PORT OUT TO KEEP GRAND RECORD INTACT
THREE grand final appearances, three premierships for Port Douglas.
It’s the formidable grand final record the Reef Raiders will aim to keep intact when they take on JCU Mariners in the FNQ Rugby Rainforestation Cup decider on Saturday.
The Mariners looked like running away with the premiership midway through the season, but the Reef Raiders were able to hit their straps, winning seven of their last eight games and entering the big dance on a five-game winning streak.
Reef Raiders second-rower Matthew Mallard believed the team was peaking at the right time of the year.
“The coaches have done a lot to get them humming along,” he said.
“At the start of the year, we lost a few boys back to league, were a bit short on numbers, so we had a bit of a rocky start but we’ve had a pretty good end to the year.
“JCU have been the team to beat, but our boys are coming along now.
“We’ve won five on the trot and we’ve got a full-strength team, so it should be a good game.
“With JCU being minor premiers, the pressure’s on them and not us.”
Mariners second-rower Jesse Kautu said the 2019 premiers were determined to return to the top of FNQ Rugby, after missing out on the grand final last season.
“We had a couple of players out of position last year so we were a bit unlucky, but this year we’ve prepped ourselves better,” he said.
“It’s definitely been the goal (to get back to the grand final) – from the start of the season we’ve tried to keep the structure as much as possible and not play the opponent’s game.
The Mariners won their first eight games of the season, but have since won three, lost three and drew one.
Port Douglas will have the chance to claim back-to-back premierships for the first time in the club’s history.
“We haven’t done it at the club before, it will be massive,” Mallard said.
In the reserve grade grand final, Northern Beaches Mudcrabs take on Barron-Trinity Bulls.