The Fortescue Championship Finals will be nothing to sleep on for the Joondalup Brothers as the side faces UWA in their first ever Premier Grade final as a club.
Since entering the competition in 2015, Joondalup has gone strength to strength building into a powerhouse club, now their hard work can come to fruition with a Championship Division trophy win over UWA.
Either of these teams had the potential to be top four material this season and that shows in their inclusion in this mighty clash.
2020 has been a far cry from the 2019 season for Joondalup Brothers, who have been one of the biggest improvers in the competition.
Joondalup finished in fifth place on the ladder with nine wins and narrowly missed out on a top four finals berth.
They went undefeated for the first six rounds and were the holders of the RugbyWA Cup up until round seven when they fell to Associates at Allen Park.
Taking the competition by storm, in round 12 Joondalup caused one of the upsets of the season to beat Cottesloe in their own backyard as they claimed a famous five point win.
With a mix of youth and experience amongst their squad, Joondalup seemed to have found a nice balance in their side and it has paid dividends this season.
Captain Sheldon Tarawa has been a clear standout this year, leading his backline by example alongside young guns Clay Uyen and Porikapa Tukaki who combine to be one of the more dangerous backlines in the competition.
It was their performance early in the year that drove UWA towards the Championship Division final, winning five of their first six games.
Former Japan Sunwolves player Corey Thomas was one of the most influential players for UWA dictating the results of his matches before pulling out to focus on his next opportunity.
Luckily on-field captain this weekend Ben Taylor was able to pick up the slack in the back row combining with P.G. Hampshire winner Connor O'Sullivan to form a formidable backrow.
Speaking about the younger O’Sullivan brother, Connor has had an outstanding year dominating week in week out to put out one of the most consistent performances in the Premier Grade this year.
Linking up with his brother Rory at fly-half will be crucial to UWA’s success with their cohesion being one of the key factors in the team's potent attack.
Even though captain Harry Scoble will be absent from this final UWA head coach Alex Stajka has put together a team not worth sleeping on, taking in consideration last week’s 29-17 win over Nedlands.
Whoever wins this Championship Division final both teams can hold their heads high for the success they've built through this challenging season.
Both sides have nurtured some considerable young talent through their successful Colts programs and will definitely both be a force in years to come.
Joondalup Brother and UWA will kick-off their Championship Division Grand-Final at 2:20pm on Saturday, October 10 down at McGillivray.
The match will be live streamed on the RugbyWA Youtube page and will be followed by the Fortescue Premiership Division final at 4:20pm.
Team lists
Joondalup
Staring XV
1. Matthew De Beer, 2. Ford Hemi, 3. Jean-Pierre Mostert, 4. Maikali Rabaro, 5. Matthew Holland, 6. Koen White, 7. Ryan King, 16. Patrick Tuialii, 9. Brendan Vorster, 10. Clay Uyen, 11. Jordan Zietsman, 12. Sheldon Tarawa ©, 13. Justin Zietsman (vc), 14. Taane-nui Phillipps, 15. Porikapa Tukaki
Reserves
8. Travel Tuaputa, 18. Taine Yates, 26. Tiago Valentim, 17. Dallas Della-vedova, 19. Teorangi Thompson, 22. Glen Potoi, 23. Johann Louw 24. Connor Allen
UWA
Starting XVs
1.Luke Oosthuizen, 2. Alastair Cockman, 3. Lawrence Petrus, 4. Jack Bromley, 5. John Perrott
6. Tim Carslaw, 7. Connor O’Sullivan, 8. Ben Taylor ©, 9. Conor Hughes, 10. Rory O’Sullivan, 11. Byron Sharwood, 12. Michael Beatty, 13. Aidan Higo, 14. Oscar Anderson, 15. Keano Van Dieman
Reserves
16. D’Arcy Wilson, 17. William Siebert, 18. Samuel Christensen, 19. Timothy Wallace, 20. Zachary De Graaf, 21. Hugh O’Sullivan, 22. Kurt Penney, 23. Nicholas Wolman
