League: Eels head into finals as firm favourite

The local Coastline District Juniors Grand Finals day takes place at Otumoetai Eels' Mitchell Park on Sunday.

After the mini grades (under 5-9) finished up last Sunday at Arataki Park, where up to 1000 people attended, it is now time for the mod and international youth grades to finish their year before moving into their representatives seasons.

With Coastline initiating only odd grades this season for the younger grades, there are under-11, 13 and 15 finals.

With Otumoetai Eels' coaching development and recruitment programmes coming to the fore, it is no surprise that they have teams in the three finals, with their three teams setting the benchmark in all these grades.

First up at 11am, the under-11 final features Otumoetai (unbeaten all season) and new club Te Puke Tigers, followed at 12pm by Otumoetai Eels v Papamoa Bulldogs under-13s, with both these teams producing a swag of Tai Mitchell and Roller Mills rugby representatives.

At 1.15pm, Otumoetai Eels, last year's BOP champions, take on Waihi Warriors in the under-15 final.

Otumoetai hammered Whitianga's Mercury Bay Boars in last Sunday's semifinal 54-6 and, with 15 of the 17 players who were selected to represent Coastline at the recent North Island districts tournament in Rotorua, Otumoetai must go into the final as outright favourites.

Otumoetai prop Bailey Nicholas, dynamic second rower Kereama Kiwi - who has just come back from a horrendous knee injury which put him out for 18 months - and centre/loose forward Ereatara Smallman have also been selected for higher honours in representing the Waicoabay (Waikato-Coastline-BOP) squad to play the under-15 national competition next month in Auckland.

Waihi come into the final after defeating Kawerau's Putauaki Stags.

In a grand finale for all clubs and teams, there is an annual tri series in Rotorua on Sunday, September 1, where all the junior teams from 5 to under-15 come together from Waikato-Coastline and BOP to meet and play two to three games each.

Gold Coast's Southport Tigers are also making a trip across the Tasman next month to play against the Eels and Waihi Warriors under-15 teams.