Having targeted the premiership from the outset of the 2020 season, the Goulburn Dirty Reds first grade side achieved that goal in gritty fashion today against the Hall Bushrangers, 23-14.
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"It's awesome, feels really good," Goulburn coach Mik Webber said after the match.
"Last year was disappointing and took a while to get over, but today makes it a bit better."
As undefeated favourites going into the match, the result was far from certain for the Dirty Reds.
Hall was a much bigger side physically, and highly aggressive. But Goulburn ran downhill in the first half at Poidevin Oval and quickly built a strong lead.
By half time, the Dirty Reds were ahead 18-0 and looked in command. But the visitors would not die wondering and had the conditions on their side in the second half.
"We knew they were a big side, so we had try and move them around, wear them out, and wear them down," Webber said.
"We had to stick to our guns, make our tackles, and stay patient, which I think we did."
Though they had the run of play in the second half, Hall struggled to find a path to the tryline. Even when a score seemed inevitable, Goulburn's defence rebuffed its opponents more often than not.
While the Bushrangers eventually crossed for their first try of the match roughly halfway through the second half, it came after three or four attempts were held up.
"We knew second half being stuck down here was going to be tough," Webber said.
"I was really proud of the way we defended ... for a small team, I was really proud of our defensive effort."
- Also read: Two cracking finals to end the season
The Bushrangers' second try came too late to worry Goulburn, which won with a nine-point margin.
Abram Kara was the Man of the Match for his efforts at fly-half, where he set up a number of Goulburn's tries and provided an invaluable influence.
The victory also marked the final match of veteran second-rower Boyd Newby's career, which spanned 18 seasons and more than 250 games.
Following their victory, the Dirty Reds belted the team song in the middle of the field, and were joined by several members of the crowd who had been vocal all the way through the match.
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