The RugbyWA 2024 Semi Finals kick off this Saturday.
The top teams from across the age groups and grades will battle it out this weekend to secure their places in next week’s Grand Final, hosted by Kalamunda Districts Rugby Union Club.
In the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade, the top four sides are set to battle it out for their place in the Grand Final next Saturday.
Semi Final 1 – Kalamunda Kweenz v. Palmyra
Last season’s Premiers, the Kalamunda Kweenz are set to take on Palmyra this weekend in the Semi Finals.
Kalamunda Kweenz has seen a strong 2024 season, heading into Semi Finals with twelve wins and three losses under their belt, only having lost this season to top side, Wanneroo Divaz. For Palmyra, they have seven wins, one draw and six losses as they come up against the Kweenz. The last time the two sides met was in Round 11, where Kalamunda saw a 22-13 victory over Palmyra.
In their last match of the season, Palmyra suffered a 4-point loss to Wanneroo, finishing the match 8-12 at home. In a close match, Palmyra’s try was scored by Isis Thompson (24’), with a penalty goal from Kendra Fell (60’). For Wanneroo, tries were scored by Anneka Stephens and Lucy Lockhart, who also completed a conversion.
Having reentered the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade at the beginning of the 2024 season, Head Coach Tony Berson shares the team is thrilled to make it to the Semi Finals.
“After our first year back in Fortescue Womens’s Premier Grade, we set ourselves a target of making finals.”
Having met that goal, Palmyra will face their next hurdle – tackling the Kweenz.
“This weekend we know we are up for a big challenge against a very good Kalamunda side. We’ve met them three times this year and they’ve had the experience and firepower to beat us every time.”
“Our biggest challenge this week will be to deny the ball to a very good attacking team. It’s not an easy task but we are looking forward to having a crack on the day and seeing where we end up at the end of the game”
Having made it to the finals, the women’s side will join a flock of Palmyra teams competing for their chance to enter the Grand Finals next weekend. Kicking off on home soil, Berson is just looking for his team to, “enjoy the experience and do their best.”
"Every week we have been building our program, and this is another step along the way.”
Palmyra will take on Kalamunda Kweens this Saturday at Tompkins Park. Kickoff is set for 11:00AM.
Semi Final 2 – Wanneroo Divaz v. Wests Warriors
The Wanneroo Divaz will come up against Wests Warriors this Saturday, to fight for their place in the Grand Final.
After dominating the 2024 season, facing Wests Scarborough is Wanneroo’s final battle they must win to make it through to the Semi Finals. With fourteen wins and one draw in the round matches, the side has seen a triumphant season, whether or not they make it through to next Saturday.
"We are excited," Wanneroo Head Coach, Des Taurima said.
"It’s the part of the season that you want to be involved in, and it is a reward for the work that goes on in the 6 months prior to this. Also to get to this point with a relatively healthy group is a blessing and, for me, some relief. I know this time of year most groups are in ‘survival of the fittest’ mode as opposed to being able to be putting your best team out there to compete."
"We know its job not done though, and we are solely focused on the game this weekend and what we need to do to give ourselves the best chance of keeping our standards high and doing the best we can on Saturday."
The last time in the 2024 season Wanneroo came up against Wests Warriors ends with a victory for the Divaz, 21-0, in Round 9. Only having faced one additional time in the 2024 season, previous history is tilted in Wanneroo’s favour, with a 29-10 victory in Round 2 seeing the Divaz hold a clean record of wins over Wests.
Despite this, Taurima is hoping to see his players work hard as they enter the game.
"I’m still looking to see growth from all the players. We’ve been working hard on our attack, which was an area we found we could be a lot better at. If we can execute our attack, as we trained, then I will be happy. I’m hoping that the girls also play with some freedom and trust their own decision making on the field."
"They have put in the hard work, as have the coaches, and we’ve given them a framework that they can express themselves in. And always, our EAT (Effort, Attitude and Toughness) is a standard we measure ourselves by. We’ll be wanting to walk off the field knowing we did all we can in those areas. If we do that, we know we gave it our best shot."
With changes to the team, Taurima says the team still faces some big challenges.
"We have had to make some positional changes this week and that can be a little daunting. But the girls know we have every belief in them to bring themselves into those spots and to add their own unique skill and ability to it."
"Another challenge was making sure that the team has clarity in their individual and unit roles and ensuring they know what their own job is. I think we have done that really well."
"Lastly, just ensuring that collectively we enjoy the pressure of finals footy. Embracing that and creating a space where the girls know that they have the freedom to make and back their decisions. This can be a challenge with the pressure of a final... I mean this will be the last game of the season for one of the teams and that pressure can do strange things to players. But I want our girls to know that we believe in them and have all the confidence in them to go out and own what they do and have fun doing it."
For Wests Warriors, it has been a hard-fought journey to make it to finals. With seven wins and eight losses, the side has had to contend with countless injuries to make it to the knockout stages. In their final game for the 2024 regular season, a tough game saw the side lose out to Kalamunda Kweenz 26-5, with their one try scored by Grace Wilkinson. Tries for Kalamunda were scored by Mahiti Heke, Mariah Bell, Journey Kereopa and Kitana Kamizona-Heke, with conversions from Katarina Whata (2) and Libya Teepa.
Wests Warriors will take on Wanneroo Divaz this Saturday at Allen Park, with kickoff at 11:00AM.
RugbyWA 2024 Semi Finals
Tompkins Park, Palmyra
- Kalamunda Districts v. Palmyra – Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade, 11:00AM
- Palmyra v. Nedlands – Third Grade, 12:00PM
- Palmyra v. Joondalup Brothers – Belt Up Colts, 12:30PM
- Palmyra v. Nedlands – Reserve Grade, 1:20PM
- Palmyra v. Wanneroo Districts – Fourth Grade, 1:50PM
- Palmyra v. Kalamunda Districts – Fortescue Premier Grade, 3:00PM
Allen Park, Swanbourne
- Wanneroo Districts v. Wests Scarborough – Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade, 11:00AM
- Joondalup Brothers v. Wanneroo Districts – Third Grade, 12:30PM
- Wanneroo Districts v. Associates – Belt Up Colts, 12:30PM
- Southern Lions v. Cottesloe – Reserve Grade, 1:50PM
- Kalamunda Districts v. Associates – Fourth Grade, 1:50PM
- Associates v. Nedlands – Fortescue Premier Grade, 3:40PM
Meadow Springs Sporting Complex, Mandurah
- Mandurah Pirates v. Curtin Goats – Community Grade, 12:30PM
- ARKS v. Perth Irish – Championship Grade, 1:50PM
- Mandurah Pirates v. Bunbury Barbarians – Championship Grade, 3:30PM
