By Jon Geddes. Image – Clay Cross

A RAPT Northern Suburbs Zak Beer says Saturday’s 34-17 courageous preliminary final win over Randwick at North Sydney Oval will forever be carved in the memory of the club.

Norths meet Easts in what is shaping up as a cracking grand final at Leichhardt this Saturday after the Beasties got up at the death to beat Warringah 38-34 in the other grand final qualifier.

“I’m very proud of the guys, they hung in tough,” said Easts coach Ben Batger.

Norths had to dig deep, backing up six days after their 30-16 win over Warringah last Sunday with 20 minutes of extra time.

There was also uncertainty all week about whether star backs Max Burey and Henry O’Donnell would be recalled to Perth by the Western Force before the game.

“We were like a hospital ward on Monday night at recovery,” Beer revealed to Rugby News after the game.

“The amount of guys who were carrying injuries in the game and didn’t want to come off and let their mates down – and the way they doubled their effort – just sums up what this group is about.

“This is a game that will be carved forever in the memory of the club.”

THE NEXT JOB  

THE theme amongst the Norths squad in the lead-up was to forget last Sunday, with all the focus going into recovery and launching into the Randwick game.

“Back in November we started our campaign to be there at Leichhardt Oval. We want to finish the job,” Beer said.

Beer said it was the work of the players off the ball which set up the win.

“How quickly they got up off the deck with back to back efforts,” he said.   

“Right now what’s important is to soak this up, song the song and as I just said to them in the huddle, all eyes are on Leichhardt now.”

HEY JUDE

NORTHS’ No.10 Jude Gibbs, whose polished display was a key factor in the victory,  described the performance of his side as “disciplined and gutsy”.

“Everyone’s got a few bumps and bruises and we just stuck through it and did what we know we can do,” he said.

“I think that was really the first game we have put it all together to be honest, so it’s a good time of year.”

 Gibbs said it was as courageous a performance as he has been involved in.

“Club footy is always a seven-day turnaround, then getting a six-day turnaround plus an extra 20 minutes, it is pretty hard to back up,” he said.

“But we did everything we could and are pretty stoked about it.”

THE  BIG MOMENT  

BATGER said Easts put themselves under pressure against the Rats, but luckily they were good enough to find a way to win courtesy of a Darby Lancaster try 12 seconds from fulltime after he charged onto a  Jack Bowen pass.

“You’ve got to win the pressure moments and you could argue we won the big moment of the game at the end there which is what good teams can do,” he said.

“We have a few walking wounded and to be honest we probably didn’t play at our best either.

“But it’s very rare to get to a grand final so just to have the opportunity is fantastic.”

And special mention should be made of the amazing performance of Rats’  No.10 superboot Coby Miln, who scored 29 points from eight penalty goals, a drop goal and a conversion.