It's the penultimate week of Group Three Rugby League with the finals to be played on Sunday at Kempsey. On The Bench regulars Mick McDonald and Gary Bridge look at this weekend's games, particularly the first grade clash between Old Bar and Macleay Valley.
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00:00Good afternoon and welcome to the penultimate weekend of Group 3 Rugby League Finals Day
00:07on Sunday at Kempsey.
00:09Of course in first grade we'll see the Old Bar Pirates taking on the McLaren Mustangs.
00:14The winner to play Port Sharks in the Grand Final on Saturday the 28th of September.
00:20Welcome Gary for the second last one of the year.
00:22We haven't got a guest today.
00:23You pulled out this morning but that's okay.
00:24The two of us will just carry on.
00:26Yes, as we've been doing most of the year, carrying on.
00:30You're nice and fresh.
00:31You're off the bench because you had the spare weekend last Friday so you're right and ready
00:35to go.
00:36Yes, beautiful.
00:37A big weekend of upsets at Port Macquarie in the Major Semi Final in the minor grades
00:42last week with Lake Caddo beating the Port Sharks in the 18s and Port Breakers beating
00:47also the Sharks in the Girls League Tag and in the reserve grade, War Hope, the minor
00:53premiers going down to Port Breakers so there must have been a bit of pressure going on
00:57in Port Sharks with the minor premiers going into the first grade but they did it fairly
01:01comfortably.
01:02They ended up winning 30-28 to advance to the Grand Final and of course on Saturday
01:08Bar Pirates, as probably was expected, were way too good for the Wiggum Tigers winning
01:1338-18 or 38-12.
01:14It was not long to go and the Pirates got a bit of a consolation, sorry, the Tigers
01:18got a bit of a consolation try but I guess it was always going to be this way.
01:22The top three sides are left in the comp, Gary.
01:25It's the usual way and it's pretty tough when you've got to win every week to continue.
01:31Finishing the top three, you can lose the game and still be involved in the semi-finals
01:35and a chance to pick up if you've got some injuries so yeah, it could be and I'm pretty
01:42sure that Kempsey, they won't want to let Al Bar win.
01:50They'd like to get through to a Grand Final.
01:53Well the Pirates, of course, are defending Premier so they're going to have to do it
01:57the hard way now, Al Bar.
01:58All the games will be away, although as I said on this segment last week, I don't think
02:02that's necessarily a bad thing for Al Bar.
02:04I think it's a great thing for Al Bar.
02:07One reason is being that they put a lot of work into their, if they get to the Grand
02:13Final or major semis and that, they play them at their home ground so most of the first
02:17graders or most of the club with the players that are playing, they all get there and help
02:21which I think, you know, they just want to rest and relax and play their big game at
02:26three o'clock but they're there from eight o'clock in the morning to get things done.
02:30So I think sometimes it's a good thing not to have the home Grand Final at your venue.
02:37Yeah and particularly Al Bar, they've got to do so much work.
02:40We had the Port Sharks guys on here last week and I think they said it takes them a couple
02:45of hours to come and get the games ready and it's all done for Al Bar.
02:50They're bringing in fencing, they've got to take around scoreboards, putting up tents
02:54and marquees, it's a huge job.
02:56But Kempsey are never easy to beat and they'll be smarting a bit I suppose after losing to
03:02the Sharks.
03:03But I wonder how much the previous week's game, the physical game they had before.
03:07I wonder how much they had at all, I didn't see the game.
03:10And this game, this weekend will be physical again won't it?
03:14Because one game away from a Grand Final so you just can't hold anything back.
03:20So Kempsey, Sharks will be hoping it's a real slogfest and it's brutal and they come out
03:29of it with, they've only got a week to recover.
03:31You'd be a bit surprised on the Sunday actually, I thought it would have been on the Saturday
03:35because they like playing the Saturday football these days.
03:37Is the Grand Final Saturday?
03:39I thought this game might have been Saturday this week but it's not.
03:43Sunday is it, definitely Sunday.
03:45Unless there's a reason why.
03:47Unless there's trouble booking grounds or something, I don't know.
03:50But anyway, Sunday it is.
03:52Tarry City in reserve grade have had a couple of good wins in the trot.
03:57They'll be looking to beat, of course they're going to have to beat the minor premiers to
04:01get through to the Grand Final but it'll be a long time since the Tarry City side has
04:04had a side in the Grand Final I think.
04:07I think Todd was coaching the 18 side, that'd be about the last time wasn't it?
04:10Yeah, probably right.
04:11I think they've got a pretty good side on the paddock at the moment too.
04:15I think they've said the last three weeks they've got their best team on the paddock.
04:18When your captain coaches are sitting on the bench, not starting, it says that there's
04:24not too much room for incomplacency.
04:29So they're going along quite nicely, the Bulls.
04:33They played pretty well last week too, they were 22-12 against the poor Chunks but they
04:38always looked the better side.
