Congratulations to our NJL Finalists!
The NJL finals saw 3 Port Macquarie Dolphins squads qualify for the Grand Finals matches of their respective age groups.
Nick Proud's team of U12 boys had a lot of travelling in their season as their competition combined the eastern junior teams of Maitland, Newcastle & Gosford, as well as the northern junior teams of Coffs Harbour and Tamworth. The northern league grand final was a see-sawing affair against Tamworth, which saw the Thunderbolts lead the game as many times as Port Macquarie. The final quarter saw the local Dolphins team, guided by game MVP Lucas Scott take control and were never headed in the final 8 minutes of the game, eventually winning 37-33.
Coach Nick Prior's U16 girls had a dominant season only dropping 2 games for a 10-2 record heading into Finals, a record matched by their Grand Final opponents, the Bellinger Valley Braves. The grand final match was a similarly competitive affair, with Port jumping out to an early lead only to see it drawn back by half-time. In the latter half of the game however, the Port Dolphins took control with Ashleigh Grace leading the way and taking out the game's MVP award, registering a 69-49 win.
Glenn Scott took a team of mainly bottom-age boys into the Div.2 U16 boys competition, and out-performed many bigger and taller top-age teams, before finally succumbing in the grand final to the Taree Tornadoes. The previously undefeated Tornadoes were pushed all the way by the younger dolphins who led at half-time by 8 points. However, the local dolphins team, led by strong performances from Dan Hedger and Jamie Hammersley couldn't hold Taree back for a full 40 minutes, eventually going down 76-56.
A number of Port Macquarie referees were also in action over the weekend, with Andre Caltabiano, Josh Burghardt and Alex Lister being awarded the opportunity to officiate grand final games. Congratulations to all officials, coaches, managers and players who took part over the weekend!
Last Modified on 29/10/2020 22:49
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.