Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2008

[The Chosen]

Ahoy Lee Grant- were you @ Riverview/Joeys game yesterday.
Personally I was somewhat disappointed at overall standard of match. Lot of errors, especially by Joeys backline. Riverview sweated on these, especially their final 2 tries, which won the game.
Riverview's lineouts were pretty average- numerous misdirected throws etc however their intensity etc matched the Joeys pack who I considered initially superior.
The behaviour of Riverview Old Boy groups was somewhat outlandish- is alcohol normally allowed at these GPS games- the mess left afterwards was aabsolutely disgusting!

 

[AussieDominance]

Riverview Old Boys were like that in the game against Kings as well quite disrespectful and insulting. It's common courtesy to be quiet when both sides kick and everyone did it except the Riverview old boys and then threw a few insulting remarks out to I understand Joeys boys as well.

 

[oxe7]

At all joeys games there is a no alchohol policy. But after view scored their last try their old boys were giving it to the joeys boys ... standing right behind them.

And i believe that the view headmaster had to apologise for a number of racial comments coming from the mouth of view people towards the aboriginals and adrian.

 

[AussieDominance]

Kings today beat Joeys 32-24 in the second greatest schoolboy rugby game I have ever seen.

View choked against Shore losing 12-7 meaning it's a joint premiership.

Kings were down 17-0 at one stage 17-3 at half time and proceeded to score 31 points in the second half helped along by a very loud and enthusiastic Kings crowd some brilliant backline movement from side to side in the second half from Kings brought them home.

 

[AussieDominance]

Were you at the game Lee?

 

[Lee Grant]

Yeah I was at the game but your guys were too good.

It was a great match and I thought Joeys had it all wrapped up at half time 17-3. Then when Jelly made his break up the guts of the field just after the start of the second half you kind of knew that there was a change coming and the Kings gun backs clicked into gear.

Full marks to Kings for the comeback.

Jelly was dynamite on the right wing and it's hard to work out why he didn't get a spot in either Oz Schools side. I reckon that he will be one of those fellows who didn't make Oz Schools but will have a lot better senior career than some who did.

Casali played the best game I've seen him play, which is not a lot, but it was strange to see the 6 on his back instead of 2.

Joeys are to be congratulated for their season despite losing a couple and drawing another. They didn't have any stars this year and it was a great effort to see their makeshift backline hold their own today for most of the match against the Kings rep backs, and they having none themselves.

In fact due to an indiscretion by one of the boys he was suspended and last weeks hooker Drew Hickey was marking 13 Cameron Mitchell who is in the Waratahs Academy this year !!!!

Agree it was a top match and weren't some of the hits massive??

But beware my friend - Joeys young team has 7 returning next year plus 4 from the twos.

Cheers.

 

[Lindommer]

In fact due to an indiscretion by one of the boys he was suspended and last weeks hooker Drew Hickey was marking 13 Cameron Mitchell who is in the Waratahs Academy this year!

Drew Hickey? Now there's a Freudian slip. Drew Hickey, Joeys, GPS, NSW Schoolboys, Waratahs and currently Worcester. How can we let talented Australian players like this go? Apart from money, that is.

The Joeboy turning out today was David Hickey, the third of three brothers to play for Joeys Firsts. And if he's not a champion openside breakaway for Joeys Firsts next year, and thereafter, I'm a poor judge of junior rugby talent.

 

[Pfitzy]

I see Armidale stepped in to play rugby in lieu of those chaps without a rugby team any more. Good on them.

 

[Lee Grant]

Drew Hickey? Now there's a Freudian slip.

I'm afreud you're right. I didn't make these mistakes so often when I was Jung.

 

[AussieDominance]

Yeah I was at the game but your guys were too good.

It was a great match and I thought Joeys had it all wrapped up at half time 17-3. Then when Jelly made his break up the guts of the field just after the start of the second half you kind of knew that there was a change coming and the Kings gun backs clicked into gear.

Full marks to Kings for the comeback.

Jelly was dynamite on the right wing and it's hard to work out why he didn't get a spot in either Oz Schools side. I reckon that he will be one of those fellows who didn't make Oz Schools but will have a lot better senior career than some who did.

Casali played the best game I've seen him play, which is not a lot, but it was strange to see the 6 on his back instead of 2.

Joeys are to be congratulated for their season despite losing a couple and drawing another. They didn't have any stars this year and it was a great effort to see their makeshift backline hold their own today for most of the match against the Kings rep backs, and they having none themselves.

In fact due to an indiscretion by one of the boys he was suspended and last weeks hooker Drew Hickey was marking 13 Cameron Mitchell who is in the Waratahs Academy this year !!!!

Agree it was a top match and weren't some of the hits massive??

But beware my friend - Joeys young team has 7 returning next year plus 4 from the twos.

Cheers.

How many Joeys 16's do you reckon will make the step to 1's/2's?

 

[AussieDominance]

And Lee what did you think of the 16A's game if you were at Hunters Hill by that time?

 

[Lee Grant]

Unfortunately I missed the game.

 

[AussieDominance]

Unfortunately I missed the game.

Was a good game despite the poor refereeing at one stage the penalty count was 12-1 to Joeys. Midway through the second half.

Joeys looked just a step below Kings though they had some good runners of the Footy who always gave them a chance of breaking up a game in what ended up an 8-7 win to Kings. Corey and Dillon are the ones I am talking about.

Kings had the upper hand at scrum time evidently smashing Joeys but it is quite possibly the second/third best scrum Kings has played against a big front row Kings has. Joeys prop looked massive tho and with a bit of work he could become something.

