Rivals meet in final a third time
If there is one thing Citizens Shield finalists' coaches can agree on, it is that it is never easy to qualify for the North Otago final.
The third instalment of the Excelsior v Valley finals rivalry is set to play out at the A&P Showgrounds tomorrow.
Valley came back to win by three points in the 2023 final, and Blues snatched their first trophy since 1997 with a one-point win in the final last year.
Who wins tomorrow is anyone's guess. Blues have won twice against the Weston side this year — including the major playoff, which gave them the week off last week — while Valley took the spoils in the second round.
Blues coach Jason Forrest said his troops were looking forward to another final.
"They're bloody hard to make," Forrest said.
"Club rugby's been really good this year. To get to where we've got to again, it's just full credit to our club and our players.
"Ready for another hell of a battle against Valley for the third year in a row."
Excelsior's success came down to player continuity, club camaraderie and a big buy-in from their Fijian community as a whole, not just the players, he said.
"Just keeping things simple. We haven't tried to over-complicate things in how we're playing.
"It's club rugby. Some of them want to obviously progress into higher honours, but some of them just want to play club footy and have some fun.
"Just not restricting them in what they do and having some fun — going out there, and expressing themselves ... it's got us to where we've got to."
Blues will be without long-serving Englishman Josh Phipps, who headed overseas after their semifinal.
He had one of his best seasons in the club jersey and was the competition's top scorer, and would be sorely missed.
Valley came from behind to beat Old Boys in their semifinal last week. They trailed 17-13, but scored in the dying minutes to score a 20-17 victory and make another final.
"We were a wee bit lucky last week with the win on ... fulltime," coach Barry Matthews said.
"The boys are stoked to be in another final. To win one, you've got to be in one."
Valley have always been known for their stalwart spine driving them, and have been one of the form teams in recent years.
But Matthews credited a blend of youth and experience — "we had 11 guys playing their first game at the start of the year" — for getting them back to the final.
"They've built a good culture. We haven't got too many stars in the team, but they do play really well together as a unit, and that's been a big improver throughout the season."
"It's been a very tight competition. Any one of the four teams that were in the semifinals could have won it, to be fair."
Old Boys meet Kurow in the president's grade final as the curtain-raiser.
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Otago Daily Times
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