By: BRETT STUBBS
A HUGE half-time brawl could not overshadow Tasmania's stirling 11-point win over Queensland yesterday to win the Division Two national under-18 football championship.
The Mariners led all day but had to withstand a late Queensland comeback as the northerners got within five points late in the final term.
But Tasmanian forward Todd Grima was up to the challenge, kicking his third goal of the game and 14th for the carnival to help the Mariners clinch the title, 13.14 (92) to 12.9 (81).
Tasmanian coach Hamish Ogilvie said it was one of his biggest thrills in football.
It has been a long build-up and they have been so good and so professional with their recovery and all that,'' Ogilvie said. The amount of travel some of the northern boys and the coaching staff have done was amazing. It was an all-round great effort.''
Grima's efforts saw him join Grant Birchall and Sam Lonergan in the All-Australian team, giving Tasmania an impressive three representatives in the side made up from both divisions.
Birchall stamped his talent on the competition to win the Division Two best player award, the Harrison Medal, and was again in the best yesterday.
But captain Lonergan was best afield with 27 touches and two goals.
However, Ogilvie warned there would be an aftermath to the game, with the competition organisers to review video from the massive half-time melee.
A Queensland player's family member was involved, as was a Queensland trainer, but he came out on the wrong end during the exchanges.
Ogilvie said it was one of the biggest brawls he had seen in junior football.
Fortunately everyone is all right and it is certainly not the sort of thing we want to see,'' he said.
I was really confident our blokes wouldn't pull back after half-time and would continue to go at the footy.
I have just outstanding relief and pride in the boys. I hope the melee doesn't overshadow a great game of footy and what the boys they did.
They showed fight and guts throughout the whole game and I am so proud of them.''
Final Scores
TASMANIA: 5.4 6.7 10.9 13.14 (92)
QUEENSLAND: 3.1 6.5 9.6 12.9 (81)
GOALS - Tasmania: Grima 3, Beck 2, Howard 2, Lonergan 2, Wade 2, Charlesworth, Riewoldt
Queensland: Spurr 3, Brittain 2, Petterd 2, Smith 2, Armitage, Dzufer, Hooper
BEST - Tasmania: Lonergan, Birchall, Riewoldt, Wade, Fielding, Grima, Thorp, Armstrong
Queensland: Screech, Kiel, Urquhart, Spurr, Lucy, Armitage, Petterd
UMPIRES - Cure, Fila, Pawley
At Optus Oval
Last Modified on 04/07/2005 16:05