Friday, March 15, 2013
By BEN HARRIS
Queensland Chiefs and New South Wales Mets will be the favourites for the Elite Eight titles in the women’s and men’s opens divisions after finishing on top of the ladder in their respective divisions.
Tomorrow is finals day across all divisions at the 2013 X-Blades National Touch League in Coffs Harbour.
After seven rounds of the Elite Eight Series, the top four were decided.
The women’s opens have the Chiefs, Mets, NSW Country Mavericks and the NSW Scorpions.
The men’s finalists are Mets, Queensland Country Outlaws, Mavericks and Scorpions.
The defending men’s premiers, Scorpions, snuck into the top four with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Queensland South Stingrays in the final round.
The match was an early finals match as whoever won the game qualified for the semis.
It sets up a mouth-watering clash tomorrow between the two teams that have contested the last two men’s opens finals at the NTLs.
The Scorpions won both encounters but with the Mets undefeated, the Michael Moussa-coached side have all the momentum.
In another huge clash, the Outlaws take on the Mavericks in the battle of country supremacy.
The Outlaws got up in their preliminary round match on Thursday.
If NSW Country are to win the title they will have to do so without the services of Dylan Hennessy.
The playmaker injured his left shoulder in a match on Thursday and he will be out for at least six weeks.
But the match will also see two of the game’s smartest minds up against each other between Outlaws coach Patrick Grehan and his old sparring partner Mark Boland of the Mavericks.
The last time the two mentors met was at last year’s State of Origin series where Grehan achieved a 2-1 victory.
In the women’s semi-finals, the Chiefs meet the Scorpions and the Mets take on the Mavericks.
The Mavericks will head into their semi-final clash on a high after defeating the Mets 7-4 today.
However, the defending champions did not play Australian captain Louise Winchester for the match.
Meanwhile the Chiefs went through the competition undefeated after two comfortable wins today.
They are the team to beat as they have a host of champions and speedsters at their disposal.
The Scorpions have been improving with every game during this tournament and on their day, could produce an upset.
The women’s semi-finals begin at 9.50am tomorrow followed by the men’s at 10.45am.
The women’s final is at 3.30pm and the men’s is at 4.40pm.
You can keep up-to-date with all of the latest news, results and information from the 2013 X-Blades National Touch League in the following ways:
Websites
Social Media
Facebook – www.facebook.com/touchfootballaustralia
Twitter – www.twitter.com/touchfootyaus (be sure to use the hashtag #NTL2013)
Instagram – search for ‘Touch Football Australia’
YouTube - www.youtube.com/touchfootballaus
Touch Football Australia will be streaming matches live on their YouTube page.
- Links:
Elite Eight day three
