Shute Shield 2014

[Moonball]

Watched all four grades at Concord. Manly obviously incredibly strong but you have heard it here first, there is a centre playing in the lower grades for Manly by the name of Jonathan Fakai that should be playing at the highest levels of the game. As an opposition supporter I cringed every time he got the ball.
I believe he was involved with the Sea Eagles on the dark side but whatever needs to happen to give this guy a chance at representative level needs to be done. I was lucky enough to see the great man Jonah Lomu in action close up and the similarities are there for all to see.
Honestly, I don't know the guy and I support the opposition, just don't want to see a special talent like this lost in lower grades.

 

[Dave Beat]

Watched all four grades at Concord. Manly obviously incredibly strong but you have heard it here first, there is a centre playing in the lower grades for Manly by the name of Jonathan Fakai that should be playing at the highest levels of the game. As an opposition supporter I cringed every time he got the ball.
I believe he was involved with the Sea Eagles on the dark side but whatever needs to happen to give this guy a chance at representative level needs to be done. I was lucky enough to see the great man Jonah Lomu in action close up and the similarities are there for all to see.
Honestly, I don't know the guy and I support the opposition, just don't want to see a special talent like this lost in lower grades.

How about that centre in seconds that carried and broke through half the side from 40 meters out (hingano). Great seeing supporters get there for all grades.

 

[Moonball]

Agreed Hingano played well, I have seen him play before but he did this against a well beaten team whereas Fakai came on with 20mins to go in 3s after having destroyed WH in 4s. Manly were down by 9 in 3s and he scored Manly's only 2 tries of the game for their kicker to convert from the sideline to win the game. I believe he has a far brighter future.

 

[Dave Beat]

Agreed Hingano played well, I have seen him play before but he did this against a well beaten team whereas Fakai came on with 20mins to go in 3s after having destroyed WH in 4s. Manly were down by 9 in 3s and he scored Manly's only 2 tries of the game for their kicker to convert from the sideline to win the game. I believe he has a far brighter future.

Well taking opportunities when they arrive is how you climb to the next grade / level - keeps everyone strong

 

[I like to watch]

Mate,you can't compare the two players.
I'm pretty sure Fakai would rank his skill base some way short of Mali.
Fakai has a little bro,who was in the Tahs 20's squad earlier this year,plays 13 for the Markins colts.

 

[Dave Beat]

Mate,you can't compare the two players.
I'm pretty sure Fakai would rank his skill base some way short of Mali.
Fakai has a little bro,who was in the Tahs 20's squad earlier this year,plays 13 for the Markins colts.

Yes i would agree, Malie had another strong game on the weekend, they beat a well beaten team because they all played well. Maile is at a completely different level.
Yes again Benson Fakai is the centre, and he got some good reviews from within the squad.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Rats V Uni game yesterday was prob the best Shute Shield game I have seen in acouple of years and I think next weeks could even be better.

Do you think some of the guys are trying to step it up a level considering NRC is hanging over their heads?

Totally agree, it was terrific stuff. Next week ought to be just as good.

I also agree with Dave that the Manly v Uni semi last year was every bit as good. One of the best club rugby games in many years that was.

 

[lily]

Watched all four grades at Concord. Manly obviously incredibly strong but you have heard it here first, there is a centre playing in the lower grades for Manly by the name of Jonathan Fakai that should be playing at the highest levels of the game. As an opposition supporter I cringed every time he got the ball.
I believe he was involved with the Sea Eagles on the dark side but whatever needs to happen to give this guy a chance at representative level needs to be done. I was lucky enough to see the great man Jonah Lomu in action close up and the similarities are there for all to see.
Honestly, I don't know the guy and I support the opposition, just don't want to see a special talent like this lost in lower grades.

