THE Macquarie Scorpions start the rugby league season this Saturday in a curtain-raiser to the Newcastle Knights’ Intrust Super Premiership match in Toronto.
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The Scorpions will play a trial match against Central Coast club, Kincumber, at 1.30pm, before the Knights take on Wentworthville Magpies at 3pm.
The football, at Lyall Peacock Field, will start at 9.30am with lower grade trials and a women’s league tag match.
“It will be a big day for the Scorpions and their supporters,” Macquarie’s football secretary Steve Woodbridge said.
“Wentworthville is the feeder club for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League so there will be a number of Parramatta players on show,” he said.
Macquarie coach Adam Bettridge said he was disappointed the trials against Kincumber had been called off last weekend, but the weather made it impossible to get on the ground.
“By playing the games this Saturday it will only give us a short break for the first grade squad before we take on Blacktown in the NSW Challenge Cup on the following Wednesday night,” Bettridge said.
“But all the players are looking forward to the hit-out on Saturday against Kincumber as everyone has trained hard in the pre-season and are now just looking forward to getting on the park.”
Bettridge said that he was really focusing on the inaugural NSW Challenge Cup match against Blacktown, to be played at Lyall Peacock Field, at 7pm, on Wednesday, March 29.
The winner of that match will progress to the second round at Leichhardt Oval in two weeks. And the winners of those semi-finals progress to the final which will be played at Mudgee, as a curtain-raiser before the City versus Country clash, on Sunday, May 7.
“We really don’t know what to expect from Blacktown but we will be ready to do our best as it is a great achievement for the players, club and the local community to be involved in a competition of this nature and to play at Mudgee in front of a packed ground will be something special,” Bettridge said.
Macquarie’s game against Blacktown on Wednesday night will be preceded by junior games featuring West Wallsend, Macquarie United, South Lakes and Wangi Wangi.