Club Corner is back once again to discuss the upcoming weekend in clubland.
Grand final fever is set to continue this weekend, following the first premiership result of the year last weekend down in Melbourne. Congratulations to Harlequins, who reclaimed the Dewar Shield for the first time since 2017 with a 38-21 win over a spirited Power House. The result brings the curtain down on an extremely positive year for the club and for Victorian Rugby, with the competition returning triumphantly after two disrupted years.
This weekend, Grand Final fever moves north to Sydney, semi and preliminary finals continue in the rest of the country, and the Hospital Challenge Cup has its first week of finals!
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SHUTE SHIELD - GRAND FINAL - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY VS GORDON
One game left. And at the end, the men lifting the Shute Shield will be the plucky men from Gordon, or the ever powerful Students.
Last weekend produced two incredible results, the biggest shock coming in the form of the premiers Gordon prevailing against their main rivals Norths 13-23. After finishing the competition as minor premiers, the Shoreman proved second best on the day, their dream of reclaiming 2016 glory ended, for another year at least. The match was nearly bettered earlier in the day, as Sydney Uni snuck home 10-9 against a gritty Eastwood side, an arm wrestle that will sit well among the many great clashes the two sides have had over the years.
This leaves a thrilling clash for this weekend, and the rugby faithful are expected to pack out Leichhardt Oval for grand final day, serving as the perfect stage setter for the Wallabies-Springboks clash later that day.
Sydney University will likely be favourites, with them prevailing in their last clash at Chatswood Oval back in May. The Students have had to work hard though to get to the big dance, prevailing in thrillers over Randwick and Eastwood. Gordon however, bring an incredible element of surprise. Barely sneaking into finals, they have since pulled off a stellar finals campaign, beating Warringah, Randwick and Norths in successive weeks. Whether they can keep it up for the Grand Final is the big question that will be answered this weekend.
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QUEENSLAND PREMIER GRADE - SEMI FINALS
It’s finals time in Brisbane, with only four games remaining in the 2022 season. Wests, UQ, Brothers and GPS look to do battle this weekend, and with a grand final spot up for grabs no one will be taking this match lightly.
First up, Wests will welcome current premiers UQ to Bulldogs Rugby Club, and the hosts will likely be wary despite having the rub of the green against the Red Heavies. When the teams last played, Wests prevailed 35-14 in a match that confirmed their finals credentials. Since then, however, UQ have gone on a seven match unbeaten streak, including putting over a hundred points up over Sunnybank. Despite this, the Bulldogs have also managed to win six of their last seven games, and themselves are on a five match streak, which sets the stage for a thrilling contest.
Meanwhile, over at Sci-Fleet Stadium, Brothers will be up against GPS in the second match of the semis. This clash looms as even more tantalising, with both sides having beaten the other in the two corresponding fixtures this year, both upsets away from home. Brothers have been bolstered by the return of a lot of Reds and Wallabies cavalry, but in finals footy, anything can happen, and GPS have shown they are more than capable of going all the way this year.
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Rising Player
Shoutout to Pat Morrey, loose forward and captain of the Red Heavies in their demolition of GPS last week. The young flanker showed incredible maturity that is reflected in the strong performance of his side, and further shows how strong clubland’s depth in the loose forward position is!
FORTESCUE PREMIER GRADE - SEMI FINALS
Only four sides remain in Perth following a thrilling final round last week. Both UWA and Wests Scarborough were able to sneak past Nedlands and Cottesloe by a single point, confirming the top two and securing UWA the minor premiership. Perth Bayswater grabbed the last final place with a convincing 23 -14 win over Associates, setting the stage for this weekend.
Wests Scarborough will have their work cut out against Nedlands in a replay of last week's match. While the visitors were able to sneak home 26-27, there is no denying the match could have easily gone Nedlands’ way. Expect an extremely close clash at Bennett Park, with finals placings on the line!
Meanwhile, over at McGillivray Oval, UWA will go up against the big improvers of the 2022 season, Perth Bayswater. The visitors will likely be underdogs, but given the scalps they've been able to pick up this year, they are more than capable of springing an upset against the minor premiers.
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Rising Player
Aidan McDonagh put in a stellar performance in the loose forwards for Perth Bayswater, grabbing the first try for the homeside and then backing it up with an excellent all round performance to steer his side to finals. Expect him to have a big weekend over at The Library!
JOHN I DENT CUP - PRELIMINARY FINAL
Three teams and two matches remain in the John I Dent Cup in Canberra, following an unbelievable round of rugby last week that saw defence go out the window.
In the first clash, the Royals and Vikings couldn’t be separated after the final whistle, the match finishing a 38-all draw. As a result, the Royals go through to the Grand Final by default as a result of them being minor premiers.
Then the following day, Queanbeyan prevailed over Uni-Norths in an incredible thriller, winning 45-48 in an exquisite display of running rugby. The result sees the Owls’ titles aspirations over for another year, while the Whites continue on their merry way to this weekend.
In an almost fitting set up, the John I Dent Cup has been shared since 2006 between the Canberra Royals, Tuggeranong and Queanbeyan. The Whites however haven’t held the cup since 2010, and given their ability to surprise several teams this year, a lot of the rugby faithful will be hopeful they can keep up their form. However, there are few places harder to win than against Tuggeranong at Viking Park, and the home side will be desperate to make amends for last week!
COOPERS PREMIER GRADE - SEMI FINALS
Four teams remain in the Coopers Premier Grade in South Australia, as Brighton take on Burnside for the Grand Final placing, and Old Collegians take on Elizabeth in the eliminating fixture, with the winner moving onto the preliminary final next week.
TASMANIAN PREMIER GRADE - PRELIMINARY FINAL
Launceston prevailed in convincing fashion over the weekend to advance to the Grand Final, while Taroona Penguins brushed aside the Burnie Emus to knock them out for the year. This weekend sees Devonport and Taroona do battle for a spot in the grand final, and it is set to be a thrilling clash of the great rivalries in Tasmanian rugby!
