CRL ROUND 13 CLUB PREVIEW: FRANTIC FINAL-ROUND SCRAMBLE FOR PLAYOFF PLACES
The 2025 CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership is set for a thrilling regular-season conclusion this Saturday, with only first and last spots on the Massetti Cup ladder locked in heading into the final round.
Five points clear at the top of the table, Linwood Keas have already sewn up another Massetti Cup success ahead a blockbuster against fourth-placed archrivals Hornby Panthers.
The Panthers, who grabbed a clutch 22-18 win against Halswell Hornets last week, can climb to third and a home elimination semi with a win…but a loss could potentially see the defending premiers slip out of the playoffs altogether.
The heavyweight clubs – grand final opponents seven times in the past nine seasons – have met just once in 2025, with the Keas claiming a remarkable 28-18 win at Leslie Park after trailing 18-0 at halftime.
Adding to the tension, the Thacker Shield will go on the line for the last time in 2025.
Greymouth Greyhounds will be hoping for a Keas victory as they chase a historic finals berth in their second season in the CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership.
The West Coasters also require a win over out-of-contention Eastern Eagles and for a 30-point for-and-against swing to leapfrog the Panthers. The Greyhounds will take plenty of confidence into this encounter at Wainoni Park after powering to a 38-18 win over the Eagles at Wingham Park last month and earning their first road win of 2025 against the Hornets a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, it’s a straight shootout for second spot and two bites at the grand final cherry at Halswell Domain, with the third-placed Hornets sitting one point shy of Riccarton Knights.
The Hornets snared a 28-24 result at Crosbie Park four weeks ago but have not won a game since, while the Knights have charged up the ladder with tight back-to-back victories over the Panthers and Eagles – overturning a halftime deficit in both games.
Sporting an inferior points differential, the Hornets could drop to fourth with a loss and a Panthers win over the Keas.
CRL ROUND 12 CLUB WRAP: PANTHERS ON THE PROWL AS KNIGHTS CHARGE TO SECOND
All three high-stakes CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership fixtures kick off at 2.45pm. The corresponding CRL ISC Sports Canterbury Cup matches get underway at the same venues at 1pm.
The Canterbury Cup ladder is a little more clear-cut with the Keas sealing top spot already, the Eagles sitting two points (with a healthy for-and-against advantage) above the third-placed Hornets ahead of a clash with the last-placed Greyhounds, and the Panthers confirmed as fourth-place finishers.
The penultimate round of CRL Division One is headlined by a first versus second clash between Celebration Lions and Shirley Hawks at Cuthberts Green.
Burnham Chevaliers are looking to stay in playoffs contention when they host fourth-placed Eastern Eagles at Coronation Park, while third-placed champs Northern Bulldogs welcome Addington Magpies and at Murphy Park, and Riccarton Knights have a sliver of finals hope remaining ahead of a trip to Halswell Domain to take on the bottom-place Hornets.
All four Division One matches kick off at 1pm.
With two rounds of the CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership remaining, Sunday’s schedule features a massive grand final rematch between Hornby Panthers and Sydenham Swans at Leslie Park that will likely decide who finishes the regular season in second.
Elsewhere, ladder-leading Linwood Keas face Eastern Eagles in a Wainoni Park derby, and Woolston Rams can clinch their place in the finals with a win over Shirley Hawks at Macfarlane Park.
The trio of CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership fixtures kick off at 1pm.
Photo credit: Abraham Atherton Photography
