Last-minute goalkick crowns Wellsford's winning season

Pure agony and ecstasy enveloped  Maungakaramea Domain when Wellsford stormed home in the dying minutes of the Southern Districts Premier final to win 23-21.
With 15 minutes left in Saturday's game, Mid Western's 10- point advantage was chiselled away by a defiant Wellsford team  not about to let this match  slip through their grasp.
For four years running, the Wellsford club have reached the semifinals only to miss out.
This year, a resolute skipper Scott Brady and his troops marched to the final and did the job properly.
Brady was in a state of disbelief following the match but summed up his emotions about winning his first final for the club he has led for the past five years: "It's the best feeling in the world.
"I don't know how we did it.
"I thought we were gone.
"We knew it was going to take 80 minutes and it did.
"It's unbelievable," he said.
Since making the final, Brady said the team knew they would win and  would stop at nothing to do so. The team stayed true to their word.
Maungakaramea Domain was packed  with hordes  of Mid Western supporters watching their team in their first final since the'60s, while a large contingent of Wellsford fans travelled north.
The hosts started doggedly and applied pressure on Wellsford in their own 22m.
Within six minutes, the backs cleared the ball out wide to Brook Gilmore who  ran in the first try of the match, converted by Luke Muggeridge.
Nerves showed in both sides, with knock-ons and fumbles, and Wellsford first five-eighth
Matthew Wright kicked his first penalty a few minutes later when Mid Western were caught offside.
The visitors  dominated the first half with the forwards putting huge pressure on Mid Western's defensive line.
After several attempts the Wellsford pack drove hooker Paddy Atkins over the line which sent the visitors into the lead, 8-7.
Mid Western were penalised for multiple infringements at the breakdown.
 Heading into halftime, Wellsford extended their lead to 11-7 when  Wright kicked another penalty.
 Mid Western emerged hungrier and four minutes into the second half, the backline came into their own when Muggeridge chipped the ball ahead to Saxton Samuels who outsprinted the Wellsford defence to score a brilliant try under the posts.
Muggeridge converted the try, putting Mid Western back into the lead 14-11, and minutes later skipper Adam Clarke charged over the line to increase the buffer to 21-11.
Wellsford woke up from their lull and replied with a  Ross Wright try to close the gap to 21-16.
They applied huge pressure and eventually cracked the Mid Western defence with Matthew Wright breaking through, beating several defenders and levelling the score at 21-21.
Wright's  80th-minute conversion won the match 23-21 and left Mid Western in a state of shock.
An emotional Clarke, who leaves for a stint at Germany's Frankfurt 1880 club today, said:
 "It's pretty hard to take.
"But the boys have come a long way. A lot of people thought we couldn't win last week but we did, and I guess it wasn't meant to be.
"I'm really proud of how the guys stood up out there."
Wellsford coach Hayden Ferris said he was rapt  with the result, which his side deserved after dominating large patches of play.
After four years coaching  and a lot of hard work, his club had finally reaped their reward.
* Result: Wellsford 23 (M Wright, PJ Atkins, R Wright tries, M Wright 2 penalties, conversion) Mid Western 21 (B Gilmore, S Samuels, A Clarke tries, L Muggeridge 3 conversions).