Playing rugby in 2009

[Pfitzy]

On the bench for Seconds yesterday against Rockdale (4 v 5 playoff). They had some mighy big Maori out on that field but they weren't even as fit as our blokes, so they just chucked the ball to either their 12 or 15 who were both lightning. We didn't D up like we should have, and as a result the game was a nailbiter. I came on about 5 minutes into the second half to loosehead. It was their feed and I got the bloke (he'd have been 140kg and 6'3" at least) turned through 90 (I cheated a little) - our feed. Then I stopped concentrating and nearly got smashed myself but managed to hold on and get the ball back.

We were really nailing them through good, structured forward play, plus the ref had enough of their constant offside and shoulder charges so we spent long periods in their 22. I threw lineouts as well which was a doddle by that stage, as they'd stopped competing - basically their big blokes were stuffed and we were too quick in the air so I just chucked it to the giraffe at #2. Beautiful driving maul from 15m out to get a try for our hooker was probably the highlight of the game. There was another maul try which was driven from 5m out.

Lowlights were definitely our lack of concentration - we had a couple of kickoffs they scored from without us laying a finger on. It didn't help that our gun fullback rang up TEN MINUTES BEFORE KICKOFF to say he couldn't make it. So he's unlikely to be welcome again. And shit if your backline doesn't train together (or at all) then what can you expect? We were so short of backs that one of our back rowers had to play fullback because one of the regular backs was running late.

In any case, we scored deep into injury time to get ahead 39-35 - was some classic forward engagements 5 metres out with them constantly infringing before we put our winger over in the corner. The second last pass almost hit our replacement flanker in the head instead of going to the flyhalf, but we got there in the end. 7 tries to 5 but our kicker only got two conversions and missed two penalties. 6 of our tries were off phase play and build-up through the forwards, with only one considered a long-range effort IMHO and even then it took three rucks to get it over the line from 10m out.

All of their tries were just chucking it wide to those two really really fast blokes, or kicking the shit out of it and hoping we stuffed up. Nearly worked too! But a win is a win.

So there are two good bits of news for next week - firstly we have open selection which means a few First Graders can sit on the bench if we're short of reserves. Secondly we're playing Macquarie Uni which means our forward power will be more effective. We watched a bit of Mac Uni's game against Fairvale and the silly buggers from Fairvale completely ignored their massive size advantage in the forwards to chuck it wide. The Uni guys had trouble tackling in the backs, but they have the pace and fitness to run people down so why not just smash them up front? We'll see next weekend I guess. First Grade play current premiers Sydney Harlequins which will be an interesting match.

 

[boarman]

Well i wish i had good news to bring you but unfortunately we got beaten in the Grand Final by 1 point 25-24.

It was always going to be a hard game but we should of won after leading 24-10 with 20 mins to play.We fell into our old ways of ill discipline and got hammered by the ref, some were called for and some were not .The majority of the spectators thought it was very one sided but thats how the game goes.After we got clear on the scoreboard i think complacency got the better of us and the momentum swung in Bermagui's favour and they were more hungrier to win.
Its a hard pill to swallow as it was only our 2nd loss of the year , but everyone is more determined to go one step better next year, we should retain all our players with only our coach leaving, he has performed very good over the last 2 years and it will be a shame to lose him.

I would like to go into details of the game but its not gunna happen LOL, im just not up to it.

I wish to thank everyone who has given me support for the year and look forward to bringing you the news on south coast rugby next year.

Also anyone out there who is interested in playing or even coaching a very good rugby orientated club can leave me a message.We are desperately looking for a good flyhalf.

Good luck to everyone else in their competitions and i wish you all the best.

Until next year The BOARMAN

PS If anybodies club wants a trial for next year please let me know also.

 

[Pfitzy]

Unlucky there boarman - our club knows the heartbreak of losing a grand final by 1 point (8-7 last year) and it never feels good. Even a thrashing is better sometimes...

Anyway, enjoy having some time off on a Saturday! :thumb

 

[boarman]

Even worse when your on a hiding from the ref, just found out the penalty/free kick tally and i cant believe that one team is 4 times as bad as the other. We got 16 penalties/free kicks, the opposition were given 48, no wonder everyone said it was one way.I didnt seem that one sided to me but i guess the stats dont lie.I'm even more upset knowing that the performance of the man with the whistle contributed to the result.But its history now, cant change the result.

