The Glen Innes Magpies league tag side was just minutes away from sealing a grand final win when a piece of individual brilliance changed the outcome.
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A Hayley Ford-intercept followed by a length-of-the-field run proved the difference between the Armidale Rams and the Glen Innes Magpies in Sunday's Group 19 league tag grand final.
In a tightly contested grand final, the Rams held a 6-nil lead at half-time, courtesy of a Jymia Speeding try from dummy-half.
The Magpies scored back-to-back four pointers mid-way through the second stanza to get back into the game.
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Courtney Watts weaved her way through the line out wide to plant the ball down before Emilie Hodge sped down the sideline to give the Magpies an 8-6 edge until late in the game.
With three minutes left on the clock, the Rams found themselves defending their own line after repeat penalties and a sin-binning before Ford grabbed her opportunity. She read a Glen Innes play perfectly to pluck the ball from the air and go the length of the field to seal the 10-8 win.
Ford also picked up player of the match for her efforts.
The Magpies created plenty of opportunities to cross the stripe with a few disallowed tries costing them.
"It was very tough," Glen Innes coach Andrew Hodgson conceded after the match.
"I thought we were in the game, I was really confident.
"And we bombed four tries I think it was.
"I was really confident, the girls just didn't quite get into it in the first-half, just a slow start.
"I thought we were very unlucky."
Despite missing out on the trophy, Hodgson lauded the team's efforts.
After only having two wins next to their name at the halfway point of the season, Hodgson was rapt to make it to the final hurdle.
"I was very proud of them for when they came from, from fourth to play in the grand final so I couldn't be happier," he said.
"It is something to build on for next year."
Hodgson hopes to return as coach of the league tag team in 2020.
In the meantime, Group 19 have announced they will once again be holding their women's nines tackle tournament.
Beginning in October, the Group will hold the open women's competition and under-17 tournament as well as a proposed under-15 division.
Under-15 players are required to be 13-years-old and under-17 a minimum of 15-years-old.
The open competition will be for 17-years-old and over.