Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/191652
50 Sport maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2013 SPORTTODAY RUGBY MALTA Origin RL sealed their second straight grand final appearance when they put on a rather polished performance to dispose of Gozo RL in the last round of the MRL Dove Men+Care Championship this afternoon at Melita FC. The red and whites completed a 62-point turnaround from Gozo's upset victory in the previous round, helped by a man of the match performance by British prop import Gareth Barron. Six-foot-five Barron helped himself to one try and set up at least one other, while quickly becoming known as the flying puma - Samuel Kawara sliced his opposite numbers all afternoon in the searing heat, crossing for three tries as teams battled for a place to take on Sliema RL in next Saturday's championship final. Next week's championship final will be a repeat of last year's spectacle at Balzan FC where Sliema RL took their maiden Maltese rugby league honours with a 4624 win over their adversaries. In the pre-summer rounds of the 2013 championship, Sliema RL brushed aside Malta Origin RL to the tune of 44-16 helped by their Malta national team players by the likes of Dragan Cerketa and Malcolm Attard. With an injured Clifford Debattista helping himself into the game late in the first half, Mario Mercieca tried to keep the greens in today's match with a try in each half, Dylan Frendo and Tyson Freeman also crossed the white line but it wasn't enough. Frendo was best on field for the Gozitans. Despite being hampered by the unavailability of a number of players in the lead up, the Malta Origin RL team will be full of confidence after halves Sam Keep and Darren Edmunds combined for 22 points between them, while Nick Horne and Christopher Rulli each PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW SCERRI Malta Origin RL seal second straight Championship Final appearance grabbed four pointers. Sliema RL will complete two undefeated seasons of rugby league in Malta if they can retain the MRL Dove Men+Care Championship next Saturday. D.Frendo 3 from 4 goals) H-T: Malta Origin RL 36-4 Ref: Mr A.Micallef Players of the Match: Gareth Barron (Malta Origin) and Dylan Frendo (Gozo) Malta Origin RL 54 (S.Kawara 3, D.Edmunds 2, B.Bonello 2, G.Barron, N.Horne, C.Rulli tries; S.Keep 4 from 5, D.Edmunds 3 from 5 goals) Defeated Gozo RL 22 (M.Mercieca 2, D.Frendo, T.Freeman tries; 2013 MRL Dove Men+Care Championship Standings (after normal season) Sliema RL - 6pts, 3 wins, +92 Malta Origin RL - 6pts, 3 wins, 2 losses, -18 Birkirkara RL - 2pts*, 1 win, 2 losses, -4 Gozo RL - 2pts, 1 win, 4 losses, -70 * Birkirkara RL withdrawn from MRL Championship after three rounds 2013 Top Tryscorers (after 5 rounds) D.Farrugia (Malta Origin RL/ Gozo RL) – 7 D.Cerketa (Sliema RL) – 5 K.Zammit (Sliema RL) – 5 C.Rulli (Malta Origin RL) – 5 T.Freeman (Birkirkara RL/Gozo RL) – 5 2013 Top Pointscorers (after 5 rounds) D.Farrugia (Malta Origin RL/Gozo RL) - 44pts, 7 tries, 8 goals D.Frendo (Gozo RL/Birkirkara RL) 40pts, 3 tries, 14 goals S.Keep (Malta Origin RL) - 36pts, 3 tries, 12 goals O.Jones (Sliema RL) - 30pts, 1 try, 13 goals MRL Dove Men+Care Championship Grand Final: Sliema RL v Malta Origin RL Saturday 19 October 2013, 2pm kick off. Melita FC, Pembroke FOOTBALL Madrid play down Bale reports REAL Madrid have issued a statement to deny a report Gareth Bale has a slipped disc. Spanish newspaper Marca claimed on Saturday that the world record signing from Tottenham had suffered the injury and could require surgery. But the club insisted this was "completely false". Madrid said in a statement: "In response to the information that the newspaper Marca has published regarding the player Gareth Bale, Real Madrid would like to state the following: "1. The information published, claiming that the player has a slipped disc on the L5-S1 vertebrae and a bulge on two others, is completely false. "2. The player does not have a slipped disc, as the club's medical services stated clearly to the newspaper before the information was published. Surprisingly, the version the doctors offered this media outlet on Thursday 10 October has been omitted. "3. The player Gareth Bale has a small chronic disc bulge, which is extremely common among football players and by no means prevents him from carrying out his professional activity normally."