Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Yass Magpies, 2:15pm Saturday at Greenway Enclosed Oval
A massive opening game to start off round 14 as the Bushrangers will take on Yass in a 3rd v 4th clash in Tuggeranong on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams will be looking to cement their spot in the top four with a win on the weekend as Tuggeranong will be returning fresh off a bye, whilst the Magpies are coming off a close two point home loss to West Belconnen.
Bushrangers Coach Justin Giteau believes that Bushrangers aren’t focused on their ladder position, rather going out and focusing on each week as it comes.
“I couldn’t tell you how far out we are, I’m just focused on going week to week at this stage and we aren’t in a position to think further ahead because when we do we don’t play very well”, he said.
A strong win for the Bushrangers would see them jump the Magpies into third place depending on points differential whilst a loss could see them fall as low as fifth.
Gungahlin Bulls v Belconnen United Sharks, 3:00pm Saturday at Nicholls – International 1
The eighth placed Gungahlin Bulls will play the ninth place Belconnen United Sharks this Saturday at Nicholls oval where both teams will be looking to play for pride.
The Sharks are sitting 4 points adrift at the bottom of the table and a win would move them within 2 point from the Bulls.
Gungahlin Bulls coach David Howell says that injuries have not helped his side during their recent tough spell of matches.
“At the moment we are missing some front rowers and a few more injuries on the weekend which will hurt us this week, we are just missing a bit of leadership as some of our experienced players have been out injured”, he said.
The battle for the spoon could well be over if the Sharks can’t this one out, so there will be plenty of pride to play for at Nicholls on Saturday afternoon.
West Belconnen Warriors v Woden Valley Rams, 3:00pm Saturday at Raiders Belconnen
A massive game for both these two teams as the 5th placed West Belconnen Warriors will take on the 6th placed Woden Valley rams at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday as both teams will be looking to push for a finals spot.
The Warriors are coming off a strong 2 point win over the Magpies in Yass and the Rams are full of confidence after a strong 14 point win over the sharks in Woden last round.
Warriors coach Troy Thompson believes that work is still needed to be done around the basics coming into the match but also has praised his side’s defence.
“Still there is an issue with us is holding the Football as our completion rate was below 60% (against Yass), but probably the highlight for us was our defence, the game was wet and played through the middle but we showed some good energy in defence which was good.”, he said.
Thompson is also wary of a Rams team that is desperate to get the win as they are full of confidence coming over a strong comeback win.
“They will be desperate (Rams) and I know they had a really good win last week, they were down by 18 points and came back to get a good win, so that shows the character of the Rams”, he said.
Queanbeyan Kangaroos v Goulburn Workers Bulldogs, 3:00pm Saturday at Seears Workwear Oval
The second place Queanbeyan Kangaroos will play in front of a home crowd this weekend when they take on the 7th place Goulburn Workers Bulldogs.
The Kangaroos have been superb this year only losing 2 from 10 matches as they are coming off a 38 point victory over Gungahlin. The Bulldogs however have struggled to find form as they recently came off a 22 point loss to the Blues at home.
The Bulldogs will be very eager to get the win this Saturday as a win could put them one point behind 4th place depending on how other results unfold.
