Virtual Season 2020 – The Newtown Jets head into their fifth grand final since entering the flagship NSW Rugby League competition in 2000

Now we’re really at the cutting edge of the Virtual Season 2020 program of outstanding retro rugby league matches.

Tonight (Wednesday, 23^rd September) our crack social media team heads to Bankwest Stadium to bring you the 2019 Canterbury Cup NSW Grand Final, featuring Newtown and Wentworthville in the match that was actually played on Sunday, 29^th September 2019.

There were some uncanny resemblances between the 2012 and 2019 Grand Finals. In 2012 the grand finalists were Newtown (who had finished 7^th on the NSW Cup competition table) and Balmain, who had finished 8^th. It was to be Balmain’s last appearance in what was then the NSW Cup, with Wests-Tigers set to take Balmain’s place in the competition for 2013.

In 2019, Newtown had finished in 7^th place and Wentworthville in 8^th place and both clubs had won their way through to the grand final. Coincidentally, this was also to be Wentworthville’s swansong appearance in the Canterbury Cup, with Parramatta ready to field their own team from 2020 onwards.

The winner of tonight’s Virtual Season 2020 Grand Final will move on to face the winner of the QRL’s Intrust Super Cup Grand Final in the NRL State Championship Final at ANZ Stadium on NRL Grand Final Day (which was in reality played on Sunday, 6^th October 2019).

So tune in at 8.00pm tonight on Jets TV (www.newtownjets.com or www.facebook.com/newtownrlfc), and follow our commentary team on www.twitter.com/newtownrlfc to find out what really happened at the end of Newtown’s amazing run of victories leading into the Canterbury Cup Grand Final.

Thanks to Biofreeze, here is Newtown’s team for tonight. Thank you to our contemporary player sponsors whose names are listed in brackets:
Will Kennedy (Kris Gale), Sione Katoa (Golden Barley Hotel), Aaron Gray (John Cahill & Jennifer Malone), Ronaldo Mulitalo (Mark Dewar), Tyrone Phillips (Golden Barley Hotel), Jack A Williams (Captain) (Adam Whyte), Braydon Trindall (The Daaboul Family), Toby Rudolf (Steven Helmich), Blayke Brailey (Wayne Leong & Kim Fuller), Jaimin Jolliffe (Dave Nelson), Scott Sorensen (Manoosh Pizzeria), Jayson Bukuya (Nifty Foods), Billy Magoulias (Loudon & Vaughan Private Wealth)
Interchange:
Teig Wilton (Biofreeze), Siosifa Talakai (Goodfellows Sports & Socks), Daniel Vasquez (SMI – Sports Medicine Institute), Matt Evans (Label Plus & Brasco).
Reserves:
Jackson Ferris (Schofield King Lawyers), Luke Polselli (Petersham RSL), Wes Lolo (TLC Epoxy Coatings), Grant Garvey (Coverforce), Josh Carr (Invisi-gard), Greg Eastwood (Deicorp).
Coach:
Greg Matterson (Sydney Mutual Bank).

Newtown’s partnership club, the Glebe Dirty Reds, have powered their way into the 2020 NSWRL President’s Cup Grand Final:

The Glebe Dirty Reds, the foundation rugby league club that was out of existence between 1930 and 2015 and was then revived in 2016, has swept into the 2020 NSWRL President’s Cup grand final.
The legendary old club that simply would not lie down won a thrilling qualifying final against fellow 1908 foundation club, North Sydney, at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The score was tied up at 6-all with just thirteen minutes left to play, but the Dirty Reds overpowering domination of possession and territorial advantage eventually made the vital difference.
Glebe added three converted tries and a penalty goal to record a handsome 26-6 victory.
The Dirty Reds will play the pride of the country rugby league, Maitland Pickers, in the NSWRL President’s Cup grand final at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday, 27^th September, at 3.30pm.
Glebe won the NSWRL Challenge Cup (a state-wide senior rugby league knockout series) several weeks ago when they crushed Wentworthville 53-16 at Henson Park.
The Dirty Reds have every intention of adding to their trophy tally when they confront the Maitland Pickers at Bankwest Stadium this Sunday.
There are several Newtown Jets identities in the Glebe Dirty Reds grand final team:
Jacob GAGAI, Jonah NGARONOA, Addison DEMETRIOU, John OLIVE, Honeti TUHA, Sitiveni MOCEIDREKE, Liam COLEMAN, Wesley LOLO, Jackson GARLICK (Captain), Thomas HAZELTON, Matt STIMSON, Myles TAUELI, Brock GRAY.
INTERCHANGE
Trent TOELAU, Duwanye MARINER, Sione AFEMUI, Kemueli SERU.
RESERVES:
Ethan NATOLI, Patrice SIOLO, Lorenzo MULITALO.
COACH:
Aaron Zammit.

Sunday’s NSWRL President’s Cup Grand Final details:
Sunday, 27^th September 2020
Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta
Glebe Dirty Reds v Maitland Pickers
Kick-Off: 3.30pm.

Tickets for Sunday’s grand final are available through the NSWRL: 
https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=NSWRLGF20&v=PAR&fbclid=IwAR0IoKScK4BLFSGu5PS-4zRnP6TvdG2nG1EeTxkNMtPAdiJjVZL6Z8LNYYQ