IN LIVING COLOUR: Otaua Valleys playmaker Stevie Ray Haenga-Albert has been in outstanding form this season and is again expected to play a major role in this Sunday's lower-tier final in Whangarei.
IN LIVING COLOUR: Otaua Valleys playmaker Stevie Ray Haenga-Albert has been in outstanding form this season and is again expected to play a major role in this Sunday's lower-tier final in Whangarei.
While widespread disappointment was felt around the district as both the Hokianga Pioneers and Moerewa Tigers ended up being eliminated from the RLN Premiership major semi-finals at Toll Stadium last Saturday (by Hikurangi and Takahiwai respectively), there is still a strong representation from the Far North on grand finals daythis coming Sunday with the Pawarenga Broncos and Otaua Valleys facing off for the third time this season in the 2015 RLN Championship (lower-tier) grand final.
Previewing the match, RLN (Rugby League Northland) general manager Alex Smits noted both teams had been forerunners in the competition this year, the Broncos advancing to the final after beating Hikurangi Stags 26-12 at Broadwood earlier this month, while Otaua defeated the Takahiwai Warriors Bs 40-30 at Takahiwai.
The last time the two sides met, in the last round of the championship at Okaihau last month, Otaua emerged victorious, winning a tight encounter 12-6. Smits went on to note this was the first year that RLN had run a second-tier senior competition and it had turned out an unqualified success, eventually contested by eight teams, five premiership clubs' reserve grades sides, and three non-premiership clubs (Pawarenga, Otaua and Marist).
Otaua and Pawarenga will not only be playing for the trophy, but also for the right to gain promotion to the RLN Premiership next season - the space made available thanks to the Kerikeri Makos dropping out the competition at the start of the season - should they meet criteria.
Looking ahead to Sunday's double-header, Smits said finals day had become part of the Northland sporting calendar in featuring three consecutive weekends of finals football played at Toll Stadium
" In 2014, over 2500 spectators flocked to the stadium with underdogs the Otangarei Knights snatching victory from the Hikurangi Stags in the dying seconds," said Smits, noting this year is set to be aeven bigger with Channel North alive streaming the grand final live on their TV network as well as via the Rugby League Northland and NZRL websites.
Both championship and premiership finals will be covered but only the latter will be streamed live, while the championship game will be screened delayed via the RLN website.
- The main game of the grand finals day, Hikurangi Stags vs Takahiwai Warriors, kicks off at 3pm; the curtain raiser, Pawarenga Broncos vs Otaua Valleys at 1pm.
