WOODBRIDGE CUP SEASON PREVIEW
It's seems cliched, but president Andrew Pull is confident the 2019 edition of the Woodbridge Cup could be the biggest and best the competition has seen.
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And that's saying something after last year's title race.
A brutal and hugely competitive slog through the competition proper resulted in just one point separating teams second through to fifth after 16 rounds.
In the end the Rhinos charged from fifth to earn a place in a home grand final but it was the seriously consistent minor and defending premiers Trundle that eventually got the job done, 26-22 in a thrilling encounter.
... I think it'll come down to the last round.
- Woodbridge Cup president Andrew Pull on the race for finals places in 2019.
At the top of the tree, it was as close a competition as you'll find across Country Rugby League.
Outrageously, Pull is predicting 2019 to be even closer.
"You look at it and I think all nine sides will be there fighting it out for semi-finals spots ... I think it'll come down to the last round," he said.
Canowindra won the annual Woodbridge Cup Tens last weekend at Condobolin.
"The Tens was a hard fought weekend for a lot of sides with some hard footy ... 2019 could be the biggest and best Woodbridge Cup yet."
Round one of the competition kicks off on Saturday when Grenfell hosts Eugowra, the four other games are on Sunday, March 31.
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MOLONG BULLS
COACH: Todd Barrow.
LAST YEAR: Didn't play.
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Fifth.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Condobolin (away), bye, Eugowra (home), Cargo (away), Trundle (home)
OUR VIEW: The Bulls are back! Molong rugby league has been reinvigorated with a host of the town's best products returning to don the blue and white, with the view of establishing the club as a long-term one for the Cup, which is great. Finals calibre team ... only question now remains: how many Barrows will line-up for the Bulls in round one?
CARGO BLUE HEELERS
COACH: Anthony Redfern.
LAST YEAR: Sixth.
PREDICTED FINISH: Fourth.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Peak Hill (home), Manildra (away), bye, Molong (home), Canowindra (away).
OUR VIEW: Anthony Redfern joins the Heelers as coach and brings with him brother-in-law Jake Davis, who has been playing rugby union with Orange City for the last few seasons. Davis is a gun. Can make the finals.
MANILDRA RHINOS
COACH: Simon Osborne.
LAST YEAR: Runners-up (grand final loss).
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Premiers.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Bye, Cargo (home), Canowindra (away), Grenfell (home), Condobolin (away).
NOTE: So close in 2018 ... can the Rhinos keep the momentum going in 2019. Osborne is back at the club has picked up last year's leading point-scorer Mitch Hutchings. He scored 27 tries and scored 234 points last year with Eugowra. Adding that strike power to a pack led by Osborne is a recipe for success. Our tip for the title.
CANOWINDRA TIGERS
COACH: Dan Barclay.
LAST YEAR: Fifth (elimination semi-final loss).
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Third.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Trundle (home), Peak Hill (away), Manildra (home), bye, Cargo (home).
OUR VIEW: Losing reigning Woodbridge Cup player of the year Jayden Brown has to leave a hole in the Tigers line-up, doesn't it? If the pre-season 10s is anything to go by, Canowindra will still be there when the whips are cracking.
CONDOBOLIN RAMS
COACH: Bayden Davis.
LAST YEAR: Ninth.
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Eighth.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Molong (home), Eugowra (away), Trundle (home), Peak Hill (away), Manildra (home).
OUR VIEW: Impossible to know exactly how the Rams will fare but based on last year's numbers even a small improvement on two wins will still see the club neared to the bottom of the ladder than the top.
EUGOWRA GOLDEN EAGLES
COACH: Peter Besgrove and Toby Banks.
LAST YEAR: Fourth (minor semi-final loss).
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Ninth.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Grenfell (away), Condobolin (home), Molong (away), Trundle (away), Peak Hill (home).
OUR VIEW: The loss of Hutchings is massive. Where do they get those 27 tries from now?
PEAK HILL ROOSTERS
COACH: Torin Hando
LAST YEAR: Eighth.
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Seventh.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Cargo (away), Canowindra (home), Grenfell (away), Condobolin (home), Eugowra (away).
OUR VIEW: Hando, the 2015 Woodbridge Cup player of the year, should help the Roosters improve but a finals place might be just out of reach.
TRUNDLE BOOMERS
COACH: Josh Miles.
LAST YEAR: Premiers.
PREDICTED 2019 FINISH: Sixth.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Canowindra (away), Grenfell (home), Condobolin (away), Eugowra (home), Molong (away).
OUR VIEW: The Woodbridge Cup's benchmark for the last three years, the Boomers have lost a stack of players in 2019, namely coaches Adam Hall and Hayden Robinson. Hard to cover those losses ... may miss the finals.
GRENFELL GOANNAS
COACH: Steve Taylor.
LAST YEAR: Third (preliminary final loss).
PREDICTED: Second.
FIRST FIVE ROUNDS: Eugowra (home), Trundle (away), Peak Hill (home), Manildra (away), bye.
OUR VIEW: A really formidable outfit last season and that won't change this year. Grenfell ended Trundle's remarkable 22-game unbeaten run between 2017 and the first part of 2018 and with a few more additions from Cowra ahead of the new cup season, will challenge again. Grand final or bust in 2019.
PREDICTED LADDER
1 Manildra Rhinos
2 Grenfell Goannas
3 Canowindra Tigers
4 Cargo Blue Heelers
5 Molong Bulls
6 Trundle Boomers
7 Peak Hill Roosters
8 Condobolin Rams
9 Eugowra Golden Eagles
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Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
