Decimated by injuries over recent weeks, Boorowa began the match with just two players on the bench which meant the forward pack was in for another long day. Led by the two Power props, Alex Stewart and Ben Potts, Boorowa's forwards were outstanding, dominating the more sizeable Hawks forwards and allowing a slick looking Boorowa backline to do the rest in a five tries to two romp.

Early in the match, Harden had all the running and scored the first try after just six minutes to take a 6-0. Harden had a glut of possession in the first quarter of the game and it was only some desperate Boorowa defence that managed to keep the margin at just a converted try.

Both sides were locked in an arm wrestle until the Rovers replied with a try to fullback Austin Power. The weight of possession began to turn towards the Rovers and with the big Harden pack beginning to look tired late in the half, Boorowa scored again, this time through winger Trent Crawford who planted the ball just inside the left-hand corner post. Boorowa took the momentum and a 10-6 lead into the break.

The game began to open early in the second half with Boorowa going further ahead by 16-6 through a try to new recruit Will Stanley who is a welcome injection into the Rovers line up. Just three minutes later, Boorowa went further ahead when Brady Halls steamed onto a nice pass to score out wide and a great conversion by Andrew Burns saw the lead extended to 22-6 and a three try buffer.

Just when the loyal Boorowa fans were beginning to prepare for next week's semi's, Harden put the celebrations on hold with a converted try of their own to reduce the lead to ten points with 23 long minutes still to play.

The Rovers were down to just one player on the bench with Jack Hinds suffering a suspected shoulder injury. But Boorowa dug deep and produced an outstanding display of defence in the later part of the game.

It was the Boorowa forwards who were finishing all over their bigger Harden rivals whilst the backs also shut down any Harden onslaughts for the rest of the match. Harden pressed the Boorowa line late in the half before two relieving penalties to Boorowa saw them able to set up the match winning try when Trent Crawford raced over out wide. Burns converted and the Rovers were heading to the finals.

Every player contributed to a gutsy win. Chris Mason, who is now one of the more experienced campaigners in the team was excellent at hooker whilst Jayden Cutting produced a controlled kicking game at crucial times. Nick Stephens was devasting in defence as were his backline team mates. Ben Potts got the three points and players player, Alex Stewart the two points and one point went to Chris Mason and Austin Power.

Other major results from last weekend saw Binalong's semi-final dream come to an end when they went down 25-12 to Bungendore whilst Crookwell sealed Binalong's fate when they snuck into fifth spot with a 40-18 win over UC Grizzlies.

Meanwhile the Roverettes have narrowly missed out on a semi finals birth after they come up against a white-hot Harden Hawkettes outfit. The Hawkettes are undefeated having conceded just one try in thirteen games and scoring more than 50 points on most occasions. Trailing 32-0 at halftime it would have been easy for the Roverettes to wave the white flag but showing the character that they have had all year, they tried their hearts out to the very end conceding just 16 points in the second half for a 48-0 score line. It's fair to say, Harden are very short odds to take the title. Mackella Pye was again outstanding on Saturday to get three points, Katie Merriman got two points whilst Amanda Noakes got one point. Coach Graham Murray explained after the match how he was very thankful for the outstanding effort the girls put in and that he hoped they start next season with the same commitment as this one. The girls should be very proud of their efforts.

Sunday will see the Rovers host Crookwell in the elimination final with the loser beginning their end of season festivities and the winner staying alive for at least another week. This game will be a cracker. Crookwell are the defending champions and won't go quietly into the night whilst the Rovers have proven they can match it with any side in the competition and if anything, are more battled hardened than any other side going around. The huge injury toll is a concern for the locals how ever they may have a couple of previous casualties returning this week. Home ground advantage will be massive for Boorowa and on the back of the hometown support the Rovers should just get the job done. The crowd advantage was tremendous in Harden last week and can't be underestimated. Boorowa by 4.

In the major semi-final, Bungendore will play Harden for the right to play North Canberra in a grand final qualifier. Harden appear to be running on fumes at the moment and the tip is for Bungendore to win this one. Bungendore by 6.

Last weekend was made even better when news filtered through that the Harden/Boorowa under 16s had won their way through to the Grand Final after a 28-18 win over the more fancied Queanbeyan Blues on Friday night. This team had taken all before them this season and thoroughly deserves to be in the decider next week. More details to follow regarding the grand final venue.

It will be a massive day on Sunday (note the change of day), with three minor semis' to be played. The action begins at 10.45 when North Canberra take on Crookwell in the under 19s. The league Tag semi final at 12.20pm will see the Bungendore Tigerettes take on the UC Grizzlies whilst the George Tooke Shield between the Boorowa Rovers and Crookwell Green Devils will commence at 1.45pm. The earlier games should be entertaining so why not make a day of it with full canteen facilities available.

It's fantastic to see Sunday Semi Final football taking place at our new facility and even better to see our local side involved. With fine weather predicted, what better way to spend a late winters Sunday arvo, than watching your own Boorowa league team continue their quest for Premiership glory. It may well be the crowd support which gets our boys through to week two of the finals. See you at the footy.

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