CDRL: How the Sharks battered Brothers to make grand final
When Mossman-Port Douglas is on, there is no better team to watch in the Cairns District Rugby League A-grade competition. Now, they’re preparing for a grand final.
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WHEN Mossman-Port Douglas is on, there is no better team to watch in the Cairns District Rugby League A-grade competition.
But for poor old Brothers, it means there has to be a loser – and this time, it was them forced to endure 80 minutes being battered by a Sharks side which could barely take a wrong step.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the moment the Sharks switched on.
They had that look when they entered Barlow Park, that look of determination, motivation, and the aura of a team which just would not be beaten.
“I knew we were in the right frame of mind but we didn’t expect that,” said coach Joel Marama.
Four tries in the first 20 minutes led to a 36-4 lead at halftime, one they never relented as the competition’s northernmost club ran in 10 tries and allowed just three in the 58-16 major semi-final thrashing.
“We stuck to our game plan, that was it,” Marama said. “The whole team knows the structure and the way we play, and we just put 100 per cent into it.
“Everything fell our way, but the result is a reflection of the hard work.”
The Sharks have kept an even keel throughout this campaign, taking the poor performances or nights they were just “off” in their stride as they showed enough to win, and win often.
Dropping just two fixtures this year, Mossman-Port Douglas showed time and again they were the team to beat.
They won the minor premiership, and while they earned the week off, they spent the weekend training, tweaking minor parts of their game plan and priming the players for the major semi-final. And it showed.
Marama is part of the big, strong, physical forward pack which has rarely been bested this season.
Men like Davin Crampton, Gabriel and Matthew Bon and Noel Underwood, who are tough runners of the football, hit harder in defence.
They don’t often get the credit they deserve, so often overshadowed by the exploits of the flashy, free-scoring outside backs like Matthew Gibuma and Stanley Anau, the latter of whom is the CDRL’s leading tryscorer in 2022.
But they never complain. Instead, they roll up the sleeves and work.
Like they did well after fulltime. When Marama spoke to the Cairns Post, Sharks players were in the Barlow Park stands cleaning up.
“All of the players have the right attitude,” he said.
“Out outside backs were very good but the forwards were great.
“We ran hard all night, we tackled hard. But I can’t fault anyone, from one to 17, everyone was good. It was a whole-club effort.”
Brothers coach Jordan Biondi-Odo has seven days to get his team to forget about the massacre and prepare for a preliminary final date with Ivanhoe Knights, who overcame Innisfail.
“It was the opposite of last week,” Biondi-Odo said. “They were quick out of the blocks and we missed the jump. They were very good, credit to them.
“We didn’t do what we had to do and we couldn’t stop them.
“Our preparation was fine … we trained well, but we were all a little bit off and they got the jump.
“We’ll just go about as a normal week. We play again next week to get into the grand final and that’s what we’re going to focus on.
“We’ll just let this one go.”
KNIGHTS KNOCK OUT INNISFAIL
IVANHOE Knights are one win away from the grand final after knocking out a second premiership heavyweight in consecutive weeks.
The Knights, who had to fight to keep their spot in the top five until the last weeks of the regular season, overcame a 16-0 deficit after just 12 minutes to knock out Innisfail with a 36-26 win.
“It’s a whole team of competitors,” said triumphant coach Lindsay Styles.
“Even though we were down 16-0, I was never overly concerned.
“I knew the boys were going to fight back. They compete for 80 minutes; it took the whole 80 minutes to beat Innisfail, it was tough, but that’s what they do.”
Jacob Wallace was a welcome inclusion for Ivanhoes, the 2021 Gold Medal winner and Northern Pride debutant completing Styles’ massively talented forward pack for the premiership push.
Zane Knowles, who slotted in at lock and hooker and Wallace was off, had another typically tough night at the office, while fellow forwards like Brent Oosen and Tom McGrath were at their damaging best.
Wallace (two tries, two goals) and Knowles (one try, four goals) both finished with 12 points for Ivanhoes, as they ended the Leprechauns’ outstanding run of grand final appearances and sent Leon Hallie’s men crashing out of the finals in straight sets.
While they received plenty of plaudits, interchange forward Andrew Stott was regarded by Styles as their best on the night.
“Stotty’s usually one of the first guys we pick,” Styles said.
“He’s one of those guys who, if you need a job done, he will do it. He gets it done.
