A last-minute penalty goal has seen the Beenleigh Pride claim a dramatic 18-16 win over the West Brisbane Panthers in the BRL Reserve Grade grand final.
A sea of supporters from both clubs made the pilgrimage to Bishop Park on Saturday and the fulltime scenes on the field and in the stands told the story of the thrilling game.
Scores were level with less than a minute left on the clock, before Beenleigh Pride halfback Craig Chapman slotted a penalty goal to seal a dramatic premiership victory.
Pride's indestructible lock Henry Ah Sam was the stand-out player, with the powerful forward paving the way for Beenleigh in what was arguably a perfect 10 from start to finish.
However, it was the Panthers who drew first blood in the 17th minute when the speedy Jake Dornan was on the end of a backline movement that saw the winger inch his way down the sideline to score in the corner.
Pride's Ethan Weale then broke the Panthers defence in the 29th minute of play, slipping past two defenders to score beside the posts and get Beenleigh on the board.
The Panthers had an opportunity to hit the front before the break with some good field position, but the rock-solid Pride defence held strong.
Beenleigh would have their own roll of the dice before the break, after Chapman flung a long ball to put the elusive John Bosen in space. However, some nice cover defence by Panthers Gavin Causer and Aaron Corbyn halted any further progress before the siren.
Halfback and captain Chapman got the Pride off to a good start in the second half, slotting over a penalty right in front in the 42nd minute.
Beenleigh's travelling supporters found their voice after that goal and inspired the Pride who lifted into overdrive over the next 20 minutes of play.
Pride's Ah Sam was still running riot up the middle and his efforts paid off in the 55th minute of play when he swatted away some tired Panthers defence to score under the posts.
Pride's Bosen was again on the mark shortly after to collect a pin point bullet pass. The flying winger ran 40 meters down the sideline to score in the corner.
At 16-4, the Panthers needed a spark and it came from second rower Mitchell Hallinan who capped off a strong run to power over and score.
A sideline conversion from Kane Zalewski kept the Panthers alive and within striking distance at 16-10 in the dying stages of the game.
The Panthers capitalised on that momentum shift when tireless fullback Gavin Causer swooped on a Pride error close to the line. He picked up the ball and dove over the line under the posts to bring the scores level at 16-16.
Tensions were high in the dying stages as the Panthers tried desperately to complete the comeback, but a with just 48 seconds left on the clock, a gift penalty to the Pride right in front of the posts gave Chapman the easy task of slotting the winning goal to seal what was a breathtaking finish to an outstanding game.
>> Earlier in the day, St Brendan's claimed a 26-24 victory over Capalaba in the BRL Under 21 grand final, while the Seagulls would go on to defeat the Redcliffe Dolphins 28-20 to the BRL A Grade In Safe Hands Cup later that evening.
