The Bega Roosters have pulled off something of a coup to win the Group 16 rugby league reserve grade grand final.
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The Roosters upstaged the minor premier Candelo-Bemboka Panthers 42-12 in a dominant second-half display.
This is the second premiership on the trot for the Roosters, who defeated Bombala last year.
The Panthers were competition favourites for the draw despite dropping their last two outings against the Roosters.
The Roosters opened the scoring with Kayne Tyler breaking away for a 30-metre dash to claim a try next to the posts with Billy Hudson slotting the conversion.
The Panthers battled back and forth with the home Bega side, but levelled the odds after 20 minutes when Nathan Rosseland crossed and Bevan Taylor claimed the extras.
However, cracks were forming in the Panthers’ defensive line and the Roosters were starting to mount pressure as a few errors gave the hosts good field position.
Dylan Londero shot through a quick try in the corner, before coach Scott Barton claimed a four-pointer out of hooker to dive under the defenders.
The Roosters led the game 16-6 at the break.
Two early tries in the second half further hurt morale in the Panthers’ camp as the Roosters began to take control.
Scott Ingram showed why he has been a powerhouse in the reserve grade competition, attacking the left edge with power and finesse to score three minutes in.
James Grant followed it up on the right edge just two minutes later and the Roosters shot to a 26-6 advantage.
Adam Blacka bounced back for the Panthers with Bevan Taylor again finding the mark to trail 26-12.
With a comeback in sight, the Panthers battled out some good metres through the middle, but weren’t able to find any scoring opportunities.
The Panthers were hampered by a mounting injury toll including Jory Taylor and Michael Motbey, while on-field play was becoming increasingly heated with a number of melees erupting.
The Panthers were further hindered when Brock Ringland was binned for 10 minutes allowing the Roosters to take control.
The Panthers were plagued by handling errors cutting their sets short and giving them few chances to retaliate on the scoreboard.
An attempt at a bomb was also stifled by Bega as Bobby Taylor leapt and plucked the ball from the air and ran it back to good field position for the hosts.
The Roosters worked through the fringes to freely claim points in the second half with a flurry of lates tries blowing out the scoreline.
Four-pointers were landed by winger Mitch Connolly and centre Jay Elliott to close the door on the minor premiers.
More from Group 16 grand final on Page 10.