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Another chapter was written in the Harold Matthews Cup’s annals when the One New Zealand Warriors became the first club in 12 years to clinch back-to-back titles with their 30-16 win over Newcastle in Saturday’s grand final at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.
The last time it happened was when Parramatta won consecutive premierships in 2012-2013.
The Warriors made history last year by becoming the first club ever to win a Harold Matthews Cup premiership in their first year in the competition.
While the club could now savour the achievement, Warriors coach TJ Ashford said that had not been a focus in the lead-up.
“We spoke about it earlier in the season about not riding on the coat tails of what was done before us, and the boys creating their own legacy in the jersey,” he said.
Match: Warriors v Knights
Grand Final -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Knights
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
“Credit to them, because they bought into it very early and my staff have been outstanding this year again.
“Collectively as a group we just all got on the same page and we knew what we wanted to do, and we knew if we gave ourselves a chance we’d be back here again 12 months later and that’s exactly what happened so I’m very proud and very blessed.”
The Warriors found themselves down 0-12 in the opening minutes but Ashford said the players weren’t perturbed about it.
“The boys have been in situations like that all year,” he said.
“We really pride ourselves on how hard we work together as a group and I thought the boys did that today. They had to rally around being 12-0 down and to come back like that is a special thing.
“Grand finals are built on defence and I felt like there were a few things there where we defended at the back end of the game which helped us win the contest.”
While giant second rower Bishop Neal was the standout individual with his man of the match display, Ashford paid credit to the whole squad.
“Sometimes big players step up in big games and that’s exactly what happened but they can’t do what they do without the rest of the group,” he said.
“(The win) feels great. I don’t think the reality is going to sink in for a bit but it’s a special club, a special group of boys and I’m just proud and privileged to be able to call myself their coach.
“It’s an outstanding moment, I hope the boys can enjoy it and it’s a memory for a lifetime.”
