CSU Mungals take on Canowindra Tigers in Woodbridge Cup league tag elimination final

The team travels to take on the Canowindra Tigers in this Sunday's Woodbridge Cup league tag elimination final, hoping it can mark the start of a magical finals run.

Pippa Honan, Lily Bannan and Aly Cranston are all first year players for the Mungals who have had a major role in getting the club back into the finals for the second season running.

It's the camaraderie both on and off the field that Honan believes has played a big part in getting the squad inside the top eight.

"It's very exciting to represent both our team and the men's side," she said.

"We've been super positive as a team all year and I'm so happy that we've been able to make it to finals. Hopefully we can keep that going and we can progress further."

The Mungoes men came up just two points shy of a top eight spot in their competition while the Mungals managed to stay one point clear of the Peak Hill Roosters in a great battle for the last finals spot.

But just because the Mungals scraped into the top eight doesn't mean that they're incapable of a miracle run through the finals series.

The CSU women showed their credentials with a recent win over defending champions and second-placed Manildra Rhinos and in the week before they got within a converted try of another leading title contender, Orange United.

The Mungals were thumped 56-6 by the Tigers when they last came together back in June.

There's been a lot of time and plenty of games that have passed between then and now, and CSU have confidence that this weekend's contest will be a far more competitive affair.

"We unfortunately lost that last game against Canowindra but we did come out pretty slow in that one," Cranston said.

"We are sometimes a slower team in the first half, but we came out in the second half and played much better, so I think we'll go okay and we'll definitely show them what we're made of.

"We feel like we're a bit of an underdog and I'm sure a lot of the teams are thinking that we can't do it, but I'm sure that we can."

Just five points ended up separating CSU from Manildra on the final ladder in what's been a competitive tag season, while minor premiers Condobolin Rams enter the finals as the team to beat.

CSU's record of sevens wins, a draw and six losses summarises the rollercoaster season they've been through.

Now they're keen to keep climbing when it matters most.

"We've had some highs and lows but we've all stuck together as a team," Bannan said.

"We've always kept our positivity up and that's what I feel separates us from a lot of other teams."

The match at Tom Clyburn Oval kicks-off at triple header of games at the venue from 11.20am.

Two qualifying finals then follow, the first being league tag between the Rams and Cargo Blue Heelers at 12.40pm and the men's clash between the Tigers and Rams at 2pm.

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