It has been fairly obvious all year that the teams to beat in the 2015 Group 6 rugby league premiership have been Camden Rams and the Picton Magpies.
Both have easily romped over the rest of the competition – except when playing against each other during the home and away part of the season.
Last week in these spaces we predicted they would play each other twice in the finals and this Sunday it will come to pass – at least half of that not so fearless prediction.
After the first week of the finals, which followed the script, the Appin Dogs, who seemed out of form in the last few weeks, were eliminated.
The team where former Wests Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs found a new home looked like it could have been the dark horse of the competition earlier in the season.
But at Kirkham Oval on Sunday the Oaks Tigers had other ideas.
When the Tigers growled the Dogs were meek in response, finally going down 42 – 18. Maybe they will bark in 2016.
In the second match of the double header, the Magpies lined up against the Narellan Jets, who tried hard all game.
But they were outclassed by the Magpies, who went on to record another huge victory, 66-24.
Indeed that’s been a feature of games featuring either the Magpies or the Camden Rams, wins by massive margins.
The rest of the clubs will need to improve next year if they don’t want another two horse race in Group 6 in 2016.
Certainly the Oaks Tigers seem to play better every time they take to the field, even at this time of the year.
Coach Mitchell Brassington has already started planning for next weekend’s game against Narellan Jets at Victoria Park, Picton.
It’s been a while since the Oaks have been in the finals but who knows, maybe they’re the ones to spring a surprise.
But even if they overcome the Jets they will have to beat either Camden or Picton the following week to make the grand final.
Sounds like a huge ask but at least you’d get excellent odds for it happening if you were a punter.
♦ GROUP 6 FINALS WEEK TWO
WHEN: Sunday, August 30
WHERE: Victoria Park Picton
First major semi: Camden v Picton 1.25pm;
First minor semi: Narellan v The Oaks 3pm.
