Inaugural Great Southern Nines tournament a major success as Albany Sea Dragons fall short in final

The Albany Sea Dragons fell short in their bid to win the inaugural Great Southern Nines tournament, going down to the Fremantle Roosters in Saturday afternoon’s final in Albany. The Albany Sea Dragons Rugby League and Sporting Club produced a spirited effort for their home crowd as they hosted the event in their new club colours. Albany Sea Dragons took to the field against Mandurah Storm Rugby League Club, Fremantle Roosters Rugby League Club, Rockingham Sharks Rugby League and Serpentine Jarrahdale Rugby League and Sporting Club in the popular tournament which was played in strong spirits. The Sea Dragons had a 17-man squad for the tournament which included six players from Kojonup and three from Katanning. The home side were the story of the day after making their way through to the final from fourth place, however, their run came to an end in the decider at the hands of the Fremantle Roosters. The Roosters proved too strong, defeating the Sea Dragons 30-8. There were five qualifying rounds with each team playing four games before playing off in semifinals and then the two winners squared off in the grand final. The Sea Dragons lost their first game narrowly 12-10 to the Roosters but got on the winners list in the second round against Serpentine Jarrahdale, winning 12-10. Mandurah Storm finished 20-10 winners over the Sea Dragons in game three and the hosts had the bye in round four. In the final qualifying match the Sea Dragons weren’t able to match it with Rockingham Sharks, going down 16-0. At the end of regular games the Sea Dragons were in fourth place, however, they were ultra impressive to down Mandurah 36-10 in their semifinal. The Sea Dragons were set to play Rockingham for a place against the Roosters in the final but Rockingham forfeited meaning the home side progressed to the decider. Despite falling short of the winning the title, the Sea Dragons are already planning for a bigger and better tournament next year. Sea Dragons president Gary Tutt said they hoped to expand on this year’s tournament at the same time in 2021. “The event turned out fantastically and everything worked well for our first tournament as hosts,” he said. “The club has already spoken to NRL WA about securing a spot in the event calendar for November 2021 and this has been confirmed as a yes. “Feedback from the attending clubs has been positive with many giving only constructive criticism to help us make it even better for 2021. “With only five of the 17 clubs in WA competing in the Great Southern Nines, we are looking to extend our invitation again in 2021 and help build this now annual event.” Sea Dragons Hsa Thein and Elliott Price were named in the Team of the Tournament.