Group 7 hits halfway point in season 2023: every team ranked

And the competition standings after nine completed rounds make for interesting reading.

At the start of the 2023 season big things were expected of reigning premiers Warilla-Lake South Gorillas and beaten grand finalists Gerringong Lions.

The Gorillas have failed to live up to expectations so far, with injuries and ill discipline so far derailing the season of the Troy Grant-coached outfit.

The Lions on the other hand were travelling along smoothly but have dropped their last two games, albeit after leading in both contests.

Regardless, the 6-3 win/loss record the Scott Stewart-coached side has at the halfway mark has Gerringong well-placed to play finals football once again.

The biggest surprise packets to date though are undoubtedly the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets.

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Celebrating their centenary this year, the Eagles struggled early on and didn't pick up their first win of the season until a thrilling round eight comeback victory over Gerringong Lions. The Jason Hooper-coached outfit backed that up the following week by beating Kiama, to give their fans hope the Eagles have turned the corner and could well make a late run for finals football.

Coach comments: We're pretty disappointed with where we are at at the moment. It's no one's fault but our own and the boys know that. Our completion rates in the first six games were terrible which meant we were just defending too much. To the boys' credit we hung in games but we're going to struggle to win games if we don't improve our completion rates.

In the last two games we completed at 80 and 85 per cent and got two wins. Hopefully the rest of the season we can complete better and just take it one game at a time.

The highlight of the Magpies season to date was a gripping 18-16 victory over Jamberoo in round five but Lloyd Thomas' chargers have only picked up one point since then.

On the back of young gun Taj Ford and some impressive veterans, the Lions produced some good hard footy in the first seven weeks of the competition, winning six of those games. Gerringong have dropped their last two games but haven't been playing badly. Scott Stewart's men are well placed to play finals football heading into the second half of the season.

Coach comments: We have been competitive in every game despite having a different team on the park each week. All the young players we have given an opportunity to have gone well. We need to continue working on our attack combinations, which has proven hard with the changes every week. With the competition so close, I think it's going to be a real battle heading into the semifinals, with plenty of teams in contention.

It's been a roller-coaster campaign for Jono Dallas and his Superoos. Slowly starting to get back healthy players, Jamberoo has recorded impressive wins in successive weeks over reigning premiers Warilla and beaten grand finalists Gerringong.

There have been few highlights for the Knights this season but coach Marc Laird still remains confident Kiama can make a charge for the finals.

Coach comments: The first round has been tough for us. We have shown glimpses of what we are capable of but have lacked consistency and resilience at times. We have struggled getting the same team on the field every week, which has made it difficult to get any continuity.

For the second half of the year, top five spots will be hotly contested and we need to improve significantly if we want to be there at the end of the year. We have the squad to be there, it's up to us to make it happen.

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A first-up draw with competition leaders Nowra and a last-start win over reigning premiers Warilla highlight the Bulldogs up and down season to date. Coach Andy Lynch believes the team has what it takes to make a late run for finals football.

Coach comments: Things are moving in the right direction. We are slowly getting the belief, confidence and right attitude needed to win games. We have great leaders in Cal, Bailey, Mitch and PJ. As always things start at the top with how the club is run and filters down. As a club it is going in the right direction with three ladies teams leading the way.

We need a massive start to the second half of the year. A dew soft losses at the start hurt us. We are looking forward to a much improved second half of the year.

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There were whispers in the pre-season that this could be the year of the Jets and Adam Quinlan's Nowra side are living up to those lofty expectations. Nowra have beaten all the big guns bar Gerringong.

Coach comments: At the halfway mark I'm very happy with where we are. The most pleasing part would be all the hard work the lads have put in and they've been rewarded for that with the ladder. But they are well aware we have a long way to go and need to improve a great deal if we're still to be there at the end of the season.

The Sharks are starting to hit their straps and have now strung three wins on the trot, including a last-start derby victory over the Stingrays which pleased Abed Atallah.

Coach comments: After an up and down start it's been pleasing to find some consistency over the last few weeks. Disruptions and injuries which haven't allowed the same team on the park week to week has been disappointing.

Our aim is to remain consistent and put ourselves in the best position to be playing in the big games at the end of the year.

The Stingrays were flying before back-to-back losses to the Jets and Sharks but Tom Warner is confident his chargers will return to winning ways.

Coach comments: The first six weeks were very pleasing but the back-to-back losses have hurt us. The good thing is we are sitting in second spot and have a game in hand over the rest of the top five. We still have a lot of work to do to finish the season strong and solidify a top three spot, which was a goal we set for ourselves at the start of the season.

I believe the second half of the year is always tougher. A lot of sides will be hungry and pushing for a spot. It's a very exciting year in Group Seven where anyone can win the comp at this point.

Not much has gone right for Warilla on or off the park. Injuries have cruelled the defending premiers campaign to date and they haven't helped themselves with ill-discipline. The Tyrone Roberts send off is indicative of the problems at the club. But Troy Grant's men have shown previously they're at their best when their backs are against the wall.

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