'Absolutely, why not': Coach confident Wolves can claim Riverina Cup

The Wolves claimed a dramatic semi-final on penalties against Leeton on Sunday and will be out to cause an upset to claim the inaugural Riverina Cup.

A date has yet to be set for the men's game while Hanwood and Albury will do battle at 4.30pm on Saturday at Rawlings Park in the women's final.

Tolland will head into the final as underdogs however Al-Rubie was confident the Wolves could knock off the Wanderers.

"Yeah absolutely, why not," Al-Rubie said.

"It's 11 against 11 on the pitch and anything can happen.

"We know their team quite well, I've got a couple of friends who play for them and we had Jacob (Ochieng) who was our number nine last season when he was playing with us.

"They've got very good players and a very good side, but I see absolutely no reason why we can't compete."

The Wolves progressed 4-4 (4-3 on penalties) in a sometimes fiery contest which saw two players from each side shown a red card.

Al-Rubie confirmed it was a physical clash against Leeton, but he did question why four players had to be sent from the field.

"Leeton are a very physical side," he said.

"They don't go in easy and we don't back down either so we knew it'd be a physical challenge.

"But I do feel like two red cards each is a bit harsh for what happened, I had a look at some of the video footage and I really don't know why one of our red cards was given.

"We had a player on the floor that was pushed and was surrounded by five Leeton players and he was just going in there to protect his teammate.

"So I do feel like the players could've managed things better, but I do feel like the referee could've managed the situation slightly better without having to use his cards.

"But it is what it is and they've made their decision and we move on."

The Wolves overcame the chaos and managed to fight back on three separate occasions to secure the victory.

Al-Rubie was proud of his side for taking the victory and believed the semi-final was a fantastic spectacle of football.

"It was a nail biting finish," he said.

"It was a really good game I feel, but it wasn't good for the heart rate.

"Two very good teams, Leeton are a very strong side with quality players and a really good coach.

"You can see in some of their play they have a really good build up and are very strong in the air.

"They put you under the pump and put you under a lot of pressure, they are really good at winning all the second and third balls.

"I feel we matched them in the physicality and we also had our own quality players as well.

"I did feel we were the better team up until the red cards which I did feel really impacted the game so much, because it was all up for grabs after that really.

"It was all about the stamina, endurance and passion from then on and we managed to get the win."

The Riverina Cup has provided Football Wagga teams with the perfect preparation leading into their upcoming season and Al-Rubie said he was a huge fan of the concept.

"I think it's a fantastic idea," he said.

"I've always felt the local league lacked a Cup besides the regular league and this is a really fantastic way to get everyone motivated for pre-season and lock in some registrations.

"The boys had a target and they've got something to look forward to and work towards from very early on.

"It's a fantastic idea to introduce and I just feel like our preparation for this season have come leaps and bounds because of it."