The VB NSW Cup finals begin this weekend – and, in a competition first, every playoff match will be screened live to fans via Fox Sports and Sky Sport NZ broadcasts or through online streaming at nswrl.com.au.
This weekend, in Finals Week One, Saturday’s Newcastle-Wentworthville clash will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Sky Sport NZ while Sunday’s triple header will be streamed via nswrl.com.au, giving supporters from across Australia, in New Zealand and around the world the opportunity to watch all the VB NSW Cup action as it unfolds.
All four of this weekend’s VB NSW Cup finals matches are to be played at Leichhardt Oval, with a triple header involving Penrith, Illawarra, Mounties, the Warriors, Wests Tigers and Wyong scheduled for Sunday. The Panthers enter the finals series as red-hot title favourites following a terrific regular season that saw them claim the minor premiership, win 20 of 24 matches and finish 10 competition points clear of their closest rivals, Newcastle and Wentworthville.
The first clash of the weekend, kicking off at Leichhardt at 12.40pm on Saturday, pits the second-ranked Knights against third-ranked Wentworthville. Led by Matt Hilder and with a squad featuring in-form fullback Nathan Ross as well as the likes of Michael Dobson, Clint Newton and Pat Mata’utia, the Knights will be hard to stop. The Magpies, however, won’t be pushovers, particularly with a roster featuring Justin Hunt, Luke Kelly, Pauli Pauli and Ben Jones.
Sunday’s triple treat of VB NSW Cup finals action kicks off at 12pm with top-ranked Penrith clashing with the fourth-placed Cutters. The Panthers possess a line-up brimming with NRL experience and undoubted potential including Kevin and Wes Naiqama, Waqa Blake, Nathan Smith, Eto Nabuli and Luke Capewell. The Cutters, however, also have a host of stars in their side including the likes of Adam Quinlan, Geoff Daniela, Jack Stockwell and Nathan Green.
At 2pm the Terry Campese-led Mounties meet the Warriors in a do-or-die finals match while the other elimination final, between the Wests Tigers and Wyong, kicks off at 4pm. The final two matches in Sunday’s triple header features a range of rising stars and former internationals including Campese, Warriors hooker and Kiwi representative Siliva Havili, Wests Tigers forwards James Gavet and Jack Buchanan and former NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroo front-rower Mark O’Meley, who will line-up for the Roos.
The 2014 finals series for both the Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield competitions also begin this weekend. First-ranked Wentworthville and second-ranked Mounties are the teams to beat in the Ron Massey Cup while in the Sydney Shield the rest of the field is chasing the in-form Peninsula Seagulls, who have won 21 of 22 matches through the regular season. Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield triple headers have been scheduled at Lidcombe Oval and Ringrose Park on Saturday, with a double header scheduled for McCredie Park on Sunday.
Tickets are now on sale for the NSWRL Grand Final Day, featuring three grand finals – the VB NSW Cup, Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield – and lots of fun for all ages. For more details on the NSWRL Grand Final Day, held at Allianz Stadium on September 28, click here.
VB NSW CUP SCHEDULE – FINALS WEEK ONE
Newcastle Knights (2) Vs Wentworthville Magpies (3)
Leichhardt Oval, Saturday, September 6, 12.40pm
Broadcast: LIVE on Fox Sports 1 and Sky Sport NZ
Tickets: Visit NRL.com or purchase at the gate
Penrith Panthers (1) Vs Illawarra Cutters (4)
Leichhardt Oval (triple header), Sunday, September 7, 12pm
Broadcast: NSWRL live stream
Tickets: Purchase at the gate – adults $10, children $5
Mounties (5) Vs NZ Warriors (8) [ELIMINATION FINAL]
Leichhardt Oval (triple header), Sunday, September 7, 2pm
Broadcast: NSWRL live stream
Tickets: Purchase at the gate – adults $10, children $5
Wests Tigers (6) Vs Wyong Roos (7) [ELIMINATION FINAL]
Leichhardt Oval (triple header), Sunday, September 7, 4pm
Broadcast: NSWRL live stream
Tickets: Purchase at the gate – adults $10, children $5
For further information on the VB NSW Cup, Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield finals schedule click here.