NSW Junior Representative Rugby 2012

With the State Championships next weekend, has anyone got any news on how trials have been going in the various age groups ?
What age groups are at what venues?
Where are the finals being held on Monday?

Any volunteers keen to post results the daily updates from the various venues?
If past practice is anything to go by, the Official results take forever to be posted.

U15 favourites are Gordon, closely followed by Warringah and Randwick (If the Randwick boys can all train and play together).

U16s in Norths and Gordon. Every year they meet in the finals and North have won for the last few years i think. Same should happen this year

Under 14s A new beefed up norths squad possibly favourites over the Gordon Squad. They will meet in semi, winner to play ACT in the finals.

Under15s. Gordon too strong in the backs

Under 16 another great tussle with a few of the Norths boys out through injury or school issues. Gordon in a close game.

TT: "What age groups are at what venues?
Where are the finals being held on Monday?"

Although there is a link on www.juniors.rugbynet.com.au to "State Championship Draws Released" on 1 June, the draws are not yet available on that link. Hopefully, that'll be rectified today.

I agree with Sydneybra's & 10to12's assessments of the U15s.

U/16's & 17's together again! Thats a no-brainier for me; St Luke's it is!

Only hope school selections are not going to impede players from participating. That would detract from a good spectacle!

I actually wonder how many U17 teams will compete? From what I have heard, a lot of the private school rep players were not allowed to play club rugby. I certainly have not seen the likes of Tepai, Jamo Clark, Cameron Orr, Malaki Afele, Junior Satiu, Jake Roberts, Connor Finn, Matt Matson, Brent Whicker (are there any more lol), playing in club rugby so how would these guys make themselves eligible for the state champs? It wouldn't be the same without this lot!
I am surprised though, as it means they would only have the one pathway - schools.

Easy - if you take the time to look at the competition rules, it looks like if you ever played club rugby in the past you're in! So, as long as all the boys named above played 4 games of club rugby in 2011 or 2010 - no sweat!

BTW - the draws are up - http://www.nswjuniors.rugbynet.com.au/default.asp?type=library

Gordon and Norths will not be very competitive as most of their players are in opens for school.

I think most of them are playing anyway well at least in the 16s

Seems a little funny that one can play in the state championships without participating in the week by week slog around the village ovals on Sundays.

Some of the boys playing village club footy week in week out must feel a bit like the boys who have their 1st XV hopes dashed when the Scholarship boys arrive in Year 11 or Year 12.

No problem with the boys who play both club and school, good luck to them. They deserve to have two pathways to higher representative honours.

Boys who are not prepared to play BOTH Park footy and School footy should not deserve to have two representative pathways open to them.

NOTE to MODS. This has probably been done to death previously, and/or may be better posted in the "Schoolboy Scholarship" or "Selection prejudice" threads. Please feel free to move this post as appropriate.

2012 venues on 9 and 10 June are ;

Under 10’s North Narrabeen Reserve, Narrabeen
Under 11’s Barden Ridge, Menai
Under 12’s Camden Rugby Park, Wire Lane, Camden
Under 13’s North Narrabeen Reserve, Narrabeen
Under 14’s Orange Emus Rugby Union Club, Orange
Under 15’s TG Millner Field, Eastwood
Under 16’s St Lukes Concord
Under 17’s St Lukes Concord

Gordon U16's served up a good hiding to Wests in a recent trial, although I didn't hang around to see the full game at Chatswood Oval.

Mosmon Whales are only in B division of Under 16 comp, and their results haven't been all that startling according to Buddha. If Norths want to have any have any hope of repeating last years form, they would need to recruit a swag of their previous years players who must now be playing exclusively School footy or are injured.

Wests apparently had a close victory over Eastwood in another trial.

Gordon must be looking good for the 16's title.

Finals venue for age groups 12s-17s on Monday 11 June is TG Millner Field, Eastwood.
The U/10s age group is a tournament event with no finals and the U/11s this year will be held over the 3 days at Barden Ridge, Menai.

U15 Randwick could be the dark horses of the comp. A few big names in the side but they wont go anywhere if they cant gel and get good combinations. Gordon maybe past their peak from club and school rugby.

Tips for u13s?

Randwick won it last year, the game plan was give the ball to Tyrone, probably the best player for that age in NSW or even Australia.

As a Gordon supporter, i have to say Marlins vs Southern Districts is the game to watch in the u16s. Both these teams are dark horses and have potential to cause an upset. Manly, who have talent in the forwards with Henry Lynch at flanker and Matthew Whitton at 8, as well as Sydney Junior Jonte Kaplan at 9. From what I have heard from reports about Roos vs Bulldogs, the Districts have a few tricks up their sleeve as well, with a particularly good no.8 in the ranks. Yet to hear a name for this boy.

Hope the weather holds off so we can see some good footy.

I recall back in the early days of this century a couple of very very wet State Champs at Rockdale involving one of the Junior Jarses.

Great conditions for the Piggies. Not a very good showpiece for all the pretty boys in the backline. Rain and mud seriously interferred with the "product" in their hair. Piggies could actually almost keep up with the pretty boys. Think that tournament only went ahead because the oval wasn't council owned.