Woodbridge Cup Corner: League tag chaos and why memorial matches matter

Prior to their 54-0 drubbing of Canowindra at Wade Park on June 17, the Tigers were sitting pretty in fourth place and the Warriors in sixth.

Now, United are up to fourth and the Tigers have dropped out of the play-off picture altogether. Talk about a rollercoaster ride.

Warriors coach Jason French was feeling "quite nervous" heading into the contest having lost their previous three matches by a combined 68 points.

"We started the season on fire and we lost our way. That last defeat against Molong was a bit of a reality check," he said.

"The girls certainly turned up on the weekend."

French noted the score didn't truly reflect the game, with the visitors down on numbers.

The congested ladder currently has third-place Molong with just one more victory than the ninth-place Canowindra.

But don't let a packed middle mislead you into thinking this is a top-heavy competition either.

Eighth-place Peak Hill hosted the previously undefeated Manildra on Saturday and ended their hopes of a perfect season with a 20-16 win.

"Anyone can win it, it's about who turns up on the day," French added.

The United side - which is 3-1 at home and 1-3 on the road - set themselves the goal of finishing in the top three this season.

With three of their next four matches at home, that certainly seems like a possibility now that they've "found their way" again.

"I know the girls were disappointed that we fell one short of the grand final last year and we've recruited a couple more experienced players this season," French said.

"We've re-grouped and within that (losing streak) we've had four girls break fingers and thumbs. The depth of our team this year has been tested, but it's also been a lot stronger than previous years."

With nine teams fighting for eight playoff spots, the final six rounds of the season are sure to be exhilarating to watch.

In the first grade competition, Grenfell and Molong battled it out for the fourth Ian Hanrahan Memorial Shield.

The former Goannas and Bulls players died in a car crash nearly a decade ago and the clubs continue to honour his memory with this annual clash.

On this occasion, it was Grenfell who claimed victory 62-0.

Victorious coach and club president, Daniel Harveyson, said that although he did not play with the man for whom the shield was named, it easy to see why the game was so important.

"The older heads around the club can't speak highly enough of him and how good he was to be around as a bloke," he said.

"He definitely left his mark on the Goannas when he was here. It's something that we think about when we take the field and play for the trophy."

Memorial matches like this one should never be forgotten because they represent the best of sports.

Hard hits on the field should never trump friendships off it and this game acts as a reminder to all clubs that there are always bigger things in life than the final score.

While the coming together of both clubs on Saturday was the main talking point, it was a victory the Goannas desperately needed as well.

Although there is a whopping 274 point difference on the scoresheets separating the eighth-place Goannas and CSU in ninth, there is also just two competition points between the teams.

Harveyson doesn't believe his side have put in a full 80-minute performance yet this year.

"We know we've got a few more gears to go," he said.

"We said to the boys that we don't just want to beat the teams below us. We're earmarking these games as games we need to win, not just for our spot on the ladder, but to send a message that we can knock off teams that are above us.

"Our main goal is slipping into that eight and once we get in there, we can shake it up if we start to click."

CSU have a couple of winnable games still left on their schedule, so to avoid dropping out of the top eight, the Goannas will need to start producing on a level their coach believes they're capable of.

Each week we will take a look at which teams have been lighting up the first grade and league tag competitions, alternating between the two.

For those unfamiliar with a power ranking ladder, it's similar to your conventional standings, except it's completely subjective and based on who we think is in the best form, regardless of their points total.

So, our week eight power rankings for league tag are as follows. Stay tuned next week for our first grade rankings.

Condobolin - 32-4 win over Eugowra

Manildra

Molong - 20-16 win over Grenfell

Orange United - 54-0 win over Canowindra

Peak Hill - 20-16 win over Manildra

Cargo - 28-12 win over Oberon

CSU - 38-12 win over Trundle

Grenfell

Canowindra

Oberon

Trundle

Eugowra

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