In the final round of the regular season, Queanbeyan Whites take on the Tuggeranong Vikings at Campese Oval on Saturday (Kick-off at 3:05 pm) for the home team to keep their finals hopes alive.
Having lost in the last round against Wests Lions 46-38, the Whites now sit just four points ahead of last week’s opponents.
Facing the Vikings, who are coming off a 32-26 win over Uni-Norths in Round 16, the Whites (who have not won since early June) need a victory to cement their position in the top four.
Whites second row, Josh Townsend, returns to action this weekend and is excited about the must-win clash.
“Mathematically, there are a few options for us to get through, but we’re going out there to win,” Townsend said.
“It’s Queanbeyan against Tuggeranong; it’s a massive game of the year so we’re looking to come out on top.”
“Defensively we need to be better. We need to focus on ourselves and really nail our individual jobs. If we can do that, I think we’ll have some success.”
Vikings who are currently sitting second on the ladder need a win to maintain their position and avoid a third-place finish, which would put them in a “must win” position come finals time.
Having strung together strong wins before their Round 14 bye, the Vikings now face a Whites side bolstered by Brumbies, Tuaina Taii Tualima and Hudson Creighton.
Vikings playmaker Louis Bartley-Saena misses this round, picking up a red card in the last round with Oscar Shaw returning to the fly-half position for the team. He missed last week’s game due to a head knock in the previous round against Royals.
A consistent performer for the Vikings, Atora Hondo managed to nab himself a try in Round 16 against Uni Norths. In the previous round against Royals, he showcased his defensive skillset preventing a storming Liam Bowron from scoring off the back of a maul with remarkable effort.
Despite losing to Wests in Round 16, Hudson was one of the standout players for the Whites with numerous line breaks, including one that eventually led to an Andrew McFarlane try. He was also the only Whites player to cross the try line in their 25-13 loss to the Gungahlin Eagles the weekend before.
