3rd Grade – Griffith Blacks (2) v Deniliquin Drovers (3), Conolly Rugby Park 1030am kickoff. Referee: Warwick Strong
Well, if there’s ever been a case of “Family Ties” in a game of rugby, this is it!! Check out the 7-8-9 Richardson Family combo here Kade to Staci to Mikah, not a bad combo I reckon!! Not to be outdone, the Griffith Blacks have pulled out a Father-Son combo with Bryn and his Dad Aled Francis running around together. How good is bush footy, throwing up these sort of connections!
On the rugby front, these teams will need to put their travel bug to the side, and get over their hangovers quickly if they want to drink from the McMullen Cup tomorrow afternoon. Both teams have some speedy outside backs and if they can control the ball out there, there are points on offer. The key will be staying close enough to the forward packs to recycle the ball.
The 3rd Grade game finished with a bit of feeling in it last week and discipline might be an important factor to consider during this game, let’s hope all 30 players can keep their composure for the full duration of the games!
2nd Grade – Wagga Waratahs (1) v Wagga Ag College (2), Conolly Rugby Park 1210pm kickoff. Referee: Brendon Reynolds
Will this game be a preview for the main game? No doubt there are players in both camps who have had their crack at the 1st Grade side and wouldn’t look out of place there in my view. I’m tipping a typically enthusiastic Ag College outfit will come out of the blocks with all guns blazing – the Tahs boys will be able to maintain their composure and that’ll be important for them. Nervous energy needs to be controlled by the boys in green also!!
Waratahs beat Aggies 40-24 in the first week of the finals, but Aggies bested Waratahs 20-17 in their previous outing so they know they can get past Waratahs and will be looking to emulate that Round 10 victory again on Saturday. There’s no doubt that Waratahs have some very handy players on their roster in 2nd Grade and I think the key for Aggies will be to make the absolute most of the chances they have when they’re on offer. Waratahs will be looking to control this game and just keep their forwards rolling through, picking off defenders regularly and then flicking the ball to their slick backline and exposing their younger counterparts out wide.
For Ag College, keep an eye on Liam Mowbray (4), Will Nixon (10) and Tareq Sorial (15), for Waratahs Nathanael Mooney (4), Sam Hobbs (10) and Shane Lutze (11) will be important. A special mention must also go to Sandy McEachern who is turning back the clock for Waratahs and bringing back some late 90’s experience to the table this weekend!
Women’s – Wagga Waratahs (2) v Griffith Blacks (4), Conolly Rugby Park 2pm kickoff. Referee: James Martel
This match has plenty to live up to, the Women’s games have been the highlight of the finals series for me. They play “heart in your mouth” type footy, throwing the ball around with abandon and tackling like troopers, the standard of footy in the girl’s competition has really lifted with the change to 10’s rugby which is great to see.
The change to the 10-a-side format has meant that teams can no longer just pass the ball to the quickest player on their team, they now have to work to bend the defensive line and create space out wide. This means that there is more of a technical element to the game, which has opened up some roles for the playmaker 5/8 and the pilfering #7 to show their wares. Waratahs showed some really solid defence in their match with CSU two weeks ago and will definitely need to bring their A-game in that department as the Blacks will make them work hard around the ruck.
Out wide, both teams have got equal measures of speed and agility, maybe the Blacks have an edge here with Australian Touch player Eliza Baddock running their outside backs. The Blacks showed one of the best set-piece moves seen all season against CSU last week, it cam off beautifully and saw them score one of the tries of the year. If they can keep this sort of good ball movement going, they’re going to be a handful out wide.
Keep an eye on:
Holly Stephens and Sophie Kirkby for Waratahs, these two are lynchpins for their team.
Ua Ravu and Eliza Baddock for the Blacks. If these two can continue their form from last week, they’re going to be deadly.
