Dominant sides fight for bragging rights

TOP spot on the Townsville and Districts Rugby Union ladder will be up for grabs tonight when unbeaten sides Teachers West and Ross River battle it out at Mike Carney Toyota Park.

The Redskins have been in sensational form to start the season with big wins over Charters Towers ( 37- 10) and University ( 59- 0).

But they’ll face their toughest challenge to date against defending premiers Teachers, who have beaten Brothers ( 16- 3), Burdekin ( 39- 0), and North Ward ( 50- 7) to claim outright first.

Teachers are the powerhouse of Townsville rugby, having won the past three grand finals, and Ross River coach Gary Lewis said tonight’s clash would be a good barometer for his side’s early success.

“It’ll be a reality check for them to see where we actually sit in the competition,” he said.

“Teachers are the form team of the comp and I’m ex- pecting a tough, physical, and fast game. It’s going to be a great challenge for my boys and a great test for them after the start that we’ve had.

“I haven’t seen Teachers play this year so I don’t know what they’ve had changed from last year, but I think if we turn up and we play to our strengths then I have no doubt we’ll be competitive.”

The Redskins missed the finals last year and Lewis attributed their strong start this season to the team’s commitment on the training paddock.

In the weekend’s other game, Burdekin and Brothers will be looking to build some momentum when they meet in Ayr tonight while University and North Ward will both be chasing their first wins of the season in their clash at JCU tomorrow afternoon. TDRU, Round 4: Tonight: Burdekin v Brothers, 6.30pm at Casalegno Field, Ayr; Teachers West v Ross River, 7.20pm at Mike Carney Toyota Park. Tomorrow: University v North Ward, 5pm at JCU.