The inaugural Melbourne Storm Cup will be shared by Hallam Secondary College and The Grange College after the two schools fought out a 16-all draw in the final at Gosch’s Paddock on Sunday.
Each team scored four tries but couldn’t manage a conversion in the difficult wet conditions.
In their previous meeting during the qualifying rounds, it was The Grange from Hoppers Crossing who came away with a 32-18 victory but the final was a much closer encounter.
After scoring three tries to two in the first half, Hallam, from Melbourne’s south-east, held the lead inside the final 10 minutes, but a key one-on-one strip gave The Grange a late chance to level up.
They took advantage on a right-side attacking raid to draw level before the conversion attempt from wide out to win the game sailed wide.
Time ran out shortly after and the two schools decided to share the trophy before heading into AAMI Park to watch Storm take on the Canberra Raiders.
The Melbourne Storm Cup was created by Storm and NRL Victoria to provide another opportunity for young Victorian rugby league players to play their chosen sport.
The preliminary rounds were also contested by Victoria University Secondary College and Mt Ridley College.
