Club Corner: Grand Final rugby hits Tasmania, finals series kicks off in Queensland and Western Australia

Club corner is back to preview the upcoming weekend of club footy across the country.

Following the cancellation of the Shute Shield in Sydney and the continued lockdown of the Dewar Shield and John I Dent Cup in Melbourne and Canberra, respectively, it falls to Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania to carry the remainder of the club rugby season. 

Fortunately, with the first premier grand final of the year happening this weekend and multiple finals series starting, there is plenty of rugby for fans to enjoy (and be extension, for people all country to watch).

TASMANIAN PREMIER GRADE GRAND FINAL - LAUNCESTON v DEVONPORT

Tasmanian rugby will be raring to watch a thrilling grand final this weekend, bringing to a close what has been one of the closest competitions in recent years. Despite the competition, there is no denying the two strongest teams have made it to the big dance, with nine points separating Devonport and Launceston from their nearest competition. 

Head to head, Devonport took first honours in Round Two of this year by pulling off a critical 19-24 win, only for Launceston to return the favour in Round Nine with a 22-26 win. The semi-finals saw a similarly close affair, with Launceston prevailing 39-31 to book a week off and a ticket to the big dance. 

Devonport impressed last week however with a strong 27-15 win over the Burnie Emus, and will be hungry for this match. After losing in the Grand Final to Taroona last year, the Bulls will look to exercise some demons, and certainly have the capabilities to win at Royal Park, having done so earlier this year. The Tigers will be raring to go following their week off, and having not picked up a premiership since 2006, will be determined to exercise some demons of their own. 

The stage is same for a fantastic game of footy come Saturday. 

QUEENSLAND PREMIER GRADE - SEMI-FINALS

It’s been a few weeks, but finally Queensland fans can sit down to watch the Hospital Challenge Cup once again! Following the Queensland lockdown, the final two rounds of the regular season had to be abandoned, and while it has brought an early to several teams who may have had a shot at finals, the two fixtures this weekend at GPS Rugby Club are set to be extremely exciting affairs.

Minor Premiers UQ will take on Brothers in the first semi-final, returning to the field for the first time since their loss to GPS at home, their first loss of the season. While they will likely still be favourites, that loss did potentially show that this team can be beaten, and Brothers may take some confidence going into to this match that they can pull off a major upset. 

The second match of the weekend sees GPS take on the big improvers in Wests, who outside of GPS and UQ showed the greatest potential this season. While GPS are still riding high after finishing the regular season on a high, the Bulldogs have surprised many this year, and it would not be unreasonable to assume they could pull off their biggest performance of the season in this match.

With all games set to be live on Stan Sport, fans around the country will be able to enjoy a slice of club rugby on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. 

Watch every minute of the Hospital Challenge Cup on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now

FORTESCUE PREMIER GRADE - QUARTER FINALS

It’s quarter finals time in WA, with the top eight now solidified and all up for grabs. Cottesloe managed to sneak into second place with a bonus point win over Kalamunda, which bumped UWA to third. Meanwhile, a surprise draw between Nedlands and Palmyra has set a cat amongst the pigeons in terms of the rest of the competition, with Wests now facing Wanneroo and Kalamunda taking on Perth Bayswater. 

RUGBY.com.au Match Of The Round:

Nedlands v Palmyra: while the match between the Gulls and Students is set to be the top of the table clash people will be watching, the fact these two are facing each other again this weekend after their thrilling draw looms is a potentially even more exciting thriller. Nedlands finished with a slender lead at the top of the ladder, but the fright they got from Palmyra may give the away team that mental boost to push harder this weekend. It also opens up the potential for the remaining contenders to put their hand up for the silverware, and certainly makes this upcoming finals series much more unpredictable!

Other Quarter Final fixtures:

Cottesloe v UWA

Kalamunda v Perth Bayswater

Wests Scarborough v Wanneroo

COOPERS PREMIER GRADE - ROUND FOURTEEN (CATCH UP ROUND)

Adelaide will be playing catch up this weekend, following the competition of the final round of the regular season last week. Rounds Fourteen and Fifteen will be played over the next two weeks, with the finals taking place in September. While the top four are in an unassailable position for finals, the make up of those fixtures could still change, with Southern Suburbs set to face Old Collegians, while Brighton and Burnside will be aiming to try and post big wins in their respective games to claim the minor premiership. 

Fixtures:

Burnside v Onkaparinga

Woodville v Port Adelaide

Brighton v Elizabeth

Old Collegians v Southern Suburbs

Adelaide University - BYE

Wherever you are this weekend, we hope you enjoy your club footy! We hope everyone stays safe.