The race to the John I Dent Cup finals is poised for a grandstand finish in the next fortnight as five teams fight for places in the top four.
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ACT Brumbies powerhouse Irae Simone and the Uni-North Owls have put a dent in Reece Tapine and the Queanbeyan Whites' finals hopes as they ran riot in the second half to claim a 41-22 win at Campese Field on Saturday.
With only two rounds to go the competition is wide open, with the Tuggeranong Vikings, Gungahlin Eagles and Uni-North Owls separated by just four points.
The Whites loss today coupled with a Wests Lions upset win over Tuggeranong means Queanbeyan will need victories in their final two fixtures, along with a favourable result in the Lions' final game to see them finish in the top four. The best part? They play each other next week.
The first half saw both sides enjoy periods of supremacy, with the scores locked at 17 at the half before Doubles to Andrew Whittle and Stuart Sellar punctuated a dominant second half for the Owls that had head coach Sam Rolfe happy.
"It's probably the first time we've played 80 minutes, we usually get to 60 and then take the foot of the throat but as you saw the end there, we were still fighting them while we were up 20-21 points," Rolfe said.
Uni-Norths will now look ahead to their final two matches before finals as they try to hunt down the pack leading Vikings but will have to fend off the potent offence of the Eagles next week.
"It's such a tight comp, we've got Eagles and Wests and they're fighting for the top two as well so it's very tight comp, we've just got to be clinical and physical.
"We might even go for one, Tuggeranong had a loss today so who knows, it's all open as well."
AT A GLANCE
John I Dent Cup round 13: UNI-NORTHS OWLS 41 bt QUEANBEYAN WHITES 22 at Campese Field; WESTS LIONS 17 bt TUGGERANONG VIKINGS 10 at Viking Park; GUNGAHLIN EAGLES 41 bt CANBERRA ROYALS 17 at Phillip Oval.