FNQRL Grand Final: Loss adds to Leprechauns’ luckless run

The Leprechauns’ luckless run in the FNQRL A-grade decider continued on Saturday, with this their fourth grand final loss since lifting the trophy in 2015.

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That unforgettable triumph remains the club’s only grand final win in seven attempts dating back to 2012, and Hallie, who has steered Leprechauns to the grand final in 2017, ’19, ’21 and ’23 without the ultimate premiership success.

“We had our chances and unfortunately it’s a familiar feeling for me now and the boys,” Hallie said.

“I don’t feel as bad as the previous couple, they gave it everything they could.

“You can’t ask for too much more but disappointing we didn’t get one.”

For Jolley, one of Innisfail’s leading and most consistent in recent seasons, it was that familiar feeling of seeing an opportunity to taste premiership glory taken out of his hands.

“It’s mixed emotions,” Jolley said. “I’m super proud of the season we put together but disappointment at not winning it with the team we have.

“You can’t take anything away from Brothers.

“They are the benchmark, the winners last year and they showed up tonight and got the chocolates.”

The decision to slot two penalty goals, to take a two-point lead then extend to a four-point advantage, raised eyebrows but both men said it was simply a matter of taking every point on offer as rain, which swept over the ground for the first half an hour, changed both teams’ game plans.

“We had the tactics of getting the points early if we can and not letting them get the lead,” Jolley said.

“We thought it was a good idea but at the end of the day it didn’t pay off.”

Hallie, while disappointed in the result, spoke glowingly of the way his side threw everything at the grand final.

They left two tries out there, with Devante Heron denied after a forward pass in the lead-up and opposite winger Abraham Waireg-Ingui, the league’s joint leading tryscorer, losing possession after a brilliant try-saving tackle by Brothers’ Gundyl Costello.

Brothers answered most of Innisfail’s questions, defending their line like their lives depended on it, but Hallie conceded his side made several poor decisions.

“At times, we took a couple of wrong options, but you can’t fault either side,” he said.

“We didn’t build enough pressure through the game, we let them off the hook with some penalties and just too stop-start. We really were relying on building pressure but they defended really well.”

GRAND FINAL PREVIEWS

HALLIES SET FOR LAST HURRAH

A start of season joke could become the greatest fairytale ending Innisfail coach Leon Hallie could imagine if a Leprechauns line-up featuring son Jason can break the club’s premiership drought.

The Leprechauns have lost three grand finals since 2015, all under Hallie, but there is a renewed confidence that this could be the one.

But this grand final is unlike those previous three, as it doubles as the likely last time Leon coaches his son.

“We joked about it at the start of the year, kept talking about it, but it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Hallie said.

“I guess it will when it comes to Saturday and we go out to warm up and get ready.

“It’s an awesome experience, it tops off the year, and his year as well. There’s nothing more rewarding.”

Hallie was never comfortable when he handed his son an A-grade debut last year.

He made that clear at the time, describing it as awkward when Jason started to come off the bench for the top side.

But, with time, Jason proved to not only deserve that spot but a whole lot more, to the point he has worked his way to South Sydney next year.

“It has, probably because he’s earned his spot and earned the respect of the other players,” Hallie said.

“When he started last year he had to earn it, and I was like ‘have I done the right thing putting him in?’.

“Now the boys have seen what he adds to the team and how hard he works off the field, he’s earned that trust and respect from the boys so they can relax a bit and treat him like another player.”

Jason’s had a massive year, for the Northern Pride’s Mal Meninga Cup side, which included a massive four-try performance against the Capras, Innisfail, and then the Cairns Foley Shield side.

This will be the last time he wears a Leprechauns jersey for the foreseeable future, but the 18-year-old has taken the entire occasion in his stride.

“I’m pretty relaxed, I haven’t thought about it too much,” Jason said.

“It will probably sink in after the grand final, I just want to play my best then I’ll think about it all afterwards.”

Jason will be a key member of the Leprechauns’ fearsome forward pack which is regarded as being among the best in the competition.

And while motivated to claim a premiership for himself, he wants to play a role in delivering one to his dad.

“It’s been pretty good, he hasn’t coached me at all (before),” Jason said.

“He was a bit more harsh on me than other players at times, he probably didn’t want anyone else to think there were any favourites.

“But I’ve enjoyed it, he’s got a lot of knowledge, he’s been around for a while, he’s the coach of the year - there’s nobody better.

“It’s pretty special, I’d really like to get a win, especially for dad.

“He’s put in a lot of hard work over the past few years, we couldn’t get it for him last year so it will mean a lot.

“It’s a big opportunity, the staff have been looking after me already and I’m not even there yet. It’s a new challenge, and that’s my kind of thing. I’m keen to get down there.”

Jason will leave the family home in a few months bound for Redfern, where he will take a big step in the pursuit of his NRL dream by joining the Rabbitohs’ development system under former Pride coach Joe O’Callaghan.

That part hasn’t quite hit the Hallie family just yet, but there is no doubting the pride they feel in seeing Jason accomplish his goals.

“That still hasn’t hit us yet, me and his mum, it will soon,” Hallie said.

“I’m really proud of him.

“He’s put footy first, he’s put the social side of school life aside to concentrate on his footy and he’s been rewarded along the way.

“He’s made rep teams and had interest from NRL teams. That keeps him going, getting those rewards.

“He can see what he can get out of the game if he wants to, it’s just very rewarding and satisfying for us as parents to see him reach his goals.”

MORTON MAKES AN IMPACT

The emergence of loyal Innisfail clubman Michael Morton as a first grade halfback has allowed for the Leprechauns to field arguably the most balanced halves paring in the FNQRL A-grade competition.

