Zone Semi-Final Series Kick In
The Semi-Final Series have kicked off around the state with five zones continuing or commencing their 2010 series, while the remaining four zones enter the final rounds of their respective competitions.
Central West, Far North Coast, Mid North Coast, New England and Western Plains will stage semi-finals and preliminary finals this weekend, while the Central Coast, Central North, Illawarra and Newcastle Hunter will wrap up their respective premiership rounds.
The city of Bathurst will be the venue for both of the Central West qualifying and elimination semi-finals on Saturday and Sunday. Bathurst Bulldogs (2) will host the Orange City Lions (3) in the qualifying semi-final on Saturday, while CSU Bathurst (4) will host Dubbo Roos (5) in the elimination semi-final on Sunday. Each of the teams have had mixed results over the last three weeks, with the Bulldogs and Roos going into the matches as slight favourites, but the Lions and Students won’t be pushovers.
Traditional rivals Ballina Seahorses (3) and Lismore City (4) will face off at Ballina on Saturday in the Far North Coast minor semi-final. Both teams have similar win/loss ratios and point percentages from the premiership rounds, and the result will go right down to the final whistle if both teams maintain their current form.
The Mid North Coast will stage semi-finals and a preliminary final in three locations over the weekend for their two competitions.
The Northern Competition will see local derbies in both the major and minor semi-finals, with Port Macquarie Pirates (1) and Hasting Valley Vikings (2) contesting the major semi-final in Port Macquarie on Saturday, while the Coffs Crushers (3) and Coffs Breakers (4) will contest the minor semi-final in Coffs Harbour on Sunday. The Pirates and Crushers will go into the matches as favourites, but the local derby factor will bring out the best in the Vikings and Breakers.
The Southern Competition advances to the preliminary final, with the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins (2) and the Gloucester Cockies (3) playing off for a spot in next weeks grand final. Both teams were involved in one point results last week, with the Dolphins going down to the Old Bar Beach Clams 21 – 20, while the Cockies outlasted the Manning Valley Ratz 25 – 24. The Cockies have hit form at the right end of the season, but the Dolphins will be favoured to take out the match and advance to the grand final.
New England will stage their preliminary final between the Guyra Ghosts (2) and Robb College (4) at the UNE Field in Armidale on Saturday. Last weekend saw the Armidale Blues (1) comprehensively defeated the Guyra Ghosts in the major semi-final, while Robb College caused an upset to defeat arch rivals St Alberts College (3) in the minor semi-final. The Students will be out to carry on with their recent good form, but the Ghosts will be aiming to make amends for last week’s defeat and get their good season on track.
The Cobar Camels (4) will be trekking to Bourke on Saturday to take on the Bourke Rams (3) in the Western Plains minor semi-final. Both teams have had mixed results throughout the season with the Camels only qualifying for the final four in the last round of the competition. The two teams met two weeks ago and the Rams got away with a narrow five point win, so the result could go right to the wire if both teams bring their form into the match.