Scorpions going to Sharman Cup finals
The Otara Scorpions see the Te Atatu Roosters as tune up for the coming Sharman Cup playoffs.
The two meet at Jack Colvin Park, Te Atatu in the final round robin match of the season on Saturday at 2.30pm.
The outcome will have little bearing on both teams’ playoff chances because each will go through, the Roosters as top seeds and the Scorpions eighth seeds at worst.
A victory could lift the Scorpions as high as fifth but coach Willie Maea acknowledges the magnitude of the challenge with Roosters unbeaten run this season.
‘‘This will be a valuable measure of where we are at with the semi finals looming. Our first game was close. We lost 42-30 but we’ve improved since and looking forward to the return.
‘‘It has been a challenging season with no fewer than 17 players from last season’s Fox Memorial Trophy side moving on. That left us with only seven players with Sharman Cup or Fox experience. Luckily, we had depth to draw on.’’
Maea says the efforts and leadership of captain and prop Louis Holani, lock Dave Ezekeila, prop Mike Blucher and halfback Jonny-Lee Pati, who has come back from Australia to be a policeman, have been outstanding.
The Scorpions proved too strong for the Papatoetoe Panthers beating them 40-24 last Saturday. ..
The Panthers are seventh, one point behind Otara and one a head of the Manurewa Marlins and East Coast Bays.
They have a bye on Saturday and will be praying that neither the Marlins, who face Pakuranga at Mountfort Park and East Coast Bays, who host the Bay Roskill Vikings win and get the jump on them.
The Papakura Sea Eagles, despite their 32-24 upset loss to the Howick Hornets last Saturday , remain the only South Auckland side in the hunt for the Fox Memorial Tropy. It was their first loss of the season.
The Otahuhu Leopards have one last crack at redemption. A loss to the Marist Saints on Saturday will all but seal their fate and send them to the Sharman Cup next season.
And the Counties Manukau Stingrays beat Akarana 24-16 in the women-in-league match at Mt Smart Stadium last Saturday to retain the Bob Vercoe Trophy.
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