Marist Saints fought to come from behind to beat the Letava Bulldogs 18-12 in the final of the Rugby League Samoa’s domestic competition at the Marist grounds on Saturday.

In a hard-hitting matchup, both teams had their fair share of chances but it was the Saints who drew first blood to lead 2-0 through a penalty.

It was then the Bulldogs who used their big forwards to march forward to score a try and had it converted. The Saints responded with a try of their own to their wing, courtesy of a free-flowing ball out wide and finding space in the Bulldogs' defence.

But the Bulldogs scored again through a beautiful team try under the post just before halftime to lead 12-8 at the break

The Saints came firing off the blocks in the second half. They scored the first points in the second half just minutes into play to tie the scores 12-12. They then toughened up in defence, which did not allow their opponents to gain much advantage, with poor handling and errors ensuring Saints dominated most of the possession in the second half.

They were able to capitalise on their possession by scoring midway in the second half to lead 16-12 but failed to convert for the extra points. They then took advantage of a penalty right in front of the Bulldogs upright and opted to go for a goal and added two points to go 18-12.

The victory was a sweet one for the Marist Saints and according to their captain Chris Vaifale, they were runners-up last year. He said when the team went for a breather, they were told to stick to the basics.

“The boys were told to keep it simple and stick to the basics, so when we came into the second half the boys just stuck to what was learnt during the training sessions,” he said. “The win is a good one and we will savour it. Most of the boys, even the Bulldogs players are involved in the Islands of Origin, so we will be meeting up again.

“I think players from both the teams are also hoping that selectors look at local players for the Pacific Games and I am sure the players have put a lot of effort in training.”