Penrith District Rugby League: Windsor, Colyton showdown, finals talking points
With a spot in the grand final on the line, it’s do-or-die for Windsor and Colyton this weekend, but not everyone is listening to their coach. See why, local Penrith footy talking points.
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Emu Plains booked their grand final ticket, now Windsor will be out to get the other against a fast finishing Colyton.
Colyton travelled a rocky road to the finals, but the Colts are flying high now, and it’s not all based on the words of the coach.
Don Feltis Cup talking points.
UNDERDOGS ON FIRE
It’s not just in the top grade where Colyton are turning heads.
Not to be outdone, the under-19s have also come from the clouds after entering the finals in fifth spot. Since putting the cleaners through Glenmore Park, the young Colts
turned up the heat on Windsor to keep their season alive with an upset 26-14 victory.
Now one win shy of the grand final, Scott Thompson’s side tackle minor premiers St Marys who were run down by a fast finishing St Clair. After winning both encounters this season, the Saints will start favourites but it shapes as another close one.
TAKE THE TWO?
Still on Thompson. When it comes to pulling the strings in the top grade, it seems the workaholic coach doesn’t alway get things his own way.
Locked at 18-all midway through the second half in the eliminator against St Clair, Colyton received a penalty in front of the posts.
“I yelled out to kick for goal,” said the coach. “Then I looked on in horror as Ben Bragg took the tap. Thankfully the boys did the right thing and scored a try.”
BOTTOMLESS PIT
They sure know how to find a winger at Emu Plains.
Daniel Warren leads the way with 19 tries, and earlier in the season he was matched by fellow speedster Lachlan Mason.
Since then, they have been well served by teenagers from the under-19s. Jack Babbage held his own in the top grade, and last weekend Nicholas Hancock bagged two tries against Windsor and was one of the best on ground.
NO BACK CHAT
When it comes to back chat and dissent, the referees have been consistent all season and nothing has changed in the finals.
With their season on the line, St Clair conceded a converted try to Colyton with Bryson Demanuele watching on from the sin bin. In a contest that went to extra time, it proved a major turning point.
CAN WOLVES REBOUND?
Who joins Emu Plains in the decider?
On paper Windsor are clear favourites, but as Colyton have shown over the past fortnight, footy operates in strange circles.
On the rebound after a physical encounter with Cambridge Park, the Comets failed to get over the line in a thriller with Colyton. Now equally beaten up, it makes sense that the Colts should run out of gas this week when they face an experienced Windsor outfit that has only lost three games all season.
Having said that, the same can be applied to the Wolves after their bruising top of the ladder encounter at Leonay Oval. Earlier in the season Windsor downed Emu Plains, but such was the physical and emotional impact, the Wolves failed to recover and fell to Glenmore Park the following week.
Fuel in the tank aside, both teams have their own injury concerns. Windsor playmaker Connor Mason remains in doubt with a shoulder injury. For Colyton, the loss of non-stop prop Blake Hill to a foot injury is major blow.
For me, seasoned Windsor campaigners like hooker Tyrone Shelley will make all the difference. Colyton might get the early jump, but Windsor should have the legs over 80 minutes and set up a repeat of last season’s grand final.
Prediction: Windsor by 8
WEEK-3 PRELIM FINALS, SUNDAY
FIRST GRADE
Windsor v Colyton, The Kingsway, 2:50pm
RESERVE GRADE
Emu Plains v St Clair, The Kingsway, 1:20pm
UNDER-19s
St Marys v Colyton, The Kingsway, 12:10pm
WEEK-2 FINALS WRAP
In a weekend to savour for local Penrith footy fans, Colyton and St Clair turned on an absolute classic in week-two of the finals.
That was at a rocking Cec Blinkhorn Oval. Further west, Emu Plains hosted Windsor where the winner scored a ticket to the grand final and a week off.
Don Feltis Cup finals wrap.
FROM COLTS TO GIANT KILLERS
Colyton are one win shy of the grand final after the giant killing Colts ended St Clair’s season in an extra-time epic at Cec Blinkhorn Oval.
Slippery Colts fullback and hat-trick hero Jesse Poulsen did the early damage before Damon Finn struck late in the 31-25 boilover.
