The Ray White Noosa Dolphins head into the semi finals facing knock out each match having finished fourth of the A grade ladder.
Coming off the back of a strong 40-0 victory over Caboolture last weekend, the Dolphins A grade men’s side face off against third-placed Caloundra on Sunday with no second chances.
After suffering defeat at the hands of Caloundra in round one, the Dolphins have taken the points in rounds two and three and have been buoyed by those results.
The young Noosa side has developed well after a poor start to the season, having beaten two of the three sides ahead of them on the table in the round games.
“They have come so far this season and have learned and developed so much as a group,“ said coach Matt Buckland.
“I’m so excited to see what they can do with their backs to the wall this weekend. I know they can perform.“
The Dolphins women’s continued their strong performance having secured second place on the table following their 31-0 victory over Brothers last weekend.
Up against the undefeated Nambour side on Saturday in the major semi-final, the Phinettes have the chance to go straight through to the grand final with a win.
Having been decimated with injuries in the latter part of the regular home and away season, the girls have bonded into a determined and focused side, but the real challenge ahead is maintaining the momentum and discipline in the face of the high flying Frogettes.
The knockout semi final for the Reserves sees them in a rematch with last weekend’s opposition Caboolture. With low numbers due to injury and unavailability, the Dolphins went down 31-26 against the Snakes, finishing the match with only 13 players following further injuries during the match.
“Training this week is about regrouping and trying to get fit players available,“ coach Mark Winder said.
“Last weekend showed that to take on such a big and physical side, we need all hands-on deck. There are no second chances now.“
Winder was proud of the players that did take the field and the effort they displayed to come so close, particularly Flynn Enright, the ever-green Dean Berkhout and Reon Fortington.
This weekend’s matches:
Saturday at Maroochydore
• Noosa Colts v Maroochydore 12.30pm.
Saturday at University,
• Dolphins Women v Nambour 12.30pm.
Sunday at Caloundra,
• A Grade v Caloundra 3.30pm.
• Reserve Grade v Caboolture 2pm.
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