“He’s played a lot of good footy for us. He’s a real competitor, plays his role in the team really well.
“Wal was good, Zane was excellent again, Brent was really good off the bench, and I thought Rhylee (Herd) controlled the game really well too.”
For Innisfail, it brings an end to a season in which they could have claimed the minor premiership – and avoided an elimination final - had results gone their way.
This will be the first time since 2018 Innisfail hasn’t featured in the decider, and brings an end to the career of veteran hooker and captain Robert Haren.
They welcomed back both Andrew Garrett and Ashton Galea, Hallie’s primary fullback options, and while Leprechauns showed some fire in the opening 15 minutes to take a healthy lead, Ivanhoes forwards got on top and took the game away.
Ivanhoes will prepare for a clash with Brothers in the preliminary final on Sunday night.
DEEP CONNECTION DRIVES SHARKS
A DEEP family connection between the bulk of the Mossman-Port Douglas playing squad is the secret weapon behind their push for a Cairns District Rugby League A-grade premiership.
The minor premiers didn’t play in the first week of finals after earning a bye courtesy of the top five system, but coach Joel Marama dismissed any notion the players had a week off as they chase the silverware.
“We didn’t really have a week off, we trained on Saturday,” Marama said.
“We’ve had a long run, a couple of tough games in the last five rounds of the competition so it was good to kick back, linger with the fellas and not worry too much about footy.
“We ran a fair bit, get the kilometres in the legs. And we worked on a few things for the week coming up, there’s some things we need to work on and improve.”
Watch the CDRL major semi finals here.
The Sharks have been in outstanding form throughout the season, racking up the best attacking record in the competition on their way to top spot and the minor prize.
And Marama, in his first year as A-grade coach and among the favourites for CDRL Coach of the Year, revealed the deep connection between the players as they embark on the mission of bringing a third CDRL premiership to Coronation Park in four seasons.
A bulk of the playing squad are cousins, having grown up together in the Torres Strait Islands, and have spent years playing footy with and against each other.
That intricate knowledge of each other’s playing style, as well as a fairly solid roster over the past few seasons, have made this Sharks outfit a formidable outfit.
And while there is a certain playing style they want to play, Marama has laid out the ground rules for bringing out the flashy, flamboyant and exhilarating style of footy which has led to so much success.
“We’re blessed with this group,” Marama said.
“The boys have been playing together for a long time. We have a lot of family playing in the same group, we’re all cousins from Boigu Island, and that’s one thing that we have an advantage with.
“The players relate to each other really well, they know how each other plays footy, and I let them have that rein of football, that’s their style.
“We’ve done it all year, and we’ve done it previously, where if they want to play that style of football, we have to back up and defend, and they’re fully aware of it.
“This year, especially, the boys, individually, have played really good football as well and that’s what has led those connections show out a bit more.
“The boys are a bit more fitter.
“Players you said like Lyle Murgha, Eddie Daniel, Matty (Gibuma), Stanley (Anau) … they’re a bit more fitter than they were last week, and that will help us this week.”
The Sharks will face Brothers, who are coming off a tough 29-22 win against Innisfail Leprechauns in the qualifying final and are driven to avenge their straight sets exit in 2021.
That extra motivation makes Brothers, led by coach Jordan Biondi-Odo, a tough rival, but one Marama thinks his side can contain.
“They have some good go-forward, so we have to contain that,” he said.
“That’s one of the areas we’ve worked hard on all year, stopping teams from gaining momentum. They shift the football really well as well, so it will be interesting.”
But the Sharks won’t be changing their style to combat Brothers, with a focus on the defensive side of the game allowing them to steal the show with the Steeden in hand.
“We’re family, playing in the same side. The boys know how each other play. “It’s a bit of a blessing for me as a coach to have.
“There is a lot of work for them to be playing football like that, and we’re fully aware of that.
“We just get in the grind, get dirty, and let these brothers shine out wide.”
Kick-off is at 5.30pm.
KNOWLES KEY FOR IVANHOES
ZANE Knowles shapes as an integral piece of Ivanhoes’ charge through the CDRL finals series, with the backrower producing a season-best career at the Knights.
Knowles has been key to the club’s success this year.
He’s barely missed a game, filled in at a number of positions including hooker, lock and second-row, and despite all of the challenges has not dipped in form.
