FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTY AT NGĀ PUNA WAI AND TOP SPOT UP FOR GRABS AT LINWOOD PARK
Coming off the King’s Birthday bye weekend and with six regular-season rounds remaining, the race for CRL Whitehead Plumbing and Gas Men’s Premiership finals spots is heating up with every result crucial from here on in.
Third place on the Massetti Cup ladder also goes on the line on Friday night at Ngā Puna Wai when the Eastern Eagles square off against Halswell Hornets at the home of Canterbury Rugby League (6.30pm kick-off).
The Eagles carved out a resounding 32-10 win over the Hornets at Wainoni Park in Round 4 on the back of a hat-trick from winger Noah Saukuru. Both teams are striving to bounce back from tight home losses in Round 8.
The Round 9 schedule is headlined by a showdown between competition co-leaders Linwood Keas and Riccarton Knights at Linwood Park. The clubs currently have a four-point break on the field and a victory here would go a long way to securing an all-important top-two finish.
The Knights snared a memorable 32-24 comeback win over the Keas at Crosbie Park in Round 4, which doubled as their inaugural Old Boys’ Day and a celebration to mark 20 years since Riccarton’s 2004 last grand final win, which was against Linwood.
The Knights are on a six-match winning streak – edging out Eastern Eagles 22-20 in Round 8 – while the defending champion Keas are unbeaten since these sides last met.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Hornby Panthers are aiming to leapfrog the loser of the Eagles-Hornets clash when they host Greymouth Greyhounds at Leslie Park.
The Panthers snapped a three-match slide and got their campaign back on track with a gritty 20-14 defeat of the Hornets at Halswell Domain in Round 7. The Greyhounds followed up their maiden CRL Whitehead Plumbing and Gas Men’s Premiership win, against the Eagles in Round 6, with a 36-4 loss to the Keas.
The Greyhounds produced an outstanding second-half display against the Panthers in Round 4, eventually going down 24-16 at Papanui Domain after trailing 18-0 at the break. A late charge for the top four is not out of the question if they can cause a boilover at Hornby this weekend.
Saturday’s two top-grade fixtures kick off at 2.45pm.
The corresponding CRL ISC Sports Canterbury Cup matches all kick off at 1pm, including the ladder-leading Eagles’ encounter with the third-placed Hornets at Wainoni Park.
The Panthers are looking to consolidate second spot in their home game against fifth-placed Papanui Tigers, while the scramble to sit fourth at the end of Round 9 hinges on the Keas-Knights clash.
The CRL Division One docket features a huge match between Ashburton Barbarians and Northern Bulldogs at Robilliard Park at 1pm on Saturday. Both teams have 5-1 records and sit one point between the table-topping Woolston Rams, who have a bye this week along with Shirley Hawks.
Elsewhere, Papanui Tigers and Burnham Chevaliers square off at Ngā Puna Wai at 6.30pm on Friday night, and Addington Magpies host Halswell Hornets at Spreydon Domain at 1pm on Saturday.
CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership leaders Burnham Chevaliers are yet to taste defeat in 2024, but they could drop as low as fourth with a loss to Hornby Panthers when the teams lock horns at Coronation Park.
Addington Magpies are searching for their maiden win when they host Woolston Rams at Spreydon Domain, while bottom-placed Eastern Eagles face a tough road trip to Wainoni Park to take on third-ranked Sydenham Swans.
All three CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership matches kick off at 1pm on Sunday.
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