Dean Bell Cup (18s) Grand Final: Auckland Black 22 – 16 Auckland Red
The last Grand Final of the day was played between Auckland Red and Auckland Black for the
Dean Bell Cup (18s). Both sides had great campaigns but there could only be one champion at the end of 70 minutes of footy. Ollie Horgan was the first to dot down off an over-the-top pass from Noah Jensen to give the Auckland Red side a 4-0 lead early in the game. Ollie Horgan got his double minutes later, once again Noah Jensen assisted with a lovely cut-out ball.
Auckland Black hit back with Leniks Toilolo scoring out on the right side. Leniks threw a big dummy and got one on one with his defender, a great try from the big backrower. The halftime score saw Auckland Red winning the Grand Final 12-10.
In the second half the rain started to pour down which made for a tight Grand Final. The score was locked up 16-16 with 3 minutes to go, it could have gone either way, but a towering bomb from Iosia Tuli changed everything, the Auckland Red backline had a miss communication and dropped the ball. The ball dropped into the chasing Antonio Ulugias hands, and he dived over the try line to win the game for Auckland Black.
Auckland Black won both the
Shaun Johnson Shield and the
Dean Bell Cup.
Kalani Peyroux-Donaldson was named Man of the Match in the 18s Final. An impressive performance by Kalani, making a high number of tackles and runs, inspiring his team to fight back in a tough game. Congratulations to Auckland Black on winning the
Dean Bell Cup, and congratulations to all the players who played in the
Dean Bell Cup for all your amazing efforts.
Article added: Monday 03 April 2023
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