After last week’s washout, the Harrigan Cup resumes this weekend, with Western Suburbs set to host the undefeated Collegians in Round 6 action on Saturday at Sid Parrish Park.
The defending champions will be looking for redemption after their narrow 28–26 loss to the table-toppers in a wet opening round.
Devils head coach Peter McLeod acknowledged that Collegians came out the stronger side in the opening round, despite the tough conditions.
“It was a close game last time,” McLeod said.
“The conditions were difficult, and Collegians managed it a lot better than us — they got the win there in the last couple of minutes.
Whenever we play against Collegians, it’s always a good game.”
Quality Contest
Ahead of this weekend’s clash, McLeod was full of praise for the opposition, recognising the quality Collegians bring to the contest.
“Collegians are a strong side,” he said.
“They’ve got good players all over the park. Their forward pack is strong, and their halves have been playing well, so we’ll need to do our best to contain them through the middle of the field.”
McLeod acknowledged the steady improvement his team has made since Round 1 and the eagerness to return after missing out last week.
“We’ve been going well — we seem to be improving every week, which we’re happy about,” he said.
“We’ll keep trying to get better. We’ll have to be good this weekend to get the win.”
Testing Times
Injuries have tested the squad’s depth but McLeod is confident his charges will put on a good display in front of their home crowd.
“We’ve got a pretty big squad; we’ve used 23 or 24 players so far this year. A couple are coming back from injury, and a few are still nursing knocks. But we’ll put a competitive team on the field.”
“Whenever Wests play Collies — in any grade — we’re neighbours, there’s just a fence between the two grounds, it’s always going to be a good game.”
Match Centre
Serving as head coach for seven years, the club stalwart has led the team to two premiership titles — the first in 2018 and the most recent in 2024.
“I’ve been coaching at Wests for a long time,” he said.
“I started out in the lower grades while I was still playing here.
I was given the opportunity to coach first grade in 2018, and I’ve had some really good players come through over the past seven years — some of them are still going around.”
Vetenibua-Finnerty’s Try-Feast
Leading the charge on the field for Collegians is Phoenix Vetenibua-Finnerty (pictured), the competition’s top try scorer, who has been in sensational form this season, with eight tries in just four games.
Vetenibua-Finnerty’s impressive tally includes a hat-trick against Collies in the season opener and four in the the 54-10 win over Corrimal in Round 3.
“I wasn’t really expecting to be the top try scorer this early on in the season,” he admitted.
“But the team backs me up well, and we all work together. There’s no pulling of legs — everyone’s pushing each other to be better.”
Tough Loss
Reflecting on the close loss to Collegians earlier in the season, the star secondrower says it’s been a motivating factor in the team’s three-match winning streak.
“It was a tough game — we lost by just two points. It’s been a big focus for us ever since. The team’s been working hard to improve each week, and the loss really lit a fire under us.”
The Devils junior is proud of his long-standing connection with the club.
“I’ve been with Wests since I was 14. I started playing junior footy here and eventually worked my way up through the grades.
I was part of the squad when we won the premiership in 2018 and then again last year.”
Looking back on last year’s championship, the dual-premiership winner acknowledged the pressure that comes with defending a title.
“Yeah, there’s definitely pressure to perform well, especially after winning the grand final last year. But we take it one game at a time and focus on improving.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s rematch with Collegians, Vetenibua-Finnerty stressed the importance of fine-tuning the little things.
“It was a very narrow loss last time. If we can improve on the small details, we’ll be in a good position to get the win.”
In the remaining Round 6 fixtures, Dapto are at home to Corrimal and Thirroul host De La Salle at Gibson Park.
Words | Angelina Raula