Peace will remain unbeaten at least one more week.  Bobcat players and fans alike had predicted their doom but alas the win managed to evade them.

'We had them, we had them', lamented more than one heartbroken Bobcat fan leaving Workers Stadium yesterday evening.

Warrior fans meanwhile had a completely different mood amongst them at the end of the match.  'Ah this is awesome!  I was worried though, especially with O'Neal's try and conversion just before injury time, I thought we were done for', noted one happy Warrior devotee.  

________________________________________

'...we were so close, this hurts worse than if we had gotten blown out...'

-Bobcat flyhalf, Jason O'Neal.

________________________________________

Indeed, most in the stadium thought that Workers Point had this game for most of the match.  The game started swiftly enough with the Warrior kick off being run in by the Bobcat backs for a score within the first minute of the game.  The conversion made it 7-0 for the Bobcats and the fans at Workers Stadium were going nuts anticipating a slaughter.

Five minutes later the bobcats were near the try zone again, with forward Patrick Milner rumbling in for the 2nd try of the match.

The remainder of the 1st half was a defensive battle as both teams refused to give much ground if any at all.

At the start of the 2nd half, the Warriors were down 14-3 until a drop kick by Kevin Andrews at the 50th minute brought them to 14-6.  

The Warriors continued to press early in the 2nd half scoring their first try of the game at the 54th minute with a 10 yard gallop by Winger Luke Peterson.  The conversion made the score 14-13 for Workers Point and the crowd was getting nervous.

Fast-forward to the 79th minute where Kevin Andrews gets the ball from midfield and boots a drop goal to give his team the lead 16-14.  

The Bobcat faithful though would not be discouraged.  Chanting in unison they seemed to rile their team as the Bobcats plowed down the pitch.  The next 10 minutes was wave after wave of Bobcat rucks and mauls topped off by Jason O'Neal's thrust threw the Warrior back line for a try at the 89th minute.  The Bobcat crowd went wild with enthusiasm as the conversion gave the Bobcats a 21-16 lead into injury time.

The ensuing kick off did not go 10, and so when the Warriors gained possession a scrum was given at midfield to the Bobcats.  Now in the 91st minute the crowd could sense the end of the game.  The scrum was won however by the Warrior hooker, Bret Hooja.  8-man Pete Rijlam picked up the ball and quickly passed it out to the backs.  Fullback Gilroy Walker got the ball as he crashed through the Bobcat line, untouched he fled down the sidelines and past the try line for a score.  The crowd silenced, Kevin Andrews booted the conversion to make it 23-21 as the final whistle blew.

Inside the locker room the Bobcat players were dejected.  A visibly upset Jason O'Neal noted that, 'we had the game, we were so close, this hurts worse than if we had gotten blown out by them'.

Meanwhile inside the Warriors locker room there were smiles all around.  'We knew we would beat them, we never gave up hope for one second,' said a beaming Bret Hooja.

The win virtually assures the Warriors a birth in the post season while the Bobcats dropped to 1 point behind Lenita for the final spot in the playoffs.

RUGBY CHAMPIONS LISTING

Gilroy Walker evades a Bobcat tackler on his way to the winning try in injury time yesterday.