A 21st birthday party in Sydney has ended the Forster Tuncurry rugby union club's three Tongan cousins' hopes of a premiership with the Dolphins this winter.
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The trio of heavyweight forwards needed to play in the Dolphins' final minor premiership game last weekend against the Wauchope Thunder to qualify for the Kennards Hire championship play-offs. Instead, they journeyed south for the family celebrations.
As a result, to the Dolphins' dismay, the cousins, Folaha "Austin" Latu, Sofilino "Ringo" Latu and Lorenzo "Lolo" Latu, will be spectators at tomorrow's "Super Saturday" major semi-final against the Manning River Ratz at Peter Barclay Field, Tuncurry, where the four men's and women's semi-finals will be played tomorrow.
Late dispensations were sought for the players, but they were ruled ineligible. Players were required to play a minimum five minor premiership games to qualify for the semi-finals and finals.
In particular, the Dolphins will miss the young powerhouse, Austin Latu, who is as strong as any front row prop in the Lower Mid North Coast competition. At 130kg-plus, he is big and abrasive enough to represent the MNC Axemen at the annual NSW Country carnival.
It was for the coming of age birthday celebrations of Austin, the quiet tight-head with the orange boots, which the Latu cousins returned to Sydney for family celebrations.
In their first season with the Dolphins, their easy-come, easy-go good nature has made the trio popular figures at the Dolphins' clubhouse -a building they scrupulously never enter, preferring to sit on a wooden bench outside - but it came as no surprise when Lolo was the sole starter for training on Tuesday night, only to be limping with a bung knee.
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The Dolphins will have their front row mainstays, the 200-gamer Ben Manning and Gavin Maberly-Smith as props with Nathan Johnson as hooker, responsible for an outstanding performance against Wauchope, edging out the strong-tackling Scott Walmsley.
As reserve prop against the Ratz' hefty forward pack , the Dolphins are fortunate to have the bruising Nigel Pereira in the second row with coach Ron McCarthy experimenting with lock Shaun Jackson at tight-head against Wauchope.
The Ratz invariably provide fiery opposition and with a grand final berth at stake for the winners, they will undoubtedly be torrid rivals.
