After coming into 2019 with just the one win from the past two seasons, Orange Tigers' under-17s flipped the table on Bathurst Giants during Sunday's AFL Central West junior grand finals.
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The Tigers claimed an upset, phenomenal 9-3-57 to 3-7-25 win off the back of Charlie Kemp's five goals and a best-on-ground performance through the middle of the ground from Pete Byrne.
The Giants had the first three shots on goal before the underdogs kicked into gear, with Byrne labelling the clash a "hot footy and a physical contest from the start".
Everyone stepped up and did their job for the team and we got the result we wanted.
- Tigers midfielder Peter Byrne
There was plenty of feeling in the clash, with several yellow and red cards handed out in the second half and the "intensity lifting", but the Tigers held the Giants scoreless in the last to cap off any thought the home side had of reversing the 13-point turnaround at the final change.
Instead, the Tigers slammed on another three goals to claim the win.
"I'm buzzing," Byrne said.
"There was nothing boys wanted to do more than knock the Giants off the top perch ... there was lots of feeling in it, that's for sure."
Byrne said Kemp - who was one of the senior men's best in their loss on Saturday - would have been awarded best on ground had he not been yellow carded in the second half, but if anything the 20 minutes on the sidelines made his effort to kick five goals even more remarkable.
"We played him through centre half so he could push up the ground but was our main scoring option," Byrne said.
"His ball use is really clean and was and essential pick up for the game."
The Tigers' under-14s also found success in their grand final hunt, running out 12-7-79 victors against the Cowra Blues 6-4-40.
Matt Brown was named best on ground after kicking a mammoth seven goals, while Tom Bock pitched in with three of his own in a dominant forward display.
Meanwhile, the Giants were too strong in the Youth Girls' grand final, with the junior women - like Liz Kennedy's seniors - proving the strongest team in the competition.
The Giants were unbeaten all year and despite a strong opening term to the Tigers, the hosts ran away in a four-goal second quarter to surge to a 28-point half-time lead and never looked in doubt.
The Tigers only had 13 to the Giants' 25, and the visitors ran out of legs as the Giants overran them in the second half.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
