CORRIMAL retained their Illawarra League crown in emphatic fashion on Saturday, claiming a title that's arguably the best in threepeat or premierships.
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The Cougars romped their way to the 2017 and 2018 titles with star-studded lineups, but came into 2019 staring down the barrel of a dreaded 'rebuilding year' following a large exodus of stars.
Combined with injuries, it left the defending champions unable to even field a team for round one. Plenty tipped them to bounce back, but few expected them to bounce as far as Saturday's 18-8 grand final win over Helensburgh.
It was win built on defence, conceding just the opening try to Jess Sergis through 69 minutes before Emily Andrews finally posted the Burgh's second try in the dying moments.
Sergis' four-pointer came after she star swooped on a wayward pass from the Cougars, but it was the only time the NSW star saw open space.
The Tigerlillies never really looked like scoring again other than a long-range effort from NSW Blues skipper Kezie Apps that saw her denied by Dragons NRLW teammate Keeley Davis.
They had a mountain of other chances but couldn't break through the green wall.
The Cougars made there opportunities count, with lock Josie Strong grabbing a pair of long-range tries and captain Tammy Fletcher scoring the dagger four-pointer for an eight-point lead three minutes before halftime.
The veteran skipper said the third straight premiership was all the more special given the path the club took through the season and into the decider.
"It definitely proves our culture is what gets us over the line," Fletcher said.
"We just have this amazing culture where we work hard, we train hard and we just bring it on game day. No matter what, we just give everything we have.
"We've proven that it's never just come off the back of a few really good players that hold us together, it's that culture that holds us together.
"I think it showed in our defence, I think that's what won us the game today. Our attack was a bit scratchy, we looked a bit lost in patches but we just relied on our defence to keep them out of the game."
That mentality was made plain early in the second half with Davis' incredible try-saving chase on a runaway Apps to deny the Tigerlillies a try early in the second half.
Bringing her Dragons skipper down inches short of the line with the match poised at 12-4 proved the pivotal moment of the contest.
"That tackle from Keeley was phenomenal," Fletcher said.
"As soon as we saw her chase and make that tackle it fills you with a bit of adrenaline and helps you make the next one."
It was one of a number of big plays from Davis, but Strong was a no-brainer for the Julie Nichol Medal with two tries - the second on an assist from Davis - and two goals in a powerhouse effort through the middle.
Overlooked for an NRLW contract after being part of the Dragons inaugural squad last season, the performance showed her time at the elite level is far from over.
"In all honesty I was devastated [when overlooked] but I've just tried to work hard and I think this game shows I can get back in there," Strong said.
"Helensburgh are always the team to beat and we just wanted to prove as a group that we could knock them off. It was a close match last time [in the major semi-final] and we knew we had to come out and prove it again.
"That was the plan, go hard or go home really and it paid off for us."