A bible-bashing, cassock-gowned ‘Cardinal Pell’ was at the Tuncurry clubhouse on Sunday morning, attending to the baptism of a heathenish flock of the 25-man first grade squad and pardoning those who missed Mass due to the club’s fourth successive premiership celebrations.

“They are all sinners and I have saved precious few souls,” mourned His Holiness, aka goal-kicking prop, Lee Crozier, with remarkably good cheer.

Most of the Dolphins slept in blankets and felt no pain on hard boards in the clubhouse on Saturday night (August 27) after their 34-14 grand final defeat of the Wallamba Bulls, ending their rivals’ ambition of an historic first premiership and capping their own unbeaten winter with a 17th successive win.

“It was their first grand final,” veteran lock Rob McCabe observed of the Bulls.

“I think they developed stage fright and lost the plot.”

For the Dolphins’ captain and play-making five-eighth, Matt Nuku, it was an especially gratifying occasion as his Queensland mother and New Zealand father, Damian, were at the game to watch him lead the Dolphins to victory.

Likewise, after three years as the outstanding player in the competition, they heard him declared player-of-the-year of the Lower Mid North Coast competition, joint winner with Wallamba club’s fullback, Chris Tout.

Forster-Tuncurry were also Club-of- the-Year.