And, if the stars align, allow the club to smash a grand final hoodoo and finally lift their first A-grade premiership since Ty Williams coached Leprechauns to glory in 2015.

Innisfail coach Leon Hallie put Morton on the spot in November last year, challenging the man who had been a mainstay in the club’s reserve grade side to make the step up.

Morton hasn’t let the Coach of the Year down.

“Start of November I told him if he put in he gets first crack at half, and he’s pretty much been at every training since then,” Hallie said.

“He’s been a good clubman, he’s bridged the gap between ressies and A-grade, made the club connection that bit tighter, and that goes a long way for him to play well as well.

“He’s really deserved the opportunity, he’s worked hard for it.”

Morton’s kicking game has been central to the sides success, and his ability to marshal the troops has freed up representative star Aaron Jolley to find his best form.

“They complement each other well,” Hallie said.

“In previous years, Aaron’s probably tried to take too much responsibility at times and it doesn’t work like that.

“Morto is that balance for him where he can concentrate on the running game.

“That’s the role which suits Morto, he likes that general role, he has a good kicking game, he has a voice and isn’t afraid to use it. It’s ideal.”

Morton said the opportunity to play alongside Jolley had been a learning experience, and the halfback has enjoyed most moments as he gleaned plenty of lessons from the man he said was the most consistent in this league.

“You get yelled at a lot but I take it with both hands and cop it on the chin,” Morton said with a laugh.

“He’s one of the best halves in the competition, if not the best, his ball-playing is unreal.

‘This is my first full year playing halfback, I was always a fullback or winger until I played halfback for ressies last year.

“Leon saw something in my and wanted me to be first choice, so I took it with both hands, I did my best.

“I’m lucky to have a great halves partner in Azza, I’ve learned a lot from him this year, and the big boys make my job a lot easier.

“Being his apprentice is easy, he has a lot of trust in me now. I’ve learned a helluva lot off him this year and I hope we can go round again next year.”

Jolley, who until this season was regularly among the Gold Medal finalists, has represented Cairns at Foley Shield level for the past few years, and is always among the best performers in the league.

A shift from hooker and fullback to the halves has allowed Jolley to play a bigger role in recent years, but he said Morton’s form had been a blessing in disguise.

“ I’m getting a bit older now so that pressure off my shoulders let’s me focus on different focus of my game, let’s me play my own footy rather than feeling like I’m doing everything else,” Jolley said.

‘We trust each other a whole lot better than what we did at the start. It’s easier to lead the team when you have someone else who can lead things on the other side.”

The desire to exorcise grand final demons is at the heart of the motivation for both halves this weekend, with both Jolley and Morton experiencing their fair share of heartache over the years.

“This is my fourth consecutive grand final, haven’t won one yet,” Morton said. “Hopefully we can break the curse and get it over the line.”

Jolley said the biggest difference was in the way the squad had come together.

“Team cohesion is the biggest thing, and the value of the boys having each other’s backs is the biggest thing we’ve built on,” Jolley said.

“It’s leaps and bounds ahead of where it’s been, and it’s easier on Leon too, he doesn’t have to stress as much so training is more fun.”

BROTHERS POWER INNISFAIL PACK

It’s been years since Graham Clark has played in a grand final, but he will get the chance to tick off the career highlight alongside brother James when they line up for Innisfail in the FNQRL A-grade decider.

“We’ve always been in the finals but good to finally get to a grand final, and hopefully get a win,” Graham said.

“It’s good to have one with him, I enjoy playing every game with him so it’s not too different.”

This is the first time the Clark brothers have played a full season together in the top grade, and for James it’s been an opportunity to learn from the experience Graham has acquired over the years, which included 69 Queensland Cup games for the Northern Pride and a stint at the Bulldogs.

“Watching him, he played a lot of rep footy growing up, we only played a few years together,” James said. “This is the first full season we’ve played together, and playing alongside him – he’s much older and knows more than I do, it’s good to learn off him.”

The Clark boys were synonymous with the Atherton Roosters in recent years where they played under their father, Graham Clark Snr, but moved to Innisfail towards the end of pre-season when the family parted ways with the Roosters.

They arrived at Callendar Park looking for an opportunity to play for their home club, and were welcomed with open arms by long-term Leprechauns coach Leon Hallie.

What he got were two workhorses who not only brought plenty of muscle, toughness and grit to what has become regarded as arguably the best forward packs in the competition, but two men who hold themselves to high standards away from the field.

“They’ve been a huge bonus, their experience, for me as a coach, more off the field than on it,” Hallie said.

“The way they go about themselves towards training.

“They set high standards for themselves and it’s rubbed off on the group.

“It’s ideal what you want from local boys who have come back to play for their home club.”

It was always going to take some time for the Clarks to adjust to their new surrounds after their late transfer from Atherton to Innisfail, but by round five, they had found themselves very much in the swing of things with their new teammates.

That was about the time Innisfail really hit their stride, after starting 0-2 they went on to win 12 of their next 14 games to finish second on the ladder.

“They lost a fair few last year but we ended up coming late, it worked out well for both of us, we slot right in,” Graham said.

“The first couple games were a bit rough, being with a new team and different plays and that, but got to know them pretty quick and been running pretty smooth.

“We were a bit rusty.

“We didn’t train much up there as a bit of stuff was going on. When we got here it took a few games to get in the swing and we gelled together well.”

Younger brother James fully backed the monstrous Leprechauns pack to get the job done when they face off with defending premiers Brothers in the decider on Saturday, based on how the players respond when the going gets tough.

“When it gets dirty out there, we muscle up and do well,” James said.

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“If we have to be on for a few minutes when it gets tough, we muscle up well.

“Carrying it out, we’ve got the best pack in the comp.”

matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au

Originally published as FNQRL Grand Final: Loss adds to Leprechauns’ luckless run