Hawkettes soar into the final while Hawks set to swoop on the Rovers

It was a winning weekend for Harden’s senior rugby league sides, with both the Hawks and Hawkettes advancing in the 2025 Blumers Lawyers George Tooke Shield finals series. The Harden Hawkettes booked their place in the grand final with a commanding 24-0 victory over the North Canberra Bears on Saturday, September 6, at Mick Sherd Oval. Not only did the ladies defeat the minor premiers, they have locked in their spot in the big dance in Bungendore on Saturday September 20. The girls dominated with fantastic teamwork and a strong defence with some fast passes to secure the win over the Bears. With the highest try scorer in the George Tooke Shield League Tag competition in Georgia Smith and the highest point scorers for the competition in Georgia and Emma James, the Hawkettes hit their stride just in time for finals footy against the Bears. The Hawkettes took the win against the Bears in Round three of the competition with an easy win 36-0 and then didn't face the side again until the major semi final again last weekend. Tries for the Hawkettes were shared between Georgia Smith, Olivia Doolan, Grace Smith, and Jade Emms, while Emma James was flawless with the boot, converting all four attempts. This weekend in the preliminary final the North Canberra Bears will be hosting the Crookwell Green Devils to secure a spot against the Hawkettes. Finishing second on the ladder behind North Canberra, the Hawkettes will now face the winner of the preliminary final in the season decider on Saturday, September 20, kicking off at 1:00 pm at Mick Sherd Oval. On Sunday, September 7, the Harden Hawks kept their season alive with a dominant 48-6 win over the Crookwell Green Devils at Crookwell Memorial Oval in the minor semi-final. The win was underpinned by strong performances from leading try scorers Jaydo Cutting and Drew Arabin, who sit second and third respectively on the competition’s leaderboard. Following what has been a big season for the Hawks the boys have hit their stride and will be keeping a close eye on that final spot in the big dance when they play in the preliminary final this weekend. The Hawks will now face the Boorowa Rovers in the preliminary final at Boorowa Showground on Saturday, September 13, with kick-off at 2:30 pm. The Hawks had a very successful win over the Rovers in Round 8 of the competition securing a convincing 22-10 lead, the Rovers however were looking for redemption the next time the sides met up in Round 11 and secured the win defeating the Hawks in a fairly close 32-38 game. With both sides fairly evenly matched the Hawks will be digging deep and leaving it all on the field against their local rivals. The winner will move on to challenge for the 2025 George Tooke Shield title. Both Harden sides will be aiming to carry their momentum through the coming weeks as they push for premiership glory. Locals are being encouraged to show their support for both the Hawks and Hawkettes as they continue through the finals and are invited to head down the road to the Boorowa Showground this Saturday as they fight for the shield.