THE Londonderry Greys C Grade team has won the minor premiership in what is only the club’s second year back after its 2016 revival.
The club has only lost one game all season and consider themselves favourites to take out the Penrith Junior Rugby League C Grade 2 grand final.
The team’s captain Jarrad Bettidge said it had been a great season and the team had grown very close during the year.
“I love the camaraderie, there is nothing better. We are all one club here,” he said.
“It has been an awesome season. We've won all but one game, it gives you a lot of confidence. The winning feeling is always good.”
Bettidge said Londonderry was probably the smallest team in the competition, and originally it was daunting.
“Most of the guys in the other teams have full beards,” he said.
“It was a little bit intimidating in the first few games, but once we all knew each other and the abilities of each other it wasn't so bad.”
Yet dispute the diminutive nature of the team, Bettidge said the team made it work to their advantage.
“On the field you know the guys have your back,” he said.
“We're not the biggest team, but knowing each one of us has our back we go in there able to tackle and have fun.
“Now that we are targeted by the bigger people we find it easier. They run straight us at us now and we have the technique to bring them down.”
The 19-year-old said he had never been captain before, and it was a proud moment when his coach Matt Byers asked him to do the job.
“It was one of the best feelings I have had,” he said.
“I live for football. I watch and play it, so getting asked to be captain, it was great.”
Bettidge said one of the great things about Londonderry was that the club supported each other. He said most of his team made the effort to go and watch the club’s other teams play when possible, which made for a great atmosphere at the club.
Team coach Byers said he was stoked with how well the team had gone during the season and would not have predicted it at the start of the league year.
“The boys knuckled down really hard this year,” he said.
“We're excited to win the minor premiership in our second year as a club, but we know there is still a job ahead of them.”
Byers said the effort was all the more impressive, because the team only had two home games during.
The C Grade finals start this week, but Londonderry won’t play after winning the minor premiership.
Instead, they will play a game the following Saturday, which if the they win, will send them into the grand final.
The Greys are only in their second year as a club, after the club was revived in 2016.
The Greys had not fielded a team in about two decades, and former member Buck Rogers took it upon himself to see the club got back on its feet, and was quickly met with a wave of support from the Londonderry area.
The club’s under-13s team also won their minor premiership.