04:40We did say that reserve grade side, the competition table, there was only a couple of points between
04:441st and 6th or 7th so it was very even that reserve grade table.
04:48There was only one side that couldn't make it going into the last few weeks.
04:50Yeah, so they're starting to put the performance together so one win away from our Grand Final.
04:57Yeah, then like Cateye under 18s is a bit of a surprise, I mean first year in the comp.
05:02Yeah, the competition allowed them to come in didn't it?
05:06Group 3.
05:08Yes, for them to be in the Grand Final now, it's great recognition for the club, their
05:14club and hopefully they can continue to bring an extra team in and have an extra club in
05:20all grades.
05:21Yeah, I think the idea next year, I understand, is to have a league tag side next year and
05:25maybe, who knows, I still think there's a bit of a doubt about them getting a senior
05:30team in as it stands with football at the moment.
05:33There's life there so, because Olba had a late disruption last week with Mick Henry
05:38having to withdraw the captain coach because he had to go to the birth of his trial so
05:41presumably Mick will be back this week.
05:43He'll be fresh, he'll be fresh running.
05:44He should be, he got a bit of a battering the week before but I tell you he did stand
05:49up, Jordan Warboys with a bit of extra responsibility, he was a good player in the field.
05:54We all know that there's one player that Olba can't afford to lose, it's Jordan.
06:00They can replace everyone else but you can't replace Jordan.
06:03He's just, he's got a very smart brain and he knows exactly, he's ahead of every other
06:10player in the game isn't he?
06:12He set up three tries there last week too, one went to the blind side and sent the fullback,
06:16Johnstown, he came back and played fullback too.
06:18He was enormous for the Pirates, he was very, very good.
06:22I don't know, I think they'll be pretty confident of their chances going into it this week.
06:27Yes, well they would be.
06:29I think that, you know, they could be by Kempsey beat them out at Olba, so you'd think Kempsey
06:36might be smarting a bit, playing at their home ground this time.
06:39I tell you who sat on the bench for them last week, the centre, Shane Nigel, who was supposed
06:43to be gone for the year.
06:44I don't think he played at all but he was there.
06:47At the Olba?
06:48Yeah, oh yeah, that's the gun player.
06:50Yep, one of them, yeah, he was supposed to be gone for the year with a knee injury but
06:56he was there on the bench, he wasn't quite, I'm pretty sure, he didn't play big minutes.
07:00Also Matt Pryor, the interchange forward, he's supposed to have a broken thumb but he
07:04was running around there too.
07:07Did Mitch Collins play?
07:09No, Mitchell didn't.
07:10He didn't play?
07:11No, no.
07:12That's very smart, Mitch, he doesn't need to, you know, if they'd probably got through
07:15this week, last week, he might have.
07:17He would have been this week.
07:18Yeah.
07:19But he said they would have targeted him.
07:21Yeah.
07:22He would have, he said no, he couldn't have played, which is fair enough.
07:26But as we mentioned on the segment last week at Port Macquarie, because Mitch said here
07:30two weeks ago, never coaching, not coaching, not coaching.
07:34We were able to actually drag up his statement and put it on the segment last week.
07:39Yeah, while we were sitting right here.
07:40Right here.
07:41I'm definitely not coaching now, I'm looking forward to being a player.
07:43Looked it straight in the eye.
07:46Yeah, backflip Collins.
07:48That's what he's called now.
07:51That's Shadow Martin, they're very good front row or forward, it was a withdrawal due to
07:57a family.
07:58Here's the story.
07:59The club looked at the possibility of getting a helicopter to get him from, because he's
08:03down in Newcastle, the family do, to get him from Newcastle.
08:07To Alba.
08:08To Alba.
08:09Could land him out there in the airstrip, couldn't they?
08:10Yeah, they looked at this.
08:11Yeah, didn't they?
08:12I think one of their committee people's got a helicopter, or they know someone's got a
08:17helicopter.
08:18I was prepared to do it, but in the end it just came a little bit too much.
08:21That would have been a big...
08:23David Warner, didn't they do it for cricket, David Warner?
08:26Well, some do that with the NRL too, haven't they?
08:29Might just bring the game ball in for grand final.
08:33Yeah, but looking at grand finals, it's already, they're all southern sides in there.
08:39Northern side's in there so far, the group would obviously like a couple of southern
08:43clubs in there.
08:45You'd like Wingham in the 18s, Tarry in reserve grade, and Alba, so that's three.
08:50And Foster got a chance, the league tag ladies.
08:53They've had a couple of big wins in the last couple of weeks, Foster, but I think they
08:58probably didn't expect to be playing the Sharks in the final.
09:01Oh, yeah.
09:02But it'd be nice if you get that.
09:05Well, there's two of them anyway.
09:06I tell you what, the Bulls in reserve grade the last couple of weeks, they've had big
09:11attendance as a spectator, and they were noisy last week too.
