The Griffith University Dragons will back their chances to move through to the Universities Rugby League Queensland grand final at the Nathan campus tonight.
Coach Liam Fogarty’s Dragons nabbed the minor premiership with a 22-14 victory over the University of Queensland Hounds last week.
Underlining the closeness of the competition, that loss dropped the Hounds back to fourth spot and set up a return date between the two teams at Nathan tonight.
But after a tight game, Hounds’ coach Marcel Noronha will have done his homework and be confident his team can turn it around and book their spot in next week’s premiership decider at Davies Park.
In the other semi-final tonight, Australian Catholic University will host Queensland University of Technology in a northern derby at the ACU campus at Banyo.
ACU, coached by former Broncos Justin Hodges and Jharal Yow Yeh, sprang back into premiership calculations with a 48-4 demolition of Gold Coast Griffith Panthers last weekend.
It was a stunning riposte after ACU had received a big lesson from the Hounds in their previous game.
But ACU will have to beat the third-ranked QUT Trouts, who have quietly built the best for-and-against record in the competition.
The Jamie Dowse-coached Trouts saw off a desperate Griffith Logan Redbacks – the three-time reigning premiers – by a score of 40-22 last week.
Both games will kick off at 7.30pm tonight, with the September 14 grand final to begin at the same time at Davies Park, West End.
URLQ Semi-finals
Griffith Dragons (1) v UQ Hounds (4) at Griffith University Campus, Nathan (kick-off 7.30pm)
ACU (2) v QUT Trouts (3) at Australian Catholic University Campus, Banyo (kick-off 7.30pm)
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*Don't forget, applications for the Queensland Universities team have been extended until today (September 7) at 5pm. Find out the details here.
