#SIRU2014 Round Fourteen Preview:
Plenty to play for again this week in what has been a really exciting competition this season. I'm sure some teams will be looking forward to the General Bye next week which is an opportunity to take another deep breath in preparation for the 2014 finals series and also allow some of those bumps and bruises time to heal.
A special mention must go to the Temora Tuskers this weekend as they host Wagga City in what is one of the best days of regional rugby going around. Dizey's Day is in it's 10th year of running and the Temora community has been able to raise over $80k since the inception of Dizey's Day and are aiming to pass $100k this year. If you're in the mood for a drive and enjoy country rugby, get over to T-Town for what is a cracker of a day!
I have been reliably informed that GAGR's own Bob Dwyer will be in attendance for a charity dinner this evening also.
Premier Division:
Griffith (4) v Ag College (6)
A tough ask this week for the gallant Aggies boys to travel to the MIA and take on the Blacks as they start hitting their straps at the pointy end of the season, particularly after the Blacks ran out convincing winners over Tumut.
Seru Rogo strapped himself into the drivers seat at 5/8 last weekend which is an impressive effort for the coach (I wonder how much pre-season he had under his belt?
), but he guided his troops around the paddock pretty well from what I have heard. Although he played well, I'm sure he'll be keen to hand the reigns back to his boys this weekend at home.
Aggies were well served by their 5/8 Tom "Skins" Hobbs last weekend and will be looking for him to emulate that effort again this week.
Waratahs (1) v CSU (2) - Match of the Round
1v2 is an obvious choice for Match of the Round this week and one which I believe will be a showy affair. For Waratahs, this match is probably more about building momentum into the Finals Series and working on those one percenters a bit this week. That's not to say that they'll take CSU lightly (and nor should they) but just that they have some breathing space compared to CSU.
Reddies have worked hard to get where they have this season and are probably starting to show shades of 2013 again, Brett Wendt is back running again, Andrew Dutton has returned home and added some spark to cover at halfback and Declan Oke has been playing about 30kgs above his weight division.
Being equal with the Steamers on competition points is not where Mick Wakeling will want his guys to be sitting at this stage and this match presents a real opportunity for CSU to gain some ground on Waratahs and hopefully put some distance between themselves and either Griffith or Albury.
CSU were guilty of leaving some points on the park against Aggies last week and were actually held up over the line twice in the first half which is testament to Aggies resolve on their line. I think Mick Wakeling may want his guys to show a bit more patience in attack and continue to build into those scoring opportunities becuase when they do take their time and soak up the defence, they have the ability to create space in attack.
Euan Bonner and Andrew Dutton will play key roles at halfback for their respective clubs as will Jake Eaglesham and Sterling Ross at Number 8.
Albury (3) v Tumut (5)
I have absolutely no idea what to make of this match, particularly after last week's results but I think it lends itself to an enthralling encounter between these two teams down on the border this weekend.
Both clubs are traditionally strong in the forwards, but have equally strong backlines this season. A wet track (again) at Murrayfield this weekend will surely make the legs weary and force the coaches to be smart with their substitutions on the field.
Maybe @namtrak could add some more on this tussle?
First Division:
Temora (9) v City (7) - Dizey's Day
While this weekend always has a buzz about it off the field in Temora, it's high stakes on the field for the Tuskers this weekend. Temora and City both have three games in hand over the final three weeks of the split and Temora need to take maximum points to stake a claim for the final two positions in the First Division finals.
Injuries have been cruel to the Tuskers this season and this game is prime for Wagga City to flex some muscle. although some punters will tell you that the Tuskers grow an extra leg on Dizey's Day!!
With 280 people booked in for the Captain's Dinner tonight, getting through this evening may be just as tough as playing 80mins of rugby tomorrow!!
Deni v Young (8) - 2nd Grade Only
Coota (10) v Leeton (11)
This battle of the cellar dwellars will be a hard fought contest on a particularly heavy Cootamundra Country Club track which is not known for it's drainage capacity. Cootamundra have got a front row that can mix it with the big guns when it matters, but may be a weakened team this week without the likes of Alex Hardie playing.
