Australian Schoolboys & National Championship 2010

[The Chosen]

The Chosen just wandering is that being played at Knox or out in orange?

It's up in Orange- I happen to be up there for another matter & intend to call in @ Kinross.

 

[woods]

Yeh Malie is definitely in Schoolboys
also, duchesne is pretty controversial imo, lucky to be where he is would be an understatement...
picked over Hayter in CS for starters is odd as matt certainly stood up at the nsw trials, and then to come over waldo who he didnt match up in v CHS and ben black, who played all over him in ISA vs CAS seems interesting again
btw Duchesne is also yr11, but born 92 so not eligible after this year

 

[Spewn]

AlsoDuchsene plays for (or started the season) inthe 2nds at Knox. So he has done well to even get to the championships (prettysure should have put tat in a different tense)

He has but his selection highlights a distinct lack of depth in that position.

 

[OLDDOG]

I think you might find there's a couple of very talented 9's out due to injury at present......

 

[T.Rugby]

actually i think that duchsene very much deserves his position, very solid player and imo plays an exciting game at halfback. Hayter passing was pretty poor in gps vs cas at newington during wet conditions maybe that was a reason he didnt make or nsw/cs

 

[The Chosen]

actually i think that duchsene very much deserves his position, very solid player and imo plays an exciting game at halfback. Hayter passing was pretty poor in gps vs cas at newington during wet conditions maybe that was a reason he didnt make or nsw/cs

I've seen Duchesne play a few times this season- both for Knox & CAS(twice). At IKnox it appeared to be a toss-up between Dewez and Ducesne - with not much between them Dewez was probably preferred because he was in Year 12.
Notwithstanding this, none of the half-backs are comparable to 2009s Nick Stirzaker(also from Knox).

 

[T.Rugby]

agreed stirzaker was the goods for a halfback!

 

[the berries]

LUKE KEARY I'm informed but probably no chance of going any further at the league trials. Excellent effort by him for Ausssie As. Should be in ther top side but wrong school. All the talk on this site has called him a leaguie. But he was playing union long before league. I watched him at the PSSA open trials held at Forbes years ago and he made the NSW side MACKILLOP. Just to light for league at this point in time and the knee injury and back problems hold him back.

 

[Torn Hammy]

I saw Duchesne play in Knox 2nd's. He had a magic long pass with lots of spin, that was easy to run onto and consequently his backs shredded their opponents.

 

[Wrinkled Rat]

Just came across this post on that other forum that I had to share, LOL but does it ring true

Absolutely the greatest Sting orchestrated by NSW ever, simply superb. Congratulations to all concerned including the head coach of the 1's. For NSW to finish 2nd and 4th and collect 19 caps would be without doubt better than expectations, to have double the numbers in the main squad compared to Qld is brilliant and to orchestrate only 1 from the eventual winners (Qld 11) is a manouvre that Boris Spasky would be proud of. Taking the heat off the number one side by calling them two's whilst showcasing other talent and even picking up a player or two from Combined States could never be replicated again, surely. Well done, and what will Pappa pull out of his hat next year...

 

[NorthernSon]

The Mix of NSW boys in the two squads in intersting and not too many of the deserving performers have missed out. It would have been nice though for a little more agression to be present in the OZ 1's, I think Stuey Goodman selection in only the 2's is a tough call and he has sufferred at the expense of Pappas pattern of play and selections, he remains the most agressive and dominant 7 in schoolboy rugby and I was looking forward to hmm getting stuck in to the junior blacks. Boyd Killingworth and Stuey would have been a great combo. Tom Connor selection in one the two teams is definetely warranted but his physical presence against an agressive forward pack wont be tested in the warm up games so he should shine as a seagull behind a good pack.

 

[en_force_er]

I think Stuey Goodman selection in only the 2's is a tough call and he has sufferred at the expense of Pappas pattern of play and selections, he remains the most agressive and dominant 7 in schoolboy rugby and I was looking forward to hmm getting stuck in to the junior blacks.

After the games against Fiji and Tonga they often switch the team up a fair bit before the Juniour ABs. Never fear, solid performers that are in the 2s aren't ruled out yet.

 

[Lee Grant]

After the games against Fiji and Tonga they often switch the team up a fair bit before the Juniour ABs. Never fear, solid performers that are in the 2s aren't ruled out yet.

Exactly right - happens every year, as it should, though I get the feeling that selectors always go for the older boy who is finishing school that year ahead of a younger one. For example: Michael Hooper was far and away the best 7 in the 2008 Championships, and was my pick as best player in the tournament, yet he had to play 2nd fiddle to a player who wasn't even a specialist 7.

You forgot 13. Malietoa Hingano

Didn't forget him; when I analysed the list nobody knew the official team and foxyloxy had the best unofficial list with 22 names. The official Oz Schools website was very tardy. There was clearly a lack of midifelders as it was the only area that didn't have flexibility; so I wrote that the 23rd player may be:

13. Malietoa Hingano, St Augustine's College ??

He didn't get many wraps for his performances during the week, but he had one great NSW trial game.

