The first ever FOGS Under 20s Cup statewide grand final this weekend will be headlined by the Redcliffe Dolphins and Mackay Cutters.
The Dolphins come into this game following a 34-14 semi-final win against the Western Mustangs, with the side seeing the fruits of their labour after going undefeated all season long.
“The level of consistency we’ve had to have to be undefeated; it’s not an easy thing to do,” Dolphins coach Scott Murray said.
“I credit mainly the hard of the team – and ultimately, our defence has been the highlight of what we do with our footy, and they keep getting better each week.”
The Cutters are aiming to be the first FOGS Under 20s Cup premiers when they take on Redcliffe.
Mackay earned their way into the grand final after beating the Northern Pride 28-16 at home at BB Print Stadium.
The Cutters finished the regular season in second place, and coach Grant Rovelli believes his team already has plenty to celebrate after this season, but knows there’s still more work ahead.
“I think with the success that we’ve had this season it’s going to be a bit of a challenge to get the young guys to understand that while they should celebrate their achievement so far, we’ll still need to re-focus this weekend and improve on last weekend's performance,” Rovelli said.
On the Redcliffe side, Murray does not look to change much going into this week's grand final as he believes consistency is key for his players.
“We’re not doing any more or any less, we’re just trying to keep it as similar as possible,” Murray said.
“If we get too caught up with the final result, then we’re not going to get our performance as it should be.”
With everything on the line this weekend, both coaches believe it will be an exciting matchup for those in attendance.
“I think that anyone following the competition over the last few weeks has definitely seen the competition step up and the quality of the games has been awesome,” Rovelli said.
Murray agreed that the standard of play would be high from both teams.
“Mackay is a team that seems to be getting better each week, they play a really impressive type of football,” Murray said.
The FOGS Under 20s Cup final will take place at Suzuki Stadium, Langlands Park on Sunday, May 7. Kickoff is at 11.50am – and if you can’t get to the game – watch the QRL Live Stream.
*Read the full article in this weekend’s Queensland Rugby League Game Day special edition programme – available at the gate this Sunday.
