Byron Bay back on top after men’s premier league win

BYRON Bay claimed a memorable 3-1 grand final win over South Lismore in the Far North Coast Football premier league.

It was the Rams’ seventh title since 2005, with Basile Degrange winning the Terry Greedy Medal for his attacking efforts from the wing.

The team was coached by former player Ben Ahern, who won three grand finals between 2017 and 2020 before taking on the top job this season.

They reached the decider after a 2-1 win over Bangalow, while South Lismore defeated pointscore champions Alstonville 3-1 in the first week of finals.

“We had a consistent team of youth and experience this year, so it was very rewarding,” Byron Bay club manager Vlad Knaus said.

“We’ve needed to play well to match the top teams. Ben has done an excellent job in his first year of coaching a senior team.

“We also had some outstanding soccer players. Basile has terrific ball skills, he’s very fast and set up a lot of opportunities.

“There was great camaraderie between the boys this year and that really helps.”

The Rams scored their first goal in the final minute before halftime and kept South Lismore scoreless for the rest of the game.

They added two more goals early in the second half from corner kicks and defended strongly to secure the win.

In other divisions, Byron Bay were the pointscore champions in the men’s championship league and women’s premier league this season.

Nimbin proved too strong in the championship league final, recording a 4-1 win over the Rams.

The Byron Bay women were undefeated during the regular season before a 1-0 loss to Lennox Head in the semi-finals.

Lennox Head went on to defeat Pottsville Beach in the grand final, with Thaya Evenden winning the Lisa Casagrande Medal for player of the match.