#SIRU2017 Finals Week Two Preview:
All roads lead to Leeton #1 Oval this weekend for what should be another cracking instalment of the SIRU Finals Series in 2017. Remember that the Phantoms won the right to host this week after claiming the Minor Premiership and the winner of their match against Waratahs gains hosting rights for the Grand Final.
I thought there was plenty of good rugby on display last week in Wagga and expect that this weekend will be no different, I find that Finals Footy steps up a notch and I really enjoy seeing teams dig deep and work that bit extra for each other knowing that their season could be over this weekend!
Leeton v Waratahs – 1st Grade Major Semi Final
3:20pm Kickoff @ Leeton #1 Oval. Referee – S Donelan
The 2017 Minor Premiers vs the 2016 Premiers, this should be a cracking game and I’m sure both teams will be up for it in this one. The big question in this match though is how will Waratahs contain the Phantoms? Leeton bested City by 70 odd points recently and Waratahs beat City by 16 points, does that indicate a Phantoms victory by 50-60 odd points or is my maths out?
The bush telegraph tells me that Marika has been training the house down with the Phantoms this week and has been getting some good results in doing so too. For me, the proof will be in the pudding this weekend, but I hear that things are humming along nicely in the MIA and expect the Phantoms to be at full strength for this game.
The mantra all season for any teams playing Leeton has been first up tackles, put em on the deck and stop (or at least slow) the offload. The second commandment has been to hold onto the ball, don’t give them easy possession and make them work for their points. Now this advice is absolutely correct and teams need to adhere to it but it’s proving bloody difficult for teams to apply in practice. I’m confident that City, Tahs and Tumut are all aware that they need to play a miserly brand of footy against the Phantoms but can they actually do it?
Leeton have the ability to generate possession just by scoring points. Every try they score, they get the ball back and attack again, they get centre field and then exploit options on one side before spreading the ball to the opposite fringe where their pace generally burns defenders or they offload to support runners to break the defensive line. If I was coaching I reckon I’d be looking to a very strong kick chase off kick offs (umbrella out wide to force them into a pocket) and I’d be wanting my forwards to defend in channels to maximise bodies across the park.
The two forward packs are pretty evenly balanced with Waratahs arguably having an edge in the set piece. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Phantoms go round but one of their issues during the season has been scrum time and this is an area that Waratahs generally pride themselves on. It’ll be interesting to see how both forward packs approach the day as they are polar opposites in style – Leeton forwards are loose and look for off-loads where Waratahs will want to play tight and deny possession. Ability to hold the ball is going to be a key for both teams in this game and their backrows are going to need to work hard. I also think that Waratahs tight five are going to have to try and play two different styles of play in attack and defence – mobile when Leeton have the ball and tight when Waratahs have the ball.
From a defensive perspective, it’ll be interesting to see how Leeton approach the breakdown. During the season, they appeared to be trialling a number of different formats depending on their opposition. Some weeks they would want to attack the breakdown and flood numbers through to generate turnovers whereas other weeks they wouldn’t compete at all and just rely on their strong tackling technique to jolt the ball free and then pounce on the counter attack.
I can’t preview the Phantoms without speaking about their ability to turn minimal (and sometimes no) pressure in to points. Counter attacking is their bread and butter and if Waratahs kick (or chase) poorly, the Phantoms will crucify them for sure. Another area that they really react to is turnover ball and their shape in attack is pretty impressive with multiple options inside and outside the ball runner providing opportunities for quick pops which just don’t let the defensive line get set at all, the defensive team find themselves backpedalling for 30-40m, they become unorganised, then miss tackles, holes open up and the Phantoms seem to be able to score points at will when they break teams like this. What’s the solution here? I don’t know to be honest.
A key question for all punters at Finals Time has been the amount of time that the Minor Premiers have off during the Finals Series. Questions are asked about match fitness leading into the big games and there may be a case to answer there as we saw last year with City playing tough games leading into GF Day and making a real game of the GF. If you look back at the results leading into the final rounds, the Phantoms weren’t really challenged and I wonder if this will affect their preparation for the finals. If they win this one, will they be better for it? If they lose this one, will that light a fire under them for the remaining weeks? Only time will tell.
Sunshine and 17oC tipped in Leeton this weekend which should make for a great showing, particularly if the Phantoms start throwing the pill around.
Key Matchups – Bill Bevan vs Sam Bunny, Veriti Tupou vs Tom Hallam and Noa Rabici vs Tim Corcoran.
Wagga City v Tumut – 1st Grade Minor Semi Final
1:40pm Kickoff @ Leeton #1 Oval. Referee – B Reynolds
This match will be a tough gig for both teams, nursing a few niggles, a bit of travel for them this weekend, both played tough games last weekend – wasn’t the Tahs v City game quick!