 

[Pfitzy]

Well, a week in rugby is a long time. I was due to sit on the 2nd Grade Bench for our final against Macquarie Uni yesterday so that one of the First Grade props could start, and qualify into 2nd Grade for the rest of the year (they have an oversupply in 1sts). He didn't show up for whatever reason, and so I got starting loosehead spot. In addition, two other regular 2nd Grade forwards were missing due to personal reasons.

No matter, because the game was a bit of a slaughter - end result was 31-nil after our forwards just pounded theirs into submission and we'd either score up front going through them or out wide once we'd run at a few of the backs and left their defence grasping. I was asked by the coach and captain to harden the fuck up, and must have done so because after the game they had nothing but praise for me. I just did my best to keep myself involved in the game, pulling off three tackles (two on backs when they almost eluded me - grabbed the tail of their shirt and held on for dear life) and one front-on around the hips of their big lock forward. He almost bumped me but I hung onto his ankle long enough for someone else to clean him up.

I pretty much owned my side of the scrum, but they were quick (and crooked) on the feed so not much to do there. Did turn them through 90 two or three times but the ref was a bit lenient on them. Lineout was OK but our starting hooker is shit, and when he got replaced our #8 took over at hooker at on throwing. Bit silly really as he's a big lad and a good rear lifter but that's the way it goes.

I made a few good runs with the ball, getting over the advantage line about 4 out of 5 times, and also covered up fairly well at the rucks. There was one particular maul where we moved up the field about 20 metres before it broke down, but I think we scored shortly afterwards. That is two weeks in a row where the maul was used very effectively, and we absorbed them trying to pull it down several times. Wish we'd practiced that earlier in the year!

So next week its Liverpool, and I'm expecting a very Rockdale style of game from last week - big fat forwards and fast quick backs. The difference is Rockdale's forwards at least had a bit of technical skill at scrum time. Liverpool had nothing last time out at the set piece, and I'm expecting something similar. They'll be stinging from a loss to St George yesterday, who await us in the grand final if we're good enough.

First Grade pretty much humped Sydney Harlequins, particularly at scrum time, but blew a few chances with some risky passes to finished 23-17. Should have been 23-12 except for a shit call by the ref - our winger marked it, and tapped to kick. The oppo winger hadn't even retreated 5 metres and charged it down to score. Bollocks. They're in the Grand Final (again) and will hopefully play a bit smarter this year.

 

[the gambler]

Good luck against Liverpool Nick. I have played against them in a couple of grand finals and they can be very tough. However if you get in front early they start to panic and play catch up football. Maintain structure and discipline and you should end up on top. Is their captain the old number 8?

 

[the gambler]

Had my first game in a few months after a broken hand, ski trip and work had kept me out. Dropped down the grades and to be honest it was one of the softest weakest games Ive ever played in. Had a half playing prop in uncontested scrums and a half at 5/8. Although it was nothing more than a glorified game of tip it was good to run around and get a bit of blood on the face. Chicks dig scars apparently.

While playing prop I couldnt help myself and bobbed up at first reciever and the tripple cut out was read by my opposing prop who ran 70m to score. :angryfire: But managed to score 2 tries myself and the team got up so alls well that ends well.

Our first grade continued their very impressive run with a win over the competition leaders. That makes it 9 from the last 10 and means they have beaten every team in the comp. If Forest lose to Drummoyne, which is likely as the Dirty Reds seem to have found form in the last two weeks, then the winner of our game against St Pats will clinch the final spot in the finals.

There is a bit of bad blood between the two clubs and Pats will also be playing for the Club Championship so will be a massive game. We are now virtually guarenteed of relegation but have fought to the end and enjoyed our year in First Division. One chargedown try after the hooter earlier in the season could well be the difference between us staying up and going down. Would be very sweet if our First Grade, with an average age of about 23 (oldest player 25) with no poaches, no paid players and no special arrangements could go on and win the comp.

There is talk that there will be a total overhaul of Subbies with each division dropping down to 8 teams. Also Premier Rugby are apparently planning on dropping down to 3 senior teams and 2 colts sides. Will be interesting to see what happens with the overflow of players.

 

[Pfitzy]

Very interesting you mention the overhaul - I really wonder what is behind it as to me, a 10-team division is perfect: 18 rounds = 1 home, 1 away against every other club in the comp. Having only 7 opponents means you play 4 clubs three times, and if you get the weaker ones it is to your advantage. I think Subbies might be getting some pressure about only having 4 teams in the finals of a division so 6 miss out. Stiff shit - them's the rules as far as I'm concerned.

