The East Coast Eagles and the South Pacific Raiders secured their spots in the Otago grand final with well deserved wins in Saturday's semifinals.
The Eagles were first to secure their berth in the final by beating a strong Kia Toa Tigers side 32-16.
The game was played in good conditions, which allowed the Eagles to play their attacking brand of football. As usual, though, the Kia Toa men made their physical presence felt.
Captain Shane Unahi led from the front with strong defence and aggressive running, and was supported by Koben Katipa and Hagan Free, who were dominant through the middle of the field.
Apii Taia utilised his pace and skill to trouble the Eagles at times throughout the match.
The Eagles' defence worked hard, with Kail Spooner and Sam Johnston combining to shut down the middle of the field with impressive tackling.
Tipene Wairepo was a standout, working hard for the full 80 minutes, showing great skill in defence and running the ball strongly.
Hyrum Martin directed play nicely, ensuring his backline made plenty of metres, and the Eagles' strong attack from all parts of the field in the second half made the difference.
In the other semifinal, the Raiders booked their spot in a second straight final with a dominant 40 8 win over the Cowboys.
The Raiders produced another emphatic performance, and their results in recent weeks show why they have been comfortably positioned at the top of the table.
Their forward pack, led by prop Sam Brame, gained ascendancy in the early stages of the match, providing a platform for their innovative backs to launch. And launch they did, relentlessly attacking the Cowboys line.
Hooker Isaac Misky backed up a great performance from last weekend with another display of devastating footwork and agility, busting through the Cowboys' defensive line repeatedly.
The Cowboys were resilient and never stopped competing, even though they were playing with only 13 men due to injuries.
Despite the difficult task they had they did not concede defeat, even after the Raiders got well ahead.
Junior Toperea and Tuki Hiko shouldered the extra workload and had strong showings for the Cowboys. Experienced captain Nathan Anderson helped keep the Cowboys fighting, and Billy Cooper had a fine game in both defence and attack.
The Raiders simply had the upper hand for the whole game, scoring points regularly.
The grand final between the Eagles and the Raiders will be played at 3pm on Saturday at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
By Ricki Allan.
