Women set to be crowned but men face battle

Wanganui City's Jordan Hodgkinson and his teammates will focus on the local Charity Cup competition after this weekend. PHOTO/FILE

It will be two Wanganui sides on the road representing the city this weekend in both the men's and women's competitions, while the local sides will be joined by the Wanganui City Federation side in contesting the Charity competition.

Soon-to-be crowned Manawatu Women's League winners Wanganui Athletic Women have the formality of their final round game against second-placed PN Massey Reserves, who cannot catch the undefeated Wanganui team on the points table.

Coach Dave Downes, thinking ahead to next Sunday's big Federation Cup final with Moturoa AFC Women, wants to take it easy against Massey while still maintaining consistency in the team.

Therefore, the key players won't be rested but will have less game time on the Palmerston North pitch, allowing more opportunity for a number of the Wanganui High School and Wanganui Collegiate players, who have been brought in through the team's feeder system.

In men's competition, the Wanganui City Reserves hit the road today for their Federation Cup semifinal against the runners-up in the Hawkes Bay's Pacific Premiership - Havelock North - at Guthrie Park.

City, for their part, probably thought they wouldn't have got this far as squad depth was an issue in earlier rounds of the knockout competition.

But with a distinct underdog tag heading into the match, coach Steve Welch will give his troops a free licence.

In a semifinal situation, pre-game statistics for either team will be out the door as both sides know the result, in terms of finding a winner for today, is the must in their 2pm kickoff.

Both teams have nothing to lose and everything to gain with the men's final booked for Napier's Park Island in a couple of weeks.

Back here at home, with all the men's leagues over for 2013, most sides will contest the annual Charity competition, which contains three trophies inside one competition.

Up for grabs is the cup itself, the Ross Family charity plate and the bowl.

Six sides will enter the cup which will consist of two pools, which in turn filters to the plate after a quickfire round robin.

Wanganui City 1sts, Castlecliff A and City Under 19s will form Group A, while Athletic 1sts/Cosmos, City Hammers and Marist Celtic make up Group B.

A round robin will find the pool winners who will contest the cup, then second place in each pool will challenge each other for the plate.

The bowl will be played for amongst another five sides in Marist Casuals, Cosmos Classics, City Thirstys, Castlecliff B and Athletic Weekenders.

They will play out a round robin similar to the cup group, but this time the top two from their one pool will contest the bowl final.

While the Wanganui City 1sts are the favourites, their game today against their Under-19 clubmates has been postponed so resources can go towards the Reserves' Federation Cup semifinal.

The draw today: Athletic 1sts/Cosmos vs City Hammers, GD1, 2.30pm; Marist Celtic vs Castlecliff A, GD1, 12.30pm (friendly).

Bowl - 20 minutes each way: Cosmos Classics vs Castlecliff B, GD2, 12.30pm; Weekenders vs City Thirstys, GD8, 12.30pm; Cosmos Classics vs Weekenders, GD2, 1.30pm; Castlecliff B vs Marist Casuals, GD8, 1.30pm; City Thirstys vs Marist Casual, GD2, 2.30pm.