The current situation with 5th Division, where we have a top 6, is fucking ludicrous - if you come top 2 you get a week off, then if you win your game you get another week off. Meanwhile if you come 4-6 you have to play and win every week to make it through. While we get 25 tickets per team on the day, during this time any family or friends who want to come and see you have to pay $10 a head for the privilege! Joke and nothing but a money generator for Subbies. Fuckers.

Good luck against Liverpool Nick. I have played against them in a couple of grand finals and they can be very tough. However if you get in front early they start to panic and play catch up football. Maintain structure and discipline and you should end up on top. Is their captain the old number 8?

No idea mate - we only played them once this year and it was in round 4. Their Firsts got knocked out in the first week by Rockdale, so they can't call on any of them. I'll be going over their team sheets for the last two months to check their numbers though so we'll see. We've got a few big Islander/Maori chaps on our side, so my job will be to dominate the scrum and get to every second ruck, and stay well away from the ball

 

[the gambler]

Im guessing that its because so many clubs are struggling to fill all the grades. We have a bit of a joke situation in that Knox Old Boys are leading the first division club championship yet forfeited 5th grade after the 1st game. I think some of the 2nd division teams are struggling to field colts teams, and with the 4th division being disbanded there was a need to restructure the way the comps are run.

I agree that 10 team comp with top 4 finals has a very nice feel about it and works well.

 

[Pfitzy]

Maybe then they need to think about keeping 10 clubs in, but dropping grades to keep it interesting. If they're going to shunt clubs downwards in a restructure then they might as look at what they're asking of clubs. I think 4 Grades maximum with promotion and relegation down to 4th Division - that way any 3-grade clubs who think they can make it in the big time get their shot.

Not sure how Colts will work out. I think it should absolutely be a requirement for 1st and 2nd Division, or bugger off! I point to outfits like Liverpool who were an upper-division club running several teams and colts + juniors, then over the course of a few years as their promising youngsters reached senior ranks got knocked off by Parramatta who were looking for some ready-made talent rather than investing in their own.

Colts is an especially difficult proposition in Western Sydney because any one of a number of NRL clubs could come knocking, especially for kids who don't get picked up by Private School rugby programs. And the increasing number of Islander kids playing means the physical requirements are already taken care of.

Hopefully 4th Division gets back up next year and we can have a serious look at it. A mate and I are going to stick our hands up for the committee so that things are a bit more organised. The President and the Secretary are running themselves into the ground while the rest of the committee appear disinterested. And of course the coaching politics has to stop.

 

[Aussie D]

Warnervale lost by 50 on the weekend so we ended up coming 3rd last on the ladder :yay (small mercies - didn't want to finish with the spoon)

 

[Pfitzy]

The Renegades 2nd Grade are out of the running, going down 17-nil to Liverpool yesterday. I started at loosehead prop, made one decent run and turned a ball over at maul time, but generally didn't do a lot else except jog back and forth between set piece and clean out rucks. I scrummed pretty well when the ref let me, and our lineout was superior thanks in small part to my lifting. I've got a beauty of a black eye from when their lineout jumper accidentally caught me with his elbow on the way down.

We didn't do a lot wrong, but we got turned over at crucial points and lost our composure to a degree. It didn't help that we had a try disallowed and one awarded against us that was a knock-on - both of these would have been clear to the (rather young) ref if he had been on the in-goal side of the tackle. Did it cost us the game? Probably not.

We should have been good enough to win with the territory and possession we had, but a couple of the players on our team mouthing off at the ref early didn't help. Same players who mouth off all year and the negativity crept in. I couldn't believe the amount of panic to be honest, especially as a lot of these blokes were on the field when our see-saw battle against Rockdale was only won in the last minute. Jeez...

In any case, from not even being certain of a top 6 spot halfway through the season, to finishing 4th on the table and effectively 3rd in the finals race, it was pretty good effort with limited training and a match day team that featured two flankers at 12 and 13 after the regulars couldn't make it. Definitely not our preferred starting lineup and was only the second time we have been held scoreless (first time was in 2007).

So that's me for the year unless I get called on for First Grade (unlikely - I'd be extremely flattered) for next week's Grand Final. I might back the boots and mouthguard just in case the current pattern of cuzzy bros not showing up continues.

Was a pretty good year overall, and I finally got the chance to prove my worth for Seconds. Now I'm going to step back (a little) from the playing stuff and try to help out on the administration side where we are sorely lacking.

 

[Pfitzy]

First Grade won their Grand Final on the weekend - 21-nil up before Rockdale could even get going. Final score 38-17. TG Millner #1 and #2 are in shit condition. The carpark on #3 was in better shape.