GREATER Northern Under 16 and 18 rugby league sides have a “bus stop” of major importance in Merriwa today.
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The two teams will take a time out to stage their final training runs before tomorrow’s “knockout” Country Championship semi-finals in Dubbo.
The Gary Jones-coached GN Tiger 16s tackle Bidgee Bulls in tomorrow’s 11.50am semi at Caltex Park, Dubbo while the Peter Stevens-coached Tiger 18s tackle Western Rams in their knockout semi at 2.40pm.
NSW Country’s Adam Kidd expects four exciting semi-finals.
“The Western Rams will feature in both grades, with both their Under 16 and 18 sides remaining undefeated throughout the first three rounds of the competition,” Kidd said.
The Greater Northern Tigers and Bidgee Bulls will also field sides in both grades, with the Under 16s semi -final between the two sides a rematch of last year’s Under 16s Country Championship grand final which was won by the Tigers.
The U18s semi-finals will also feature a grand final replay, with the Newcastle Rebels looking to avenge their defeat to the Bidgee Bulls in last year’s decider.
The East Coast Dolphins will be the fifth team competing on the day, with their U16s facing the Western Rams in the opening game.
The grand finals will be played on Sunday week as curtainraisers to the 2016 AAMI Country v City Origin clash at Scully Park Regional Sporting Precinct in Tamworth.
Stevens said the Merriwa stopover was a vital part of a big weekend for both sides.
“We’ll train at Merriwa and then probably have another walk through on Saturday morning in Dubbo,” Stevens said.
“Just to get the cobwebs out because we don’t play until the last game at 2.40pm.
“It’s a big game – they (Western) appear to be the benchmark and will be playing before their home crowd too.
“We just have to stay in the game early and will have to be much better than last week (loss to Newcastle Rebels).”
He will give fullback Hayden Loughrey until tomorrow morning to prove his fitness.
“We’ll give him right up until Saturday morning,” he said.
“He was racing against the clock to be right last week and was half a chance of playing.”