GALA will face a relegation play off after sliding to a 25-17 defeat against Currie at Malleny Park.

A spirited second half display had the home side on the rack, but a yellow card for Ewan Dods with less than 10 minutes to go weakened the Maroons at a crucial time.

They had not long edged ahead from a conversion from sub Ewan Scott, following captain Chris Weir’s try.

But with Currie needing to win to book a home semi final in the play offs at the opposite end of the table, they threw everything they could at Gala to wrestle back the initiative. An extended period of pressure saw Dods sinbinned, and within moments Ross Weston had nipped in to secure Currie’s match winning third try.

The pulsating second half was in stark contrast to a turgid opening. The Maroons rearguard was looking secure and well drilled, but there was minimal attacking threat on display from the visitors. It took the hosts 25 minutes to register the first score of the game, with James Semple making no mistake from under the posts.

A few minutes later, Harvey Elms went over in the corner following a well-worked team move to extend the home side’s advantage –and though Semple miscued the conversion- it looked like Currie were starting to go up through the gears.

To Gala’s credit, they remained in the contest, and a David O’Hagan penalty just before the interval reduced the deficit to 8-3, shortly after Currie’s Travis Brooke had been sinbinned.

With the numerical advantage, the onus was on Gala start the second half on the front foot. They were building up a head of steam, but it was Currie who were to score next, Matt Goodwin surging through on the left flank to push the lead out to 15-3 with the extras.

Gala fought back with a penalty try, converted by O’Hagan, and the raucous away support had even more to cheer when Chris Weir applied the final touch directly in front of them in the right hand corner to spark jubilant scenes.

With the pressure on, substitute Ewan Scott was calmness personified to kick the extras and put the Maroons ahead for the first time in the contest, as the game entered the critical final phase.

That hard-got 17-15 lead always looked precarious even with a full quota of players. A tough task became harder yet when Euan Dods dejectedly made his way to the sin bin with the game in the balance.

Currie ruthlessly cashed in, and Ross Weston’s try followed by James Semple’s third successful kick of the afternoon condemned the Maroons to their 12th defeat of the season and the uncertainty of a relegation shoot-out.

Currie: J Cox, M Goodwin, A Hamilton, M Vernel, H Bain, T Brooke, T Gordon, R Weston (c), R Sneddon, J Semple, Chris Logan, R Nelson, F Efthymiou, C Gray, H Elms

Subs G Carson, A McWilliam, L Crosbie, A Heather, C Shiel

Gala: L Pettie, M Carryer, C Keen, C Weir (c), O Palepoi, S Cairns, K Mein, E Dods, G Graham, D O’Hagan, C Robertson, A Emond, D Burrows, F Robson, G Speirs

Subs: R Tod, J Irvine, G Adams, E Scott, R Jeffrey