Ivanhoes coach Lindsay Styles said earlier this week that Knowles had to be among the CDRL Gold Medal finalists – which he was confirmed to be on Thursday night. Styles has seen Knowles’s rise first-hand, last year as an assistant under Jono Zangrande and throughout this successful campaign after taking the reins as head coach.
And while Knowles struggled from the field with a cramp during last Sunday’s elimination final victory against Atherton – he moved like Australian cricketer Cameron Green in the latter stages of the all-rounder’s match-saving knock at Cazalys Stadium on Tuesday – he has been named to start at hooker for the Knights’ minor semi final clash with Innisfail.
“He is just everywhere, I don’t know anyone who works harder than him,” Styles said.
“All of the little things people don’t really see.
“There was a break last week and Zane was there at the end to make the tackle. If he doesn’t push back, Atherton probably scores and the game could totally change.
“He’s come along really well. His improvement from last year to this season is second to none.”
Styles has named a near identical side to the one which eliminated the Roosters last Sunday, with one slot left open for Northern Pride-contracted hooker Jacob Wallace – if he’s declared fit to play.
PRIDE DUO TO BOLSTER CLUBS
THE return of two Northern Pride stars could make a major difference to two Cairns District Rugby League title contenders.
Hooker Jacob Wallace and outside back Shawn Bowen have been cleared to return to Ivanhoe Knights and Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks for their respective runs at the title.
Wallace, if fit, would likely be the only change to the Ivanhoes side which ended Atherton’s season 30-14 a week ago.
Ivanhoes coach Lindsay Styles was set to meet with Wallace, who has battled a niggly shoulder injury, at training on Thursday night to determine whether or not he would play.
If he gets the green light, Wallace would start at hooker, with Styles left to reshuffle the rest of the forward pack which met the Roosters head on.
The Knights will take on Innisfail Leprechauns in the minor semi-final.
Bowen’s availability adds yet another attacking weapon to Joel Marama’s dangerous Sharks side.
The Sharks have set the standard for much of the season, but the return of Bowen, who has played 63 Hostplus Cup games since his 2017 debut, will give them another attacking option in their major semi-final against Brothers.
GALEA SET FOR RETURN
THE expected return of Ashton Galea and a renewed call for a focus on discipline will have Innisfail primed for the minor semi final with Ivanhoes at Barlow Park.
The Leprechauns fell 29-22 to Brothers in the qualifying final on Sunday, setting them on course for three sudden death games if they are to break their Cairns District Rugby League A-grade premiership drought.
Despite the loss, it was a tough effort from a team which was forced into changes at the key position of fullback.
An ACL injury has ruled out first-choice custodian Andrew Garrett, while Galea works away every few weekends - which coincided with the qualifying final.
It meant halfback Aaron Jolley played fullback for the first time this season and bench hooker Tamati Huirama started in the No.7.
And while they performed admirably, the reshuffle and shift away from their natural game and plan was too high a hurdle to overcome.
Leprechauns coach Leon Hallie, who steered Innisfail to the grand final last year, saw enough in his side’s loss to know they can be a threat.
“We had T playing in the halves for the first time all year, which is a big bloody ask
“He’s usually a hooker off the bench but we had to play him in the halves.
“Same with Aaron, he had to go back to fullback.
“The positive is we know we’re good enough.
“If we get our game right, we can get to the grand final again, but it’s up to the boys to apply what we play for.”
Hallie was disappointed by the sin-binning of prop Dan Sagigi, not only as his side conceded a try while the leading front-rower was off the park, but how the energy sapped during that 10-minute period impacted the Leprechauns late in the contest.
He called for his side to be more disciplined, as they eye another grand final and potentially their first premiership since 2015.
In Ivanhoes, Innisfail will face a team which dominated Atherton in the forwards last week.
Bolstered by the return of Northern Pride-contracted duo Tom McGrath and Whyatt Barnes, Ivanhoes’ forward pack bettered Atherton’s to provide their halves plenty of space.
Often enough, they did the work themselves, with Barnes and McGrath making plenty of metres after breaking through would-be tackles.
Hallie is under no illusion as to the strength of the Knights, after splitting their two meetings earlier this season.
“They’ve been going good all year, no doubt they’ll be up for it.
“It’s always hard when you drop the first game and have to bounce back after a loss and they’re on a high, that’s a challenge.
