THE New England Nomads haven’t had any trouble getting their hands on silverware in recent years after winning three consecutive Tamworth AFL premierships.
But there is one trophy they had desperately craved having back in their grasp.
Winning their own pre-season competition has been a challenge for the Armidale club in recent years.
The Nomads hadn’t won the Tablelands Cup, which they host annually at SportUNE, since 2008, but the club ended that drought on Saturday.
Going through the round robin matches undefeated, the Nomads knocked off powerhouse Newcastle club Cardiff 30-26 in a thrilling grand final.
“It was a really good result for us,” player-coach Zac Economou said.
“We played some good footy throughout the day and that’s the most important thing.”
Just three other sides joined the Nomads in the Tablelands Cup this year, with Cardiff, Coffs Breakers and Moree making the trip to Armidale.
Cardiff had won the competition the past two years, but Economou and his side were desperate to put an end to that streak.
The Nomads took on Cardiff in the first match of the day and won by two goals, before comfortably beating Coffs and Moree in their next two matches.
Cardiff won their two other games to earn the right to take on the Nomads in the final.
“It was a great game,” Economou said.
“Both teams were pretty worn out by the end of it after a long day of footy.”
Nomads’ mainstays Tom Hunt and Tom Granleese were outstanding throughout the day as were Matt Foley and Dave Richards.
Jed Ellis-Clough also impressed in his return match for the Nomads.
Aside from the joy from winning the competition for the first time in seven years, Economou said it also provided a solid pre-season blow-out for his players.
“It was good to get the chance to have a run,” he said. “The way we played was really positive.
“There were a few boys there who hadn’t played together before so it was great to be able to get them on the park.”
The Nomads start their season on April 11 against the Tamworth Kangaroos in Armidale.
Source: The Armidale Express