Duhaney Park Red Sharks won their seventh consecutive National Club Championship men’s (NCC) Grand Finals, and ninth overall after a hard-fought 32-20 win over Washington Boulevard Bulls at the UWI Mona Bowl on Sunday.

The champions had an early scare when play maker Chevaughn Bailey departed the game after only two minutes with an injury. However, they still managed to go into the half-time break with a narrow 10-4 lead after tries from Ryan Grant and Joseph Shae, Grant with the conversion.

Bulls’ first half points came from a try form winger Javon Lewis.

The Red Sharks surged further ahead 20-4 early in the second half with tries from Shaqueil Pollack and Adrian Thomas, Grant kicking one of the two conversion attempts.

The Bulls then narrowed the gap to 20-14 with tries from Orlando Messado and Reinhardo Richards, Mohenjo Thompson kicking one of the conversions.

With 15 minutes remaining, the Red Sharks made it a two-score game when hooker Akeem Murray burrowed over from close range, Grant again converting.

However, the Bulls again found a response, this time through Shamoy Stewart, Thompson again converting to leave the game in the balance at 26-20.

With five minutes remaining and the Bulls pushing for the equalizing score, a drop ball from Kahil Green in their own half gifted the Red Sharks possession.

 Prop Owen Linton then went on a thundering charge up the middle and scored under the sticks, Grant again slotted home the conversion to seal the 32-20 victory for the champs.

 Winning Head Coach Roy Calvert while happy for the win praised their opponents’ effort.

“Hats off to the Bulls, they were determined. The conditions were not perfect and both teams had a hard time holding on to the ball,” Calvert remarked.

“I’m proud of my team though, we have ended the season unbeaten, so it’s another historic moment for us. I was really pleased to see the growth of some of our young players and to end with a win in the Grand Finals is the perfect ending to the season.”

Oshane Edie coach of the Bulls expressed his pride at how his team performed in the losing effort.

“It was a good final. We lost momentum in the first half, got back in it the second but we failed to capitalize on our opportunities. I’m proud of the boys, it was a very intense game and congrats to the Red Sharks on their victory.”

In the third-place playoff, Western Hyenas ran out 32-12 winners over Liguanea Dragons.

Duhaney Park Red Sharks defeated Washington Boulevard Bulls 21-8 in a thrilling final to the Easter’s tournament held at the BB Coke High School in St Elizabeth on Saturday. It was a historic occasion as it was the first time that the parish of St Elizabeth was hosting a senior Men’s 9-a-side rugby league tournament for the first time.

Both clubs went undefeated during the group stage and had identical 3-0 records heading into the final. The Bulls raced to an early lead through tries from Javon Lewis and Andree Lee but the Red Sharks pulled level before half-time with tries from Shaquille Pollack and Javian Bryan.

In the second half, the Red Sharks took the ascendancy with a strong defensive display and denied the Bulls any points and extended their lead with additional tries from Adrian Thomas, Kenneth Walker, Marvin Thompson, and Jenson Morris.

Tournament MVP Chevaughn Bailey wrapped up the scoring with a drop goal.

“We wanted our best performance on the day as we have lost out on the last few 9’s titles. Credit to all teams on making the journey to St. Elizabeth and special commendations to St Bess Sledgehammers on organizing a great tournament,” said winning captain Marvin Thompson.

West Kingston Hyenas copped third place with a close 8-4 win over the Jamaica Defence Force while hosts St Bess Sledgehammers finished fifth after an 18-8 win over St Catherine Thundercats.

 Portmore Rugby League Club took seventh spot with a 15-0 result over the Liguanea Dragons.

RLJ Vice Chair Adrian Hall was impressed with the tournament.

 “It was fantastic to see seven teams travel from Kingston and St Catherine and ensure a successful tournament,” he said.

“We hope to widen the footprint of rugby league in St Elizabeth and the Easter 9s was a good advert for the game. The JMD$70,000 in total prize money for the top three teams added a special incentive for teams to perform to their best.”

The tournament that was sponsored by Cheddi’s Surveillance Cameras and Digital Services, provided good preparation for several national players who will compete for Jamaica in the USARL 9s on May 20 in Naples, Florida.