TFSA League Minor Round Wrap Up 2023

The TFSA League minor round finishes tonight and there is plenty to play for across all three divisions before the finals.

In the Mixed grade, the Eastern Stingrays and the Northern Vipers are fighting for a spot in the semi-final. The top three was seemingly decided at the halfway point, but since then the Stingrays have gone on a four-game losing streak while the Vipers have fought back into contention with a strong win against the Stingrays last week, supplemented by a South West Wolves forfeit in round six.

It has been a tough season for the Stingrays, having struggled to replace the many 2022 premiership players who have been promoted to the Men’s team, but with a strong core group of players have an opportunity to consolidate a play-off spot against the Wolves with a strong performance tonight. The Vipers have improved every week this year but do need an upset victory in the final round against the Wolves and have the Stingrays lose if they are to continue their season.

At the top of the table, it is hard to split the Wolves and the Central Scorpions. The Scorpions are ahead and will take out the Minor Premiership and head straight into the December 9 grand final, however two of the three meetings between the Wolves and Scorpions have been draws.  The Scorpions will be looking at their 9-3 round three win, where they halted the dominant midfield drive of the Wolves as the blueprint to success should they meet them again in the final.

The Scorpions are dominating the Men’s competition, undefeated and three games clear heading into the final round. The Scorpions average nearly 12 try’s a game, including 20 against the Wolves in round eight, and have a winning margin of over seven. Which team they face in the grand final is still up for grabs, the Northern Vipers having looked the best of the remaining teams. It has been a tough year for the Stingrays as they rebuild after losing upward of six players from last season’s pennant team, while the Wolves have shown strong signs of improvement and have been competitive in many matches but are still facing another winless season.

The Vipers were within one of the Scorpions in round 5 and were in touch before finally going down by three last Sunday at Waite Oval. They will be confident of victory against the Stingrays in the semi-final to lead into a grand final showdown at University Oval. The Stingrays will also be confident of their chances with the return of some key players for next weeks game.

The last round of the Women’s competition is a battle for the minor premiership and direct entry into the grand final. The Wolves and the Stingrays sit level on 26 points, the Wolves in the box seat with a five try better differential ahead of their match against the winless Northern Vipers. The Stingrays are up against the Scorpions in a game significant for two reasons. A big enough win or a win with a Wolves loss will see them into the grand final, but this game also allows them to gain some confidence against their likely semi-final opponents.  For the Scorpions it is a chance to show they can match it with the top teams, with their only victories this season coming against the winless Vipers.

Round 9 gets underway at 6:30pm tonight, with the semi-finals and finals taking place next weekend.