Metro Colts skipper Hamish Broadhead takes the game to Massey White at Spriggens Park on Saturday.
Metro Colts skipper Hamish Broadhead takes the game to Massey White at Spriggens Park on Saturday.
Whanganui's Metro Colts bid to round off a super season on Saturday by claiming their third trophy of the year.
They will head to Palmerston North and a showdown with College Old Boys as firm favourites to take out the Manawatu Colts championship.
Metro have already won the Broome Shieldfor finishing top of the table after the round-robin games, and the early-season Friday night competition.
Last Saturday they had a convincing win over Massey White in their semifinal at Spriggens Park, securing their spot in the final 41-7.
Second five-eighth Desmond Tyrell, son of renowned Whanganui rep halfback Denning, notched a couple of tries and took on the kicking duties, while wing Zacariah Tangira also scored a double, and centre Riley Culver was another to touch down.
Desmond Tyrell finds a gap in the Massey White defence in Saturday's semifinal.
The victory would have tasted particularly sweet to the Whanganui squad — Massey White have won the championship for the past five years and sneaked a 3-0 win over Metro in last year's mud-splattered final.
However, this year the Manawatu stalwarts have been off the pace, and Metro coach Darryl Malcolm acknowledged as much.
"They are going through a re-building process and so are not the force they have been in the past," he said.
Malcolm is delighted to have a near full-strength squad to take to Manawatu Arena this Saturday for the final.
There is still a doubt about prop Lawrence Webber, who has a shoulder injury, but otherwise it's all guns blazing against College Old Boys, whom Metro beat 34-11 in the final round-robin game two weeks ago.
That result will make Metro favourites, but Malcom noted there was a lot of depth of talent in Manawatu rugby, and Feilding — runners-up to Metro in the round-robin — had gone into their semifinal on Saturday against Old Boys as favourites and taken a hammering.
"College Old Boys have made good progress and really come on this year, so we will approach the final with caution," he said.
The final kicks off at 1pm on Saturday at Manawatu Arena.
