Belconnen United Scholars (5) v Tuggeranong Bushrangers (3) on Saturday at 3:00pm at Northbourne Oval
With a congested middle third of the ladder, semi-final spots are up for grabs in the TTM Canberra Raiders Cup and the outcome of the Scholars and the Bushrangers contest on Saturday afternoon could rearrange the make-up of the ladder significantly.
Tuggeranong’s recent good form has seen them ascend to third place on the ladder however with Belconnen United and Goulburn just one point below them on the ladder they can ill-afford to be complacent.
Both sides are nursing their own injury concerns but the desperation of each club to keep their semi-final aspirations alive should make for an enthralling contest.
“We’ve got to consolidate our place on the ladder,” Tuggeranong Captain-Coach Jared Teka said. “A loss this weekend could send us back to fifth place with Belconnen and Goulburn just a point behind us so this week is crucial.
“We’re missing a few players this week with injury and our two strike centres are under a bit of an injury cloud at the moment but we’ll turn up and give it our best crack.
“I don’t think we’ve had a win over them for a couple of years now so it’s a big game for us. They’re dangerous across the park. They’ve got a massive forward pack that is hard to contain and once they get a roll on they just create space for their outside backs and their halves. It’s a massive test for our forward pack this week.”
It won’t just be the Scholars’ forward pack that Tuggeranong will have to contend with though after 19 year old centre Bryce O’Sullivan, son of Raiders Grand Final hero Chris, scored four tries last weekend.
“Bryce did really well for us last week and if he can score four tries again this week it’d be great,” Captain Channon McAskill said. “He’s quick, he’s good on his feet and he’s a good defender.
“He’s very good to watch out there in the centres. As you saw on the weekend he scored four tries and he’s a good kid so keep an eye out for him.”
O’Sullivan is a graduate of last year’s Grand Final winning under 18s team. With 2012 stars Brent Crisp and Matt Gafa not a part of this year’s roster Scholars’ Coach John Hawke has blooded several promising youngsters into the TTM Canberra Raiders Cup side.
The juniors are now starting to find their feet in the senior competition and they will need to be at their best this week against a dangerous Bushrangers outfit featuring the likes of Michael Brophy at fullback.
“We’ve been getting our injuries like a lot of the other teams and it has been hard without Crispy and Gafa but a lot of the young boys have been coming up and Hawkey has been giving them their opportunities,” McAskill said.
“What can you say about Brophy, he’s a freak and Teka leads them around well as Captain-Coach. They’re a very strong side and they’re in third position so it will be a tough game on the weekend with both teams looking for a win.
“We’ve got four games left in the regular season so we want to build our form coming towards the finals. It’s a must-win situation for us so all the boys are up for it.”
Source: Raiders Press Release
Topic: Canberra Raiders Cup Round 11 Preview: Belconnen United V Tuggeranong
