NSW Schools - Trial Games and Selections 2012

[It is what it is]

Yes GPS 35 (7 tries no goals) def CAS 12 (2 tries and 1 conversion..Wileman & Paterson both scored tries)
GPS Goal kicking was atrocious and score was restricted as a result. GPS No's 10 & 15 shared the kicking duties and most of the kicks went nowhere near the posts.
Good start to CAS with 75 m try after great run by Paterson and strong finishing by Wileman.
GPS did more with their possession and scored a couple of simple tries off the back of CAS defence quitting too early on the inside.
CAS lacked penetration with the fair share of ball they had and really lacked a couple of wrecking ball runners to get over the advantage line.
This was particularly evident when pressing the GPS try line where they were constantly repelled.
For GPS No 6 was a stand out with some outstanding long runs and aggressive play with the ball and in defence.
CAS Line out was OK but could have dominated with more accurate throwing/calls???
GPS No 8 won a lot of ball at 2 in the line out and was strong in general play.
GPS counter rucking was a feature of their play and won them a lot of turnover ball.
For CAS No 10 Vevers tried hard but lacked effective ball runners, while Creeley hit it up hard all day.
CAS No 9 needs to have a few more snipes in attack to take pressure off his No 10.
Pretty flat atmosphere and poor quality match to be honest.​

 

[Newbie]

GPS I 35 (7 tries) def CAS I 12 (2 tries)
GPS II 36 def CAS II 25

Well here is my summation of today's trials at View:

GPS III's v AICES

Jeepies won and daylight came second! I believe they won by 8 wickets and an innings.

GPS II v CAS II

They first have was seesaw of missed opportunities on the part of both teams, however come the second half GPS took control.

The standouts for me were Deegan who initially had a shaky start but then came into his own and directed his team around the park beautifully. Someone needs to tell Vea that he is 'Hooker' as he found himself out in the centres throwing wayward passes to Pople who would have scored on two occassions but for the same! Had a good game otherwise! Hats off to McCalman who was his usual tenacious and tireless self.

Generally speaking the GPS forwards played well and the backline did score some great tries but it was on the back of questionable CAS defence. Given the amount of opportunities the GPS backs squandered through dropped ball I cannot say i was impressed with their overall performance.

The CAS forwards were lacking fitness IMO and i cannot give any wraps except to Moala and Afele. There set pieces, especially when recieving the kick off, were not of a II's standard and more work is needed in that department. I must admit I was not impressed with the performance of Orr today. Twice near the line he decided to keep the ball and go himself when he had an unmarked on his outside and both times he dropped his lollies

The CAS backs were not the best today, in particular their defence. Wrong options were taken on way to many occassions! Clark played well for someone carrying a serious injured shoulder, he missed a tackle or two (but then again so did everyone) but generally his defence held up! In the early stages of the game Clark chipped and chased his way to a superb break, and what should have been a great try was bombed as there was no-one to back him up!

All in all a fair outcome as both teams missed equal opportunities!


GPS v CAS

Well the one we all came to see did not disappoint! CAS were the first to open up their account through a sintellating break by Paterson who linked up with Wileman for a simple draw and pass and the latter was in for the first try!

To my dismay that was it from CAS and GPS then took control of the game, both in attack but moreso in defence. CAS to their credit threw everything but the kitchen sink at the GPS side but the GPS defence was resolute!

Regrettably CAS could not contain the GPS Machine when it decided to shift into high gear and this resulted in 7 magnificent tries!

For CAS I was really expecting to see great things from the fly-half Vevers (given the big wraps he has been receiving in this forum). In all honesty I was expecting to see a diamond but instead I only got to see an opal. In other words he played well but nothing that would distinguish him from the pack. He kicked well in general play however when the pressure was on he took some wrong options and two such instances resulted in turnovers and subsequent tries to GPS.

For CAS my hat goes off to Satiu who went hard all day! Williams as usual was in the thick of it as too was Captain Fay! The scrummie, Jenkins, was for mine the best back for CAS followed closely by Paterson.

