A FASCINATING straw poll surfaced in the dismay at the Exchange Hotel in Taree while the Manning River Ratz had season-ending drinks after their preliminary final rugby union elimination by the Gloucester Cockies last weekend - and the minor premiers slept no more peacefully for it.
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On discussing the merits and mediocrities of tomorrow's grand finalists, one speaker surveyed the cans before them and summed up the evidence by pronouncing: "The Cockies are heaps better than the Dolphins. They'll win."
The Cockies are certainly up to their necks in this premiership. They are tough, they are hungry - never having won a premiership previously - they are well drilled by the club's new coach Steve Parkin, and they have a fine blend of age and experience, youth and adventure.
The facts remain that the Cockies have engaged wits and muscle on two occasions this winter with the minor premiers, the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins, and have lost both, 24-10 and 33-31. Their only other defeat came in an early-season encounter when the Ratz won, 27-15, at Taree Rugby Park.
The teams for the grand final are so well matched that it could boil down to the penalties awarded by referee Michael Tonks, a splendidly judicious official flown across borders for impartiality. Both the Dolphins' Lee Crozier and the Cockies' Michael Wooster are champion goal kickers.
The Cockies have been coming to a climax for a long time, especially so this season. Skipper Chris Marchant and backrower Jamie Andrews have all the wisdom of the ranges buried in them.
Once they snare the ball, claim a penalty, drive it into the corner and milk a lineout, they are almost impossible to stop from rolling over for the try. Four of their tries in their loss to Crozier's goal at Tuncurry came via this method.
Wooster's a dab hand, too. Six conversions from his team's six tries and a penalty goal in last Saturday's defeat of the Ratz, and not a miss, was evidence of that.
The Dolphins are not gloating about their record in the Brokenwood Wines Lower Mid North Coast competition. The last two premierships and four of the eight seasons' trophies on the mantelpiece speak for themselves.
Skipper Matt Nuku directs operations superbly from five-eighth with smart service from half Liam Brady and talented centre pairing, Mark Hagarty and Tom Harris, to the dangerous trio at the back, Kurt Forester, Jack Nicholson and Jesse Logan.
Local development officer and assistant referee, Graham Sonter, has observed that Gloucester are now benefiting from involvement in the Coast to Country Cup at under 14 and 16 levels with local lads in Ryan Yates, Ethan Hamilton, Ryan Hennessy and Ken Wamsley all involved in tomorrow's grand final.
The home ground advantage is important.
There will be nothing between the scrums of Troy Haines (Dolphins) and Luke Tresidder (Cockies), fine lineout jumpers in Jack Woods and Lukas Dellsperger, and a fierce battle at the breakdown.
If the Dolphins nip the rolling maul in the bud, they will win the cup.
Grand finals can be an anti climax, but this is shaping as the best for years.
The writer is tipping a bruising Dolphins win...but he would. He's the club's publicity officer.
