The Nathan Verri Douglas United Dragons have reached a second successful grand final after a nail biting 2-1 win over Mareeba at Borzi Park on Saturday night.

What looked like a comfortable victory for the Dragons in the first half turned into a superb, backs-to-the-wall display in the second with Mareeba throwing everything they had at the Dragons.

The Dragons were eager to replicate their fast start from last weeks win and did so through a sublime piece of play from Liam McInally who flick the ball past a defender and spun free before waiting for the goalkeeper to commit himself and slotting the ball home to give the Dragons a deserved lead. The Dragons had clearly settled the better of the two sides and continued to probe at the Mareeba defence, keeping the ball brilliantly.

It was not too long before the Dragons had doubled their lead when, from a short corner, Colin Cooling accelerated past his defender before lashing an unstoppable low drive into the bottom corner to send the travelling Douglas fans into raptures. It could have got better for the Dragons too as they continued to pressure the Mareeba defence, winning a number of free kicks in dangerous positions. First Lewis Walker tested the keeper with one dead-ball effort before the Mareeba keeper had to scramble to keep out Liam McInally’s effort. The rebound fell invitingly to Daniel Bateman who unfortunately could not get his shot on target.

The 2-0 halftime score line saw the Dragons feeling confident of being able to get the job done in the second half but a positional shift by Mareeba combined with the Dragons easing back slightly saw a very different second half. Christian Mackintosh only had one save of note to make in the first half but was being called into action with greater regularity in the second as Mareeba’s threat increased, especially from set pieces.

A Mareeba goal was looking increasingly likely and so it proved to be the case. A missed header in midfield allowed Mareeba in behind and while Mackintosh narrowed the angle he could not prevent the goal. The goal rocked the Dragons somewhat and saw them panic for a short period before getting back in the groove and attempting to restore their two goal cushion. The goal was not forthcoming however and the Dragons fans were made to endure a few nervy moments, none more so than when Mareeba hit the inside of the post and then saw the follow up skied with the goal at the mercy.

There were a few other nervy moments for the Dragons as the game neared its end so the final whistle was definitely met with some relief by the players and fans. It means a showdown with the minor premiers Marlin Coast at Endeavour Park next Saturday night as the Dragons look to claim back-to-back Far North Premier League titles. The Court House Hotel Man of the match went to Liam McInally who not only opened the scorer with a superb piece of individual skill but who contributing tremendously throughout and whose workrate was second to none.

On a less positive note the Blood Orange Reserves went down in their preliminary final against Marlin Coast 2-0. It was a case of just a step too far for the Reserves as they were unable to provide a substantial enough goal threat to mount a challenge after they fell two goals behind. It ends a season that promised so much but has ultimately ended fruitlessly.