Freshened up by their bye of last weekend, the Gloucester Cockies will play their Lower Mid North Coast rugby union semi-final a week in advance when they meet the Myall Coast Mudcrabs at Gloucester Oval on Saturday.
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The two teams will complete the minor premiership, both having qualified for the final four semi-finals, the Cockies (38 points) a comfortable third behind the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins (50 points) and the Manning River Ratz (45) with Myall (25) edging out the resurgent Wallamba Bulls (18).
Gloucester’s captain, Chris Marchant, said: “We had a good run against Old Bar and came out of it without any injuries.”
The Cockies have won eight of their 11 games and are well-primed for their last-game home encounter, the blend of old hard-heads and youth having performed magnificently in the run-in to the semi-finals, displaying sufficient skill and tenacity to raise hopes of the club’s first premiership.
“They’ll be tough, back to back,” Myall Coast’s secretary, Geoff Scully, said: “They have probably the best pack in the competition, which always make them a threat, and some smart playmakers in their halfbacks, Paynter and Andrews.”
In Taree, the Manning River Ratz raised the roof of the Exchange Hote on Saturday night after their 17-13 defeat of the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins only to do their maths and learn that the Dolphins will almost certainly steal the minor premiership on points for and against.
The Ratz beat the Dolphins, three tries to two, after bolting away to a 17-5 lead at half-time, the Dolphins fighting back through a magnificent 55-metre try by centre Mark Hagarty to acquire a precious bonus point in restricting the Ratz to a win by seven points or fewer.
The Ratz now meet the Wauchope Thunder at Wauchope next Saturday requiring a bonus point win and an enormous score line to make up the points differential and overtake the Dolphins. The minor premiers host the major semi-final with its home ground advantage.
The Dolphins have the bye in the Brokenwood Wines premiership next weekend while the Ratz must win to draw level, but having to overcome a massive 148-point differential. In effect, the Dolphins have their hands on the minor premiership cup.
In other games, the Wallamba Bulls enjoyed their best win of the season, inflicting a 60-12 defeat on Wauchope at Nabiac with the Myall Coast locking up fourth position with a 76-12 win over Old Bar.
In next Saturday’s final round, Gloucester play Myall Coast at home; Old Bar meet Wallamba at Trad Fields; and Wauchope host Manning River at Wauchope.
Round 13: MANNING RIVER 17 (N Mylonas M Hardcastle C Walker tries; M Carter goal) beat FORSTER TUNCURRY 13 (C Harris M Hagarty tries; L Crozier pen goal); WALLAMBA 60 beat WAUCHOPE 12; MYALL COAST 76 beat OLD BAR 12.