Resilient Platypi honour former teammate in emotional finals victory

Panorama emphatically defeated Woodbridge 56-0 in the semi-final at Jack Arrow on Sunday, November 10, running in 10 tries to set up a grand final against Wiradjuri Goannas.

The semi-final win came during a difficult week for the club and the broader Central West sporting community following the death of Bathurst Bulldogs and former Platypi player Teagan Miller.

A minute's silence was held before the opens semi-final and Platypi players, many of whom also shared the rugby pitch with Miller, carried a Bathurst Bulldogs and Platypi jersey onto the ground in addition to wearing black armbands.

Grimshaw echoed the tributes paid to Miller, who won a premiership with the club in 2022.

"She was just an infectious young girl," he said.

"I hadn't really had much to do with her until I started coaching her here and from there [like everyone] you would just become friends with her.

"She was a good kid.

"She was very infectious. You loved being around her. She was fun.

"It's been a tough week for the girls and it's going to be another tough week as well."

Despite only losing one game in 2024, Grimshaw said Platypi had been forced to tough it out through a campaign involving four season-ending injuries, including one to key player Xanthe Booth (ankle).

The Western Rams coach said he'd been impressed with the under 18s players who had repeatedly backed up on matchday, something the club can take advantage of in the coming years.

Zoe Lee, Samantha Hanrahan and Sarah Morley have all become established players in the opens division.

"We've come through a bit of adversity this year with injuries but they've come out the other end so far," he said.

"It's been pretty tough for them, we're just lucky that we've had good numbers.

"We've called on the under 18s to fill a couple of spots as well, which have been really good and I think it's been good for them as well.

"It's good for the opens and I think it's been good for the individuals that have come up into opens, I think they're enjoying it as well.

"Some of them have been playing two games a weekend but when you're 18 you can do that."

Grimshaw was impressed with his team's dismantling of Woodbridge but was under no illusions about the size of the challenge Goannas would present after their win against Vipers.

"I knew it was gonna be close," he said.

"Dubbo are a very strong side, a very physical side.

"They rely on going hard forward but they've got some skills about them too.

"So it'll be a good game, I think.

"We've gotta erase everything that we've done so far and just start again at training on Friday and then we take that into Saturday."