Not a bad guess.

Your 1st XV won't be far off the mark except that Crook will be one winger and not Hingano who is a specialist outside centre. Am not sure about the 10 either, but I don't know much about him to be honest.

how tall is Curtis Browning? will he be able to play Lock at senior level, or is he more of a 6 or 8 development player?

I mentioned this last year. He was outstanding for Qld Schools in 2009 yet he wasn't very tall for a 2nd rower yet made the Oz A Schools team and Oz EOYT as a 2nd rower. Arguably, had he played 8 for Qld 12 months ago he could have made the Ones in that position. Looks like he had to play in the 2nd row again in 2010 to get all the good players into the team and/or because Qld didn't have good tall timber; again.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, and people who watch him regularly for his school agreed: he should be an 8 as a senior player and at worst a 6. Having not seen him this year, do folks think he will have the size to play pro rugby down the track? With a year to go at school in 2009 he looked like he was going to be a big when he was older, but he may have stopped growing.

.

 

[Lee Grant]

PS

Wrinkled Rat - thanks for that quote; it's a classic.

Torn Hammy - welcome aboard. (That you Robbie?)

 

[catchpole]

Wrinkled Rat,

That's quotation is certainly a long bow to draw and suggests a very high level of intrigue and subterfuge at the National Rugby Championships.

Sounds like its worthy of ASIO/CIA shenanigans. Could it be true?

 

[Informer]

The Mix of NSW boys in the two squads in intersting and not too many of the deserving performers have missed out. It would have been nice though for a little more agression to be present in the OZ 1's, I think Stuey Goodman selection in only the 2's is a tough call and he has sufferred at the expense of Pappas pattern of play and selections, he remains the most agressive and dominant 7 in schoolboy rugby and I was looking forward to hmm getting stuck in to the junior blacks. Boyd Killingworth and Stuey would have been a great combo. Tom Connor selection in one the two teams is definetely warranted but his physical presence against an agressive forward pack wont be tested in the warm up games so he should shine as a seagull behind a good pack.

I thought Goodman did more than enough to warrant selection in the Schools team and probably did suffer from the Papa association. He is bigger and hits much harder than Connor, who is quicker round the park but fell off a number of tackles, particularly during the last game. He could struggle against Fiji and Samoa.

I think the whole team is going to struggle against the Kiwis to be honest. I did a mental match up against last years schools team and apart from Roche and Crook I could not pick one of the current crop over their counterparts last year. Stirzaker, Jones, Petrson, Gill,Toupo, Sitauti etc all get the nod, yet they struggled against the Kiwis. Could be a bumpy ride this year, they will need Goodman and Killingworth to do the hard yards around the ruck.

 

[Doc]

how tall is Curtis Browning? will he be able to play Lock at senior level, or is he more of a 6 or 8 development player?

There is no doubt that the Reiser kid is the biggest bolter for the team and for the height reason I think he may get a spot in the 15. He simply dominated lineouts. Took some big steals for combined states which had a huge impact for cs (ie more ball nullifying penalties). He is almost at the elite height level (200cm) and if he can hit that he nigh be one to watch.

One omission I only just thought of was the 'infamous' Tim Lollback. He was outstanding both this week and at states. QLD 2s best forward by a long, long way. Oddly his NC second row partner at NC Adkins made it from CS. Both played 6 this week and both had very good weeks, just surprise Lollback missed out.

 

[catchpole]

NorthernSon's posting on the GPS Rugby (Sydney) 2010 thread makes a lot of sense.

Manu Sutherland and Ben Whitaker see the NTS boys at least twice each week over an extended period during the season. Their moderation of state selection inconsistencies, based on detailed knowledge of individuals, as opposed to form in a 5 day carnival, appears to have an informed and significant impact at National level.

I am not sure who is the equivalent of Manu Sutherland in QLD.

 

[Torn Hammy]

PS

Torn Hammy - welcome aboard. (That you Robbie?)

Thanks and no. Robbie's username would be Torn Hammies.

 

[CHS 72]

I'm a little dissapointed that only two CHS guys got into the two teams. I wasn't in Brisbane to see the championships, so it's hard to comment further.
Lee, I sat next to you at Knox final day. This is my first post.
I am particularly happy for Tim Donlan and Boyd Killingworth, as these are boys I have known and followed for years.
I hope the Papa experiment doesn't continue into 2011, as he has too much power already.
Can anybody shine light on exactly how many players from the two teams are in the NTS (that secret organisation that no one can find a list of).
I look forward to watching Lindsay Crook as he sounds like a real excitement machine.
I don't think the Aus schoolboy team needs out of control aggression (yellow cards) like that offered too often by Stuart Goodman. A pack/team of players all ready to muck in and dominate the contact is a lot more manageable.
Joel Luani obviously continued his good form from the Knox final day.