Katrina Fanning Shield: Week One Finals
The first week of finals action in division one of the Katrina Fanning Shield kicks off this weekend, with a huge double header at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday.
Elimination Final: Queanbeyan Blues v Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Raiders Belconnen, Saturday 27th August 10:00am
The 2022 season will come to an end for the Blues or Bushrangers this weekend, when these two meet in the first elimination final at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday.
The fourth-placed Queanbeyan Blues will have to do things the hard way after missing out on a top three position, meaning that it's do or die from here on out.
It has been a rough month for the Blues who have not tasted victory since the end of July due to wet weather and a narrow defeat to the Bulldogs.
The Bushrangers were able to jump South Coast United for fifth spot in the final round of the competition, and won’t want all their hard work to go wasted with a week one exit.
These two sides have only met once this year at Greenway Oval and it was the Blues who walked away with a 28-6 win.
The Blues will want to re-establish themselves as a premiership contender with a win this weekend, but it won't be easy as the Bushrangers will be hungry to give the finals a shake-up in 2022.
Qualifying Final: Woden Valley Rams v Goulburn City Bulldogs, Raiders Belconnen Saturday 27th August 11:30am
The Rams and Bulldogs will follow the elimination final at Raiders Belconnen, with the winner receiving a chance to play the Magpies in a Grand Final qualifier.
The second-placed Rams only suffered three defeats in the regular season, but two of those did come at the hands of the Bulldogs.
The third-placed Bulldogs also had a fantastic season, only losing the two games against the Magpies in highly entertaining matches.
After the Blues disappointing end to the season, this match was always destined for the first week of the finals where both teams will be well prepared.
They will also both be coming into finals with plenty of confidence, after picking up important wins in the final round of the regular season.
The latest match between these two sides went down to the wire with the Bulldogs picking up the 12-6 win.
While the loser will live to fight another day, the winner will receive a golden opportunity to take on the Magpies who have not played since the 30th of July.
Preliminary Final: UC Stars v Harden Worhawks, Crookwell Memorial Oval, Saturday 27th August 12:10pm
The Stars and Worhawks will meet in Crookwell this Saturday, with a spot in the division two grand final on the line.
The UC Stars will be looking to bounce back in a hurry after suffering a 32-2 defeat last weekend.
It was a disappointing result for the Stars who could have already booked their ticket in the grand final last week.
However they will still be confident going into this match, after already beating the Worhawks in 2022.
The Stars picked up a narrow 14-8 win in their round five meeting but the Worhawks have continued to improve over the course of the season, and picked up a convincing 24-0 win over the Raiders last weekend in their elimination final.
It should be fireworks between two evenly matched sides with the chance of playing in a grand final on the line.
The winner will take on South Coast United in the division two grand final next week.