Here's a little background on Jonathan Fakai. He was picked for CHS ones in 2008 but couldn't play in the first few games as they were on Sundays.His father is a minister and he was involved in the church. He would eventually like a lot of Polynesian boys do his year away ala Will Hopoate. Prior to this he was in and out of Manly Colts. Sometimes in Firsts but more often than not in Under 19s.
His last year of Colts was in 2009 where he played in the Malins colts team that played and lost to Uni at the death in the 3rd grade colts Grandfinal. He did not play any part in the teams semi final run as games were once again played onSundays. A young Michael Hooper and Harry Bergelin were in this team.
Following year Blakey picked him in first Grade. Fast forward 4 years and you'll find that he has done missionary work and been injured. Really talented player who in the past has gone walkabout. It is something his older brothers did and one would hope Benson doesn't do as he also has a lot of talent.

 

[the coach]

Not a fan of the band.
How good was it to see a crowd there!
The joint went berserk when the penalty kick missed at the end.
It's always good to beat the students in a tight one.
Shame it's not there next week,the hill would be chockers.

Unfortunately the crowd went berserk while the kicker was lining up the kick as well. Call me old fashioned if you like, but this seems to happen more at some grounds than others. I was at TGMilner on Saturday and you could have heard a pin drop whenever a goal kick was being attempted by either side. Well done Woodies supporters in particular as the scores were close and the result in doubt in the second half!

(Mind you there was quite a bit of post kick laughter at the easy misses by the Wicks' kickers )

 

[Bruce Ross]

There are some very promising signs of good health in Shute Shield competition at a time when the professional arm of our sport in this city is experiencing a lingering malaise. Irrespective of the on-field fortunes of the Waratahs, fans seem to have largely switched off as evidenced by attendances hovering around the 15,000 mark in a city of 5 million people.

Many people this year have commented on the intensity of competition and the standard of play in some of the Shute Shield games. Even more importantly it is clear that a number of the other clubs have chosen not to waste time whingeing about the dominance of Uni but have worked to exploit their own particular source of comparative advantage to lift their standards to a similar level. Warringah for example have a degree of tribalism and local identity that they are harnessing to fuel the resurgence of the club. I stayed behind for a beer after Saturday's game and marvelled at the large number of supporters having a beer together long after the end of play. Being undefeated after five rounds undoubtedly helped to swell the ranks of revellers but there is still an underlying groundswell that can be built on.

The insertion of the NRC between the Super and Shute Shield levels may actually assist the latter in rebuilding its unique identity, while the refusal of the Super franchises to release their contracted players back to the clubs that developed them without any recompense may in the long run have a similar effect.

I have long ago lost confidence in the capacity of the NSWRU and the SRU to do anything positive to strengthen the major nursery for player development in Australia; so I believe it is time for the premiership clubs to take charge of their own fortunes. What is needed is a Board of Commissioners to run Sydney premier rugby not appointed from above but chosen from below, by the clubs themselves. The Commissioners should not have any current club affiliation but would be elected by the clubs and appointed for a term of say three years.

There are many who feel that rugby in this state has lost its way in the professional era. It is time to get back to our code's foundations, its largely amateur clubs, to engage all those who see rugby as a wonderful sport and not a business. Let's rebuild and focus on inter-club rivalry so that the Shute Shield Grand Final once again can attract great interest and large crowds. In such an environment the clubs can even better perform their vital but unthanked role of developing players for the professional level. And we need to encourage more players to follow Tommy Carter's example of coming back to play in Shute Shield when their professional careers are over.

The strength of Australian rugby is overwhelmingly dependent on the strength of the Sydney - and Brisbane - premiership clubs, even though their contributions are taken for granted and disrespected by administrators and board members at the professional levels. It is time to reclaim the fine traditions of club rugby and leave the muddlers to muddle professionally.
.

 

[GunnerDownUnder]

I thought the weekends games were a great advert - went to North Sydney on Friday and Warringah on Saturday.
Both enjoyable games, although when the whistle went for that penalty at the end for Uni my mood could not be described as cheerful...

We all like a whinge every so often, but the standard of rugby we get to watch in decent conditions is very high and for the most part the experience is very enjoyable.

 

[Yikes]

I have long ago lost confidence in the capacity of the NSWRU and the SRU to do anything positive to strengthen the major nursery for player development in Australia; so I believe it is time for the premiership clubs to take charge of their own fortunes. What is needed is a Board of Commissioners to run Sydney premier rugby not appointed from above but chosen from below, by the clubs themselves. The Commissioners should not have any current club affiliation but would be elected by the clubs and appointed for a term of say three years.

