A jubilant Western Sharks Rugby Club celebrated its first finals win when the Dargaville club's reserve grade team triumphed over Mid Northern 22-15 in the Southern Districts reserve grade final.
The premier Sharks team lost last year's grand final to Mid Northern, while the reserve grade Western Sharks side have won
the minor premiership three years on the trot (including this year) but have been knocked out in the semifinals - until this year.
On Saturday at Toll Stadium, the Sharks turned the tables with their win over the reserve grade champions for the past two season, Mid Northern.
A proud coach Laurie Davies said the win was a big one for the Dargaville club. "It was a huge game for us, and it's the first time the Sharks have won a final after missing out narrowly over the past few years ... it will be a big night in Dargaville," he said.
Mid Northern, looking for their third consecutive title, scored first on Saturday, with a penalty kick by Jared Going. The Sharks fought back to score two converted tries before Beau Tipene for Mid Northern scored to close the gap to 14-8 at halftime.
From then on, the Sharks dominated, and despite a late comeback by Mid Northern when Mark McCluggage forced his way over the line with eight minutes left to play, the Sharks held on to win, spoiling Mid Northern's chances of securing a club double (reserve grade and premier grade titles) for the second year running.
Western Sharks 22 (Hamish Stokes 2, Tama Herman tries, Daniel Minhinnick 2 cons, pen) Mid Northern 15 (Beau Tipene, Mark McCluggage tries, Jared Going cons, pen).
At Waipu, Pipiwai claimed the Division Two title after beating Waipu 10-22 in the final.