For GPS; well where do you stop. The whole forward pack performed magnificently. They performed wonderfully as a tight cohesive unit and that was the difference! I forgot who it was but there was one lad in particular who made two great breaks. He was a tall lad but I am not to sure if he was one of the locks or the number 8. can someone help here? Every raid on their line was repelled with vigour and force. They gave the backs the platform from which they won the game!

But credit where credit is due as the GPS backs were sublime today! Superboy I believe scored a great hatrick from fullback and played exceptionally well. The halves did a great job directing traffic, and the centres ran hard and the wingers supported very well. Jones had a good game and set up Superboy's third try with an awesome piece of individual brilliance where he bounced a CAS player and put the ball on the toe where it was picked up just before the try line and in Superboy went! Foketi's defence was superb and often saved tries!

I will however note the following. This will come as a shock to some here (especially CTPE) but I was far from happy with Milne's performance today. Yes he ran hard today, and yes he made a great break in the latter stage of the game which resulted in a simple draw and pass to put Wilde in for a meat pie; but this was the only time he did so!

If I was Foketi I surely would have went up to Milne in the early stages of the game and asked if he needed some 'Gorilla Grip' remover. I counted numerous occasions where Milne ran the ball, drew the players, had an unmarked Foketi, and failed to pass! It was déjà vu as there I was recalling his similar performances at last year's U/16 National Championship. He (or the coach) needs to knock that sh@t out of his game! and pronto!

The bulk of that GPS side should go through to the NSW teams IMO.

 

[smokinjoe]

Agree Newbie. I Posted on CAS thread but generally speaking GPS just a bit faster and sharper across the park. Plenty of hard effort by all players. I hope goal kicking doesn't decide the interstate match - we're @":/-,;

 

[It is what it is]

Newbie

Agree with most of your report but the CAS prop Satiu was a liability.
He walks around the field too often, is a target for attacking runners because of his lack of mobility and poor lateral footspeed.
Golden rule is that if a player looks fat, they are and he needs some serious conditioning work.
The GPS 6 was the stand out I think you're referring to above.

 

[Newbie]

Agree with most of your report but the CAS prop Satiu was a liability.
He walks around the field too often, is a target for attacking runners because of his lack of mobility and poor lateral footspeed.
Golden rule is that if a player looks fat, they are and he needs some serious conditioning work.
The GPS 6 was the stand out I think you're referring to above.

I hear what your saying, however I'm old school and I'm ok with a walking prop at times so long as he is strong at the set pieces! That why we have tireless back rowers

Without him GPS would have smashed the CAS scrum, instead of just dominating the same!

Besides this he (apart from the Creely) was the only one willing to crack at the GPS line, and I mean a real crack!

 

[Newbie]

I hope most of the CHS side is not atheist, because they need to be doing some serious praying right now.

We Catholics call it 'Divine Intervention'. And they going to need plenty of it!

 

[stonecutter]

Next time, take the Wakehurst Parkway, before that (if you had come from across the harbour) go to Chatswood/Roseville turn off from the expressway!

Normally it's a trip down Mona Vale rd but I'd had an appointment in Nth Sydney.

 

[Newbie]

Agree Newbie. I Posted on CAS thread but generally speaking GPS just a bit faster and sharper across the park. Plenty of hard effort by all players. I hope goal kicking doesn't decide the interstate match - we're @":/-,;

Joe all the kickers were poor today! Too soft underfoot!

 

[#1?]

Surprised how close CAS 2 was to GPS 2. Would have thought that GPS had better depth than CAS, and therefore results in the 2's would be a bigger gap to GPS than in the 1's.

 

[It is what it is]

I hear what your saying, however I'm old school and I'm ok with a walking prop at times so long as he is strong at the set pieces! That why we have tireless back rowers

Without him GPS would have smashed the CAS scrum, instead of just dominating the same!

Besides this he (apart from the Creely) was the only one willing to crack at the GPS line, and I mean a real crack!

Hear ya, but we need all positions to be able to play rugby, not just their position.
I hope he does the work and kicks on, but as Palmer is finding out at the Wallabies, scrummaging just isn't enough.
Johnson had a crack all day, with more hit ups than anyone.
I just wish he was 15-20cms taller and 7-10kg heavier.
Maybe he and Satiu could swap lunchboxes for a term.

