BACKFLIP WITH TWIST: Cameron Bundock doing his usual thing, a flying, backwards try in the corner.
IF the first week of the ACS Group A Grade Finals is anything to go by, we are in for some mouth-watering action over the next two weeks.
Local league fans saw the biggest upset of the year with Brothers progressing to Grand Final day by upsetting the previous undefeated Swifts Bluebirds 36 – 20.
In the minor semi-final Redbank left it to the last minute to get over the top of a gallant Fassifern Bombers outfit by 28 – 26.
In the big A Grade clash Brothers had been promising to hit top form in the last two weeks of the competition and they delivered racing out to a 30 to nil lead over a shellshocked Swifts outfit.
Coach Barnett said he was happy with the first half as we got a lot of calls, but I knew the Bluebirds team
would come out firing in the second.
He need not have worried as his forwards played tough in the middle with Owen McCarron, Corey Kurnoth, Cody McIntosh and Matt Bell doing a lot of the damage against the bigger opposition.
This momentum spelt problems for Swifts as the Brothers backs led by the Player of the Match in Albert
Tuua took control out wide.
Khan AhWang also had his kicking boot on as he produced several towering bombs that cause a mountain of trouble for the Swifts players at the back.
He also produced the first two-point field goal in the RLI competition with a super strike right on the halftime siren.
Godfrey Okot was the first to fumble an AhWang bomb which resulted in a Brothers try and his day only
got worse as he was injured shortly after and escorted from the field with his season looking over.
The Swifts Bluebirds did add some respectability to score by scoring four second half tries but the damage was done in the first 40.
Barnett while happy with the performance realises that the job is only half done but liked having the week off to watch who his team will face in the Grand Final.
The other semi was a closer affair with only a last-minute try sealing victory by 28 – 26 for the Redbank Plains Bears over a Fassifern outfit that was invited back into the finals race after Norths opted not to play in the semi-final.
The Bombers coaching staff did a great job to get their team back together and have one training session and went with 45 seconds of advancing to this weekend’s Preliminary final.
Redback on the other hand got out of jail and live to fight another day but now have the task to try and beat a Swifts team that will be fired up to show their supporters it was only a one-off bad performance.
The Bears had a host of players that fought to the end, but the City Cave Player of the Match Ben Niumata was a stand out with several damaging runs which resulted in him scoring two tries.
Fassifern Coach Cam Wallace was extremely proud of the boys after the disjointed preparation and told his side they did the jersey proud.
