The Harden Hawks will look to fulfil their destiny in the George Tooke Grand Final this weekend and erase the memories of successive Grand Final losses in the last two years. They will face the North Canberra Bears who have scrapped their way into the Grand Final with two sudden death wins, both by just two points. Last Weekend the Bears defeated Crookwell 18-16 to set up a date with the Hawks on Saturday. It’s a big day for the Hawks and Bears who will also clash in the league tag final.
There’s talent galore in these two teams. For Harden, Jack Nicolls at fullback will be a key being able to dissect the defence when they least expect it. Riley Manwaring is another who will be dangerous in the centres. In the Forwards, big Drew Arabin will be out to tame the huge Bears pack whilst the evergreen veteran Luke Brown will use every bit of his skill and experience to get the Hawks the victory.
For the Bears, their strength is their massive forward pack, not to mention a few sizeable players in their back line. Wayne Bullock and Viliami Fangaiuiha will be a handful for the Hawks whilst Adam booth at Fullback will direct the big men from the back. The Bears attack is lethal when they are in the oppositions red zone with their big men almost unstoppable from close range.
Whilst going through the season undefeated can be recognition of superiority, in some cases it can be a curse. Sport is littered with teams that have gone through undefeated only to fall at the last hurdle with the winning post in sight. The difference between these two teams is minimal and one wrong mistake could prove the difference between Glory or despair.
It should be a case of third time luck for Harden, having been the runners up for the last two seasons. The Hawks have had just one game in the last three weeks and should be well rested. The home ground advantage will be significant with a huge local crowd expected. On the other hand, for the Bears, nothing has come easily in the last month. They got hammered by Crookwell three weeks ago in the qualifying semi before beating Boorowa by two points and then knocking out Crookwell last week also by two points. They are battle hardened and will have no fear and nothing to lose on Saturday. Harden won the first round against the Bears this season by 22-16 and by 24-10 in the return game. Driven by their desire not to have a losing three peat and with a huge home crowd behind them, Harden should win.
The Tip is: Harden by 8.
The league tag Grand Final is a similar scenario. Harden are undefeated although they did have one draw. The Bears have had to get to the Grand Final the hard way with a thrilling extra time win by 14-12 over Crookwell last Saturday in the preliminary final. As courageous as the Bears are, it’s hard to see anything but a Hawkettes win. They have strike power all over the park and their defence is their trademark.
The Tip is: Harden by 12
Its going to be a great climax to a highly successful George Tooke league season. With a dry track expected and Mclean oval looking like a peach, the trip to Harden will be well worth it. May the best team win.
-Sand Boy
The South West Slopes Times covers an area approximately the size of Fiji in country NSW. We look after a population of more than 50,000 people with our staff servicing 7 major towns and dozens of villages with our story telling footprint.
We offer weekly print editions at $3 a copy and we also offer digital subscriptions across 3 months $30, 6 months $60 and 12 months $120.
We are one of the last truly local independent family run newspaper businesses in the state.
Contact us today to find out how we can promote your business or organisation across our huge network by emailing ads@thetimes.net.au or by calling 0413 763 216.
If you have a news tip, lead or scoop for us please make contact as we love celebrating our communities. You can contribute articles via our South West Slopes Times website.