After five long years the curse has been lifted and the boys in black are bound for the grand final.
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The Bowral Blacks Under 11 team have advanced to the Illawarra Rugby Junior Grand Final after defeating Camden last weekend 38-7.
The team of 18 players has enjoyed a stellar season. Each player has performed at a high level and improved throughout the season.
Coach of the Blacks Under 11's Brendan Fannin says the team is excited for the weekend.
"We have nothing to lose," Mr Fannin said.
"We're playing Kiama and they haven't been beaten in two years. We'll be the underdog this weekend. But every game we've played them, we've got closer to a win."
To get the victory over Kiama coach Fannin said the Blacks have to
"We need to control the ball," Mr Fannin said.
"We need to starve Kiama of possession and acurate with our clean outs, passes and defence. Kiama have an excellent, dominant forward and two incredibly quick backs.If we can shut them down and nullify them, it'll go a long way towards a win."
The Blacks are going to play the game that bought them a ticket to the big dance, teamwork.
"We're not a one player team," Mr Fannin said.
"We don't have that one player who runs 50 metres and takes several players to tackle. We have a team of 17 (Harley Jones is injured and won't play this weekend) that contribute and play their roles well. It's a team effort and we can adapt to any situation.
"We can change tactics quickly if need be and we have incredibly smart players on this team."
10 of the 18 players have achieved representative honours with the Junior Illawarriors and the Bowral Blacks as a whole are running on all cylinders. The juniors are at Eridge Park every home game supporting the seniors. The respect between the two levels is mutual.
"This team has been together for four years," Mr Fannin said.
"They've grown as people and players at the club. The players watch the seniors each week and there's a lot of respect there. It's all working really well at the club."
The Blacks U11 team will face Kiama at Camden Rugby Park this Sunday at 10:25am.
