The Merimbula-Pambula Bulldogs will have to settle for second best.
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The under 18s line-up went down to the Bega Roosters 30-12 in Sunday’s Group 16 rugby league grand final.
The two teams were evenly poised throughout the year and in the early stages of the clash at the Bega Recreation Ground.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring after tussling with the Roosters through the middle in the opening stages of play.
The team pushed left off a scrum and swept in to score, with the kick putting the team ahead 6-0.
However, the advantage didn’t last long as the Roosters quickly pushed the Dogs back to their own line and Nathan Curtis was able to dive to the line out of dummy-half.
A quick conversion locked it back up 6-6, but handling errors started to prove costly for the Bulldogs.
The young team had pushed Bega up repeatedly, but handovers meant the Roosters were striking right back.
A quick series of plays by Bega drew the defenders in with a pass out wide finding Jackson Whitby to put the hosts in front touching down under the posts 12-6.
Bega’s number two Kye Solomon flew in to the left corner, but the kick faded wide and a moderate gap was beginning to grow with Bega leading 16-6.
Merimbula-Pambula bolter Kyle Shepherdson had bursts of his normal brilliance, but the Roosters were working hard to contain the Bulldog fullback.
The Bulldogs also had some good metre gains from the edges with Ryan Casey, Matthew Moon and Josh Cole hitting some good lines.
However, some flashy short-ball plays that would stun lesser teams proved costly with the Roosters telegraphing the moves and picking up some easy ball.
The sides had met four times during the season, winning two each, but coach Bernie Maher said they had never been more than eight points apart.
So when the Roosters scored again to lead 22-6 at the break, the Bulldogs knew they needed to fire up to the challenge.
The Dogs struck back with Blake Thomas planting a try right of the posts to get within reach at 22-12.
For almost 30 minutes the two teams wrestled through the ruck, but with 10 to go, Connor Carr muscled his way through to score for the Roosters, but a Bega player was sent for 10 after an altercation.
Despite the player advantage, the Bulldogs were losing momentum with Joel Tamatea running in a final try for the Bega club to wrap the game up 30-12.
It was the third-straight premiership for the Bega club, with the Bulldogs the only team to defeat them in the past three years.