“Ivanhoes always give us a good run, it’s 1-1 this year."
HEPWORTH COMES OF AGE IN WIN
BROTHERS hooker Adam Hepworth came of age in an outstanding performance to lead his team to a qualifying final victory – now he has to back it up.
Hepworth was tireless at dummy-half in Sunday’s 29-22 win against Innisfail Leprechauns which sent Brothers into the major semi-final against Mossman-Port Douglas.
He was one of several guns to shine at Barlow Park, alongside back-row pair Taniela Ta’ufo’ou and Ernest Suavai, as well as former Leprechaun and winger Devante Heron, who scored a hat trick.
Captain-coach Jordan Biondi-Odo, who iced the result with the second field goal in the Cairns District Rugby League A-grade competition this year, was stoked with their performances.
But the 2021 Coach of the Year was unhappy with one aspect of his team’s defensive effort.
“We missed a couple of one-on-ones, and we’re strict on that,” he said.
“We hold ourselves accountable, we have to make our one-on-ones, and I think they scored two. We’re not that happy.
“(Heron) was good, Heppy played 65 in middle, Nela was outstanding and so was Ernest.
“Everyone played their role which is what we’re about.
“We know it takes a squad to win and 17 on the day have to rip and tear in.”
The Brothers-Sharks clash will be the last in six CDRL finals games to be livestreamed by KommunityTV via the Cairns Post this Sunday.
The action kicks off at 10am.
MONKEY OFF BROTHERS’ BACK
THE monkey might be off the back but Brothers coach Jordan Biondi-Odo is not satisfied after earning a crack at a berth in the Cairns District Rugby League grand final.
Brothers controlled much of their 29-22 qualifying final win against Innisfail Leprechauns on Sunday night, with Brothers winger Devante Heron scoring a hat trick.
It was a relieving win for Biondi-Odo, in particular, after the heartbreak of 2021.
Brothers barely dropped a game in brilliant regular season campaign but lost two straight finals to bow out before making the grand final.
While receiving the Coach of the Year accolade was one thing, the pain of watching the decider from the grandstand has spurred the coach and his troops to a more successful campaign this season.
And now with his first finals win as a senior coach in the bag and a clash with minor premiers Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks this Sunday, Biondi-Odo cut a relieved figure in the Barlow Park sheds.
“It’s good, we’re relieved to have the monkey off the back, but we’re definitely not satisfied,” Biondi-Odo said.
“We have two more wins before we can be happy or satisfied.”
And to make the coach’s night even better, he was reminded of his team’s ability to get into a grind - and win.
“It was good, it was two top three teams going at it and it turned into a grind,” he said.
“When you come out on top in those games, you always feel relieved about it.
“It’s pleasing to see we can get in a bit of a shitfight and come out on top.”
“I felt like we were in control from the get-go, in patches we let it get away but we have to be better and work harder to get the momentum back in those moments.”
Innisfail showed plenty of danger signs.
While Brothers had the better running of possession, field position and the penalty count, Innisfail still managed to work their way into strong attacking positions and find enough points to make Brothers nervous in the final stages.
Leprechauns coach Leon Hallie was an understandably disappointed figure in the dressing room, but he took solace in the team’s performance given they missed two primary fullbacks and were forced into a reshuffle.
“We were always chasing our tail a bit. we started slow, made too many errors and then even when we had our chances, our errors let us down,” Hallie said.
“We always back our attack. There were some tough calls there I thought but it's a matter of regrouping and trying to cut those errors down. And start better. What, we were 14-0 down? It’s always hard to get back into the game.”
Hallie was impressed by his side’s physicality and the way they refused to surrender.
IVANHOES KNOCK OUT ROOSTERS
IVANHOE Knights have passed their first test of the post-season, overcoming a physical Atherton Roosters 30-14 in the elimination final.
Northern Pride-contracted duo Whayatt Barnes and Tom McGrath were massive inclusions for the Knights, who reached the same stage last season but bowed out in the first week of the finals.
Lindsay Styles, who was an assistant in 2021 but stepped into the head coaching role this season, didn’t suffer the same fate, with his team dominating proceedings at Barlow Park.
Barnes and McGrath were massive for Ivanhoes through the middle, taking the attention of plenty of Roosters defenders every time they touched the ball.
