Under a gruelling amount of pressure and the oppressive summer heat, the Castlereagh All Blacks finally triumphed 6 - 5 with only four players remaining on the field as the game headed into it's second period of extension.

Both teams exchanged tries early in the match, although the All Blacks started out under more pressure as the Yowies pushed their defence to the limit early to come out ahead 3 - 2 in the first half of the game.

READ ALSO:

Some acrobatic efforts and hard-running from the All Blacks Harry West and captain-coach Jarrad Rotumah kept the scores level by full-time, but both sides were feeling the heat and the pressure as a steady stream of exchanges taxed team numbers that had already been depleted by injury.

"It was pretty tiring, unfortunately one of our boys went down injured and we really had to dig in deep there towards the end," Rotumah said in the game's after-math.

"But it was really good, they're a hell of a side and they were playing pretty short as well with a few injuries and I think they had a few of their boys playing league yesterday, but we're pretty stoked to get that win."

The victory was only decided after a first period of extra time, with both sides cut down to just four players on the field, ended with no points difference on the scoreboard and both stuck at five points.

A further period saw the teams cut down to three players, and it wasn't long before a rolling series of exchanges created an opening out wide for a long, sailing pass to come into the hands of Jarna Hedley, who skipped over the line for the final try of the game.

"At the start we were definitely a bit cruisy, but once we found ourselves in the game a bit, we made the effort to pick it up a bit, we wanted to start fast, but I think we were just a bit too complacent, but we picked it up in that back half," Rotumah said.

While the Yowies were disappointed to go home only as runner ups, Newcastle Knights touch football's Kurt Donoghue said he thought his side had played a good game, and the fact that the result was so close had proved it.

"Yeah, I thought we all played really well, it was a close, tough game, I think we're all a bit tired after, it was a real hot one," Donoghoe said.

"Very tough, but it's always good to get out here and play in the Knockout."

They were sentiments echoed by Rotumah, who was happy to see the competition take place again after the impact of COVID-19 on the usual annual schedule.

"It's massive, getting to come here and play with all your family and stuff like that, play with all your mob and everyone across the culture, it's absolutely unreal, it's what we love," Rotumah said.

The venture, was presided over by the Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service in partnership with the Quit-B-Fit program and featured a change of scenery this year due to the bookings of the Tribal League and the Wiradjuri Goannas match with the Panorama Platypi at Apex Oval.

WACHS CEO Darren Ah See praised both teams after their performance in the Opens Mixed A Grade grand final and presented Jarrad Rotumah with the game's Man of the Match award.

The fixtures were instead played out at Katrina Gibbs oval, the usual home of Dubbo's Touch Football competition.