RUGBY LEAGUE - Crunch time for Kaikohe

Even Kaikohe's most ardent fans are expecting an uphill battle, as their side take on the Moerewa Tigers in the winner-takes-all match at Lindvart Park tomorrow.
Kaikohe need a win while rapidly improving Moerewa need just a draw to qualify for next weekend's Whangarei and Districts Rugby League play-offs.
Both of the northern sides were weakened at the beginning of the season by feeding Northern Storm for their Bartercard Cup campaign but Kaikohe recovered first and were one of the early frontrunners of the competition.
The second half of the competition has been a different story, however, with Moerewa steadily improving and the team's numbers have swelled toward the end of the season. Kaikohe on the other hand have won only two matches in the second round and one of those was a default by Portland.
Kaikohe coach Dion Akuhata said his side needed to improve defence: "We've had a fairly settled team throughout the year and our combinations have developed pretty well, certainly scoring points isn't a problem, we tend to score 20-30 points every game, but holding the opposition out has been our achilles heel."
Akuhata is expecting Moerewa to be at their best for the vital match.
"The squad they'll bring could well be the best squad they've fielded all year and Moerewa are well known for being able to bowl anybody over when they can sniff a semifinal."
Kaikohe will have the home advantage for the feature match of the round. Takahiwai have already qualified for the playoffs and only need to beat bottom-placed Northern Wairoa to finish on top of the table. Win or lose, they will play Hikurangi Stags next weekend as the top two teams vie for direct entry into the final on August 25.
The loser of the playoff between the top two teams will play the winner of next weekend's playoff between the third- and fourth-placed teams, on August 18.
Hikurangi will have to wait until later today to find out whether they will have a match against Portland tomorrow, with the club having trouble rounding up numbers. Marist have the bye to finish the competition and will be the third qualifier.
• Northern Storm will face the longest road trip of the Bartercard Cup competition when they take on the third-placed Canterbury Bulls at Rugby League Park in Christchurch on Sunday. Despite the long haul, coach Phil Marsh expected the team to put up a good fight.