Saturday saw the final games of this year's Rockhampton and District Junior Rugby League modified season.
The day started with an Under 11 gala day with teams playing round robin games until the main event, the Under 12 decider between Emu Park and Capricorn Coast Brothers.
Emu Park went into the grand final as the minor premiers while Capricorn Coast Brothers came from third.
The crowd were expecting some entertaining football and were not disappointed when in the third minute, Emu Park spread the ball wide and big centre Jack Hardy went on a 40 metre run down the sideline, before stepping Brethren fullback Reiner Grams to score and give the Emus a 4-0 lead.
It wasn’t long after that Emu Park were again on the attack and five-eighth Carter Welfare stepped his way through on the last tackle to extend the lead to 10-0.
Both sides traded sets and in the 13th minute, and the Emus yet again went to the left and Hardy ran another 40 metres for his second try to now lead 16-0.
From the restart, Grams broke straight through and with the conversion, Capricorn Coast were on the board, trailing 16-6.
With the clock running down in the first half, Emu Park put on one last play and it was Welfare scoring again, running an excellent line through a hole to go to the break leading 22-6
Both sides returned for the final 20 minutes of the grand final and it was Emu Park in the 26th minute who looked to put the game out of reach when Welfare again stepped his way through the defence to bag his hat-trick.
Capricorn Coast looked gone, but Grams took things into his own hands with a great break to score his second try.
Emu Park kept putting Cap Coast back into their own half after each set, restricting the possibility of points.
In the 36th minute, Cap Coast crossed for another four-pointer, albeit a consolation try through Tyson Gilmore with the final score seeing Emu Park defeat the Brethren 28-18.
The players of the match for both sides were Carter Welfare for Emu Park and Reiner Grams for Capricorn Coast Brothers with Welfare also being awarded the the Neville Diamond Trophy for being judged the player of the season.
Emu Park 28 (Carter Welfare 3, Jack Hardy 2 tries; Carter Welfare, Will Pearson, Max Armstrong, Nate Kanealy goals) defeated Cap Coast Brothers 18 (Reiner Grams 2, Tyson Gilmore tries; Jackson Brown, Sam Hooper, Reiner Grams goals) at Browne Park, Rockhampton.
