Manildra Rhinos will get a shot at redemption following their Woodbridge Cup league tag preliminary final win against Condobolin Rams.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Rhinos beat Rams 14-0 to make a second grand final in a row after their 18-14 loss to Grenfell Goannas in the 2022 decider.
The match was played in warm conditions at Canowindra's Tom Clyburn Oval with both teams tiring in what was a scoreless second half.
Manildra halfback Molly Hoswell said last year's result had fuelled the team for the past 12 months.
![Manildra halfback Molly Hoswell looks for space in the Condobolin Rams' defensive line. Picture by Carla Freedman Manildra halfback Molly Hoswell looks for space in the Condobolin Rams' defensive line. Picture by Carla Freedman](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131358433/ceb62ff7-c576-4e6e-adda-0c57ca30dd0b.JPG/r0_0_6001_4161_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It feels pretty good, having a home grand final is something we've always imagined," she said.
"Last year we were a bit disappointed with ourselves but we knew we had to work even harder if we wanted to be in it again.
"It's pretty exciting."
The Rhinettes dominated the first half, throwing the ball around with confidence as they stretched the Rams' defence on both sides.
Tries to Hoswell, Jordyn Wright and Maddi Caughlan set up a 14-0 lead before Condobolin were able to re-group at the half-time break.
But try as they might they couldn't break Manildra's defensive line.
"These girls have been the benchmark all year and beat us at home so we had to really dig deep to beat them today," Hoswell said.
"We are really pumped with ourselves.
"They got into a groove in the second half and it was a lot harder for us to get through them.
"They did well to hold us out for the whole second half."
The league tag side will be just one half of the Manildra coin on Sunday with the first grade side also qualifying for the grand final after a 22-10 win against Canowindra Tigers.
Hoswell said her side needed to stick together in order to beat Cargo Blue Heelers who flexed their muscles with a 20-14 win against Molong Bulls.
"We've made our fans proud so hopefully we can get the job done next week," she said.
"We have to stick together and play as a team. Cargo are going to be hard to beat."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.