Upsets Galore In Country Rugby Heading Detail
There were upsets galore in the Country Zone Final Series which were played across the state last weekend, with several clubs favoured to take out premierships being eliminated.
The Central Coast major semi-final saw defending premiers Avoca Beach (1) defeat Kariong (2) in a hard fought match which was in the balance with fifteen minutes to go. The Wanderers will now face off against the Gosford Red Devils (3) in the do or die preliminary final this weekend.
Tamworth Pirates (2) caused an upset when they defeated minor premiers Inverell (1) in a very tough and close encounter in the Central North major semi-final. The Highlanders will host the Narrabri Blue Boars (4) in this weekend’s minor semi-final to determine who will advance to the grand final in Tamworth the following week.
At Bathurst the Bathurst Bulldogs (2) had to dig deep to hold out the Orange City Lions (3) in the Central West preliminary final. The match was played in very heavy conditions which saw the result in the balance until the final whistle, which now sees the Bulldogs face the Narromine Gorillas (1) next week in a repeat of last year’s grand final.
The Ballina Seahorses (3) had a convincing upset victory over the Wollongbar Alstonville Pioneers (2) in the Far North Coast preliminary final. The Seahorses had too much power and pace for the Pioneers, and will go into next weekend’s grand final against the Lennox Head Trojans (1) with a lot of confidence.
There were double upsets in the Illawarra double header weekend, with Tech Waratahs (3) downing the Woonona Shamrocks (2) in the qualifying semi-final, while University (5) despatched Shoalhaven (4) in the elimination semi-final. This weekend sees another double header with the Wollongong Vikings (1) facing the Tech Tahs in the major semi-final and the Shamrocks taking on the Students in the minor semi-final.
The biggest upset of the weekend was in the Mid North Coast North grand final when the Hastings Valley Vikings (2) defeated the hot favourites the Port Macquarie Pirates (1). Vikings’ win saw the club claim their inaugural first grade premiership in a competition which has been dominated by the Pirates and the Coffs Harbour clubs over the last few years.
The Newcastle Hunter double header weekend continued the trend of upsets with the favoured teams going down in the major and minor semi-finals. The Hamilton Hawks (2) had a close win over the Merewether Carlton Greens (1) in the major semi-final, while the Maitland Blacks (4) accounted for the Newcastle Wanderers (3) in the major semi-final. This weekend the Greens and Blacks will lock horns in the sudden death preliminary final, with the winner earning a shot at the Hawks in next weekend’s grand final.
The Western Plains preliminary final was the battle of the Rams with Bourke (3) eliminating minor premiers Walgett (1) in comprehensive fashion. This weekend’s grand final will see another clash of the Rams when Coonamble (1) defend their premiership against Bourke who will be playing in their fourteenth consecutive premiership decider.
Two other premierships have been decided in recent weeks with the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins (2) upsetting the Old Bar Beach Clams (1) in the Mid North Coast South decider, while the Armidale Blues (1) easily accounted for the Guyra Ghosts (2) in New England.
All New South Wales Country Rugby Union news, information and results are available on the Country Webpage www.nswcountryrugby.com.au