ACT Third Grade: At the end of the first half, it was a fair summation that THAT was the best, most controlled, confident and dominant half of football the Goulburn firsts had put together all year. Goulburn led by 29-5 (four tries to one) and had the game in the bag. The second half was a whole other story. The Vikings ran in the first try of the second half. And then another. And then another. With 14 minutes left on the clock, Goulburn’s lead had been reduced to 29-24. Goulburn rarely got out of their half and Tuggeranong, playing like it was their last chance to fight into the finals (which it was), continued to threaten in Goulburn’s quarter. It was a tough get out of jail finish for the Reds who dug deep and found the defensive discipline to hold the fast finishing Vikings at bay and secure a win that was quickly disappearing.

The game provided two scenarios for the Reds… they CAN play dominant football even if they have been patchy throughout the season, and they can defend a total when things go bad. The win is the fourth in a row for the Hybernian Hotel Goulburn firsts who now have the Big Mo behind them at the right time of the year, and who have only lost one more game than the minor premiers. Goulburn’s form has not been dominant this year, but it has been sufficient and constantly improving as the season progressed. They have been the dark horse of the ACT Third Grade competition and have quietly positioned themselves one out and one back, ready for a run to the finish. Finishing in third spot, they will play fourth-placed Wests in the minor (knock out) semi final in two weeks, this time on a Sunday, at Vikings

ACT Fourth Grade: The equation has been the same all year long. A very young Goulburn second grade side up against bigger opponents, often sprinkled with higher grade players. And every week, they showed up and played like they were still in with a chance right up until the final siren. The Dirty Twos were very much in this match at half-time with scored level at 7-7. The Vikings appeared gassed and the Reds were having a lot of success moving the ball around. The second half was a complete reboot for Tuggeranong as they ran in three tries in 17 minutes, and another a bit later, but the Reds weren’t finished and ran in two more tries, as usual, without throwing in the towel.

You would struggle to fins a more enthusiastic Goulburn second grade side over the last decade. Not a lot of experience, not a lot of size but a lot of talent and determination. They rarely had an experienced front row and, like every lower grade side in history, had to lose players to the higher grade as injuries came in, but this team always showed pride in the club’s jumper and never put in a dud performance. Most of their losses were by small margins. The Twos only finished out of the semis by three wins and with a few lucky breaks could have cracked it for the playoffs, but did a great job nonetheless. Let5’s home we keep these “Baby Reds” together… they are premiers of the future.

It’s worth noting that every club the Goulburn men’s teams play have paid coaches and paid players, and many of the teams we meet are augmented by higher grade players. That’s not a whinge, those clubs have done the work to be in a position to do that and good luck to them, but it’s a handy reminder that our players walk into tough assignments gladly, often with an imbalance in resources, and give it a red hot crack anyway. Well done you Dirty Reds.

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