Queensland Country have secured a maiden NRC title, with a come-from-behind 42-28 win over the Canberra Vikings in Canberra.
Here’s the fulltime reaction from both camps.
Brad Thorn – Queensland Country coach
“Just incredible, it’s just incredible.
“I’m a bit lost for words.
“We were down two converted tries. I’ve got that many 19-year-olds, 20-year-olds in there. I spoke to them before the game, and I just said, ‘it’s not going to be perfect’. And the boys just went to work.
“Far out, how proud of them are you, as a coach. It’s just outstanding.”
Duncan Paia’aua – Queensland Country captain and Phil Waugh Medallist (Player of the Final)
“Our determination and our hard work got us there.
“The boys really put their heart out there, especially when we were struggling there in the first half. But they really brought it home in that second half.
“We’ve turned into winners after three seasons of running dead last or second last, and I think Thorny’s just brought that winning culture, and brought the fun back into footy.
“We work hard, but we have fun, and that’s what he’s brought. Everyone’s excited to train and play, and that’s shown tonight.”
Tom Cusack – Canberra Vikings captain
“We were there where we needed to be.
“Just a few little lapses. They had a pretty good game plan. A game plan from them that we didn’t really expect; they kicked a lot of high ball out to our wingers and that’s where they got some reward.
“We weren’t able to nullify that, and probably our work rate off the ball wasn’t good enough in those times.”
