Can anyone stop Gladstone?

Gladstone's march towards success in the Moose Kapene Memorial Cup senior first division rugby competition should continue when they host East Coast at Gladstone tomorrow.
Just two rounds of play remain before this series draws to a close and their current six point advantage over second-placed Marist suggests Gladstone are all but certain of taking the spoils.
A loss to East Coast would, of course, have the potential to change that scenario quite dramatically but while the Coasters are sure to give a good account of themselves anything other than a comfortable Gladstone win would be a surprise.
It is up front where Gladstone should call the tune.
Kurt Simmonds, Richard Puddy, Andrew McLean, Steve Wilkinson and Mike Spence will all be enjoying the prospect of returning to the club scene after the battering they took as part of the Wairarapa-Bush pack in the annual Jimmy Cotter trophy match against a Wellington XV on Tuesday and it's difficult to imagine East Coast coming even close to breaking even in the possession stakes.
Gladstone will need to be wary though of taking too much for granted as in Te Maika Mason and Nick Olson, East Coast have two of the best attacking backs in the first division competition Give them an inch and they will take a mile.
For the hard running Mason this match will be the ideal chance for him to press claims for representative selection as Gladstone midfielders Mike Shaw and Jordon Watene both played for Wairarapa-Bush on Tuesday.
Olson was also in that Wairarapa-Bush side and his grittiness on defence and nifty footwork on the counter attack from fullback was one of the very few positives to come out of the match for the locals.
He does have a tendency at times to wander back into position once taken out of the play but once he quickens up that part of his game he could be a big hit at the higher level. Marist v Carterton
Marist's prospects of at least keeping Gladstone honest in the run down the home straight in the Kapene Cup series were dealt a blow when they were upset by Eketahuna last weekend and they will probably find Carterton a handful in their match at Carterton tomorrow.
After a couple of disappointing showings early on Carterton have steadily improved to the stage where they now lie third on the competition table, just one point in arrears of Marist.They will be placing huge emphasis on dominating the forward battle in the knowledge that Marist have the greater attacking potential in the backs and, to that end, they will be wanting a big effort from star lock Tomasi Kedrabuka, who probably had his quietest game yet for Wairarapa-Bush on Tuesday.
Also under the microscope will be Carterton winger Charlie Walker-Blair, who was a somewhat surprise inclusion in that same Wairarapa-Bush squad.
He did have defensive issues there who in the local side didn't) and dropped a couple of balls he should have caught but two or three handy bursts in broken play indicated his promise in the attacking department.
A solid all-round performance tomorrow would obviously aid his chances of retaining his place in the rep side. Eketahuna v Puketoi
Eketahuna will have been buoyed by their win over Marist last time out and they will start warm favourites to beat Puketoi at Eketahuna .With the in-form Dan Griffin at the helm the Eketahuna forwards impressed with their unity against Marist ,so much so that if they can replicate that form on a regular nature they will, become very serious contenders for the first division championship as the season progresses.
One of the more interesting individual battles here will come in the loose forwards with current Wairarapa-Bush flanker Sully Alsop up against the wily Eketahuna skipper Evan Small, whose skills are all too often under-rated. Pioneer v Martinborough
Running rugby seems sure to be the order of the day when Pioneer meets Martinborough at the Park Sportsground.
As the only senior first division game in Masterton the question could be asked why it is not being played at Memorial Park headquarters but the council of clubs policy seems to be that when Pioneer are drawn as the home team they generally get to play on their Jean street grounds.
The closeness of the two sides on the Kapene Cup points table, Martinborough have 13pts and Pioneer 12pts, hints there should be little between them and with bragging rights only at stake it won't surprise if the number of tries scored comes close to double figures.
Individually though it is Pioneer who will attract the most interest as they have a number of players who missed selection for Wairarapa-Bush's match with Wellington but who deserve to be on any short list for future games, players like flanker Lee Ewe, first-five Hoani Peacock and midfield backs Jamie Smallman and Joe Papaali. Points
Kapene Cup points are: Gladstone 25, Marist 19, Carterton 18, East Coast 16, Eketahuna 14, Martinborough 13, Pioneer 12, Greytown 9 and Puketoi 6. Senior thirds
Masterton Red Star had the mortification of having to withdraw from the senior first division competition this season because of a player shortage but they are making their mark in the senior thirds grade.
They have won six of their seven games there and sit at the top of the points table on 26, followed by Marist and Carterton 23, Tuhirangi 21, Pioneer 20, Featherston 19, Eketahuna 17, Gladstone 9, East Coast 6 and Greytown 0. Colts
The only colts team resident in the Wairarapa-Bush region, East Coast, have made a good start to their involvement in the Manawatu colts A championship. They are currently second equal on the competition table after two rounds of matches.
Points: Freyberg 8, Varisty L, Marist and East Coast 4, Varsity K 3, Bush 2 and Oroua 0. East Coast play Varisty L at Massey University tomorrow. Golden oldies
Sunday will see the Millhillians Golden Oldies taking on the Manawatu Evergreens at the Colombo road grounds in Masterton, starting at 1.30pm.The Millhillians are now in their 26th year and are always on the lookout for new members.
The only stipulation is that players have be 35yrs or over and can still move at Ritchie Robertson's pace&.which shouldn't be difficult!