Bruce, who do you think is running the show currently? Time for the premiership clubs to take charge of their own fortunes? Really? As opposed to what currently?

Even when NSWRU was nominally running the show, all major decisions operationally were pretty much made by the Presidents and GMs. That's still largely true even with SRU nominally running the show. Premier rugby's problem has been that traditionally the 12 clubs (and often the Presidents and their own GMs!!) haven't been able to agree on what day of the week it is.

So who are SRU - it is made up of a group of people (wait for it) elected by the clubs! There's even some "non-affiliated" members (who aren't really, but it's tough to find anyone interested in rugby enough to be on this board who hasn't had at least some affiliation to a club).

This delusion that Sydney premier rugby could re-live its glory days if only it could just break free from the bungling "sports administrators" (these imaginary bogeymen who don't even exist) at NSWRU and SRU is just crazy. It wasn't true when the comp was "with" NSWRU and it's not true now.

Obviously, you're 100% right that some truly independent group would be great, if it was possible to find such people. Because otherwise everyone makes decisions that are in the best interests of their club instead of the comp as a whole or rugby as a whole. But good luck getting the clubs to agree to that structure - because the turkeys never vote for Christmas.

 

[Dave Beat]

Bruce, who do you think is running the show currently? Time for the premiership clubs to take charge of their own fortunes? Really? As opposed to what currently?

Even when NSWRU was nominally running the show, all major decisions operationally were pretty much made by the Presidents and GMs. That's still largely true even with SRU nominally running the show. Premier rugby's problem has been that traditionally the 12 clubs (and often the Presidents and their own GMs!!) haven't been able to agree on what day of the week it is.

So who are SRU - it is made up of a group of people (wait for it) elected by the clubs! There's even some "non-affiliated" members (who aren't really, but it's tough to find anyone interested in rugby enough to be on this board who hasn't had at least some affiliation to a club).

This delusion that Sydney premier rugby could re-live its glory days if only it could just break free from the bungling "sports administrators" (these imaginary bogeymen who don't even exist) at NSWRU and SRU is just crazy. It wasn't true when the comp was "with" NSWRU and it's not true now.

Obviously, you're 100% right that some truly independent group would be great, if it was possible to find such people. Because otherwise everyone makes decisions that are in the best interests of their club instead of the comp as a whole or rugby as a whole. But good luck getting the clubs to agree to that structure - because the turkeys never vote for Christmas.

.


Yikes not sure how to take your posts??
Are they critical, or constructive??
Are you jumping on here to support, and promote the development of the game??
IMO i think the Shute Shield has taken great steps forward over recent years and I think it has been the clubs who have taken it upon themselves to achieve this.
As I said, haven't been sure how to take your 4 posts so please don't take offence.

 

[Yikes]

.
Yikes not sure how to take your posts??
Are they critical, or constructive??
Are you jumping on here to support, and promote the development of the game??
IMO i think the Shute Shield has taken great steps forward over recent years and I think it has been the clubs who have taken it upon themselves to achieve this.
As I said, haven't been sure how to take your 4 posts so please don't take offence.

No offence taken. Critical or constructive? A bit of both. I get frustrated when such a learned and wise voice as Bruce is given over to railing against "administrators" and suggests a structure almost identical to what SRU has now.

I am critical of people who get on here demanding this that and the other be done when they have no idea what is reasonable to expect, or what can reasonably be done. Because it all contributes to the general feeling that everything in rugby is f$#@*. And that helps nobody.

The comp's destiny is and always was in the hands of the clubs. As long as everyone understands this, we're good to make it the best it can be.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Even when NSWRU was nominally running the show, all major decisions operationally were pretty much made by the Presidents and GMs. That's still largely true even with SRU nominally running the show. Premier rugby's problem has been that traditionally the 12 clubs (and often the Presidents and their own GMs!!) haven't been able to agree on what day of the week it is.

