Group 20
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
LEETON under 18 coach Clint Halden says the Greens are determined to carry their domination of the regular season into Sunday's grand final against Waratahs at EW Moore Oval.
The Greens finished top of the ladder after only suffering one loss during the competition rounds and qualified for the premiership decider with a 30-24 semi-final win over Waratahs a fortnight ago.
Halden said the close call against the Tigers had refocused his players.
"That last game gave us a good test. Waratahs gave us a good run for our money," he said.
"It sort of woke us up a bit.
"The boys are aware of how strong they are and know they'll have to bring their A game on Sunday."
Much was expected of Leeton this season, but Halden said his players had met every challenge thrown at them.
"I always had confidence in the guys," he said.
"I didn't know a lot of the younger kids coming into the coaching role, but a lot of local blokes told me I had a good bunch of kids.
"I guess I felt a bit of pressure to help them live up to their talent.
"We set a goal to go all the way, and the boys have been ticking boxes all year."
Waratahs under 18 coach Wayne Parsons also set an early target of reaching the grand final and is confident the Tigers will be the last team standing.
"I always thought they were good enough to win it from the start," he said. "We've sort of been building this for three years, working on the players coming through the 16s into the 18s.
"We've got some pretty good players there, and I always thought we could match it with anyone in the competition."
Parsons said the six-point loss to Leeton in the second week of finals hadn't dented his team's confidence.
"We know the things we need to fix up and we're pretty sure we've done that," he said.
"We'll see what happens Sunday."