Junior Australian rules football
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THE Leeton-Whitton Junior Crows weathered some ordinary conditions to win one South West Junior Football League premiership at Leeton Showground last Sunday.
The under 15s Crows continued a dominant season by taking the title, while the under 11s battled hard against Griffith in the driving rain, but fell short.
Leeton-Whitton 8.9 (57) d Narrandera Eagles 4.8 (32)
PREMIERSHIP glory was just reward for a season of hard work and enterprise as the Crows saw off their local rivals in a bruising encounter played in arctic conditions at Leeton Showground on Sunday.
The opening exchanges were even with Blake Goudie, Tim Sidebottom and Ryan Dunn all to the fore in repelling the Eagles' early attacks.
A fantastic Nathan Tang tackle in the midfield forced a turnover from which Angus Morschel kicked the Crows' first goal of the day.
Daniel Fisher then provided an assist from a typically strong overhead mark to get Harrison Kimball's goal tally underway.
Kicking into a strong breeze in the second quarter, the Crows managed to keep the Eagles goalless thanks to their best-on-ground key defender Sam Hopper, who was imperious in the half-back line, reading the play and working tirelessly to stem the tide. He was ably assisted by Aiden Rourke and Johnny Draper.
As a bonus, the Crows managed to kick a goal of their own against the wind through Tyh Evans to take a solid lead into half time.
With the wind now at their backs, the Crows were determined to make sure the third stanza lived up to its billing as the premiership quarter.
Jake Wood and Jameson Booth chased the leather tirelessly while Matt Drinan and Luke Walsh secured possession in the ruck.
Goals from Daniel Fisher and Tyh Evans looked to have put the game out of the Eagles' reach, but a momentary lapse from the Crows saw two quick Narrandera goals give the home side a wakeup call.
A swift counter attack led to a Cooper Sharman goal late in the quarter to steady the nerves and set up a tense final quarter defending the scoring end.
Another Harrison Kimball goal just after the restart looked to have put the game to bed, although Narrandera quickly hit back with a goal of their own.
With the clock against them, the Eagles' frustration began to show with an incident at a stoppage resulting in them completing the match a man down after a red card was shown and the resulting 50-metre penalty setting up another Kimball goal to finish the scoring.
Coach Matt Sharman spoke after the match of his pride with his squad's application and togetherness and particularly with the leadership shown by his senior players that will set them up well for senior footy next year.
Goals: Harrison Kimball 3, Tyh Evans 2, Angus Morschel, Daniel Fisher, Cooper Sharman
Best: Sam Hopper, Jameson Booth, Harrison Kimball, Tyh Evans, Ryan Dunn, Jake Wood
Griffith Red 2.9 (21) d Leeton-Whitton 1.0 (6)
DESPITE the final result, the youngest Crows were winners before they ran onto the ground for last Sunday's grand final.
Having finished the season fourth on the ladder, Leeton-Whitton had fought hard to secure their grand final place.
In the wet and slippery conditions, the boys played inspiring football for the full 60 minutes.
On previous occasions this year the strong Griffith side had thrashed the young Crows by 62 and 69 points, but in the season finale the Crows fought hard and walked away being beaten by a meagre 15 points.
This showed the great improvement and effort demonstrated by this side. Congratulations go to the Griffith side, a team that was undefeated all year and the premiership was a fitting reward for a talented side.
Crows coach Russell Cody was commended on his dedication and commitment throughout the year to bring the young side together and playing as a team.
Cody, parents and supporters were overwhelmed at the great performances and efforts that all players showed throughout the finals series and are looking forward to 2015.
Goal: Roan Patten
Awards: Hunter Booth - Best player (grand final) for Leeton-Whitton. Roan Patten, Jackson Woods, Matthew Ryan, Emerson Cody, Benjamin Schmidt