Narrabri Eleven FC made club history on Saturday when they won the 2024 Namoi Soccer League grand final to complete a memorable minor/major premiership double on home soil.
They welcomed Moree Services FC Blue to Gately Field and scored a 2-1 win to be crowned champions of the competition for the first time.
Callum Wales and Ollie Stait scored for the Elevens, and the hosts were forced to endure a nervous final 20 minutes after Lucas Schembri pulled a goal back for Moree to make it 2-1.
The Elevens had secured their maiden first-place finish last month and then won the major semi-final against the Moree outfit to earn the home grand final. Moree Blue then downed clubmates Moree Yellow in a penalty shootout in the preliminary final to join the team in purple in the decider and earn a chance to win a third premiership.
Moree had won two Namoi League major deciders since the competition returned in 2017. They went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 but had not featured in a grand final again until Saturday. The Elevens had only played in one grand final before this year, which they lost back in 2020.
The competition was nine-a-side in 2024, but the two clubs agreed to play a standard 11-a-side match on grand final day.
The Zac Stait-coached side has been the best team all year and the local players proved that in the big dance.
The hosts entered half-time ahead 1-0 after Wales opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. The tallest player in purple ran onto a corner kick that Ollie Stait had whipped in from the right and headed his side in front.
Stait then doubled the Elevens’ lead about 15 minutes into the second half with a goal from close range after making a brilliant run down the left edge, cutting into the box and firing a shot across the keeper and into the back of the net.
Moree scored a quality goal of their own with about 20 minutes remaining when they played the ball out from the back and through their midfield to Schembri, who struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box across the keeper and into the bottom-left corner.
It was a nervous finish for the Elevens’ players and the many fans and club officials in attendance at Gately Field on the sideline, but they rose to the occasion and defended their way to grand final glory.
First year player-coach Zac Stait was proud of his team regardless of the result and said it was a great feeling to have won the grand final.
“I’m real happy. We were all keen to win one,” Stait said.
“It definitely wasn’t our best game, but it was enough to do the job.
“It was a great crowd there.
“It was a warm day and we subbed constantly.
“I was very stressed after they got their goal. It was a tough and nervy last 15-20 minutes. We ended up parking the bus. Ollie dropped back into the backline and we had five back there and defended pretty well.”
Stait, who turned 19 on Monday, said that he had enjoyed the year as the side’s coach.
“It’s been a real good year and I’ve enjoyed coaching,” he said.
“It’s new to me but I feel like I’ve gotten a bit better at it.
“I definitely want to keep doing it.”
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