The penultimate round of the Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup will be staged this weekend, with top four positions still up for grabs. De La Salle will host Collegians in a top-two clash in one of three massive matches, with Collies guaranteed the top spot if they can come home with the two points. Russ Haylock reports.
However, if De La can stretch their winning streak to five consecutive matches, they will leapfrog their opponents and go into the final round on top of the ladder.
De La Salle second-rower Andrew Faddy has been a mainstay for the Club during their time in the competition. He believes his side can go all the way this season.
“The last couple of weeks have been good, and we’re slowly starting to get players back now and be more consistent,” Andrew says.
“We’re just trying to keep this momentum of the last couple of weeks rolling into the semis.”
Dapto’s dream
Dapto’s dream run to the finals will be all on the line when they face ever-improving Corrimal at Ziems Park, with a loss likely ruling them out of contention for the finals.
Prop forward Josh Vaartjes returned to the Club at the beginning of 2023 and says he has relished the opportunity to wear the Canaries jersey again and pass down some of his experience.
“The morale and positivity is great, and everyone’s been in great spirits. To finally get those four wins in a row, we fell short a few times earlier in the year, and it was good to bring some belief back into the boys,” Josh says.
“It’s been enjoyable to play alongside some of the younger boys. I’m excited to see what Dapto will have going into the future with these kids coming through.”
Devils hunting
Wests snapped a four-match losing streak in their last start and will meet Thirroul at Sid Parrish Park on Saturday as they aim to stay in the hunt for a top-two finish. The implications are also heavy for the Butchers as they try to keep their spot in the top four, with a loss setting them up for a potential knockout game for a spot in the finals against Dapto in Round 15, depending on other results.
The pressure will also be on across the First Division competition, with Corrimal able to secure a top-four finish if they can get across the line against Dapto.
The Canaries and the Thirroul Butchers, who take on first-placed Wests, both need wins this week and results to go their way to stay in the race for the finals. Helensburgh will face Collegians in the other match, with the Tigers having an opportunity to sneak into the top two if they can finish with a flurry in their last two games.
In the Harrigan Shield, the Avondale Greyhounds are the next team in line to try to knock off ladder-leaders Berkeley, while Windang do battle with Northern Suburbs at home.
The Corrimal Cougars will also be in action this weekend in the Southern Corridor Open Women’s Tackle Competition, facing Jamberoo at home.