Club corner is back to preview the upcoming weekend of club footy across the country.
It has been a big week in Sydney, with the SRU announcing the cancellation of the 2021 Shute Shield Season, the first time such an event has occurred in 103 years. This was followed by cancellations to all winter rugby competitions in the Sydney and Illawarra regions.
In addition, the SRU also announced that Penrith Emus will not be offered a licence to compete in the 2022 season, a decision that has stirred considerable debate within rugby fans, especially in Western Sydney.
The latest news caps off what has been one of the roughest seasons for NSW rugby fans in recent memory, off the back of a lacklustre season from the Waratahs.
Outside of the Harbour City, rugby seasons continue to be grounded in Canberra and Melbourne, with the John I Dent Cup expected to be out of action until August 28th (unless Canberra’s COVID situation does not improve), while the Dewar Shield will be pushed back until at least September 2nd, adding further question marks to what has been an already disrupted season for Victorian Premier Rugby.
Finally, while COVID cases have dropped to zero in Brisbane, fans of the Hospital Challenge Cup won’t get a taste of club rugby until next week, with the season set to head straight into the semi-finals with clashes of UQ v Brothers and GPS v Wests officially confirmed to go ahead on August 28th and 29th, respectively.
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This weekend, all action will be in Perth, Adelaide and Tasmania, with the final round of the regular season taking place in both the mainland competitions, while the Tasmanian rugby faithful will enjoy the preliminary final of their competition.
FORTESCUE PREMIER GRADE - ROUND EIGHTEEN
The final round of the regular season is upon us in the West, with all positions bar one locked in for the finals. Following Cottesloe’s big win over competition leaders Nedlands, several critical matches this weekend could determine who finishes the season as minor premiers. Nedlands, UWA, Cottesloe, Palmyra, Wests Scarborough, Perth Bayswater and Wanneroo are all locked for finals, while Associates will have to win the weekend to hold off Kalamunda, who could overtake them on competition points if they manage a bonus point win over the Gulls.
RUGBY.com.au Match Of The Round:
UWA V Wests Scarborough: UWA are staring down the barrel of a great opportunity to win the minor premiership this weekend, as well as send a message to the rest of the competition if they manage a win over Wests. Nedlands face a tough fixture against fourth placed Palmyra, and should they lose the Students could claim the premiership with a bonus point win or a regular win, as they have a more solid points differential. Wests also have plenty to play for: if Palmyra go down a win for them would see them finish in fourth and earn a home quarter-final berth next week.
Other fixtures:
Southern Lions v Associates
Coastal Cavaliers v Joondalup
Nedlands v Palmyra
ARKs v Perth Bayswater
Cottesloe v Kalamunda
Curtin Uni v Wanneroo
COOPERS PREMIER GRADE - ROUND EIGHTEEN
The final round of the Coopers Premier Grade is hitting Adelaide, and currently three points separate Brighton and Burnside for the top of the table. Brighton will have the bye this weekend however, so Burnside simply need to beat Woodville (themselves out of finals contention), with a regular victory to claim the minor premiership. The remaining finalists in Old Collegians and Southern Suburbs are guaranteed their placings regardless of the results this weekend, as thirteen points currently separate fifth from fourth.
Fixtures:
Southern Suburbs v Adelaide University
Port Adelaide v Old Collegians
Elizabeth v Onkaparinga
Woodville v Burnside
Brighton - BYE
TASMANIAN PREMIER GRADE - PRELIMINARY FINAL
Tasmanian rugby will enjoy it’s penultimate match of the season this weekend, as Burnie Emus will play host to Devonport. The Emus, fresh off dispatching last year’s premiers in the Taroona Penguins have won six of their last seven games, including a victory over Launceston, who are enjoying the bye this weekend after beating Devonport to secure a grand final berth.
However, that one loss was a drubbing at the hands of the Devonport Bulls, who are hungry for revenge after losing the grand final last year. After going down in an arm wrestle last week to Launceston, they’ll be looking to make amends in the grand final, and that starts with earning that place this weekend.
Preliminary Final:
Devonport v Burnie Emus
Wherever you are this weekend, we hope you enjoy your club footy! We hope everyone stays safe.
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