Hawks flying high at the top of the ladder
The Harden Hawks moved to outright first on the Blumers Lawyers George Tooke Shield (GTS) ladder on Saturday following their 34-22 victory over rivals Cootamundra at Les Boyd Oval.
With Bungendore and Binalong playing out a thrilling 4-all draw at Mick Sherd Oval on Saturday, the Hawks capitalised to move to the top of the table.
For most parts, Harden was the better side, and the scoreline did not reflect their dominance.
Jayden Cutting was at his dangerous best, with the clever playmaker crossing for a double.
At the same time, William Hills continued another strong season, with the dummy half getting through a mountain of work.
The Hawks have now won nine consecutive games, and coach Nick Hall said a Round Three 18-14 loss to Cootamundra was the turning point in their season.
Harden went down to Bungendore 50-nil in their season opener, while they missed out on a game in Round Two following a UC Stars forfeit before going down to Cootamundra.
“It’s gone in the right direction all year, especially after a slow start,” Hall said after Saturday’s win.
“What they did to us when they came to our home ground ready to play; we remember that.
“We thought we should have gotten away with it, but it was a gutsy win for them, and it demonstrated the level they were at and what type of pre-season they had.
“We went back and said that was the benchmark, and that came after the Bungendore loss, which was a bit of a write-off, and we were embarrassed, but we had excuses, and we said that we need to hold ourselves to a standard.
“We re-evaluated and worked hard at training, and it’s been consistent growth; that’s been the goal, to get a bit better every week.”
While Harden has won nine consecutive games, Hall is reluctant to get ahead of himself, insisting his playing group still has a lot of improvement in them as they prepare for their final two regular-season games.
“It’s never as bad as it seems and never as good as it seems, and we’ve taken our losses with a grain of salt, and now we need to do the same with our wins,” Hall said.
“We’re wary and conscious of the teams around us. I believe the winner will come from the top four, and I think all four teams think they can win it, so we need to keep working, stay diligent, and do what we have been doing.”
Harden faces another big rivalry match on Saturday when hosting the third-placed Brahmans in their Round 13 fixture at McLean Oval.
With Bungendore visiting the struggling UC Stars at Raiders Belconnen and Cootamundra up against the fifth-placed Boorowa Rovers at Boorowa Showground, Harden could slip back into fourth position if they fall to Binalong.
“It’s similar to last year, and there’s that sense of Déjà vu; last year, we were in the situation to finish first or fourth, and we lost and finished fourth, and the same could happen this week,” Hall said.
“It’s our last home game and sponsors day, so it’s a pretty important day, but we’ll try and keep it about the game.
“We’ll keep the focus narrow and on Binalong and ourselves and stick to our processes.
“Don’t get me wrong, Rawlo (Chris Rawlinson) will be saying the same thing to his guys, and there will be no lack of effort.
“Binalong’s line speed is good; they work hard and run the ball hard. They are physical guys.
“They stand in front, and you’ve got to run through them, and it will be a challenge to match them, so we’ve got to be up for it.”
Harden can all but sew up the Minor Premiership with a win over Binalong before visiting the sixth-placed Crookwell Green Devils in Round 14.
According to Hall, a win is imperative to their premiership chances, as he believes the in-form team will be the side to beat when the GTS post-season commences.
“Generally, the side that wins it is the side that takes momentum into semis,” Hall said.
“It’s that side that catches fire for three or four weeks, and Boorowa did that last year and came home with a wet side, and we’ll be looking to win and go into finals with some good form.”
With positions in the GTS top five and top three still up for grabs, Saturday's Round 12 of results made for interesting reading.
Crookwell made the race for the fifth and final position all the more interesting, defeating Boorowa 28-20 in their Grand Final rematch at Memorial Oval.
If Crookwell defeat North Canberra in Round 13 and Boorowa falls to Cootamundra, the Green Devils will be inside the top five for the first time this season.
Keeping their slim hopes of finals alive, North Canberra put 11 tries past the UC Stars, winning 60-6 at Raiders Belconnen.
Click here for the GTS ladder, draw, and results.