Their impact, along with dominant passages from Zane Knowles and the rest of the forward pack, freed up time and space for halves Regan and Rhylee Herd to keep Ivanhoes in control.
While Ivanhoes will go on to face Innisfail in the minor semi final, Atherton’s season - and the career of one of their favourite sons - has drawn to a close.
Former Queensland Cup premiership-winner Rodney Griffin went back to where it started, spending a season with his junior club Atherton, and he turned in a typical, tough 80-minute in what was his farewell appearance.
Thomas Cuda scored a double for Atherton, but the Roosters were brought undone by poor handling and some poor defensive decisions.
OLIVER, MAIRU, THE HEROES
KODY Oliver and Daniel Mairu celebrated like champions after clinching reserve grade semi final wins at the death for their respective clubs.
Southern Suburbs and Ivanhoe Knights were locked at 32-all as time expired, the first finals game to go into golden point in 2022.
After two minutes of action, Suburbs shifted right, eventually finding halfback Oliver who went over in broken play to seal his team’s survival and end the defending reserve grade premiers’ season.
Kieran Colahan was in everything for Suburbs, scoring two tries and kicking six goals in his 20-point haul.
If that wasn’t dramatic enough, Kangaroos and Innisfail ensured the qualifying final had everything.
A sin bin and send off, scintillating tries and plenty of points were delivered by two teams desperate to lock in a spot in the major semi final.
It looked for all money that Kangaroos had done enough when they led 28-12 with just 11 minutes left on the clock.
But Innisfail, as they so often do, came back and with a vengeance.
The 2021 beaten grand finalists tapped into every bit of that experience to fight their way back into the contest, and when fullback Mairu crossed with little over a minute left on the clock, it locked the scores at 28-28.
Experienced Leprechauns utility Michael Morton took as much time he needed to prepare for the deciding conversion, but made no mistake from the difficult position to lock in a battle with Brothers.
Kangaroos will face Suburbs in the minor semi final.
RESULTS
A-GRADE
QUALIFYING FINAL
BROTHERS 29 (Heron 3, Savage, Hepworth tries; J Biondi-Odo 4 goals; J Biondi-Odo field goal) def INNISFAIL LEPRECHAUNS 22 (Jolley, Addo-Nona, Haren, Stephen tries; Addo-Nona 3 goals) at Barlow Park.
ELIMINATION FINAL
IVANHOE KNIGHTS 30 (Barnes 2, Knowles 2, England, Re Herd tries; Rh Herd 2, Knowles goals) def ATHERTON ROOSTERS 14 (Cuda 2, Carleton tries; Grogan goal) at Barlow Park.
RESERVE GRADE
QUALIFYING FINAL
INNISFAIL LEPRECHAUNS 30 (Satrick 2, Meeks, Mairu, J Laza tries; Morton 4, Mairu goals) def KANGAROOS 28 (Mosby 2, Mene, Dau, Clarke tries; Nona 3, Kakata goals) at Barlow Park.
ELIMINATION FINAL
SOUTHERN SUBURBS 36 (Colahan 2, Day, Alley, Hanlon, Oliver; Colahan 6 goals) def IVANHOE KNIGHTS 32 (Si Raivaroro 2, Munster 2, Bulkua, Torney tries; Edwards 4 goals) in golden point extra ti,e at Barlow Park.
UNDER-18S
QUALIFYING FINAL
ATHERTON ROOSTERS 30 (Lui 2, Payne, Nielsen, Serra tries; Carson 5 goals) def BROTHERS 28 (MacFarlane 2, Kapigeno, Jackson-Singleton, Salecich, Alofi tries; Eaton 2 goals) at Barlow Park.
ELIMINATION FINAL
IVANHOE KNIGHTS 36 (Evans 2, Wosomo, B Hodges, England, Kofe, not supplied tries; K Hodges 2, Vincent 2 goals) def MAREEBA GLADIATORS 10 (Williams, Schaaf tries; Wood goal) at Barlow Park.
WOMEN
Tablelands and Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks forfeited their finals. Yarrabah and Edmonton progress.
