TENTERFIELD Tigers’ league tag side won their third successive border rugby league premiership with a victory over Wallangarra on Saturday.
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The Tigerettes held the lead at half-time before a dominant second half performance handed them the 32 points to 10 win.
The Wayne Minns-coached side was unbeaten this season and he said it is a credit to the hard work they have put in right from the competition’s inception.
"Their belief in themselves in the second half and putting everything together that they have been training for in the last three years,” he said.
"They heaped a lot of pressure on themselves and they were relieved and ecstatic to accomplish something that was really only a dream.
"What the whole year meant to us, we lost a very good person at the start of this year and in my mind it was very special for this season that we were undefeated and we won our third premiership.
"It was more the belief in ourselves and the belief that we were good enough to do it three years in a row.
"It gives me an enormous amount of pride to have coached those girls who are a pretty talented group.
"Three premierships undefeated has certainly been a highlight of my football career.”
Minns said the match was a lot tighter on the field than what the scoreboard indicated.
Only one try apiece was scored in the first 15 minutes of the match.
Minns said Wallangarra were competitive throughout the game and put his side under a lot of pressure.
"It was a pretty tight tussle,” he said.
"The score wasn't a true indication of the game.
"I congratulate Wallangarra, they were a very solid team all year.
"To hang in when their men's team pulled out of the competition and do what they have done and make it to a grand final, my hat goes off to their coach and all their players.
"They never gave up until the final hooter.”
Minns said it was a terrific all-round team performance but highlighted young guns Rylee Cooper and Grace Clothier as being standouts.
"It was a good solid team effort but I do like to make mention of our two youngest players, the two babies of the team that really stood up in a pressure game and outperformed themselves,” he said.
"I was very impressed with those two girls and being the babies and this being their first year of league tag and to play such a very solid and well above themselves in a grand final is very pleasing.”
Border rugby league will host their 20th anniversary dinner in two weeks in Stanthorpe.
The player of the match awards from both the men’s and the ladies’ grand finals will be announced at the event.
