THEY were the best team all season, and the Nambucca Strikers Blue underlined that edge of class and determination today as they overran Dorrigo Cedars in the North Coast Football women's 2nd division grand final.
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The final 6-nil scoreline was indicative of a deserved Nambucca win, but not so of the contest brought to the battle by a never-say-uncle Dorrigo outfit.
Under bushfire hazy skies at the Cex International Stadium at Coffs Harbour, the Strikers dominated the early exchanges as they set up digs in the Dorrigo half.
On the 13th minute, goal machine Anna Champion pounced on a through ball and set course on a 30-metre run, and a clinical finish low and left into the strings to open the account.
Two minutes later Anna was felled in a big tackle and Jayde Melville somehow got the penalty through a wall of players to make it two.
Anna was brought down again in the 32nd minute, and Johanna Walsh made no mistake from the dottie to make it 3-nil at oranges.
Strikers coach Clay Urquhart was wrapped at halftime, complimenting the girls on a great start and for their "intensity" under some physical but fair Dorrigo tackling.
"Just chill and refocus at the start of the second half. And let's be first to the ball, that's our key focus and everything else will flow from there," Clay said.
The response was breath-taking.
Mere seconds on the resumption, the Strikers were four to the good when Johanna found her second.
And she wasn't done there ... hellbent on making this decider a whiteWalsh.
On the ninth minute of the second half, Johanna goaled from a corner and added a fourth eight minutes later.
Dorrigo never stopped trying and had the better of the final 15, denied only by gods and stout, desperate defence.
In the men's 2nd division played on the field adjacent, Orara Valley secured the premiership with a thrilling 3-2 win over Bellingen FC.