In the corresponding clash last year, the Wellington Cougars were bundled out of the finals by the grand final bound Central Phoenix. The hype this week has been all about Wellington's hunt for revenge, and with the Cougars out of form, it could very well be on the cards for the Kiwis. While Central were bolstered by the returns of Keith Senior and Clinton Schifcofske, the Cougars were firm favourites for this clash.

Wellington Cougars Central Phoenix
1 Anthony Minichiello 1 Shaun Timmins
2 Timana Tahu 2 Dom Peters
3 John Sitizein 3 Tony Martin
4 Clinton Toopi 4 Keith Senior
5 Lesley Vainikolo 5 Scott Donald
6 Danny Orr 6 Clinton Schifcofske
7 Sean Long 7 Paul Deacon
8 Ryan O'Hara 8 David Shayne
9 Simeon Rice 9 Luke Priddis
10 Paul Rauhihi 10 Jason Cayless
11 Tony Puletua 11 Hunter Tylerson
12 Jamie Peacock 12 Adrian Morley
13 Kevin Sinfield © 13 Steve Menzies ©
++Interchange
14 Jerry Seu Seu 14 Alex Synn
15 Danny Tickle 15 Harley Autitia
16 Jake Luana 16 Clint Newton
17 Amos Roberts 17 Beau Rivers

The big Kiwi crowd were on their feet for a torrid opening period, which saw two of Premier League's two finest forward packs bash the everloving shit out of one another. Whilst Paul Rauhihi and Jamie Peacock revelled in it for the Cougars, it was Adrian Morley and Jason Cayless doing the damage for the desperate visitors. Neither side looked particularly potent in the early exchanges, with a greasy ball making for poor handling on both accounts. Despite this, the Cougars managed to score an early try, Clinton Toopi on the end of some simple catch and pass football. Kevin Sinfield converted Toopi's effort from out wide to give the home side a handy 6-0 lead.

Fans definitely weren't treated to champagne football, with both sides making errors that would be considered unacceptable even in the Rising Star Conference. In the fifteen minutes following the Cougars' first try, only two attacking opportunities presented themselves, with the rest of play a messy havoc akin to the average AFL game. Unfortunately for the Phoenix, the Cougars were eventually able to hold onto the ball for a complete set, with Jerry Seu Seu barging over from seven out to score his side's second and set up a handy 10-0 lead. Sinfield duly converted the effort to make it 12-0 after twenty minutes of play.

The Phoenix needed to regather themselves and start mounting a comeback, but got a nightmare start to their fight back, with the Cougars going in for their third try from the kick-off. A mammoth line break by Tony Puletua on the third tackle tore the heart from the Phoenix defence, and before they could recuperate, prolific try-scorer Sean Long had crossed from a brilliant Simeon Rice pass. Sinfield again converted, and the Phoenix were staring down the barrell of a humiliating defeat- down 18-0 after only 22 minutes.

The Phoenix's famed spirit gradually came to the surface, and slowly but surely the Northern Territory side fought its way back into the clash. The first step was an improvement in handling and defence, which eventually lead to the Phoenix's first scoring opportunity in a good while- benched Scot Alex Synn barging over despite the attention of three Cougars' defenders. Unfortunately for the visitors, the video referee was unable to find evidence of Synn grounding the ball, and the play was called back. Three consectutive penalties heading into halftime had the Phoenix in an ideal position to mount their comeback, but their hard work was again marred by poor handling, with captain, Steve Menzies, spilling a promising flick pass thanks to the attentions of Danny Tickle in defence. Halftime sounded with the Phoenix looking dispirited and the Cougars bouyant.

HALFTIME: Wellington 18 lead Central 0

If fans were disappointed with the scrappy play of the first half, then the opening of the second half was downright painful for them to endure- with both sides making more and more errors as Jade Stadium was treated to an unseasonable spring downpour. Indeed, at one point (the 56th minute) the rain was so heavy that television cameras were unable to even follow the action. The cameras were able to see enough, however, in the 61st minute to deny Wellington a potentially match-winning try after Timana Tahu crossed out wide. The video referee was able to rule, much to the dismay of Cougars' coach Nathan Hoy, that Tahu had run behind Clinton Toopi in scoring the try.

The 69th minute provided some joy for Phoenix fans and players, when the visitors scored their first try of the match through Steve Menzies. The former Australian and NSW lock was able to pounce on a well weighted Clinton Schifcofske grubber, which skimmed across the soaked turf and somehow evaded the grasp of Anthony Minichiello at the back. David Shayne slipped in attempting to convert, but the ball rung try and put the Phoenix behind 18-6 heading into the final ten minutes. A comeback was definitely on the cards, but the Phoenix coach was unlikely to see it, having been escorted from the ground at halftime after putting a chair through a window.

The Phoenix had the better of the football in the final ten minutes, with the Cougars unable to complete their sets and then further marring their game with stupid penalties. Meanwhile, the visitors went from strength to strength, growing in both confidence and desperation as the clock became their biggest enemy. Three late incursions were unable to pay dividends however, and fulltime sounded with both sides drenched and muddy- the Cougars bound for a major semi final clash with the Northern Cannons.

FULLTIME

Wellington Cougars 18
Sean Long
Clinton Toopi
Jerry Seu Seu
Sinfield 3/3

defeated

Central Phoenix 6
Steve Menzies
Shayne 1/1

PoM Points
Timana Tahu.................3
Tony Puletua.................2
Jerry Seu Seu...............1

Stats
Penalty Count
Wellington Cougars- 3 : 5 -Central Phoenix

Possession (%)
Wellington Cougars- 54 : 45 -Central Phoenix

Time in Opposition Half
Wellington Cougars- 50 : 30 -Central Phoenix

Handling Errors
Wellington Cougars- 17 : 20 -Central Phoenix

Completion Rate (%)
Wellington Cougars- 68 : 62 -Central Phoenix

Tackles
Wellington Cougars- 228 : 254 -Central Phoenix

Bunch of pissweak poofters.