Jordan Sharpe had emitted an indestructible air, throwing his slight but flint-hard frame into defenders and always getting up - although after a match the shaggy-haired No.7 looked like he had gone 12 rounds with Gennady Golovkin.
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Early in the second half of Kootingal-Moonbi's preliminary final clash against the Magpies at Werris Creek on Saturday afternoon, the Roosters captain was revealed to be human: the dislocated left knee potentially a massive blow to his side's bid to shock North Tamworth in next Saturday's grand final, after Kooty beat the Magpies 30-14.
Roosters coach Geoff Sharpe, his father, looked grim post-match when asked if his inspirational leader was a chance of playing next week, saying the knee popped back into place but normally medial ligament damage accompanies a dislocation.
Kooty seemed unfazed by Sharpe's absence, with No.6 Sam Taylor steering the side brilliantly as he continues to improve after some nine months out of action with a knee injury.
But the undefeated, five-time reigning premiers are obviously a different proposition. And going into the grand final without Sharpe would make their chances of causing one of the biggest upsets in Group 4 history even more remote. He cut a forlorn figure sitting on the sidelines on Saturday.
Sharpe's brother Jackson, Pirates' halfback, also has a knee injury that may rule him out of the side's preliminary final clash against Narrabri next Saturday.
At the Creek, Sharpe scored the first try of a fast-paced, entertaining match. The first half was especially high quality: top-shelf finals footy.
Sharpe's four-pointer was, for him, a typically hard-running, close-range effort, with him stretching an arm out to score. Taylor converted: 6-0.
Just before the break, the Roosters' young No.1 Jack Rumsby, one of the competition's form players, split Werris Creek up the middle in their half and produced a beautiful swerving run to score under the posts. Taylor converted: 12-0 at half-time. Rumsby crossed for a hat-trick in Kooty's 54-18 knockout final win over Gunnedah last Sunday.
The home side needed to score next and they did, with skipper Cody Tickle crashing over in the corner early in the second half. He could not covert his own try: 12-4.
The Roosters struck back when prop Cameron McDonald charged on to a Taylor pass close to the Magpies' tryline and scored under the posts - his teammates mobbing him. Taylor converted: 18-4.
In the 60th minute talented Magpies centre Isaah Millgate scored a long-range intercept try, with Tickle adding the extras: 18-10.
But when the Roosters posted back-to-back tries to replacement Ryley Taylor and veteran prop Chris Vidler, and Taylor converted them, the visitors led 30-10 with 10 minutes remaining. Magpies winger Nathaniel Williams posted a late consolation try.
Kootingal-Moonbi will take great momentum in the grand final, having won eight of their past nine matches: their only loss coming against Norths.
Taylor said the Roosters had the team to upset Norths. "We've got a very mobile pack and we've got great outside backs," he said. "Yeah, I think we've got a chance."
For that to happen, he said Kooty needed to complete their sets, limit their mistakes and make the Bears pay for their mistakes. "You can't play 90 per cent or they'll beat ya," he added.
It was a windy, quite cool day at the Creek on Saturday, and Taylor said the wind was a "pretty big factor" all match. "We knew Creek were gonna come out strong. We knew we had to win the arm wrestle, and that we did. So very proud of the boys."
Kooty, in Geoff Sharpe's first year coaching the side, were minor premiers in 2018 but did win a match in the finals. Their form was inconsistent in the first half of this year, but they are obviously purring now.
Werris Creek were the No.2-ranked side heading into the finals, but their confidence took a hit when Norths thumped them 52-8 in the major semi-final last weekend.
Kootingal-Moonbi 30 (Jordan Sharpe, Jack Rumsby, Cameron McDonald, Ryley Taylor, Chris Vidler tries; Sam Taylor 5 con) d Werris Creek 14 (Cody Tickle, Isaah Millgate, Nathaniel Slater tries; Tickle con)
