Despite the relatively low positions these two sides finished on the table, many experts have predicted that this year's grand final winner could very well come from today's clash. Both sides competed in the finals last season, and both have enjoyed record breaking years for their clubs. While the Dolphins did finish fifth after twenty six rounds, Eastwood fans were no doubt recalling the sides' run of dominance that was only unseated by a late slump.

Eastwood Pumas North Queensland Dolphins
1 Tom O'Shea 1 Kris Radlinski
2 Steve Stacey 2 Joel Monaghan
3 Paul Stephenson 3 Brooke Martin
4 Mtombe Msabo 4 Jean-Emmanuel Cassin
5 John Hopoate 5 Linden Drummond
6 Mick Van Der Wall 6 Brian O'Keefe
7 Anthony Tyan 7 Andrew Mehrtens ©
8 Phil Morwood 8 Caesar Ramirez
9 Dean Treister 9 Justin Marshall
10 David Furner © 10 Lars Gjolnier
11 Matt Adamson 11 Leonardo Orelli
12 Anthony Wotnough 12 Colin Charvis
13 Aurelion Cologni 13 Gabrielle Yane
++Interchange
14 Xander Travis 14 Giovanni Piazza
15 Jason King 15 Rodney Howe
16 Francis Maloney 16 Raif McCallin
17 Daniel Sorbello 17 Claude Sirvent

The Dolphins got the game underway from the boot of Andrew Mehrtens, and the first fifteen minutes showed that neither side was out of form or intending to let the game drop. Despite finishing higher than as many as four either sides, neither side would be safe should results go against them, and it showed in the early exchanges. Just two errors marred a closely fought and intense opening stanza.

The first points of the game, fittingly, came from a goal rather than from a try. The standard of defence set early on was second to none, and it would have been an anticlimax had either side picked up a soft try. The points came the way of North Queensland, Andrew Mehrtens able to convert a play the ball infringement from David Furner into two points for an early 2-0 lead.

North Queensland looked to have extended their lead only five minutes later when Kris Radlinski pounced on a dropped ball and darted across the line. The video referee, whose view was obscured by several Eastwood players attempting a tackle, eventually ruled that the Great Britain fullback had been unable to force the ball. Eastwood breathed a sigh of relief, while Francis Maloney wouldn't be remembered as the villain who put his side eight behind. The tide was slowly starting to turn however, with the Dolphins winning a scrum against the feed minutes later and going achingly close again. Only a heavy tackle from Gabrielle Yane, which jarred the ball from the arms of young Brian O'Keefe, saved Eastwood from an 8-0 defecit.

An excellent return set and penalty gave the Pumas a chance to equalise, and a long range David Furner penalty goal both paid respect to North Queensland's defence and equalised- the scores tied up at 2 all after just over twenty minutes.

The trend for the rest of the second half was that of a losing struggle for the Pumas, who were poor in attack and desperate in defence against a Dolphins side very slowly gaining the advantage. As the half time siren drew inexorably closer, the Dolphins were breaking the line with ease through their backline, and only last ditch defensive work from Tom O'Shea was able to stop his side trailing at halftime. When the siren went it sounded, fittingly, with the ball in Tom O'Shea's hand after the talented fullback diffused a volatile Mehrtens torpedo kick.

HALFTIME: Eastwood 2 level with North Queensland 2

Like Central's game against Capetown in Premier League, Eastwood found themselves immediately on the back foot when, from the kick-off, Frenchman Jean-Emmanuel Cassin was able to finish off a scintillating movement started by Justin Marshal. A series of passes saw the pacy French international in clear space, and despite the continued attentions of Steve Stacey, he was able to get across in the corner by the narrowest of margins. Mehrtens was unable to strike the difficult sideline conversion sweetly, but the score after only a minute of second half play stood at 6-2.

To their credit, Eastwood didn't let the early try demoralise them, and instead used it as ammunition for their fightback. Penalties against North Queensland for fighting and dissent allowed Eastwood to gain some territory, and the didn't waste their time, a catch and pass attacking run seeing Mtombe Msabo crash across in the corner. The video referee was again called on, and again found for the defenders, with Msabo ruled to have touched the corner post mere milliseconds before grounding the ball. Kris Radlinsk's late shoulder charge had been enough to keep his side ahead.

Eastwood's 'death knell' was sounded in the following five minutes, when French sensation, Aurelion Cologni, was taken to hospital after an absolutely horrendous head clash with Leonardo Orelli of North Queensland. Cologni's face was bleeding severely from both the nose and cheek, and the early ruling was that he had suffered a season ending break to the cheek and nose. Not long after the inspirational lock was taken to hospital, Jean-Emmanuel Cassin again crossed the line- this time put into space by a pinpoint Raif McCallin short ball. Without the attentions of opposition backs, Cassin was able to plant it underneath the sticks and give Mehrtens a gift two points. Half an hour to go, and the Dolphins held a 12-2 lead. Mountains become molehills in the absence of stars, however, and Eastwood were missing their greatest.

The Pumas battled on with great courage and tenacity as the game drew closer and closer to finishing, and much to their fans' delight, were continually able to thwart usually deadly attacking plays from the visitors. While the forwards did plenty of defence, it was the last line work of Tom O'Shea that can be credited with Eastwood's refusal to lie down. Indeed, the Dolphins were not able to score the knockout punch until the 70th minute, when Gabrielle Yane scored a soft try past some exhausted defence. Mehrtens converted, and Dolphins' coach Troy Haines soon rested his big guns. The fulltime margin, an 18-2 win to an impressive Dolphins' unit.

FULLTIME
North Queensland Dolphins 18
Jean-Emmanuel Cassin 2
Gabrielle Yane
Mehrtens 3/4

defeated

Eastwood Pumas 2
Furner 1/1

PoM Points
Tom O'Shea................3
Kris Radlinski..............2
Justin Marshall.............1

StatsPenalty Count
Eastwood Pumas- 8 : 8 -North Queensland Dolphins

Possession (%)
Eastwood Pumas- 47 : 52 -North Queensland Dolphins

Time in Opposition Half
Eastwood Pumas- 37 : 43 -North Queensland Dolphins

Handling Errors
Eastwood Pumas- 20 : 21 -North Queensland Dolphins

Completion Rate (%)
Eastwood Pumas- 53 : 60 -North Queensland Dolphins

Tackles
Eastwood Pumas- 225 : 202 -North Queensland Dolphins