The Ratettes give the team song full voice after their-Grand Final win
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

by Karen Watson –

The Warringah Ratette’s have done it again! Against the odds they have left their best game till the last, winning the 2013 JACK SCOTT CUP and defending their status as reigning Premiers. Warringah have now held the cup aloft an impressive nine times since 2003. In a fierce contest held at Pittwater Rugby Park on Saturday and watched by NSW Women’s Rugby Chairwoman Kerry Chikarovski, Warringah defeated the Minor Premiers Parramatta 20-11. The match, credited as one of the most impressive displays in women’s rugby, was a thriller right to the end.

Ellia Green on her way to scoring
Warringah’s opening try
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

For Parramatta, the loss was devastating. In the lead up to Saturday’s Grand Final, the Minor Premiers had been dominant all season, losing only one match and drawing one – both times to Sydney Uni. Their form was so powerful that 13 of their 15 season wins were well in excess of 20 points. Heading into the Grand Final, Warringah were the underdogs, having lost their last three clashes against Parramatta by significant margins each time.

The Ratette’s Grand Final chances were helped with the timely return of players Cobie-Jane Morgan, Katrina Barker and the speed queen Ellia Green, all of whom had been ensconced in-camp for most of the season as part of the National 7’s squad.

From the outset, both teams showed this wasn’t going to be a light tap around the park by any measure. With a vocal crowd looking on – including Waratah Tatafu Polata-Nau and Warringah head coach Haig Sare, both teams delivered an intense, physical match.

An infringement by Parramatta early in the first half allowed Tui Ormsby to punt the first of two penalty kicks to open Warringah’s account 3-0. Parramatta’s relentless defence was to keep the scores in check until a Tarah Westera break was to create an opening for Ellia Green, who proved unstoppable as she sprinted 60m to score Warringah’s first try. An Ormsby conversion was to take the scores to 10-0 heading into the sheds at half time.

Parramatta’s Ana-Vailala
tests the Ratettes defence
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Parramatta came out fighting in the second half, testing the resilience of Warringah’s defence. Though unable to break through the Ratette’s lines to score, the Two Blues did manage to draw two penalties. The ever reliable Victoria Tautala Latu scored both times to get Parramatta to within four points of Warringah, with 14 mins remaining in the second half.

The Ratette’s quickly responded by upping their tempo, playing a more expansive game of rugby and moving quickly to the breakdowns. The faster pace was beginning to impact a tiring Parramatta side and turnovers were starting to prove costly. Another penalty was to give Ormsby an opportunity to extend the scores 13-6 in Warringah’s favour.

But just as Warringah were finding their rhythm, a freak accident to young Parramatta player Diana Auvae was to prove a crucial turning point in the tempo of the game. With play suspended for 40 minutes while paramedics treated Auvae, Parramatta regrouped. When play resumed with 12 minutes remaining, the delay was enough to disrupt the momentum of Warringah’s attack. However, a reinvigorated Parramatta side seized possession and the initiative, drawing an incredible eight penalties against Warringah in as many minutes.

Wallaby and Waratah, Tatafu Polota-Nau, a truly wonderful clubman, sits like a guru on the mountain as he watches the Women’s Grand Final
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Desperate to hold off the Parramatta attack, the Ratettes defended their line admirably but despite their best efforts, they could not stop the momentum of Parramatta’s Dahlia Tahu as she planted a try at the foot of the posts. Parramatta’s first try of the match with less than three minutes remaining, now took the Two Blues to within striking distance of Warringah. But the failure to convert left the Ratette’s in the lead by two points with less than two minutes on the clock.

Ormsby kicked long into Parramatta’s half and pressure play by Warringah forced a turnover, the ball finding air before Warringah’s Emily Robinson took possession. Unbelievably, a quick pass to Green and another impressive 20m sprint to the line was to deliver the Ratette’s (and Greens) second try of the match right on full time. The Ormsby conversion cemented the win and the Premiership title for Warringah. The Ratette’s celebrations quite rightly ran long into the night…and rumour has it, well into Sunday.

The Women’s competition ends with Rockdale’s Lakeisha Tipene the highest point scorer with 102 points, followed by Warringah’s Tui Ormsby in second place with 94 points. Warringah’s Ellia Green’s two grand final tries delivers her the competitions top try scorer on 16 tries, with Rockdale’s Tayma Terita second on 15 tries.

The Warringah Ratettes with their 2013 Premiers trophy
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au