At 25-24 the Comets looked home with five minutes remaining after hooker Bryson Demanuele snapped the go-ahead field goal. But it wasn’t enough as Finn doubled down with a couple of clutch plays of his own.
With seconds remaining in regulation time, the Colyton playmaker delivered from the boot to level the scores. Then in the first of two five-minute extra time halves, the No.6 sliced through for a try to ice what will arguably go down as the match of the season.
“We’ve lost plenty of close ones this season, so it was good to finish on the right side,” coach Scott Thompson said of his fifth ranked Colts that will now challenge Windsor for a spot in the grand final.
“There was nothing between the sides once again. Both were out on their feet and neither team deserved to lose.
“Jesse had spiders on him, he’s just so hard to put down. But everyone played well. Prop Blake Hill broke his foot early, and at halftime the boys said ‘let’s get it done for Hilly’.”
Despite having a player sin binned in each half, St Clair continued to answer the challenge. Joseph Otuhiva was first to go after the prop hit Brayden Tyburski high from a restart.
The Comets kept a clean sheet in the big man’s absence, but paid the price midway through the second half when Demanuele was marched for dissent.
With the scores locked, Poulsen made the most of the advantage, dancing over for his third to give Colyton a 24-18 lead in the 63rd minute.
“Leo Tupe and Russell Milne were great off the bench once again,” said Thompson.
“Russell barged over for a crucial try, and Tyburski didn’t let anyone down after being hit high. He played out the game with a busted nose.”
After missing the finals last year, St Clair capped a great return by finishing the preliminary rounds in third place. Despite a straight sets exit, the Comets have clearly turned the corner and have plenty to look forward to in 2025.
GRAND FINAL TICKET BOOKED
Emu Plains is one win shy of back-to-back titles after overcoming an early deficit to power past Windsor 26-14 at Leonay Oval.
On an afternoon where halfback Cameron Williams delivered his best performance of the season, the home side were forced to dig deep after the Wolves exploded out of the gates with two tries in the opening 10 minutes.
After winger Jamie Davidson crossed in the sixth minute, Connor Mason torched the defence with a 30m solo effort to make it 10-0.
“Despite Windsor’s great start, the boys weren’t concerned,” said Emu Plains coach Darren Bell.
“They got us with a couple of trick shots, but I felt we dominated the rest of the game. From there we scored six tries to one but only managed one conversion, so the final score could well have been more.”
The momentum changed dramatically in the 13th minute as Davidson willed a Williams clearing kick over the dead-ball, only to get the shock of his life when Emu speedster Daniel Warren pounced from nowhere to make it 10-4.
As they often do, Emu Plains then settled into a rhythm before going on a scoring spree of their own. In the space of 12 minutes, teenager winger Nicholas Hancock bagged a double and Williams added another to make it 18-10 at halftime.
Shortly after the interval Emu Plains stretched the lead with one of the more extraordinary plays of the season.
Under siege on his own tryline, Hancock fielded a highball then managed to break into the back field. Nearing halfway, the winger’s run was cut short when an off balance Tori Willie cleaned him up with an old-school clothesline tackle.
Undeterred, Hancock sprung back to his feet and offloaded to Williams who finished the full length raid in the right corner.
“I think that was the try that broke Windsor’s back,” said Bell. “Nick also scored twice and had a blinder, to get back up was pretty amazing really.”
Amazingly Willie survived a stint on the sidelines, and got the Wolves back to within eight following a cracking solo effort of his own.
The score remainder 22-14 for the majority of the second half until Warren notched the final try in the closing minutes.
While Williams and Hancock stood out for Emu Plains, Bell also praised centre Blake McDermott who was absent earlier in the year when Windsor finished on top
“Having Blake made a big difference,” said Bell. “His battle with Riki Willie was excellent and he managed to fend him off to set up Hancock’s second try.”
With no injuries and two weeks to recover before the grand final, Emu Plains are raging favourite to go back-to-back. It’s a different story for a battered Wolves, who must now defeat Colyton to force a replay of last year’s decider.
In further concerns, Windsor could also be without Mason who finished the day nursing an injured shoulder.
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