The Darwin Club Rugby Season enters the business end this weekend with Semi Final action scheduled for Rugby Park on Saturday.
The four remaining Foundation Clubs from the inaugural 1976 season will feature in this year’s Finals Series.
South Darwin secured NT Rugby’s 40th Minor Premiership when they defeated Casuarina a fortnight ago and will be looking for direct passage to their 16th Grand Final appearance when they again take on the Cougars in the Major Semi Final.
The Rabbitohs won two of their three encounters against the Cougars this season with their most recent a convincing 27-point win.
Casuarina will be striving to qualify for their 15th Grand Final having participated in six in a row prior to last year’s decider.
South Darwin’s offence averages over 37 points a match but concede more than the other Premiership contenders.
In the Elimination Final Palmerston supporters will be hoping their remarkable season lasts at least another week when they face Darwin Dragons.
The Crocs registered just one win in 2015 but have improved that tenfold and now boast the best defence in the competition.
Dragons have won two of their three encounters and aggregate defence is only 28 points worse across the fifteen rounds.
Missing from the First Grade Finals for the first time since 2003 will be reigning Premier and eleven time champion University who will bank on the club’s Reserve Grade to fly the Jolly Roger.
The Pirates inflicted the only defeat to Palmerston in Round 14 but will be underdogs to make the Grand Final the easy way and are likely to need to defeat the winner of the South Darwin and Casuarina Elimination Final in next week’s Preliminary Final.
Saturday’s Order of Play;
South Darwin vs Casuarina – Ground 1 @ 7.00pm
Palmerston vs Darwin Dragons – Ground 1 @ 5.15pm
Palmerston vs University – Ground 1 @ 3.45pm
South Darwin vs Casuarina – Ground 2 @ 3.45pm
The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of NT Rugby
