You couldn't count on two hands how many massive moments there were during Orange Vipers' 24-4 Western Women's Rugby League grand final win over Wiradjuri Goannas at Pride Park on Sunday.
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It was a contest that had it all... a severe injury, a dramatic send-off, a bit of push and shove, and an array of breathtaking individual performances - the latter of which ultimately led to Marty Lyden's girls lifting the trophy for the second season in a row.
But, it wasn't until the second stanza when the Snakes really hit their straps as they were battling in the opening exchanges after a Rebecca Smyth try gave the visitors a 4-0 lead, the powerhouse back rower crashing over the line from close range.
The flow of the game was disrupted not long after as a broken arm to Goannas' hooker Emily Caton saw the contest stopped for 30 minutes, a break that appeared to work in the home side's favour.
Wiradjuri entered the half-time break with a 4-0 lead but just a few minutes into the third quarter, Goannas' prop Maggie Townsend was sent off after a dangerous high tackle on Orange fullback Heidi Regan.
Not only did the incident leave Wiradjuri a woman short, it seemingly lit a fire underneath the Vipers as they scored back-to-back tries through close range efforts from Jacky Lyden and Samara Afele.
The 12-4 buffer looked a match-winning one but the result was well and truly put to bed in the fourth quarter when under 18s sensation Ciara Sullivan - who started on the wing for Lyden in the main event - sliced through Goannas' defensive line before standing up the fullback to cap off a sensational solo effort.
Speedster Libby Smith joined the party not long after as she exploded down the right edge before motoring past the last defender in pink.
It was all academic from that point on as the Vipers worked their way through the closing stages before exploding onto the field to celebrate what was a dominant win in the end.
She didn't score a try on Sunday but fullback Heidi Regan was handed woman of the match after the game and was all smiles as she celebrated on the field.
"It's honestly amazing," Regan said.
"All the girls put in so much work to get here and it just feels amazing."
Regan was on the receiving end of the game-changing high tackle and even though many expected her to stay down after copping a forearm to the head, the livewire had no intentions of leaving the field.
"You've just got to get back up from those hits and come back bigger and better," she said.
"All these girls are amazing and they all get behind each other and it just makes the win so much better."
Marty Lyden was just as pleased with the outcome and even ranked it above last year's premiership.
"Last year was awesome but this year probably tops it a little bit," Lyden said.
"There's a lot of new girls in this team and it's just so good for them. All the teams in this competition developed so much between the first game and last game.
"Our ability to stick in the game today was massive. We've got so many players across the park who can create something out of nothing."
Goannas' coach Gerry Merritt was understandably upset after the contest and even though his side didn't have much go its way, he wasn't prepared to take anything away from the victors.
"We just ran out of puff and they (Vipers) played to their strengths and never gave up," Merritt said.
"We knew they were going to be tough all game... they stuck it to us a few weeks earlier and we had them in that game but we fell asleep."
Sunday's finale was Merritt's swansong and he shed some light on his emotions after his last ever coaching appearance.
"I couldn't be more proud of every team I've been involved with over the years," he said.
"Whether it's women, boys or men, I'm proud to be a part of it and hopefully I've given something to rugby league."
ORANGE VIPERS 24 (tries; Samara Afela, Ciara Sullivan, Jacky Lyden, Libby Smith, conversions: Ella Barrett 3, Tayla Press) DEF Wiradjuri Goannas 4 (tries; Rebecca Smyth).
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