The Forster Tuncurry Dolphins’ bid to regain the union premiership they lost last winter will have an early acid test against the most formidable scrum in the Lower Mid North Coast competition when they meet the Gloucester Cockies on Saturday at Tuncurry’s Peter Barclay Field.
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In an engrossing battle of the big men, Gloucester’s forwards out-scrummed the highly regarded Wallamba Bulls’ pack at Gloucester on April 14 only to be outsped and outgeneralled in the open through the pace and penetration of the Bulls’ back line.
Gloucester’s front rowers, three big men weighing a comprehensive mass near 350kgs, Mick Wooster, Ken Wamsley and Mitch Meredith, were exceptional in shunting the Bulls back on several occasions on their home ground.
They have another heavy afternoon ahead of them on Saturday (May 5) in the Kennards Hire premiership clash against the Dolphins’ trio of Gavin Maberly-Smith, Scott Walmsley and Ben Manning, the latter a former MNC representative anchor man nearing his 200th game for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins have accounted for the Old Bar Clams and Manning River Ratz comfortably in their two games this season. They meet the similarly unbeaten Wallamba Bulls at Nabiac on May 12.
Flanker Tom Homer will lead a strong, experienced Dolphins XV on Saturday, mobile and productive in the forwards, strong at the scrum with Walmsley at hooker and successful in the lineout through Jack Woods and Brad Murray, with a creative pair at five-eighth and inside-centre in Matt Nuku and Mark Hagarty.
From the evidence of their performance against Wallamba, Gloucester revealed tackling deficiencies in the outside backs, not helped by a shoulder injury sustained by their elusive Mid North Coast representative fullback, Ryan Yates, in the Axemen’s Caldwell Cup clash against Illawarra last weekend.
This season, the Dolphins have gained an adventurous runner in outside-centre, Tom Holman, while in the forwards husky Nathan Johnson, another Australian Rules product, is developing pleasingly while mixing positions between hooker and backrower.
Saturday’s fourth round draw sees the Manning River Ratz at home to the premiers, Wallamba, at Taree Rugby Park while the Dolphins meet Gloucester at Tuncurry. The Old Bar Clams have the bye.