Dirtier Dozen 26
Beetle Bonnets 15
Victory tasted twice as sweet for the Dirtier Dozen as they lifted the A Grade tag trophy for the second straight year at Corinthians on Friday night.
In a free-flowing final where the speed men and women shone, the Dozen dazzled grand final opponents Beetle Bonnets to clinch the title with a high-scoring 26-15 win.
It was just desserts for the side which could lay claim to dominating the 40 minutes, leading for all but about five minutes early in the first half.
The game was not one you would except for an A Grade final, which are generally low-scoring defensive affairs, although it was obvious from the outset that the points were going to flow.
It took just 15 seconds for the opening score, when Beetle Bonnets’ Alan Quinn, or Paris Hilton to his friends, crossed the line in his side’s first set from the first kick-off.
But the Dirtier Dozen responded in kind only a minute later, Ian Morrison dummying then sprinting through the gap and 15 metres to the line.
The Beetle speedster darted straight down the right touch line and dived over as his side took the lead again, but David O’Sullivan’s try leveled scores once more.
The game was shaping as an arm-wrestle when Pat Cunningham scored for the defending premiers, but Beetle Bonnets weighed in with a girls’ try to Pam Ryan from an overlap in the right corner with Dan Quinn sending the final pass.
The Dozen could not be contained though, and powered out to a four-point advantage on the back of two girls’ tries to Aoife Lynskey and Carol Brady.
Tries to Dan Quinn and Morrison had the margin back to two, but Alma Whelan crossed for the Dozen’s third girl try to really stick the boot in.
Claire Bownes scored for the Beetles and a few further boys’ tries before the break saw the Dozen carry a 13-10 lead into halftime.
They then began the second half on a high when Yvonne Francis caught a pass from Cunningham and sprinted over, Nigel Carolan’s ensuing point seeing the gap widen to seven points.
There was still 15 minutes on the clock, though, and the Bonnets were not going down without a fight and when Ryan crossed for her second, it looked like the game was well and truly still alive.
That was until both Whelan and Carolan landed their second tries respectively to see the Dozen’s lead out to eight, the largest margin of the night.
Kieran Dunne scored twice for the Bonnets, but these would be the side’s last two of the night, the Dirtier Dozen romping home on the back of late scores to Richie Ubougu, Carolan and Lynskey to claim a well-earned nine-point victory.
A Grade Cup Winners: Dirtier Dozen
A Grade Cup Runners Up: Beetle Bonnets
A Grade Plate Winner:
Dirty Dozen
A Grade Plate Runners Up: Mangled Badgers
B Grade Cup Winners: Ollie’s Peckin Crowes
B Grade Cup Runners Up: Halepenos
B Grade Plate Winners: MotorPark Mafia
B Grade Plate Runners Up: Celestica Rugby
C Grade Cup Winners:
Team HRC
C Grade Cup Runners Up: Big Tom & the Mainliners
C Grade Plate Winners:
Chip n’ Chase
C Grade Plate Runners Up: The Mighty Acorns
C Grade Bowl Winners: Charlies Angels
C Grade Bowl Runners Up: Winters Warriors
C Grade Spoon Winners:
Mill Street Blues
C Grade Spoon Runners Up: Connacht Eagles
Beginners Cup Winners:
The Real Lifes2Good
Beginners Cup Runners Up: superheroes
Beginners Plate Winners: Tag Virgins
Beginners Plate Runners Up: Duffs
