By Tallon Smith

The Darlington Point-Coleambally Roosters are the first team into the 2024 Group 20 Rugby League Grand Final after a 32-6 win over the Yenda Blueheelers in the Major Semi Final on Sunday.

The Roosters opened up a 32-6 lead at half time, before an injury shortly after the resumption led to the game being called off and the result ruled final.

DPC Fullback Josh Veivers said that while it is great for the club to be in their fourth straight Grand Final going back to before the pandemic, it will mean little if they are to fall short for the third consecutive year.

“It is, but we’ve lost the last two, so history means nothing,” he said.

“As we found out in the last couple, it’s what happens on the day.”

The Roosters have has many challenges with injury and suspensions this season, but according to Veivers, they’re finally starting to hit their straps now the whips are cracking.

“We’ve just been building over here really,” he said.

“We’ve had [players coming] in and out, different players playing in different positions.

“We finally put a good performance together on the weekend and we completed pretty high and we got the chocolates.

“Unfortunately, didn’t get the full game, but I think [Lance] Poka is all good, so that was the main thing.”

As for who they prefer to play in the Grand Final, Veivers said the side is unfazed either way, and are more focused on preparing their own game.

“We don’t want one and we don’t want the other, we’ll just focus on on ourselves and we know if if we play our best footy then we should we should come away with what we want,” he said.

“We completed really high, I think we only made two errors in the first half, going into the big win that there wasn’t.

“I think if you can complete that high in this competition, then not many teams will go with you.

“So we were pretty clinical and just starved the end of the ball and the scoreline blew out a bit towards the back end of the half.”

Black and Whites beat Waratahs in derby semi

Meanwhile, the Griffith Black and Whites recovered from a tough start to defeat the Griffith Black and Whites 26-18 at Solar Mad Stadium.

The Tiger burst out of the blocks with two quick tries to hooker Sina Tatofi, before the Black and Whites came roaring back to take the lead.

Windy conditions made goal kicking almost impossible, and Black and Whites Fullback Solo Toru’s 3 from 6 record reflected this, as the squandered conversions kept the Waratahs in the game.

However, at 20-18 and with time ticking down, a scoot from dummy half coupled with a dummy to the outside saw Richie Bamblett go over almost untouched to seal the win for the Black and Whites and set up a mouth-watering clash with Yenda.

Preliminary Final Previews

The First Grade Preliminary Final on Sunday pits two sides with remarkably different seasons against one another.

The Black and Whites will look to extend their remarkable run from fifth place to a Grand Final berth, building on a 28-point thrashing of Leeton in the Elimination Final and a determined upset victory over the Waratahs last weekend.

The Blueheelers on the other hand will look to exercise the second chance they worked so hard for in the regular season as they continue their push for a premiership in their centenary year.

With both sides possessing strong defensive skills, look for a low-scoring game as the two teams try to tackle their way to victory.

The match kicks off at 2:40pm on Sunday at the Exies Oval.

Meanwhile, the Reserves clash sees Waratahs take on Leeton in a mouth-watering battle for the right to tackle two-time defending premiers Yenda in the Grand Final.

Coached by two extremely experienced legends in Luke Farmer and Jay Little, the match shapes up as a must-see encounter which will determine the challenger to the Blueheelers’ reign at the top.

That match begins at 12:45pm at the same venue.