon, again, also spent time in the sin bin.
This set up a thrilling finale, however the Devils held on for a well-deserved victory.
DENMAN DEVILS 14 (Hamish Wolfgang, Riley Ayre tries; Ayre 3 goals) defeated MUSWELLBROOK RAMS 10 (Jayden Sampson, Kyle Robertson tries; Ryan Holman goal)
Man of the match: Jacob Marshall (Denman Devils)