Joeys winger went off and Max Beer came on didn't provide much impact though tried hard.

What are your thoughts on some of these boys Lee?

 

[Lee Grant]

I know Corey Ashby and Dillon Walford very well. I don't know why these lads haven't been considered for the NSW U/16 team and ditto for Adrian Ha'angana who was playing 12 for the Joeys 1st XV yesterday.

Corey and Dill are both from Walgett and are good mates with my nephew who was in the same team as those boys since Yr. 7 but he left the school at the end of last year. They often had weekend passes to stay at my in-laws place and a couple of times all 3 boys have stayed at my joint.

Dill is the nephew of Ricky Walford, the old St. George Dragons winger though the footie genes have come through differently. Uncle was smooth running winger with a great in and away whilst Dill is a Larkham type schoolboy flyhalf.

Corey is hard running ball running 12 and you can see his junior league backround in the way he tackles. Both lads will be in the Joeys 1sts eventually, but don't expect to see them playing rugby union after their school days.

Corey is a gun cricketer with both bat and ball and if he has a sporting future it will probably be in that sport as a Malcolm Marshall type bowler and a Andrew Symonds type bat. Dill will be playing league not rugby union.

I also know Max and his dad Dave quite well. The next time I see all the boys I will tell them that they have been mentioned on the internet. They will will be stoked.

 

[AussieDominance]

I know Corey Ashby and Dillon Walford very well. I don't know why these lads haven't been considered for the NSW U/16 team and ditto for Adrian Ha'angana who was playing 12 for the Joeys 1st XV yesterday.

Corey and Dill are both from Walgett and are good mates with my nephew who was in the same team as those boys since Yr. 7 but he left the school at the end of last year. They often had weekend passes to stay at my in-laws place and a couple of times all 3 boys have stayed at my joint.

Dill is the nephew of Ricky Walford, the old St. George Dragons winger though the footie genes have come through differently. Uncle was smooth running winger with a great in and away whilst Dill is a Larkham type schoolboy flyhalf.

Corey is hard running ball running 12 and you can see his junior league backround in the way he tackles. Both lads will be in the Joeys 1sts eventually, but don't expect to see them playing rugby union after their school days.

Corey is a gun cricketer with both bat and ball and if he has a sporting future it will probably be in that sport as a Malcolm Marshall type bowler and a Andrew Symonds type bat. Dill will be playing league not rugby union.

I also know Max and his dad Dave quite well. The next time I see all the boys I will tell them that they have been mentioned on the internet. They will will be stoked.

Yep sounds correct Max was playing out of position in the A's which may have thrown him out a bit although was always dangerous in the B's game when you throw a Sydney Captain into the B's your doing well.

 

[barbarian]

I see Paul Sheehan has had a go at the View Old Boys for their display at the catholic derby a few weeks ago.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/paul-sheehan/new-wave-of-abusive-old-boys/2008/08/31/1220121045584.html

Drunk old boys is hardly a new problem, and certainly not purely a Riverview problem. I don't know what can be done about it, as IMO there will always be a small contingent who love getting pissed/smoking/yelling abuse at the place where they were never allowed to, and in front of teachers and students. It a blight on GPS footy though.

I was a bit annoyed when he started going on about High- the schools that voted against removing High from the first XV comp were Grammar and High! Finally they have pulled out- they are amalgamating with Grammar next year. They won't mix the boys up, rather High 1sts will play as Grammar 3rds, High 16A's as Grammar 16C's and so on.

 

[Lee Grant]

I was at the game and didn't notice any unsavoury incidents except one. At the final whistle, when supporters were applauding the efforts of both teams one fellow, too young to be a Riverview parent, said something like: "You lost Joeys, now piss of home."

This got laughter from a few people around him.

When I turned around and said he should be ashamed of himself, as one can do at my age, he looked at me with a look of amused contempt as though I was the poor loser and he not the poor winner.

I had never heard that kind of thing at a GPS game before, and certainly not at Hunters Hill amongst the Joeys crowd who are fiercely appreciative of the opposing team after the game, as though, if they didn't, they would be remiss in not following a tradition.

But that is not so bad as what I heard about the Riverview behaviour a week before on Saturday before the Kings' match. I heard that one of the 'View players called Adrian Ha'angana, the Joeys 12 and an ethnic Islander, a "black c***".

I was speaking to Peter McGrath on Saturday and he said that he let it be known of his displeasure at other incidents, not as Chairman of the ARU (in which case I wouldn't have mentioned his name), but as a parent of a Joeys player.

As for controlling the Old Boys: they are a problem. I don't know if the bar at 'View was open during the afternoon but if it was it was a poor decision. You can get a drink at Joeys, but not until after the game is over.

 

[barbarian]

At Riverview it is BYO, and this is where the problem lies. You can bring a slab or two and get really stuck into it, where at Joeys you are not allowed alcohol as far as I know.

 

[Lee Grant]

Ahhh - so if the View headmaster wants to control the Old Boys the solution is obvious - adopt the Joeys rule which is no alcohol, which I know about because I took a leaguie relative to a Joeys game a few years ago and he sneaked some beers in, in his pocket, and he was politely escorted to the gates by the security guys without any invitation to return.

 

[barbarian]

I don't know, Lee, I think a ban is a bit extreme. There is nothing wrong with a beer at the footy, and the actions of a small minority are not just grounds to ban it for the majority. You just need to police it a little- have a couple of coppers around, and throw someone in a paddy wagon if they start abusing players or throwing debris or being a general nuisance. This will send the message pretty well methinks.