BY ALEX TIGANI
Three premiership victories may be celebrated at Muswellbrook’s Olympic Park in 24 hours’ time.
The Muswellbrook Rams will be well represented this Saturday when the club’s under-13 boys, under-15 girls and under-17 girls all compete in Hunter Valley Combined Competition Grand Finals across the region.
Junior mentor Alan Baker, a life member of both the junior and senior section of the club, will coach both the under-13 and the under-15 sides on Saturday.
“The under-13 grand final will be interesting because we have not played Macquarie yet,” Baker revealed.
“There are 13 teams in the competition but only eight weeks, so the top four teams did not play each other until finals which made it interesting.”
Muswellbrook captain Leroy Baker scored the first try in the opening seconds of the Rams’ 24-12 semi-final win against Cessnock on Saturday.
A win will mark back to back titles for the Rams’ under-13 line-up.
“To see the 14s go straight to Division 1 after last year’s 13s premiership makes me proud and I’d really like to see back to back 13s premierships,” he added.
Regardless of the result, the club will then head to Dudley where the under 15 girls tackle side face off against Raymond Terrace in their season decider.
“I have been coaching these girls for three years now, last year they were undefeated and this year we finished second,” Baker continued.
“We lost one game against Raymond Terrace and now we play them in the grand final.”
Sadly, they will do so without their captain Isla Johnston who suffered a knee injury on Friday when playing league tag.
She handed the baton to her five eighth Evie Jones who led the side to a 40-0 semi-final victory over the Sharks.
“It is killing me that I’m not out there but obviously I can’t do anything about it now so I know that they will play as hard as they can.”
“My message is for them to go out there and have some fun.”
As for the under 17 side, their mentor Gary ‘Bomber’ Jones is no stranger to the big dance.
“I have been involved in eight under-18 grand finals for five victories,” Jones revealed.
They will go into tomorrow’s clash as the underdog against the Rosellas.
“It is a good test for the girls, all I have requested from them all season is effort,” he concluded.
“For some girls, it will only be their sixth game of rugby league and they are already playing in a grand final.”