 

[Newbie]

... ... ... ... ... ...
Maybe he and Satiu could swap lunchboxes for a term.

What, and eat taro!

You're kidding!

 

[GTPIH]

I've got to say that 'it is what it is' has the most accurate summation of today's match - "Pretty flat atmosphere and poor quality match to be honest"

I missed 1st CAS try but from then there appeared to be an inevitability that GPS would win. It was clear that GPS had only had one training session but when CAS put on any pressure, GPS just clicked up enough gears to do the job. The backs were disjointed but seemed to have more class than CAS when it mattered. I agree with Newbie that Milne needs to learn how to draw and pass. He made some great breaks then went to ground, dare I say, like a leaguie and butchered several certain tries.

For me the GPS fowards and defence won the game especially in the last 10-15 mins when CAS were camped in the GPS 22.

As an aside , with the few touches he got, Clunies-Ross for CAS lived upto the hype.

With a game under their belts, expecting a more fluent performance by GPS on Friday

 

[smokinjoe]

Joe all the kickers were poor today! Too soft underfoot!

When it's wet, goal kicking is often the deciding factor.

 

[Newbie]

I'm trying understand how a nine try game equates to being 'flat'; more so when a few of the tries included individual brilliance!

 

[stonecutter]

Popped over to Riverview for a look at the GPS VS CAS clash today and came away impressed with some and asking questions about others performances. As others have said already the GPS forwards outplayed their counterparts and laid a platform for a very talented backline to work from. The pick for me was the No14 from Kings who showed some wonderfull touches including a deft little kick off his wrong kicking side for the No15 to score off. The centre pairing were effective without being spectacular but I don't think Tuttle of Qld will be losing too much sleep just yet over their challenge.

The battles of most interest to me today were the No10's and all 4 players played to a high standard. Clarke bounced back with a tidy performance and showed what he was capable of with a chip and chase that unfortunately led to nothing, a highlight. Vevers also did some good work and his early kicking helped to repel GPS back towards half way. His passing was crisp and he attacked the line regularly, which is an important part of a 10's armoury. Horwitz organised well and kicked smartly while his defence was bruising. I'd still like to see him test the line a little bit more to give his outside men a half a second of extra time. Deegan was the standout of the 4 to me however. His catching and passing was exceptional at times and every long ball was delivered to the receiver in front and at right height. He mixed his kicking up and had 2 show and goes that were perfectly executed to open up the opposition. He's also a resolute little bugger as he defends strongly and cops his fair share of whacks without complaint. CHS's McIntyre has yet to fully impress me this year and will have to step up in fridays game to ward off Deegans' claims.

The CAS forwards made an error in trying to tackle Dempsey high on most occasions and saw how good his fend is. CHS should take note that he is no where near as effective if you take him early and low, but you make your own luck in this game. The Pryor-Lees experiment needs another look on friday against some larger bodies but I thought he played OK. I thought the GPS hooker outpointed Wilson on the day which is not easy to do. In reality most of the individual clashes went in favour of the GPS players but Jenkins deserves a mention for his efforts.

In the II's it was a similar story with Deegan the main architech of the victory. He was ably supported by Pulvers' long pass and Redden made many inroads. Moylan toiled hard but seems a bit one paced and O'Donahue was tireless but doesn't appear as physically imposing as some of the other locks.

While this was a comprehensive win I don't subscribe to the theory that all of these boys are shoe ins for NSW selections just yet. Fridays' games will fit the last pieces into the puzzle and there are some very sharp performers out there who may not match GPS overall team strength but whose individual skills are higher. level. Looking forward to it.

 

[CTPE]

I will however note the following. This will come as a shock to some here (especially CTPE) but I was far from happy with Milne's performance today. Yes he ran hard today, and yes he made a great break in the latter stage of the game which resulted in a simple draw and pass to put Wilde in for a meat pie; but this was the only time he did so!

If I was Foketi I surely would have went up to Milne in the early stages of the game and asked if he needed some 'Gorilla Grip' remover. I counted numerous occasions where Milne ran the ball, drew the players, had an unmarked Foketi, and failed to pass! It was déjà vu as there I was recalling his similar performances at last year's U/16 National Championship. He (or the coach) needs to knock that sh@t out of his game! and pronto!

