Lions fail to roar

THE Army Lions have failed in their quest to avenge defeats in the past two grand finals of the Newcastle-Hunter Rugby Union competition.

The Singleton-based Lions had won the minor premiership and appeared on track to win the Newcastle-Hunter Rugby Union competition but failed to roar in the play-offs.

The Lions played Hamilton RUFC for a place in the grand final but went down fighting 15-18. The Lions had one last crack at qualifying for the grand final but were beaten by arch-rivals Maitland 21-24 in the final on September 3.

Club President Capt Garrath Williams, School of Inf, said the team played well in both play-off matches but several crucial decisions and the bounce of the ball had gone against them.

“Naturally we are disappointed because we had beaten both these teams in the regular season,” he said.

“The taste of defeat was a bitter pill for us because we finished the regular season with 13 wins from 15 matches, having racked up 499 points while conceding only 99.”

In the grand final, Hamilton defeated Maitland 24-12.