09:15That's what you want.
09:16That's what they want, yeah.
09:17So the group would be very happy if they get through.
09:21Well, Wingham have said all year that they've got a good under-18 side, but they didn't
09:25quite, I think it'd be a bit inconsistent, because Mitchells has used a lot of them in
09:30first grade this year, and that's possibly, they probably haven't performed as well as
09:34perhaps they thought they were going to in the competition proper.
09:38But from what I was told, they were very good last week.
09:42They ended Old Bar, Suzanne last Saturday at Old Bar, and under Old Bar lost at Old
09:46Bar in the final.
09:47So, yeah, that's going to be pretty good day's football at Kempsey on Sunday, looking forward
09:52to it.
09:53Actually, I might go and have a look at all the grades this week.
09:55It'll be early.
09:56Yeah, it'll be early.
09:57I don't usually do that.
09:58But we also should perhaps apologise to Mitchell Collins.
10:02We have to go up Mitch for being a bit forgetful about various things over the years.
10:07He's been late here a couple of times.
10:09You were a bit late this morning, Gaz.
10:11Yeah, a bit late this afternoon.
10:13This afternoon, yeah.
10:14I was just busy at work.
10:16I just couldn't get away.
10:18There was a massive amount of people there, which is good for the business, but as I say,
10:23you can't run the show without me, so you had to wait for me.
10:26But I'm here.
10:28Yeah, well, next time, we had a little bit of a change in the schedule this week, I'll
10:31admit.
10:32But next time we have that, well, we actually won't be here next time.
10:34That's right.
10:36I made a mistake.
10:37I should have told Tanya, your wife.
10:38Don't worry about telling her.
10:39But anyway, we got you.
10:40I know.
10:41Sorry, Tanya.
10:42And also, just to call out, too, for the clubs, the Griptree Hall of Fame will be on
10:49at Club Olba on October the 26th.
10:52The committee will be meeting soon to make the decision on who goes into the Hall of
10:57Fame this year.
10:58Gary, of course, you're a Hall of Famer.
11:00So if you've got anyone who thinks they should nominate somebody for the Hall of Fame, get
11:04the details to maljuryasap.
11:07And just moving to another sport, congratulations to the Tari Tigers Hockey Club.
11:12They had all six teams in all six grades at the Senior Grand Finals last week, won five
11:17of them.
11:18And that includes the A-grade men were very much the underdogs.
11:22They played shark.
11:23Sharks will be the North Coast champions.
11:24They beat them 1-0, I think it was.
11:27They also won the Division I Women's.
11:29They won 2-1 over Sharks.
11:33That's the third year in a row for the women.
11:35And the first time Tigers won the A-grade men for 2011, I think it was.
11:40So it's a tremendous effort.
11:42Teams in every grade, all six grades.
11:45Three teams in the three grades of the juniors the week before and won two of them.
11:48So it's been a great year for the famous old club.
11:50You can play for Tigers.
11:51You can play for town.
11:52I play for town, yeah.
11:53Tigers have always been the strongest club throughout the history of hockey.
12:00Congratulations to the club.
12:02And also to William Warriors in the Southern League men's football competition.
12:08They won their fourth consecutive grand final last week.
12:11They beat Tara E 2-1 in a grand final that went into extra time.
12:15So congratulations to the Warriors and also to the Wildcats.
12:19The Tara E Wildcats have a big date at Ulmeroo Park tomorrow.
12:21They host the zone championships.
12:23So the footy season isn't quite over.
12:25The hockey season is over.
12:27Well done to the Tigers.
12:30Tony Lewis coached the A-grade men and also the B-grade men.
12:35So we've got to coach him double.
12:36So he didn't play at all, Tony?
12:38He played reserve grade, not B-grade.
12:40He coached the first grade men.
12:42So yeah, big effort by Tigers.
12:44And next week, Gary, the very last on the bench ever.
12:49Yes.
12:50So look out next week.
12:52The champagne, popping champagne.
12:54Do you drink champagne?
12:55Well, you'd have to drink anything.
12:58When you're thirsty enough, don't you?
13:00You do.
13:01Yeah, so it'd be a shame for it to finish.
13:03But things just can't go on forever, can they?
13:07That's exactly right.
13:08But we'll get through this weekend first.
13:11Sunday at Kempsey for the preliminary finals.
13:15And of course, next week, Marty Borg's coming down from Kempsey.
13:19So we'll definitely have one guest here next week.
13:21And the Pirates are in.
13:22We'll certainly have one of the representatives from the Pirates.
13:26Anyway, that's it.
13:27That's next week.
13:28This week's to be done first.
13:29And good luck to all the sides participating on Sunday.
13:32And we'll be back, of course, next week for the very last On the Bench.
13:35And of course, On the Bench is sponsored by Classic Design Jewelers of Tahrir.