THE Port Macquarie Pirates turned the Hastings Valley Vikings’ “field of dreams” into “Pirate Cove” on Saturday when the cross-town rivals collected three of the four premiership trophies up for contest.
The day was marred by a strong north-easterly wind, which buffeted Oxley Oval all day, making playing conditions difficult in the four grand finals.
It took 72 minutes for the deadlock to be broken in the main event, with the Pirates scoring the one and only try on its way to a gritty 5-0 win.
Centre Jacob Law was the hero, crossing the line on the back of an Adam Greenaway pass.
The crowd on the eastern side of the ground erupted as the try was awarded by referee Michael Tonks.
Although only one try was scored and no penalties were converted, it was a match described by local rugby union diehards as “the best in 20 years”.
Such was the strength of the wind that it virtually nullified any kicking game with the ball swirling about, causing line kicks to have no accuracy. A similar situation was evident with tactical kicking within play.
Best for the Pirates as they gained back-to-back premierships were Tim Farnsworth, Chris Geary, Tim Sales and the centre combination of Law and Greenaway.
Chris Johnson was a powerhouse for the Vikings as was Glenn Littler and Sol Sae.
In the reserve grade grand final, the Pirates outplayed the Bowravilla Goannas to win 24-19.
In a tight under-18s final, the Pirates gained back-to-back premierships with a win over Coffs Harbour.The 5-0 score was indicative of the closeness of the game. Michael Mooney and Ryan Kenny-Wilson led from the front in the contest where both teams showed skill and ability beyond their years.
The only Premiership trophy to leave Port Macquarie on Saturday was in the under-16 competition when the Southern Cross University Marlins defeated the Pirates 33-9.
