3 days ago
Topp win spices up predictions
Central Otago lock Dean Sinnamon beats South Otago defender Sam Stratford to score a try during the Topp Cup game in Alexandra on Saturday. PHOTO: RICHARD JONES
With the top three teams playing the bottom three, the outcome of tomorrow's encounters in the Central Otago premier club competition appear easy to forecast.
Front-runners Upper Clutha will tackle Cromwell at Anderson Park, having beaten them 59-28 in the first round; Wakatipu will tangle with Matakanui Combined at Queenstown, after winning their first clash 45-21; and Alexandra will host Arrowtown at Molyneux Park, having beaten them 32-21 two months ago.
While all that makes for predictable forecasting, spice has been added to the competition following the thrilling Topp Cup victory by Central Region at Alexandra last weekend.
Intriguingly, the Central starting 15 included only two players from Upper Clutha, who won the Central Otago title in 2024 and who have lost only five of their last 45 contests.
The Upper Clutha representatives in the starting 15 were No 8 Jake Burtenshaw, who contributed mightily to Central's 41-38 victory, and hooker Scott Cunningham.
Their colleagues were five players from Wakatipu, four from Alexandra, two from Matakanui Combined and one each from Maniototo and Cromwell.
Even on the reserves bench Upper Clutha were outnumbered, having just one representative there, centre Oliver Stirling, alongside three players from Cromwell, two from Wakatipu and one each from Arrowtown and Alexandra.
Adding additional punch to tomorrow's game at the Queenstown Recreation Ground is the presence of Dean Sinnamon, who romped off with the Topp Cup man of the match award after scoring three tries and dominating in the lineout.
He is, by the way, Central's leading try-scorer this season, with seven touchdowns from as many matches, an amazing statistic given his team is bottom of the competition.
Matakanui Combined are coming off a handsome victory, 42-24 against Arrowtown, their first win since 2023.
It is unlikely they will seriously trouble high-flying Wakatipu, given the magical touches and extreme pace demonstrated by players such as Rube Peina, Jamie Natapu and Conor Hamlin in the Topp Cup, but expect Matakanui Combined to be competitive in the scrums and lineouts .. . and see if Wakatipu can stop Sinnamon scoring a try (as they did in the first round).
