“Super Saturday” will bring together the Dolphins against the Bulls in a 3pm clash with the third-placed Manning River Ratz playing the fourth-placed Myall Coast Mudcrabs in the sudden-death minor semi-final as the 1pm curtain-raiser.

It was bad enough the Dolphins losing MNC Axeman representative, Jesse Logan (knee cartilage), after his three-try performance against Old Bar last month, but now the Dolphins are without hard-running utility player, Rob Avard, with a badly sprained ankle from the 38-14 defeat of the Bulls last weekend.

Logan is attempting to make himself available for the season’s final fortnight of rugby, but Avard’s injury is sufficiently serious to suggest it will end his season – perhaps his career.

Quick-moving Zac Palmer will occupy Avard’s position on the wing where he scored the Dolphins’ first try against the Bulls at Nabiac and it is anticipated speedster Jack Nicholson will again make the journey from Sydney to take his place on the wing.

The Dolphins’ scrum was an important part of the club’s win over the Bulls, strong-tackling hooker Scott Walmsley having experienced props beside him in Ben Manning and Gavin Maberly-Smith to counter the Bulls’ trio of hooker Dan Sawyer and props Aaron Gordon and Paul De Szell.

As always, the Dolphins have 1000 point goal-kicking machine, Lee Crozier, the invaluable loose-head coming off the bench later in the game.

At this critical stage of season, player-depth is crucial, making the club fortunate to have acquired Central West under 19 representative hooker, Jeremy Innes, with four-times premiership hooker James Clarke back after almost severing his thumb in a workplace accident.

Likewise, long-passing halfback, Liam Brady, has returned from injury where his combination with five-eighth Matt Nuku was crucial against the Bulls.

Nuku’s variation and distance of kicks strained Wallamba’s stamina, allowing his backs more space as they ran in three tries in the second half for what was an impressive but never comfortable victory.

The Bulls have developed a splendid, well-balanced team this year, gaining a husky lock in Chris Pfeiffer to partner Saul Clough with No 8 Dan Aldridge forming a vigorous, hungry back row with the Hessing brothers, Daniel and Rhys, products of the Forster Tuncurry club.

Kurt Forester’s move to outside-centre to partner the fleet-footed Mark Hagarty was where the Dolphins have benefited significantly, his physicality being important in midfield against the Bulls’ pair of James Dinnan and Lee McDonald.

It will be a tough, engrossing game again with the victors advancing to the grand final tomorrow fortnight. 

In the early game, Myall Coast have endured a difficult season, the recent acquisition of a new coach in Russell Gunn, after 40 years’ involvement with Eastwood club in Sydney, perhaps coming too late to save the club’s fortunes.

Skipper Ashley Rushby has been a strong performer at No 8 with Nathan Colver the heart and soul of the team at five-eighth, Chris Sando a consistent halfback and Trent Page an enterprising fullback.

But a lack of numbers has told against the club, premiers as recently as 2012, and the strength of Manning River’s pack will surely see them advance to the preliminary final tomorrow week.

NB: An admission fee of $5 per adult will be charged at the gate. Children free.