Norths were frustrated by their performance but delighted with the result as they settled a long score with Brisbane Tigers in their BMD Premiership clash at Bishop Park on Saturday night.
The Devils won their opening home match of the season 30-24, scoring the last two tries to end a deadlock with the Tigers that stretched 12 months.
In their first BMD Premiership season last year, the Devils drew with the Tigers when lighting issues at Langlands Park forced the game to end in semi-darkness with the scores locked.
Last night’s clash was just as even until the Devils found a way to break the back-and-forth with the Tigers.
Fullback Montaya Hudson’s tries in the 55th and 64th minutes pushed the Devils from an 18-24 deficit into a six-point lead.
It looked enough with two minutes to go when the Tigers knocked on close to their line.
But this match always had a twist.
The Tigers regained the ball after the first tackle of the re-start and edged downfield for one last test of the Devils’ defence.
A bone-rattling tackle from Devils co-captain Netta Nu’uausala in the last minute typified the determination of a Norths team that kept its tryline intact in the last 25 minutes.
The Devils claimed an important win, building on the promise of their opening round loss to Burleigh which shook the premiers until the closing stages of that match.
There was much for the Devils to celebrate with Meg Ward recording her first win as head coach but the mood was more reserved.
“We know we can play a lot better and that we can’t afford to make mistakes like that again but there was a lot to like about how we stuck together to win that game,” Ward said.
“It’s never easy to win in this competition and we had to come back from deficits twice in the game.
“You can’t coach that type of spirit so we can build on that when we play Souths Logan next week.”
The Devils had opened the match well with Jocelyn Kelleher, pictured, and Makenzie Weale scoring in the first 14 minutes for a 12-0 lead.
But the Tigers hit back through an effective game plan that enabled them to dominate field position for a period, edging to a 24-18 lead after 10 minutes of the second half.
Halfback Kelleher continued to test the Tigers who were eventually split by midfield bursts that led to Hudson’s fast feet finishing with tries in front of a strong home crowd.
Co-captain Jada Ferguson again helped to ignite the Devils’ middles at crucial times while the backline spark from the likes of Kelleher, Georgia Hannaway and Becky Davidson served the Devils well.
Both teams scored five tries each but the Devils made the most of the conversions of Georgia Wilson and Kelleher.
NORTHS DEVILS 30 (Jocelyn Kelleher 2, Montaya Hudson 2, Makenzie Weale tries, Georgia Wilson 3 goals, Kelleher 2 goals) bt BRISBANE TIGERS 24 (Luisa Vaa, Hollie Massey, Tahlia Marshall, Harara Butler, Tanika Newton tries, Akira Kelly 2 goals) at Bishop Park.
