The Group 9 Minor Premiership and Ray White Challenge Cup will come down to a mouth-watering Round 18 battle between the Young Cherrypickers and Temora Dragons at Nixon Park on Saturday.
The top-of-the-table Cherrypickers hold a one-point advantage heading to Temora, and on the back of a seven-game winning streak, they’ll be confident of toppling the Dragons on their own track.
Temora are tough to beat at home proving their premiership credentials back in Round Nine by defeating Young 18-14 at Alfred Oval.
Temora is on an eight-game winning run, and last Sunday, they fought off the Southcity Bulls to win 24-18 at Harris Park.
It’s a precursor to finals and possibly the Group 9 Grand Final with both Temora and Young chasing drought-breaking titles.
The question is, who wants it more?
Tigers can earn a second chance
A year after missing the Group 9 finals for the first time in over a decade, the Gundagai Tigers are on track for a top-three finish and an all-important second chance come finals time.
The competition powerhouse played in six grand finals and won four titles between 2015 and 2022, but missed out on finals in 2023 with for-and-against relegating them to sixth position.
With a solid local base of players boosted by key recruits and emerging juniors, the Tigers are sitting in third position heading into the final round of the regular season.
The Tigers leapfrogged Wagga Kangaroos into the top-three following a dominant 72-6 victory over Wagga Brothers on Sunday.
The Tigers play at home on Sunday, hosting the Southcity Bulls at Anzac Park. They need only win to maintain third place.
The result will be huge in the grand scheme of things, as a top-three finish gives Gundagai a second chance and a Qualifying Semi-final showdown against either the Young Cherrypickers or Temora Dragons in the first week.
A loss would all but seal a fourth-place finish for Gundagai, as Kangaroos, who are just one competition point behind the Tigers, host the Junee Diesels at McDonald’s Park on Saturday.
Bulls and Thunder fight to keep season alive
Most eyes will be on the battle between the Southcity Bulls and Albury Thunder for the fifth and final position in the Group 9 top five.
Tied on 19 competition points, both the Bulls and Thunder have won seven games, lost seven, and drawn once heading into the 18th and final round of the 2024 season.
Southcity is currently in fifth position, edging the Thunder on for-and-against, but heading into this weekend, Albury appears to be favourites to qualify for finals.
The Bulls have a tough road trip to Gundagai on Sunday to take on the third-placed Tigers at Anzac Park, and it’s essentially a must-win game for the Wagga outfit.
Still, Albury takes on the struggling Brothers squad at Greenfield Park on Saturday, where the Thunder will be out to score as many points as possible to ensure victory and an improved for-and-against record. That would see them leapfrog the Bulls into fifth position.
Click here for the Group 9 table and Round 18 draw.
