Sport
2 September, 2021
Six Snakes teams in hunt for grand final success
SIX Caboolture Snakes junior rugby league teams are ready for the experience of a lifetime as they prepare to contest a grand final on home soil on Saturday, September 4.
The Snakes will be represented in each age group from U13s to U17s, with three Caboolture boys teams and three Caboolture girls teams taking part.
The U15 girls tussle will be particularly eye-catching as there will be plenty of friendly rivalry with two Caboolture teams taking part.
Very few of the grand final teams have any momentum in the lead-up to the big day, which was scheduled for August 7 until Covid-induced restrictions forced the occasion to be delayed for four weeks.
Many of the teams have had more than a month’s break since their previous match.
Here’s a run down of how each Snakes team shapes up for the big day.
U13 Boys (Division 2): Caboolture Yellow v Bribie
Caboolture’s U13 Yellow boys have been a decidedly mixed bag this season, but they have progressed a long way since their first match which yielded a 50-10 defeat against Beerwah.
The Snakes team won just one of its first four matches before winning three of its next four, and then hitting a major snag when Bribie inflicted a 56-6 thrashing.
The Snakes, however, have won all five of their matches since, and edged out Bribie 20-18 in a semi-final to show that Bribie was no longer a bogey team.
Bribie, nonetheless, has scored 50 or more points on 10 occasions this season and is expected to be formidable on grand final day.
Bribie booked its grand final spot with a 38-22 win over Palmwoods on July 31.
U14 Boys (Division 1): Caboolture Black v Caloundra Gold
Caboolture’s U14 Black boys have amassed 40 or more points on seven occasions this season, but their grand final opponent has been a stumbling block as the Caloundra Sharks Gold team won both encounters.
The Sharks beat the Snakes 30-22 on May 22, and then the semi-final was heavily one-sided as the Caloundra outfit inflicted a 51-8 drubbing.
The Snakes, however, have the advantage of entering the grand final on the back of a 30- 10 win over Maroochydore in last Saturday’s preliminary final, while the Sharks have not played since July 24.
U15 Girls: Caboolture Yellow v Caboolture Black
The two Caboolture teams were the standout teams in the U15 girls, so it was only fitting that they would meet on grand final day.
Amazingly, the only time each team tasted defeat this season was in the local derby.
The Black team trounced the Yellow team 34-8 on May 7, before the Yellow team was first into the grand final with a 24-22 victory in week one of the finals series.
The Black team won its preliminary final 28-16 against Maroochydore to set the scene for an all-Snakes showdown.
With one win apiece in the Caboolture derbies in the U15 girls age group this year, both teams will feel that they have a point to prove and some scores to settle, as well as bragging rights.
U16 Boys (Division 1): Caboolture Black v Caloundra Gold
Caboolture’s U16 Black boys enter the decider on the back of a six-game winning streak.
The Snakes team edged out Caloundra Gold 19-18 in a semi-final, before the Caloundra outfit pipped Kawana 16-14 in the preliminary final.
Caboolture won the round-robin fixture against Caloundra Gold, 16-4, on June 25 but as is the case in all grades, past results will count for nothing when the teams enter the playing arena on grand final day.
U17 Girls: Caboolture Black v Kawana/Beerwah
With only four teams in this competition, Caboolture has had some interesting tussles with Kawana/Beerwah.
The Snakes won the first encounter 16-0 before the teams had a 4-all draw, followed by a 16-8 win to Kawana/Beerwah and a 28-18 win to the Snakes.
The Caboolture team’s most recent outing was on July 30 when the Snakes prevailed 22-14 over Nambour/Noosa/Palm while, incredibly, Kawana/Beerwah’s most recent outing was way back on June 18.
Kawana/Beerwah beat Nambour/Noosa/Palm 40-14 that day before having several byes and a forfeit since.
