A spirited try inside the last quarter was a fitting gesture to the Mid Northern reserve team's 18-16 come-from-behind win over Otamatea in the Bayleys Southern Districts Reserves final.
Otamatea built a healthy lead in the initial stages of play, however a fighting comeback from Mid Northern inside the last 20 minutes left Otamatea trailing by two points for the remainder of the match.
"They played well all year so we were hoping they could finish it off well," Mid Northern coach Des Going said of his team's win.
"They just had to drill it out and we won in the end."
A solid first half from Otamatea put them in a steady position leading into halftime, however Mid Northern returned with vigour and intensity to out-perform Otamatea in many facets of the game.