Inside A-grade Cities RLFC’s grand final preparation, as captain Chris Gelhaar makes retirement announcement
Two days out from the A-grade grand final, Cities Gladiator’s coach Frank Saunders shares which stars to look out for, and revealed the match might be the last for a much-loved player.
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This weekend will mark the end of the rugby league season in the Roma district, with grand final matches set to crown 2024 champions across all grades.
In A-grade, the game between Cities and St George is set to be exciting, with lots of stars to watch, but a bittersweet farewell for the Cities captain.
Cities’ A-grade coach Frank Saunders said the game would be an exciting end to what has been a strong season.
Throughout the season, “there were three pace-setters”, Saunders said: Mitchell Magpies, Wallumbilla-Surat Red Bulls, and Cities.
However, in the last few rounds of the season, the St George side “didn’t drop a game”.
“It’s a credit to St George for picking it up,” he said.
Saunders said on the Cities side, the team has been consistent all season.
“We’ve got a lot of experience on the side,” he said.
“We’ve got blokes that have been player for ten years together in the A-grade. We’ve also got some good juniors that have come through our system.
“They all know each other really well and get on really well.”
He said that on Sunday, Saunders was hoping to “see the benefits of our hard training”.
“I’m looking for our side to execute the things we have been doing in the last five to six weeks,” he said.
Saunders gave a shout out to some of the team’s stars, old and new.
The side’s hooker, Joey Packer, has been “playing very good football all year,” Saunders said.
A representative player, Packer is expected to perform well at Sunday’s match.
Saunders also said Alex Coonan, Cameron Bartley and Sam Wiley, who has “had a big year,” are also set to be stars Sunday.
“We’ve got very exciting player on the wing in Connor lacey,” Saunders said.
“We’re expecting a big game out of him on Sunday.”
The game is set to be rife with excitement, but will also be the final game for captain, Chris Gelhaar.
“(He) plays 80 minutes every week, and this is his last year,” Saunders said.
“Some blokes don’t believe (that Gelhaar is retiring), but he’s got a young family.
“He’ll leave a big hole in the club … but he’s earnt his retirement.
“The boys are sad, but everyone knows you can’t play football forever.”
While getting caught up in the excitement of the big dance can be tempting, Saunders said his side were well aware of the task ahead of them.
“It’s exciting to be in the grand final, but we’ve still got a job to do,” Saunders said
“They know how to get the job done.”
The A-grade final between Cities rugby league football club and the St George rugby league football club is set to kick off at 3.15pm at Bassett Park, Roma.
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