FIXTURES
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
BARLOW PARK, TIMES TBC
WOMEN’S
Fixtures TBC
UNDER-18S
Major semi final
Kangaroos v Atherton Roosters
Minor semi final
Brothers v Ivanhoe Knights
RESERVE GRADE
Major semi final
Brothers v Innisfail Leprechauns
Minor semi final
Kangaroos v Southern Suburbs
A-GRADE
Major semi final
Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks v Brothers
Minor semi final
Innisfail Leprechauns v Ivanhoe Knights
ROOSTERS READY FOR KNIGHTS
DEPTH, attention to detail, and a little bit of luck will go the longest way in determining which team will lift the Cairns District Rugby League premiership at the end of the month.
They are three key areas for success, according to Atherton coach Graham Clark Snr, who has steered his side to a third post-season in four years.
But the fourth may be unique to the Roosters, at least in this finals series.
“There’s too many other teams in the competition who have only local players through the grades,” Clark Snr said.
“It’s not a knock on other teams at all. You need to bring players in from outside the region to make the competition bigger and better.
“We haven’t in the position to do so, but we’ve relied only on our players.
“The advantage there is that we know what we’re playing for, and that is our community.
“It can go in your favour, it can be the difference at this time of year.”
The Roosters will take on Ivanhoe Knights in the elimination final on Sunday, which will be livestreamed by KommunityTV via the Cairns Post.
They have split the spoils in their two games, though Ivanhoes have the wood over their rivals having won their last meeting.
At the helm at Ivanhoes is Lindsay Styles, the first-year head coach who was part of the staff when Jono Zangrande steered the Knights to the same stage last season.
That didn’t end well - Ivanhoes coughed up a great start and big halftime lead before Yarrabah stormed home to break the Knights’s hearts, then went on to win the title.
Styles saw that first-hand, and with many players set to take the field this Sunday in any of the club’s three teams in elimination finals, there is no doubt they will be better for the experience.
“The whole club is feeling good, everyone is excited for it to start,” Styles said.
“We’re a different team to when we played them earlier this season.
“For a lot of the boys, it’s their first year in A-grade. The boys have done really well to get where they have.
“It’s always a tough game when we face Atherton, and being the finals we expect no different.
“But I’m excited.
“You work all year to get to this point. The boys have earned it, it’s a tough top five.”
Clark Snr will no leave no stone unturned in his effort to steer Atherton through this week, though he will need to be at the top of his game.
With several front-rowers still injured, he will look for big outings from the likes of former Queensland Cup premiership winner Rodney Griffin and his fellow forwards.
“There’s a bit more pressure for us to stick to our game plan,” Clark Snr said.
“We need to play our style and not get dragged into theirs.
“But it has to go right for us.”
Kick-off is at 4pm.
JOLLEY SET FOR FULLBACK MOVE
INNISFAIL utility Aaron Jolley may be forced back to fullback to overcome two key outs for the Leprechauns’ qualifying final clash with Brothers.
Jolley has primarily played at halfback throughout the season, but with livewire custodian Andrew Garrett going down with an ACL injury and handy back-up Ashton Galea not available on Sunday due to work, coach Leon Hallie may have to turn to Jolley to plug the gap at the back.
It isn’t foreign ground for Jolley, who has starred across fullback, the halves and at hooker in his several seasons in the Cairns District Rugby League competition, but it would mean new halves pairing for their most important game of the year to date.
Innisfail coach Leon Hallie was set to make his decision after training on Friday night, but flagged both men could be available in future weeks.
“Andrew’s been trying to leave it as long as possible,” Hallie said.
“If it’s a knockout, he’ll want to play, but we’d be having a long look at that before giving it the all clear.
“Ashton is a decent back-up at fullback he works week-on, week-off, and will be away.”
Centre Tevita Murimurivalu is always expected to miss the clash with a rib injury, but he could return as early as next week.
The winner of Leprechauns-Brothers will go on to face minor premiers Mossman-Port Douglas in the major semi final on September 11, with the first spot in the grand final up for grabs.
It’s where Innisfail has lived for much of the last decade, though they have only broken through once (2016) despite several deciders.
Hallie is driven to break that dreaded run of disappointment, and came closest last season when Innisfail fell in golden point extra time to Yarrabah.
“We have to stay patient and in control,” Hallie said.
“I’m really proud of the boys and their efforts so far.
“To finish in the top three, year after year, is a big achievement.”
Brothers claimed a 28-22 in the clubs’ only meeting this year, but it’s tough to read too much into that result given it came in round 3.
The Brethren have won their last seven games in a row, and are motivated by not only the desire to squash a decade-long drought, but their straight sets departure in last year’s finals series.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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