By PETER JESSUP
Mt Albert were the big losers in the last and finals-determining round of Bartercard Cup rugby league play.
The Lions lost 34-24 to a Manurewa side that had nothing to win and thus dropped out of the playoffs.
Otahuhu took the minor premiership with a 38-26, 12-man win over Hibiscus Coast and thereby earn a week off.
Glenora go to Wainuiomata for the first knockout game of the playoffs, those two sides leap-frogging the Lions to end the Mount's season.
Glenora were never troubled with Northcote to win 46-24 and Wainui thumped the Eastern Torndaoes 42-14 despite losing general Heston Patea mid-week.
Patea turned an ankle and could not front at the weekend but expects to be okay for the Bears next Saturday.
Mount turned up with a convoy of fans at Manurewa yesterday but that may have distracted them from the purpose at hand and they were 18-0 down after 15 minutes. Then they turned on, replying with 24 unanswered points. The 18-year-old second rower Wayne McDade was good up front and partner Paea Kailea scored two tries, including a 30m solo. Centre Zalman Taia was solid out the back.
The Marlins, knocked out of a playoff place last weekend, threw the ball all over the park, with energetic half Channerith Ly their engineer.
The miracle passes stuck and Mount let that get to them, slumped under the pressure of a must-win last few minutes and let in late points that ended their year early.
Coach John Ackland was philosophical, rating the year a good return and reckoning the young team will grow another leg next season.
"If you'd said we would finish sixth at the start of the year I'd have been reasonably satisfied with that. We've enjoyed the competition. We just didn't play well today. We knew they liked to throw the ball around and we let them."
Glenora will work hard on defence this week as they look to remedy some sloppy work that let Northcote in for soft tries. There was little wrong with the attack, fullback Aniseto Iole getting a hat-trick and wing Ricky Henry two in a nine tries to four clean-out.
Next weekend's opponents, Wainui, had the harder game against already-qualified Eastern Tornadoes, but also managed nine tries, so the Bears look like needing some tackling practice.
Eastern go to Canterbury to front the second-placed Bulls at Rugby League Park next Sunday, the Bulls having proved their attacking prowess with a 10 tries to two, 50-10 demolition that probably blew the last post for the hapless Ngongotaha Chiefs.
It was 30-4 to the visitors by the break and the Bulls backs continued to run away with it.
Otahuhu had wing George Carmont sent from the field when he ran to join a scuffle early in the game against Hibiscus, but still ground out a 38-26 win.
The Leopards were relishing the idea of a week off to repair their niggling injuries but coach Dean Clark is definitely out.
The depressed fracture of the cheekbone he suffered a fortnight ago against the Bears is not expected to heal before the season's end.
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