Countdown is on for Murray Cup Grand Final

The countdown is on for the Murray Cup Grand Final, with the Wangarratta Knights hosting the first final after two Covid-disrupted seasons.

The Wodonga Wombats will be taking on the Bonegilla Gorillas in the Men’s Seniors competition while the CSU Mud Dogs will face the Benalla Wolfpack in the Women’s League Tag.

While all sides will no doubt be fighting it out for the premiership, it’s set to be fun-filled day for the whole rugby league community.

Wangaratta Knights president Brent Hansen said it meant a lot for the club to have the chance to host such an important day for the competition.

“It’s been a few years in the making so to finally get to a Murray Cup Grand Final is a huge relief and there’s a lot of excitement around the club,” Hansen said.

“We’re a relatively new club having only been established in 2017 and we’ve found a new home out at Glenrowan, so obviously being rewarded with hosting a Grand Final is a great achievement,” he said.

“We’re expecting 400-500 people as a few of the other clubs are bringing buses with spectators on it as well, so everyone has been looking forward to it.”

In the lead up to the Men’s Grand Final, both the Wombats and Gorillas will be looking to put their best foot forward come Sunday.

Wombats President Mark Tait said he was looking forward to the clash and hopes his side can finish off the season undefeated.

“We’re just looking to keep to the game plan and try and continue on what we’ve done this year, we know it’ll be a hard game but if we stick to what we know we are confident we can come out on top,” Tait said.

“The older guys that have been around a bit, they’ve taken the lead and the coach is keeping everyone level headed leading into Sunday,” he said.

Brent Hardy from the Bonegilla Gorillas said he was proud of what the club was able to achieve in just their very first season.

“It’s amazing what we’ve been able to achieve in our first year in the comp, the chance to go all the way to the grand final is incredible,” Hardy said.

“The boys are all excited, all the boys are up and about, just one super happy group.”

As for the Women’s League Tag competition, the Benalla Wolfpack will be looking to get one back on the CSU Mud Dogs, after the Mud Dogs edged out the minor premiers 16-10 in the qualifying final only two weeks ago.

Playing for the CSU Mud Dogs this season, Georgia Seton said she was extremely proud of her side’s achievements despite the challenges thrown their way.

“Because we are a uni team we have a high turnover of players, so a lot of the girls this year it’s their first year playing so we’re pretty stoked to reach the final,” Seton said.

“We’re pretty evenly matched and it’s a really friendly rivalry so it’s a lot of good fun, we know we can beat them so we are definitely backing ourselves,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ivy Higgins from Benalla said her side was hungry to get one back on the Mud Dogs, after only just going down to them in their previous encounter.

“The girls are ecstatic, we took the hard road to the grand final losing in the semis but the girls are keen to get there,” Higgins said.

“There’s a little bit of confidence there as we have beaten them in the regular season and while we went down to them in the semi-final, we’ve learnt a lot and are ready for a second crack, there is definitely confidence in our ability.”

On the day gates will be open from 11am for a 1pm and 3pm kickoff with $10 cash entry required.