Toukley Hawks and Erina Eagles to meet in Central Coast Rugby League grand final replay

It might only be round two, but Central Coast rugby league fans will be treated to a blockbuster grand final replay when Toukley take on Erina in a Good Friday classic.

Alex Pichaloff

3 min read

April 5, 2023 - 3:04PM

Central Coast Express Advocate

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They might not say it openly, but when the players and coaching staff from Toukley and Erina first got their hands on the new season draw, a large chunk of them would have no doubt scrolled down the list to see when the two clubs would be meet in 2023.

Fortunately for most neutrals, they didn’t have far to look, with the two rivals meeting this Friday afternoon in a round two grand final rematch at Darren Kennedy Oval.

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And while the agony and ecstasy of Toukley’s famous 20-10 win last September brought out just about every emotion under the sun, both clubs are trying to play down the significance of the contest.

“There aren’t too many emotions,” said Toukley captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick. “It sounds corny, but we’ve kind of got the ‘next job’ mentality. We don’t really look too far ahead as to who we’re playing or what game or milestone it is – it’s just a case of looking at the next job.”

He added: “For me as a coach, I don’t want us having the mentality that we’re going into a grand final rematch. It’s just round two of 2023 for us.”

The Hawks defeated Erina in last year’s grand final to claim the club’s inaugural first grade premiership. Photo: Paul Barkley

As for the Eagles, although the loss still stings, Erina coach Dane Allen has also downplayed the impact last season’s big match would have on Friday’s game.

“We’ve got a pretty new-look side compared to last year, so there won’t be too many memories there,” he said.

However Allen noted that for the players backing up from 2022, the match would undoubtedly cross their minds throughout the week.

“For the guys who were there, they’ll have plenty to play for and a point to prove.”

The Eagles had a fantastic 2022. Photo: supplied

Like all grand final losses, it was a tough pill to swallow for Erina, particularly given that they’d dominated the season and only lost one match all year before the big dance.

While the Eagles went into the decider as favourites, they were ambushed in the opening stages and were unable to reel the Hawks in – with that experience to drive the team’s approach on Friday.

“You’ve just got to turn up for the full 80 minutes and go in there with the right attitude from the get-go,” said Allen. “That’s probably our biggest thing. In the grand final they led 20-nil after 20 minutes and we couldn’t catch up, so if you do that against Toukley they’re a very hard side to get the points back from.”

Toukley Hawks' player Damon Goolagong in action during the team's 2022 Central Coast Rugby League grand final victory over Erina. Photo: supplied

Both teams will head into the round two clash with a first-up win under their belts, with the Hawks overcoming Wyong 12-4 in a tough and physical season opener, while the Eagles clicked into gear with a 38-12 victory over Kincumber at MacKillop Oval.

“We scored some pleasing tries,” said Allen. “Admittedly some pretty bad weather turned up in the second half, which kind of slowed everyone down and the points unfortunately dried up, but there were some positive signs when it was dry, so we’re hoping for a nice dry pitch on Friday so we can play some expansive footy.”

As for Toukley, while Fitzpatrick is mindful of Erina’s dangerous attacking weapons like fullback Lincoln Tubridy and hooker Toby Elliott, he says his side will be sticking to the fundamentals on Friday.

“Every game you play, you’ve got to win the middle,” he said. “If you win the middle, you can negate their halves, make them play on the back foot. If they’ve got a good fullback and hooker then they struggle to create opportunities there.”