I have to mention the Bulls turnaround from the week before – they really turned it on when it mattered and controlled the game last week in comparison to the previous week’s effort. I’m sure that Coach Grivas would be keen to bottle the effort from last week and transfer straight into this game. Wagga City played strongly in patches last week but just seemed to lack cohesion when it mattered. I thought Curgenven, Power and Uhr played well for City and with some more support from their tight five and loose forwards, they’ll be able to play from a more structured platform.
Scrums will be beautiful to watch in this game, both teams love scrum time and really enjoy the dark arts of the front row club. Some experienced operators in Nathan Seymour and Chris Bryant up against Angus Forster and Tim Graham, both teams have some big boppers in the second row who can really provide some weight to their front row when required to. While scrum time is important and both teams will want to assert themselves in this area, I think their ability to stay mobile and support their backlines is going to have to be a strong focus for them and in this regard, fitness will be important.
For me, the tight fives of each team are going to have to work hard as both backlines can play wide when they need to which potentially exposes a bit of risk there if isolated. City showed last week that they can play a high tempo game and will be confident that they know what to improve on to be effective in that strategy this week. The Bulls are improving week by week (exponentially last week) and will need to stick to their guns against a City team that will come out firing for this game. Quick ruck ball and explosive back line moves is what I would expect to see from City here in an effort to blow the Bulls off the park. Strong defence from Tumut and resisting the early onslaught should hold them in good stead, but if City get a roll on and bend the defensive line, it just makes life so much easier for their big forwards to roll on and they become hard to stop (big blokes don’t like running).
While Wagga City are no doubt disappointed by their loss last week, I reckon there are plenty of positives for them to take away from that game. Their lineout was solid, they played at a fast pace all game, when they clicked they scored points and while there’s a bit to improve, they know what to do to fix those areas up. Curgenven is a talisman for the Boiled Lollies at the moment and his decision making on the park is driving them around the field well. City can fall into the trap of losing their way at times during games and if they remain focused on the task at hand, they have the smarts and skill to match it with the better teams in the competition.
If we consider the weather tomorrow, I don’t think it’s going to cause either team too many dramas, it should allow them both to play their own styles and will definitely give them the opportunity to score points if they want to!
Key Matchups – Rory Sheard vs Dai Hooper, Monson Tuivale vs Menzies Seumanutafa and Keifer Power vs Joe Reynolds
Wagga City v Waratahs – 2nd Grade Major Semi Final
12:10pm Kickoff @ Leeton #1 Oval. Referee – M Harris
The grudge match of the day and Wagga City should fancy their chances here. City are Minor Premiers in 2nd Grade and there’s plenty of 1st Grade experience through this group here on both sides of the ledger which should make for a handy standard in this game.
Leeton v Tumut – 2nd Grade Minor Semi Final
12:00pm Kickoff @ Leeton #2 Oval. Referee – S Frost
The Bulls get a second chance here in this game but can they make the most of it? The Phantoms will be keen as mustard to put in a good showing in this game on their home turf and this game should be pretty evenly matched – both teams are blessed with a mix of youth and experience from 1-15, who will come out on top here?
Deniliquin v Hay – 3rd Grade Major Semi Final
10:30am Kickoff @ Leeton #1 Oval. Referee – M Lotz
Should be a good indicator of what to expect later in the finals for the 3rd Grade comp here, all reports state that the Deni Drovers have been pretty impressive during the season but can they bring that season form into the finals? The Hay Cutters did well to win last week with 15 players total, hopefully they have a few more players available a little closer to home this week.
Waratahs v CSU – 3rd Grade Minor Semi Final
10:15am Kickoff @ Leeton #2 Oval. Referee – W Strong
Waratahs and CSU have a history of playing each other in the lower grades regularly during the finals and this game will be no different. Waratahs and Reddies both have some wily characters running around for them and this game should be entertaining if only for the banter between the two teams.
Leeton v CSU – Women’s Major Semi Final
11:35am Kickoff @ Leeton #1 Oval. Referee – J Martel
I reckon this game could be a GF preview here and both teams will want to bag the win and head straight to the GF in this game. Plenty to play for, plenty of skill, will home ground advantage play into the Diana’s hands here or will the Red Chicks use their pace out wide to run round Leeton?
Wagga City v Waratahs – Women’s Minor Semi Final
11:20am Kickoff @ Leeton #2 Oval. Referee – T Pietsch
Two younger teams on display here in this game, there are some handy players in each team who are still learning the ropes a bit but will approach this game with the right attitude. Another City v Tahs grudge match to add to the ongoing history between the two clubs.
