Cup victory for Albany Storm after thrilling final day of action at Albany Junior Rugby Club tournament

The Albany Storm are under-12s cup winners after a thrilling finish to their campaign helped them lift the coveted trophy in the Albany Junior Rugby Club’s major carnival at the weekend. The Storm had teams competing in the under-9, under-12 and under-14 age groups and faced squads from Perth, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River. Fifty-four teams took part in the sixth edition of the competition with more than 500 players participating across the exciting two-day tournament in Albany. The Storm were resounding 17-0 victors in the title decider against the Joondalup Brothers Rugby Union Football Club. However, the Storm only reached the decider after scoring in the dying seconds of their semifinal, securing a thrilling 7-5 win over Palmyra Rugby Union Club earlier on Sunday. In the under-9 competition, the Albany Storm won the plate in their final against a determined Margaret Rivers Gropers outfit with scores finishing 10-0. Meanwhile, Nedlands defeated the Kwinana Wolves in the under-10 competition to secure the cup glory. The Ellenbrook Vipers beat the Kalamunda Bulls in the under-11 cup final to win their division. In the under-14 cup final, the Kalamunda Bulls beat the Associates to win the top gong. The Rucking Bro’s won the plate final in the under-10 competition and the Mandurah Pirates won the plate in the under-14s tournament. Albany Junior Rugby Club vice-president Paul Osborne said the event was a success in helping promote rugby within the region. “It was huge exposure for the region, lots of people came down so it brought a lot of revenue for local businesses,” he said. “It’s a huge weekend and it’s good for the Albany region. “It’s something we’re pretty proud of that we can generate interest to not just play sport but experience all the good things Albany has to offer.”