The hours of practice paid off for Russell Johnston on Saturday, the prop becoming somewhat of an unlikely hero as Gunnedah clinched a spot in the second grade preliminary final with a dramatic two point win in front of a delighted home crowd.
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As first grade would later have done to them by reigning premiers Pirates, the Red Devils snatched victory from Barraba/Gwydir's grasp in the final minutes.
Trailing 17-12 and with their title hopes slipping away, the Red Devils got one final shot and turned to their 'bread and butter' as coach Tom Torrance put it, number eight Ratunaisa Katonitabua crashing over off a lineout drive to make it 17-all with three minutes remaining.
With regular kicker Josh Dowse off the field, Johnston was handed the kicking duties and made the most of his moment, nailing the conversion from about 15 metres in from touch to put the Red Devils in front for the first time in the game.
"Big Russ has been practising. He's here at 4.30 every week kicking goals, asking to be a goalkicker during the game," Torrance said.
But until Saturday he hadn't had the chance, the clutch conversion the first kick he has taken all season.
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Torrance said he never lost faith, he was just waiting for that opportunity and paid credit to the way they came together at the end.
"We had a little bit of time left on the clock and just went back to what we've been practicing, getting the ball down to the other end of the field, putting the pressure on and getting the turnover and then setting up for what our 'bread and butter' was - for that lineout drive," he said.
He said they should have gone to it more often througout the game.
"That's what we've been practicing on doing, so it's great to see that come off," he said.
"I would have liked it to have happened earlier in the game."
"In saying that I wouldn't have cared how that ball got over that line as long as someone got it over."
They were on the back foot virtually from the kick-off.
"The first 20 minutes of the first half we were down in our half defending the whole time, everytime we touched the ball we turned it over," Torrance said.
"Then the boys finally starting getting some ball and got some field position and finished the half off very strongly, got a couple of tries there."
Katonitabua got them on the board in the 23rd minute, outside centre Hamish Hockings then crossing in the final couple of minutes of the half to make the difference five at the break.
Torrance said that last 10 minutes in the first half probably saved them.
"That second half, we kind of went away from our structures," he said.
"We had the wind but we weren't playing the field position that we talked about at half-time."
At times it seemed like they were doing their best to lose it - failing to find touch from penalties, kicking the ball dead and continually turning over the ball.
"But to the boys credit that last five minutes they pulled it out," Torrance said.
There were some big defensive plays just before that to keep Barraba/Gwydir out. Tom Adams pulled off a try-saver on number eight Tom Capel. Not long after a big hit dislodged the ball from one of the Barraba/Gwydir players as they were threatening to score.
Katonitabua and Johnston's heroics might have been irrelevant though had Barraba/Gwydir taken the points that were on offer. They had a couple of chances in the last 10 or so minutes to push out to an eight point lead but opted to go for the line rather than take the shot.
Torrance admitted he was a bit surprised when they didn't go for the three-points, although they had themselves turned down a couple of shots early in the second half.