I didn't get there but heard from a dad that did about Milne's reluctance to pass the ball. Both wingers apparently would have as much to gripe about as Foketi.
Also heard that the Riverview boys Dempsey and Whiteley were quite outstanding.

 

[pine cone 3]

Hear ya, but we need all positions to be able to play rugby, not just their position.
I hope he does the work and kicks on, but as Palmer is finding out at the Wallabies, scrummaging just isn't enough.
Johnson had a crack all day, with more hit ups than anyone.
I just wish he was 15-20cms taller and 7-10kg heavier.
Maybe he and Satiu could swap lunchboxes for a term.

Every time Johnson carted it up he got driven backwards. He plays like a No6 but in too small a body and spends too much time away from the ball looking for running opportunities. A No7's role is to constantly threaten the opposition at the tackle area and link to support if a break opens up. Perhaps his league instincts influence the way he plays the position. He is willing but not what I would consider technically correct.

 

[Waratard]

The CAS forwards made an error in trying to tackle Dempsey high on most occasions and saw how good his fend is. CHS should take note that he is no where near as effective if you take him early and low, but you make your own luck in this game.


I think you'll find that all rugby players are not as effective if you take them early and low...

 

[pine cone 3]

Now that all the teams have had a game to showcase the selected players it is interesting as to who the main selection contenders will be in the various positions.

In my opinion only!

At No15 Kellaway-GPS stands out with CHS's 15, Paterson-CAS and Cochrane-ISA having some good moments.

Wingers to impress so far have been Taylor-ISA and Jones-GPS.

Centres seemed to be an easy selection until Stewart and Moeroa were missing (what odds they are the Combined States pair). Foketi-GPS and Milne-GPS would be front runners with Barclay-GPS and Redden-GPS a show unless someone from CHS, CAS or ISA pulls out a big one on friday.

No10 is likely to be Horwitz-GPS and McIntyre-CHS with Deegan-GPS pressuring them both. Hodge-CHS would also be a show but is out injured for a lengthy stint I believe.

Half back is tough as there are two distinct styles on show at the moment. There are the organisers like Jenkins-CAS and Ferris-GPS against the threats to defence like Natoli-ISA, Pulver-GPS, Gonzales-ISA and Delore-CHS.

Whiteley-GPS is the standout No8 with Hemopo-CHS showing some form. Moala-CAS may be 1 year too early and needs to increase his aerobic capacity while Moylan-GPS is honest.

Murphy-GPS and Tuckwell-ISA are the 2 best No7's at the tackle contest and around the field and can jump if required in the lineout. Randall-GPS is a smaller version of the other 2 minus the lineout option with Amosa-CHS needing to attack the ball more than the man at the contest.

Dempsey-GPS stands out here at No6 with Lloyd-ISA and Williams-CAS both converted locks the next best. Selectors may be tempted to go with 2 opensides or convert someone to a 6 if nobody stands up on friday. I'd personally go with the 2 flyers if the rest of the pack is big enough.

Rorke-GPS is one lock in front of Lee-Warner-GPS, Manukeu-CHS, O'Donahue-GPS, Philip-ISA, Linaker-ISA and Afele-CAS in no particular order.

Props should come from Robertson-GPS, O'Connor-ISA, Pryor-Lees-GPS,Faigataa-CHS,Tukipili-CHS, Satui-CAS, Orr-CAS, Sandell-GPS and Sau-CHS (I think 8 are selected in this position)

Carolan-GPS and Wilson-CAS would be favourites with Kitchen-CAS next from Cook-ISA and Kay-CHS

Please remember these are simply observations gleaned from watching what has been on show in this years rep trials to date along with attending GPS,CAS and ISA games for this age group over the past few years. I'm happy to hear other peoples views as well.

 

[pine cone 3]

The CAS forwards made an error in trying to tackle Dempsey high on most occasions and saw how good his fend is. CHS should take note that he is no where near as effective if you take him early and low, but you make your own luck in this game.


I think you'll find that all rugby players are not as effective if you take them early and low.

And yet the CAS boys don't quite realise this do they.