Tallon Smith

The Harden Hawks are hoping it’s a case of third time lucky after securing the first grand final spot in the George Tooke Shield with a 20-16 victory over Crookwell in a high-quality major semi final at McLean Oval on Saturday.

Having lost the past two deciders to Bungendore, the Hawks ensured they would return to the competition’s big dance with a late try to centre Joie Whybrow proving the difference in a back-and-forth game.

Harden opened the scoring inside seven minutes, with Casey Wall finding his way over from dummy half for a 6-0 advantage, before the Green Devils responded with three tries of their own to Ben Flood, Paddy Lowe and Sean Ward to surge to a 16-6 lead after 32 minutes.

That margin was cut to just four when Harden second rower Drew Arabin found his way over in the shadows of the break, leaving Crookwell up 16-12 at the interval.

It took almost 20 minutes for either team to trouble the scorers when play resumed, with defence prevailing until Hawks winger Jarrod Sharman crossed to level the game at 16-all after 54 minutes.

Then, with the game in the balance, Harden five-eighth Jacob Lucas made a dash straight through the middle of the Green Devils defence, before linking with Whybrow to put the home side back in front with nine minutes to play.

From there, the Hawks held on through a tense final nine minutes to earn a home grand final and a shot at redemption.

Harden coach Nick Hall said the match was played at an exceptional standard given the warm conditions and the pressure of finals football. 

“Both sides nearly cancelled each other out defensively, both sides turned to their offense and played pretty high percentage, the first half 100 percent [completions] each,” he said.

“That’s good footy for George Tooke semis, so I think rightly we were the major semi finalists.

“It was hard, there [were] some errors, there was some fatigue, it was a hot day, but generally both sides completed in the 90s, that’s a pretty high standard game.

“It was neck-and-neck and it was tight, we were winning then they scored a few tries,a few soft ones, we weren’t really happy with the way we let those in, just simple numbers and a missed tackle, and a bounce of the ball.

“They got three tries in the first half, but we shut them out in the second half, they didn’t score a point in the second half, our defence was really good.

“We scored a couple of good tries in the second half, and had to defend that lead with nine minutes to go, and it was pretty tough going, but it was good.”

Having lost the past two deciders to Bungendore 30-10 and 18-16, Saturday’s result ensures a shot at redemption for the Hawks.

This time around, they will aim to do it undefeated, with the side going 14-0 through the regular season and winning straight through to the final match of the year.

When asked about what another grand final means to Harden, Hall said it rewards the effort of the players and volunteers that keep the Hawks flying despite the challenges that come with being a small club without an under 16s, 18s or reserve grade team.

“It means a lot to the club, it’s a great reward for the Hawks, who’ve plugged away in the five years I’ve been here and longer than that,” he said.

“[We’re] a small town without a huge junior rugby league, without an obvious connection between their under 15s and their seniors.

“Our junior players have to leave and go to other towns, so to get those players back, that’s hard.

“They’re really punching hard for a small club without a huge amount of volunteers, without a huge amount of parents and things coming through that juniors give you.

“In my five years here, we’ve made semis and won semis every year, we’ve been in the last two, now three grand finals, the girls are up there and competitive and winning every year, that’s a huge effort for a small club on the extremities of George Tooke, against some bigger clubs with more resources and more players.

“It’s great, we’re really proud of it, and I’m glad that they get that reward.”

Meanwhile, in the minor semi final, the North Canberra Bears eliminated the Boorowa Rovers 36-34 at Canberra’s Kaleen Enclosed Oval.

The Bears prevailed despite scoring six tries to Boorowa’s seven, with Adam Booth’s goalkicking proving the difference on the day.

That result sees North Canberra earn a rematch against Crookwell in the preliminary final at the Crookwell Memorial Oval on Saturday, after their 46-24 qualifying final loss to the Green Devils.

HARDEN 20 (Casey Wall, Drew Arabin, Jarrod Sharman, Joie Whybrow tries; Casey Wall, Zakaia Lewis goals) DEFEATED CROOKWELL 16 (Ben Flood, Padraic Lowe, Sean Ward tries; Cameron Picker 2 goals) at McLean Oval, Saturday August 29.