But they’re teetering on the brink as they head over the Crown Range tomorrow to take on competition hot shots Upper Clutha at Wanaka.
The formula is simple: Cromwell must win and hope Arrowtown denies Maniototo victory at Jack Reid Park.
That’s because Cromwell and Maniototo are locked together in fourth place. One will join Upper Clutha, Wakatipu and Alexandra in the semifinals starting tomorrow week; the other team’s season will conclude tomorrow.
The odds are heavily stacked against Cromwell, who have been Central Otago’s best-performed club over the past decade.
Overcoming Upper Clutha at Wanaka, while not impossible for a team with a formidable scrum and talented backs such as Rhys Harrold, represents a daunting challenge.
Upper Clutha have won 10 of their 11 games this season, scoring at least five tries each match, and sit 22 championship points above Cromwell.
Cromwell have won only five of their 11 games and were beaten 43-21 by Upper Clutha back in May.
Both games at Wanaka and Arrowtown tomorrow will start at 1pm, giving players plenty of time to return home and prepare for the All Blacks clash with England.
Maniototo have been the most improved team in the Central competition this season and their convincing victory over Wakatipu at Ranfurly has virtually guaranteed them their place in the semifinals.
They whipped Arrowtown 41-22 in the first round but will be mindful that Arrowtown are the competition’s most eccentric team, from whom anything is possible.
They are level on championship points with Cromwell and hold a 10-point advantage in points differential.
So it would need a monumental turnaround in form by both Upper Clutha and Arrowtown for Maniototo not to advance.
Tomorrow’s other game, between Alexandra and Wakatipu at Molyneux Park, is an oddity, because it matters not one iota who wins or by what score.
That’s because they are firmly etched into second and third positions, meaning they will tackle each other again, in Queenstown, in the semifinals tomorrow week.
Wakatipu coach Jordan Manihera says because his team had the bye last weekend, they’re using this contest as an important build-up to the semifinal. "This is the most important part of the season for us, so we’re preparing as if it’s our semifinal."
Alexandra coach Lee Wilson meanwhile wasn’t offering any observations regarding tomorrow’s game, the reason being he’s been confined to bed all week with a dose of flu.
"I believe all our players came through the Cromwell game unscathed," he said.
"I’m the only casualty!"
- By Bob Howitt
