#SIRU2017 Finals Week Three Preview:
What a cracking day it was last weekend at Leeton #1 Oval, well done to the Phantoms on hosting a great day of rugby, great coffee and sensational bacon and egg rolls. The Phantoms have definitely set the bar for Aggies to meet this weekend when they host the SIRU Preliminary Finals at Conolly Park this weekend.
While Aggies are hosting tomorrow, this day could easily be mistaken for a Wagga Waratahs home game with Waratahs represented in all four grades at their home ground. The fact that the Tahs are represented in all 4 grades this weekend shows the depth of talent at the club but it must have been a while since Waratahs weren’t through in at least one grade by this stage of the season – will they all get a gong next week? Surely not.
Well done to all the teams who have made it this far into the 2017 season, a great effort from all and sundry. Particularly worth mentioning the efforts of the Hay Cutters who have made it deep into the 2017 Finals Series after playing week in week out with a maximum of 17 players. The Mighty Cutters fronted up at Leeton last weekend with 16 players, Captain Coach, one strapper and two dogs. A fine example of the values of country rugby – having a solid dig in the first game of the day and no doubt enjoying a few frothies on the drive home.
The Leeton Phantoms have already qualified for 1st Grade but have the chance to get through in another two tomorrow – can they do it in 2nds and Women’s also?
Sorry for the short preview team, not enough hours in the week at the moment!! J
Waratahs v Wagga City – 1st Grade Preliminary Final
3:00pm Kickoff @ CRP #1. Referee – S Donelan
A bit of deja vu for local punters in this one, the old foe face off again this weekend, a 2016 Grand Final rematch to make it into the 2017 GF is a great example of how these clubs have fared this season and a testament to their final ladder positions this year also. If I was Dave Adamson, I’d be pretty stoked to see these two Wagga-based clubs duking it out this weekend, it’s gotta be good for the gate right!?!
These two played a high paced game two weeks ago at the same venue and I’m hoping to see a similar brand of footy tomorrow. The key difference from that match though is that neither team gets a second bite at the cherry this time round and I wonder what impact that statistic will have on the style of game both teams present tomorrow? I suspect that this game is going to be intense, but maybe not as quick as the match played recently, I expect to see two teams who will be more calculated in their decisions and they’ll play more like a “test match” brand of rugby.
I see the Daily Agonizer spruiking some potential outs for City which could be important in this game – Curgenven is easy to understand, an important player, jumped through the hoops to play in the finals and then a car crash has cruelly hampered his chances of actually playing. Tuvale is an interesting one though and the paper was pretty sketchy on details. “Away from the club” I think were the key words – what does this mean? Regardless, these guys will be important for City in this game, Tuvale’s ball running is critical to City’s momentum and Curgenven’s decision making and cool head would be really useful for the Boiled Lollies in such an important match.
If we go through the roster for both teams, they’re reasonably similar to the starting XV’s that have played each other during the season so they should have prepared well for this game knowing what they have to do to get past their opposite number. From Waratah’s perspective, they’d have to be confident that they can get past their opposite number with 3/3 wins this season but we all know that Finals Footy is a different kettle of fish and Waratahs did do plenty of running last week chasing ghosts around Leeton #1 Oval.
The jewel in the City crown for the past two seasons has been a strong front row and this season they seem to have ramped things up even further. It’ll be interesting to see how both engine rooms handle this game as the set-piece and subsequent starter plays will likely have a big impact on the outcome of the match. With a mild day and potentially a slippery deck, there will likely be a few scrums for these guys to lock horns over.
Xavier Chigwidden and Jayden Stanton know each other well and neither player will yield in defence tomorrow, however I think the impact that they provide to the game from an attacking perspective will be more important for their respective teams. My reasoning here is that the two back rows are well balanced for each team which should cancel any defensive aspect through the #10 channel and highlight how these guys attack and how crafty they can be in this game. These two young pups are wily characters, both enjoy the contest, they both take the ball to the line and ask questions of their opposition in this regard.
Can Wagga City bag a win with their season on the line? Can Waratahs make it 4/4? Will we see a 2016 GF Replay? How much gas do these teams have left in the tank after a long season? Will James Curgenven play? All these questions and more will be answered tomorrow afternoon at 3pm – I can’t wait to watch these guys go round, get on down to Conolly Park to watch this one!!
Key Matchups – Sam Bunny v Rory Sheard, Xavier Chigwidden v Jayden Stanton, Tim Corcoran v Jesse Uhr
Waratahs v Leeton – 2nd Grade Preliminary Final
1:25pm Kickoff @ CRP #1. Referee – B Reynolds
A case of the old bull and the young pups here in this one. The Phantoms are probably getting a little long in the tooth but should be proud of their efforts to get through to this game this season and no doubt the success of their 1st Grade team has contributed to some more players showing up and having a run around for them this season. Hopefully this is something that continues for them past the 2017 season.
Full credit to Wagga City last week who hung tight up until the final seconds of the game and took their chance to go straight through to the GF by scoring a try on the fringes, will this encourage the Waratahs to play out the entire game? Wagga City took their chances late in that game and showed why they were Minor Premiers, they stuck to their guns when it mattered and came out on top. Second Grade bush footy is typically about concentration and effort, the team that can apply themselves to the task at hand will generally come out on top.
While there is no mistaking Waratahs effort, they did appear to be a little lost at times and maybe with a bit more focus all game, they can come out on top here against their more experienced opponents. The average age of the Phantoms is pushing close to 30 but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they’re pushovers, they’ve got a blend of youth and experience that provides a strong set piece balanced with some pace peppered through the team which provides them with plenty of opportunites to break the line. Leeton aren’t the fittest team getting around but there’s plenty of experience in the group to push Waratahs in this game.
Leeton v Waratahs – Women’s Preliminary Final
12:50pm Kickoff @ CRP #1. Referee – J Martel
Hay v Waratahs – 3rd Grade Preliminary Final
11:40am Kickoff @ CRP #1. Referee – M Harris
