IMO There are 4 terrible decisions:
Roods in the 2s behind the Joeys 13
King not getting picked at all!
Wileman not getting picked at all!
But the worst one of the lot is still Kulen getting put on the bench in 3s!! He has caused every team serious problems at scrums. As you go up the rep ladder you need to be able to scrummage. He is the best scrummaging prop in the GPS BY far. He might not run the ball as much as some of the others which is probably why he didn't get selected, but that just shows how much the selectors don't know about rugby and scrummaging in particular!
There were some bizarre selections weren't there?
They picked the Newington bookends after all, yet you reported on how Kulen tore Ezrah a new one in the scrums. It's an odd selection omission. Unfortunately I don't think that playing against the CAS scrum will reveal a lot of scrummaging deficiencies but CHS will be a good benchmark: they have a good scrum. It will be too late for Kulen though unless he gets some meaningful scrummaging from the bench tomorrow.
I wouldn't have picked 10. Deegan for the IIIs ahead of King either. The Shore flyhalf is a fine player and Deegs should be playing later in the year in the U/16s. Although he plays in a robust manner Deegan doesn't have the physique to match it and I'm sure that not being selected for Opens rep rugby would sit better with his family also.
After one viewing of him I wasn't too surprised that Wileman missed out. He has a power fend and is hard to stop but Barclay was better on the matchup when Shore played Joeys. I didn't expect the Joeys Yr. 11 lad to be selected ahead of Roods though. I would have reversed the selections.
As for the ratio of players selected from each school: that is always random and I have never been excited by it any more than I am by senior players being picked for a World XV. The number of Joeys lads chosen is remarkable though. Guilfoyle is a good hooker but his lineout throwing can be problematic. I think this position is a weakness in the GPS and the 2nd row is not well endowed either - as the selection of 7. Whitely as lock for the IIs and Sandell as a reserve attests. Sandell is another Joeys player eligible for U/16s.
Joeys players 5. Kovacic and 15. Le Lievre were expected selections, though LeLievre may not be fit to play. He stubbed his foot on the ground kicking a conversion on Saturday, did his leg a mischief and had to hobble off. 14. Wilde picked for the IIs has been playing well: he is elusive and fast enough but his selection indicates a shortage of wingers who are also good footie players. I'm a bit surprised that 9. Kay (and 10. Deegan) were picked for the IIIs. There may be some logic to playing the Joeys boys together but it's still a bit of a surprise after Saturday's game as Kay, a flyhalf really, needs to work on his pass from the deck.
The selection of Joeys 3. Hall for the IIIs is reasonable, though the Joeys scrum is not stellar. He is a goer around the rucks and other parts of the park. I didn't expect Joeys 1. Robertson to be in the IIIs though. Like other Joeys players: Wilde, Sandell, Deegan, Kay and brave little 7. Murphy, another reserve, I expected his chance to come next year.
Getting away from Hunters Hill: I was looking forward to watching 14. Kellaway on the weekend after reading a bit of forum hype on him. He finished off one of the Scots many breakout movements for a try but was fairly quiet. The selectors would have seen more of him than I have though.
No such faint praise for team mate 12. Stewart. He didn't take my eye in U/16s last year but plays like a senior player does now. Another TSC player, 8. Baraket, picked for the IIs, impressed me on Saturday also. He was in the TSC Twos when I saw him in the trials but he had a cracking match and has obviously stepped up since then. I'm picking him to be a fine senior 7 when he leaves school.
I was surprised that 6. Dempsey is in the IIs instead of the Is, though not as much as with some of the other selections I have have mentioned.
I agree with Foketi being chosen at 12. for the IIs and not on the wing in the Is, because some of his talents would be lost out wider. I'd look for him playing 12 in the Is next year though. Even this year he could prove himself as a rep inside centre and do his chances of being picked as a NSW utility player no harm at all.
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