The battle for the Group 9 First Grade Minor Premiership has been run and won, with the Gundagai Tigers going down 34-10 to Temora Dragons in Round 16.
Both sides entered the match at Anzac Park level on 24 competition points, but it was the Dragons who have earned the first week of the finals series off, running away in the second half to secure an impressive win and outright first spot.
The Tigers began the match in a positive manner with Sailusi Temaka crossing, before the Dragons responded immediately.
Temaka claimed a second in the first-half and his fifteenth for the season to give the Tigers a buffer again, but the Dragons were quick to return serve once more.
The 10-all scoreline looked as though it would remain that way until half-time, that was until the Dragons made the most of a Tigers error moments prior to the break and added another 6 points to their tally.
The Tigers were unable to add to their first-half total while the Dragons ran in another four converted tries to be comfortable victors.
After Saturday’s loss to Temora, attention would have quickly turned to this weekend’s Qualifying Final for the Tigers, who will play the Junee Diesels.
The winner of that clash will travel to Temora the following week, for the chance to progress through to the Grand Final.
There has been nothing between the Tigers and Diesels this season, with both sides unable to be victorious when they have hosted the other in the regular season.
Junee ran out Round 1 winners 18-14 in Gundagai, while the Tigers reversed the fortunes in Round 10, scoring an 18-16 victory at Laurie Daley Oval.
Gundagai will be hoping Tyron Gorman and Derek Hay can use their big match experience to steer the ship, while Hayden Ashcroft and Royce Tout’s leadership will go a long way to helping the Tigers win the battle in the middle third of the field against a Junee pack with size on it’s side.
If the Tigers halves are able to control proceedings off the back of their forwards efforts, expect strike players James Morgan and Gabriel Gul to have a big influence on the result.
Gundagai’s Reserve Grade side is also in finals action this coming weekend, travelling to Young to play Wagga Kangaroos in an Elimination Final after finishing the season in fifth position.
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