Harden speedster Riley Manwaring.

The annual meeting between the George Tooke Shield and Woodbridge Cup representative teams will take place in Harden on Saturday.

There will be an excellent local representation in both teams. McLean Oval has some of the best facilities in the district and it will play host again to what will be exceptional matches based on previous clashes. Kicking off a big afternoon of Rugby League, the League-Tag fixture will see seven Harden women in the side. Harden will again dominate the squad due to their success over the last 5 years and the talent in the Hawkettes team.

Players include, Clare Smith, Marylou Minehan, Georgia Smith, Chloe Muggleton, Emma James (captain), Eliza Butt, and Grace Smith. Two Harden players will take the field in the men’s tackle game, with young gun Joie Whybrow named at centre, while Riley Manwaring was named on the bench. Patty Smith was named, but he has since been ruled out. “It should be a really good day,” Harden Hawks President Jason Pollard said.

“There should be two good games, and plenty of locals will be in the mix.” Pollard, who also coaches the George Tooke Shield League-Tag representative team, believes his girls can make it three wins on the trot in the annual fixture.

“We’ve done it the last couple of years and won pretty comprehensively both times,” Pollard said.

“The Woodbridge Cup has a few more sides in it this year, so it should strengthen their side, and it will be good to line up against them.

“Still, we have a good team, and there is no reason we can’t win again.”

Bungendore coach Jack Bramley will lead the George Tooke Shield men’s team, with Harden coach Nic Hall assisting him, and they will call on a solid squad.

“We only had two blokes that were away, and a few of the Coota boys have a farewell, meaning they couldn’t be picked, but everyone I asked was pretty pumped,” Bramley said.

It’s always a testing fixture, and Bramley expects nothing different on Saturday.

“I played in the first year, and we only won by two with a stacked team, and we drew with them last year, and we really want to get the win this year,” “Everyone is pretty well ready to have a red-hot crack, but it will be a tough game.”

The George Tooke Shield side boasts a very big middle, and they will look to bully the Woodbridge Cup team into submission. “The way I like to coach and play is picking a strong middle, which is what we have done,” Bramley said.

“We’ll play through the middle early, build pressure, and points will come off pressure, and hopefully, in that last 15 to 20 (minutes), we can play good footy and put them away.”

Bramley is imploring locals to get down for what should be a good day of Country Rugby League.

“The two years I’ve been involved, the games have been everything you’d expect.”

For the full story purchase this week’s edition of the Twin Town Times.