So who are SRU - it is made up of a group of people (wait for it) elected by the clubs!

"Who are SRU"? According to the NSWRU announcement of the reformation of the Sydney Rugby Union:

"The new SRU Board will consist of six directors, three of whom can be current office-holders at Premiership Clubs. There will be two independent directors who cannot have held an office-bearing position in a Premiership club in the past twelve months, while there will also be one director appointed by the NSWRU."

What I am advocating is a Board of Commissioners who would not have any current club affiliation but would be elected by the clubs and appointed for a term of say three years. Once the Commission was established the Commissioners would have responsibility for the conduct of the competition with the clubs ceding control to them.

A Board of Commissioners structure is now the preferred model of organisational structure adopted in many team sports, such as for example the AFL and the ARL.

Thank you for your assessment of my proposal as "just crazy". I will give it the consideration it deserves.
.

 

[Yikes]

Thank you for your assessment of my proposal as "just crazy". I will give it the consideration it deserves.

I didn't call your proposal crazy. If you actually read my post, I thought the suggestion of truly independent decision-makers would be great, if only it could ever happen.

However the "it is time for the premiership clubs to take charge of their own fortunes" routine, as if they're prevented from doing anything they want to at this point - that is the bit that is crazy. The clubs have always been in charge of how the comp is run. There is not a single thing your new Board of Commissioners could do that SRU can't do now (theoretically).

Saying "What is needed is a Board of Commissioners to run Sydney premier rugby not appointed from above but chosen from below, by the clubs themselves" implies that the people currently running the sport are appointed from above. As you have just shown, 5/6 are elected by the Clubs.

 

[boyo]

- because the turkeys never vote for Christmas.

Are you sure about that?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

A blast from the past came up on my Facebook page - good to see them promoting the game with plenty of advanced notice

:

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Who are the current board members of the SRU?

There isn't too much information publicly available on this organisation.

What is their charter - To run Shute Shield and to pick the Sydney team for the Sydney vs CRU match, or is it wider and involve some form of growth and development of the game?

Shouldn't one mob have the responsibility to running all rugby in Sydney, Premier, Suburban, and Juniors?

With the NRC caravan about to rock into town, we are going to need a more simplified command and control structure rather than than the current spaghetti bowl arrangements.

 

[Stands]

Who are the current board members of the SRU?

There isn't too much information publicly available on this organisation.

What is their charter - To run Shute Shield and to pick the Sydney team for the Sydney vs CRU match, or is it wider and involve some form of growth and development of the game?

Shouldn't one mob have the responsibility to running all rugby in Sydney, Premier, Suburban, and Juniors?

With the NRC caravan about to rock into town, we are going to need a more simplified command and control structure rather than than the current spaghetti bowl arrangements.

The only information I could find:
18/04/2012
By NSWRU Media Unit
The Sydney Rugby Union held its AGM last night with every club presented at a very well attended meeting.
Outgoing President Chris Birch reported a successful first year of operation for the reformed SRU and announced a surplus of $28k for the financial year ended 31 December 2011.
Highlights of the year included the return of the Sydney Representative team with three wins from three matches, an indication of the talent in the Premier Rugby Competition. Congratulations were also passed on each Premiership winning club, particularly Eastwood, who were the deserved winners of the Shute Shield after also claiming the minor premiership.
The report also acknowledged the passing during the season of rugby legend David Brockhoff. A great friend to club rugby, ‘Brock’ is missed around all suburban rugby grounds.
Elections for the 2012 Board were held and the new SRU Board was announced as follows;
President - Rob Millner
Vice President - Grahame Boyle
Club Nominated Directors - Michael Jorgensen, Steve Bartrop, Bob Ellis
Independent Directors - Rob Millner, Chris Birch
NSWRU Appointed Director - Bruce Worboys
NSWRU Delegate - Chris Birch
The Chairman will be elected at the Board Meeting on April 30, 2012.
Incoming President Rob Millner thanked the 2011 Board for their efforts over the past 12 months and looked forward to being a part of a positive and productive Board in 2012.
This has to be out of date?