Qld I 38 Combined States 5
6 tries to 1 - Qld started well but then seemed to have the same rustiness as NSW Is had, so that CS came back later in the 1st half and were only 5-12 down at oranges. But Qld hit their straps when they switched ends to the tune of 26-0 as CS faded trying to put out all the fires. They also lacked a bit of class in too many positions.
• For CS 9. Pulver went on a couple of snipes that should have been supported better and 13 Redden showed why a few folks were saying he should have been playing for NSW.
• The Qld scrum had problems in the 1st half and there were a slew of not straight throws from them too. 5. Korczyk was everywhere and played like a back rower which played dividends in the 2nd half. Powerhouse 8. Fakaosiela put the Oz selectors on notice.
• 15. Placid had a few slashing runs in the 1st half - just like last year in the U/16s, and 11. Ioane looked like his cousin sometimes so I'm looking forward to seeing more of it next time. 12. Tuttle was slippery but quiet compared to last year (U/16); so watch this space. Best of all was the interplay between the Qld outside backs in the 2nd half.
PS - For CS 8. Oppenheimer and 15 JB-Boyer withdrew from the team and were replaced by Liam Moyland and Will Paterson, respectively. 2. Kitchen limped off and 17. Gough had to be assisted off; so both may be in doubt for Wednesday.
NSW II 46 WA 0
7 tries to 0 - At 32-0 at oranges it looked like it was going to be a horror show but WA limited NSW to 2 tries in the 2nd half.
• WA were outclassed but had a few good players. 8. Anderson made an outstanding long break and I liked the look of 10. Koitau who has a nice pass and is a good organiser.
• 6. O'Donahue had a punishing all round game for NSW and was all the more noticeable with his Harinordoquy face bandage in the 2nd half, as he had broken his nose in the 1st. He said he would be right for Wednesday though. Not so 12. Creely, who was hard to stop, but suffered a serious looking knee injury.
• 2. Carolan did some fine throwing to the lineout in breezy conditions when he came off the bench, and had a busy game. 8. Hemopo had several good runs using barging, fending and stepping. Like Whitely and Fakaosiela in other teams, it will be good to see him play against stronger opponents to assess him better.
• The Kings pairing of 9. Ferris and 10. Tulloch profited from the good work of the forwards. Tulloch has gone from strength to strength from GPS through to NSW and could be a smokey - but again: let's see him against better opponents. 13. Foketi had a stellar 1st half and set up a beautiful try and pulled off one of the biggest tackles of the day.
• The star of Day 1 for me was 11. Jones who was dangerous every time he had the ball. He set up one try why a chip and chase in the 1st half and another in the 2nd when he launched a couple of other NSW backs to finish off the move like magic.
Lloyd McDermott Development Team 36 v NT 25 [Div II]
This was the best match of the day. LMDT started up with a smart try then NT took over and it looked like one way traffic, then after oranges LMDT came fast out of the blocks took the lead, lost it, then came back again.
Maybe some of the lads didn't have the rugby pedigree or size of players in the Div I teams but they produced a good footie game.
The crowd favourite was NT Hair Bear 7. McDinny who was a live wire all game and scored a popular try.
SA v Tas - did not see.
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