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<\/p>\nFor the first time in Kiama Rugby Club\u2019s history, the club will host a major semi-final – with the first and reserve grade teams taking the field.<\/p>\n
The major semi-final, played between the top two teams on the ladder, offers a direct path to the grand final for the winner. The loser gets a second chance the following week in the preliminary final.<\/p>\n
After finishing second in both grades, Kiama will play for a spot in the grand final this Saturday at Kiama Showground.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“It’s a great milestone for us,” said club president Mark Redding. “We’ve never had a home major semi-final with both grades in it before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had minor semis way back in the early 2000s, but never a major semi-final with both teams involved, so it\u2019s a big moment for the club – and very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiama will face Campbelltown in first grade and Shoalhaven in reserve grade. Redding expects both visiting teams to bring strong supporter groups.<\/p>\n
“Campbelltown usually travel well, and Shoalhaven do too,” he said. <\/p>\n
“Plus we\u2019re expecting a big turnout from Kiama, with both teams involved. We\u2019re focused on making sure everyone is looked after and has a great day.”<\/p>\n
This semi-final is the culmination of several years of rebuilding and development, with Kiama first grade making last year\u2019s grand final and reserve grade finishing in the top four.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth sides did really well last year,\u201d said Redding. \u201cWe were hoping to build on that, especially because we didn\u2019t lose many players – and we picked up a few. We were very confident coming into this season.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kiama Rugby are calling on the Kiama community to come out and support both grades as they try and qualify for the grand final. Photo: Brian Scott<\/p>\n
Redding credited coaches James and Trevor Patrick for their leadership and recruitment, noting the strong culture they’ve fostered at the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cJames and Trevor deserve a lot of credit. They\u2019ve put together a great squad, they\u2019ve got a strong reputation, and players want to play for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe playing group is a great bunch of blokes – they work hard and enjoy themselves on and off the field. That shows in the way they play. Plus, the club is fully behind them. The support they get really helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiama Rugby is eyeing an historic double – winning the premiership in both grades, something Redding can\u2019t recall ever happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in my time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last grand final we won was first grade in 2003. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s never happened, but I\u2019ve never heard of both grades winning in the same year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heading into the weekend, Kiama\u2019s reserve grade holds a 1-1 record against Shoalhaven this season, while first grade has lost both encounters with Campbelltown.<\/p>\n
Reserve grade will kick off at 1.30pm at Kiama Showground, followed by first grade at 3pm.<\/p>\n
Redding called on the local community to get behind the teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love the community to come down and support both teams,\u201d he said. \u201cTo host a home major semi with both sides involved is a big achievement – it doesn\u2019t happen every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d love to see that reflected in a big crowd on the sideline, cheering, wearing the black and white. Let\u2019s get both teams into the grand final – that would be fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time in Kiama Rugby Club\u2019s history, the club will host a major semi-final – with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-98695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}