Photo: Mandy Brooke-Barnes
Tallon Smith
The Group 20 finals race has narrowed down to three teams, with the Griffith Waratah Tigers set to take on the Hay Magpies in the Preliminary Final for the right to face the Darlington Point-Coleambally Roosters in the Grand Final.
The Magpies’ finals charge reached the third week after they sealed a Preliminary Final berth with a 28-24 extra time win over the Leeton Greenies at the Yanco Sportsground on Saturday.
Hay opened the scoring through Hugh Crighton before Leeton hit back with two converted tries and a penalty goal to secure a 14-6 half time lead.
The two sides traded tries in the second stanza before the Magpies rallied late to level the match at 28-all in the dying stages.
The match then entered extra time after a late shot at field goal was waved away, with a scoreless first period ensuing before a Brad Pocock line break was followed up by a match-winning try to winger Patty Miller that sent the Greenies packing and the Magpies into their first Group 20 Preliminary Final.
Magpies coach Chris Stewart said that the win was an extremely hard-fought one, especially given that his side had to overturn a half-time deficit and battle into extra time.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough one against Leeton,” he said.
“Like I said earlier in the week, they’re a team that just doesn’t go away and you know you’re going to be battling right down to the end with them, and we were prepared for that.
“They got the jump, they started really well Leeton, they were really fast and we probably lacked in a few areas there to control that, but they played really quick.
“We knew the second half was going to go deep, possibly to extra time and that’s where it went.
“It was very nerve racking, but we got it done in the end, the boys keep finding a way to get there so hopefully that continues for a couple more weeks.”
Between the Magpies and a 30-year drought breaking premiership are the two best sides this season in the Waratah Tigers in the Preliminary Final and the DPC Roosters in a potential decider.
Stewart said that while both sides will be extremely difficult to beat, he is confident that his team’s best footy can give them a chance of achieving something remarkable.
“It’ll be tough, we’re going up to another level now, as good as Leeton are and have been, we’re now going into the two sides that have been clearly the best sides all year,” he said.
“They’ve been the most consistent, they finished even on points, they didn’t lose many games, if they did happen to lose they lost to each other or we happened to get Tahs on one occasion.
“In saying that we are confident, we lost to the Point both times by eight points, and we beat Tahs and lost to Tahs once.
“We’re confident, but we know it’s going to be a really tough challenge either way.”
Moving to Sunday’s game, the Roosters booked their place in the Grand Final after a 40-26 win over the Griffith Waratah Tigers in the Major Semi Final at the Darlington Point Sportsground on Sunday.
A hat trick to second rower Jon Huggett secured the Roosters’ place in the decider, as the home side ran in seven tries to five to earn another week off ahead of the big dance.
The Grand Final berth is the defending premiers’ fifth in a row, the the club holding a 2-2 record over that time, with wins over both Griffith sides in Waratahs (2019) and Black and Whites (2024) bookending two losses to Leeton (2022 and 2023), with the pandemic seasons not included.
On the flip side, the loss sees Waratahs set to face Hay in a sudden-death second chance shot at the decider at the Leeton No.1 Oval this Saturday.
In the Reserve Grade competition, extra time was again needed in the Minor Semi Final, with Griffith Waratahs eliminating Leeton with a 24-20 win at Yanco.
They will face DPC in the Preliminary Final, after Minor Premiers Hay stormed to a 32-6 win over the Roosters on their home turf.
Finally, West Wyalong secured the first place in the League Tag Grand Final after a 22-12 win over the Leeton Greenies in the Major Semi Final at the Darlington Point Sportsground on Sunday afternoon.
A final minute try to halfback Kady Amarant sealed the deal, with the dashing run under the posts earning a third shot at success for the Mallee Chicks.
The Greenies will get another chance at a Grand Final berth when they face Black and Whites in the Preliminary Final, after the Griffith side defeated TLU 11-2 in Saturday’s Minor Semi.
