The Scone Rugby League Football Club will face the weekend’s Group 21 Grand Finals with tremendous excitement.
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In an outstanding achievement for the club, all four senior teams have made their respective grand finals to be played this Sunday at Scone Park.
A very proud president Scott Pennell has given praise to all coaches and teams respectively for their commitment and efforts throughout the year.
“Minor premierships to First Grade and Ladies League Tag and second place to our Reserve Grade and Under 18s at the end of the competition rounds clearly demonstrates how successful as a club we have been in 2015,” he said.
Leading up to the game, Pennell also paid tribute to club supporters and volunteers.
“All those involved in sporting clubs know how much we rely on both supporters and volunteers to function and be successful.
“On behalf of our club, I would like to pass on my thanks to all those who attend our games and a very sincere appreciation to the many volunteers who are so reliable and generous with their time at home games and during the season.”
Pennell said this Sunday is a very special occasion for the club and he encourages all supporters to come to Scone Park and to get there early.
“We expect a very large crowd on Sunday and would love to see our supporters showing their colours and providing plenty of noise for our teams,” Pennell said.
“We have the home ground advantage, let’s make sure we make the most of it.”
The First Grade team had a strong win in their major semi final over Greta-Branxton for their place in the grand final.
The week off has been very handy for some niggling injuries and leaves the team ready and rearing to go against Denman, after their victory last weekend.
The team finished as minor premiers after a season which saw only one loss and a draw through the competition.
They have played the Devils three times during the year and recorded strong wins each time.
Captain Coach Daniel Ritter is definitely not taking anything for granted however and expects Denman to be a very tough opposition, particularly following their convincing win last weekend.
“We have not discussed what happened during the year against Denman, all our focus has been on preparing well for the weekend and paying close attention to what we have done well this season,” he said.
“This will be a very big challenge for us.
“Denman will bring a large crowd with them, but we know we can rely on our locals turning up in large numbers and being right behind us.”
The Reserve Grade were the premiers in 2014, however there was no easy trip in their attempt to retain the title when they were forced to play the preliminary final last Sunday.
Fortunately they produced a strong performance defeating Greta-Branxton 34 to 18.
The score was quite convincing, however a couple of late tries to the opposition did not reflect the dominance Scone had for most of the game, leading 34 to 6 with 10 minutes to go.
The opposition this weekend are the minor premiers, Singleton who recorded an 18 to 16 win when the teams met in the major semi final, after Scone had lead 16 nil during the second half.
The teams have met on three occasions during the year, with Singleton winning two and one draw.
Coach Chris Brennan was disappointed with the last game against Singleton, but couldn’t have been happier with the effort last weekend.
“We went into the game knowing that the other teams were in the grand final, and we were committed to making sure we didn’t miss out on the big one,” he said.
“We have a great mix of youth and experience, which we will need to come out on top this weekend.”
The Ladies League Tag competition has continued to grow in its popularity after its introduction last year.
There are eight clubs in the Group 21 senior competition and League Tag is the only grade in which all clubs are represented.
It is fair to say that the introduction of League Tag has really brought a lot of interest and increased crowd levels to the games.
Scone were the inaugural premiers in 2014 following an amazing 25 minute golden point grand final.
In 2015 they have gone from strength to strength and are undefeated so far in the competition.
They have played their opposition, Muswellbrook, three times and recorded wins by 20 points or more on each occasion, however complacency will not be an issue if Captain Coach Sofie Casson has anything to say about it.
“We are going into the week very focussed and knowing what we have to work on to get a win.
“We have a large squad, and have had a fantastic season with everyone improving incredibly, however we need to be at our best to secure the win.”
The first game is the Ladies League Tag which commences at 10am sharp.
Under 18s are scheduled for 11.20am, Reserve Grade at 12.50pm and First Grade at 2.30pm.