It’s been an astounding season of Division Two football, but today will see it all draw to a close when either Canberra or Colombo claim the 2004 ASRL premiership. Canberra have completed a resurrection of dramatic proportions this season, whilst Colombo have astounded everyone with their form seeing them claim second place at the conclusion of the season. Today’s clash, to decide on an opponent for Perth for a potential place in the Premier League, promises to be a nail-biter.

Canberra Chargers Colombo Harlequins
1 Ben Hornby © 1 Luke Phillips
2 Reece Simmonds 2 Wes Davies
3 Paul Whatuira 3 Aaron Moule
4 Christophe Lamaison 4 Dennis Hickie
5 Jamie Burrows 5 Graham Appo
6 Brandon Costin 6 Fourcade Abasse
7 Sean Towers 7 Matt Dawson
8 Troy Stone 8 Braden Mohammed
9 Johnny Lawless 9 Shane Millard
10 Sonny Nickle 10 Damien Fields
11 Solomon Haumona 11 Martin Johnson
12 Michael Smith 12 Paul Johnson
13 Ian Watson 13 Felipe Contempone ©
++Interchange
14 Danny Galea 14 Anthony Himmler
15 Chris McKenna 15 Pascal Jampy
16 Richard Peleasina 16 Richard Fletcher
17 Michael Monaghan 17 Bryce Edkins

The game kicked off in front of a record low for a Grand Final attendance. With all four sides from outside NSW (indeed, three from outside Australian shores), it promised to be a day that would reward the faithful for their attendance. Canberra had plenty to cheer about early on, when firebrand prop Braden Mohammed was sin-binned after only five minutes for verbally abusing referee, Glen Black. Despite the one man disadvantage, Colombo were the team to have all of the early possession, and snared the game’s opening try after nine minutes of play. Veteran centre Aaron Moule continued to prove himself a worthy addition to the squad, coupling marvellously with Wes Davies to score ten metres left of the uprights. Damien Fields, playing front row after most of his season was in the back row, nailed the conversion to give Colombo an unexpected 6-0 lead.

The six point lead became eight points in the ensuing set of six from the Harlequins, with Damien Fields converting a penalty for a two on one rake into a further two points for his club. The vocal Canberra fans, many of them simply hoping an Australian team could claim some glory, soundly booed Glen Black as he restarted play.

For the majority of the first half, particularly once Mohammed hit the park again, Colombo controlled the game with uncharacteristic maturity. Canberra’s few chances were squandered as a result of heavy pressure from the Harlequins’ sliding defence, whilst the Sri Lankan side’s own attack seemed to excel in the wet conditions brought on by an early afternoon shower. The 31st minute saw the Harlequins denied a potentially lethal try through Hawkesbury bound Shane Millard, who was ruled to have made a second effort when grounding the ball. Colombo’s misfortune continued only minutes later when veteran fullback Luke Phillips left the field with a dislocated shoulder. The level headed fullback’s absence soon proved a major disadvantage for the Harlequins, who were found lacking when forward utility, Anthony Himmler, was shown up by a sterling Christophe Lamaisson side-step in the 39th, leading to Canberra’s only try of the first half. Whilst Sean Towers, carrying a niggling ankle injury, was unable to convert- a halftime score of 8-4 left Canberra in the game.

HALFTIME: Canberra 4 trail Colombo 8

A halftime spray from retiring coach Nathan Hoy had an immediate impact on the Chargers, who came out fired up and forced an error from Damien Fields after only two Colombo plays. They then built on this outstanding start, with Michael Monaghan showing his strike value with a darting run that put the Chargers right on the attack. Enter French hero Christophe Lamaisson, the centre crossing for his second try after less than a minute of the second half. Sean Towers this time had his aim in, and the Chargers were suddenly 10-8 leaders.

The heavens opened as the second half wound on, and this lead to some really scrappy football. Whilst fans were drenched in the stands, players were forced to contend with poor footing and a greasy ball as they sought to lead their side to grand final victory. Aaron Moule marshalled the Colombo backline superbly to get his side back in front, the former Manly Cannons’ star showing remarkable determination to wrestle his way across the line despite the attentions of Paul Whatuira. Fields proved human on the conversion, leaving his side as 12-10 leaders.

The lead lasted ten minutes before changing again, with Michael Monaghan continuing to be a thorn in the side of the Colombo defence. With Towers and Monaghan both playing at the same time, Canberra were able to double their playmaking capacity, and it continually tore the Harlequins’ defence to threads. In a classic piece of grand final play, the two halfbacks combined to bamboozle the defence, before Monaghan chanced his arm on the last tackle to slide across and score a soft try. The Harlequins’ defence had raced up to pressure Towers in the event of a kick, but found their enthusiasm left a yawning hole for Monaghan to run through. Towers converted the effort of his partner of crime to give the Chargers a 16-12 lead with twenty minutes remaining. Damien Fields showed remarkable maturity only minutes later when he opted for a safe two points ahead of a risky attempt at six, to draw the gap back to 16-14.

The game held this way for a dramatic next fifteen minutes, and with five minutes to go, it remained uncertain which side would be able to snare a try and seal the game. It went without saying that both camps expected one more try to be sufficient for a premiership, and as the final five minutes ticked by, it became clear that the Chargers were perhaps better equipped for the high tension, thanks to their infinitely more experienced roster. Fittingly, it was Christophe Lamaisson who sealed the win for the Chargers, running onto a long Brandon Costin ball to race down the sideline for the softest of his three tries. Towers converted from out wide to take the lead to 22-14, and crush any hope of a Colombo fightback. A 79th minute Reece Simmonds’ try added further insult to injury for the Harlequins, the final scoreline finishing at 28-14. The Harlequins would be rueing their inability to convert first half possession into points, whilst Canberra celebrated on the muddy turf as the two Premier League sides warmed up on the sidelines.

FULLTIME

Canberra Chargers 28
Christophe Lamaisson 3
Reece Simmonds
Michael Monaghan
Towers 4/6

Defeated

Colombo Harlequins 14
Aaron Moule 2
Fields ¾

PoM Points
Michael Monaghan……………3
Christophe Lamaisson…………2
Sonny Nickle…………………..1

Stats
Penalty Count
Canberra Chargers- 8 : 7 -Colombo Harlequins

Possession (%)
Canberra Chargers- 56 : 43 -Colombo Harlequins

Time in Opposition Half
Canberra Chargers- 42 : 38 -Colombo Harlequins

Handling Errors
Canberra Chargers- 18 : 15 -Colombo Harlequins

Completion Rate (%)
Canberra Chargers- 65 : 62 -Colombo Harlequins

Tackles
Canberra Chargers- 208 : 229 -Colombo Harlequins