NSW AAGPS 2025 (banter and commentary)

[MoneyScrummer]

Now that rugby is ove! Whos your basketball picks!?

 

[Jakeburner65]

Great job to all teams this season and all the boys who put the time in and gave it a red hot go. Small sidenote but in the final game between View & Joeys I am curious how you can have a Joey's old boy refereeing 1st's games for his alma mater. Some of the View boys had been quite vocally disappointed with the refereeing (which is in no way to say View deserved the win that day) but I don't understand how there can be a notion of impartiality if referees can referee 1st's games for their own school. I am not entirely sure how they pick the referees for these matches but would be curious to know if anyone is familiar with the system.

Wow. If that is true, that's absolute madness and actually really sad at the same time.

Makes you wonder why there was no injury time, not a single second, despite the game being literally riddled by injuries. View threatening, scoreboard clock hits zero, whistle immediately blown. It really surprised me at the time. You would expect 5 or more minutes in a situation like that..

And a few of the other decisions like Joeys pretty much not releasing a tackle all day. Scored a try off it.

If true, very disappointing if just for appearances.

 

[Choc&blue]

Referees in the Joeys AAGPS 1-3 games are appointed independently by the Sydney West Referee association. The schools have no say on who they want. My own wife is a part of this and has been refereeing game that do not involve Joeys. Often she is out at Kings. For home games at Joeys you will find some refs doing up to 3 games. These refs come from staff, supporters and parents who hold a legitimate accreditation.

I was intrigued by the referee’s one-eyed performance in a recent King‘s thirds game recently. The penalty count favoured the home team so much I thought he only had one arm. So alarmed was I, I asked some of the King’s reserves if he was a teacher. They said he had a son there. Nevertheless, the visitors narrowly won.

 

[twister29]

Referees also don’t have x ray vision… And also are pretty good blokes on the whole… Seems that when you win a prem you forget that…

 

[Jakeburner65]

Referees also don’t have x ray vision… And also are pretty good blokes on the whole… Seems that when you win a prem you forget that…

I'm sure he's a great bloke. And completely understandable that he didn't want to delay the victory drinks at the three H's by dragging the match out...

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

He had a good game I thought. The game was back and forth and allowed to breath.

Have to feel for Rugby refs when they need to interpret a rule book that makes Finnegans Wake look like a scratch and sniff. Rugby has too much riding on how refs read the game themselves. I don't really know how you fix it but as long as the School Boys game and generally the Club game stays away from the pro officiating style I think we can all live with it.

 

[Where's the beef]

I thought the 1st ref at Joeys was excellent. The game flowed and he was consistent. Sides generally complain about the breakdown when they are well beaten at it as was the case last Saturday. The jackal had to be actively stealing the ball to get the benefit, it went both ways. I hate that the rule book is not clear, but all I ask from the ref is that he is consistent in the interpretation.

The clock stops at Joeys when the ref calls for it to stop. Thats why you don't have injury time. Normally at Joeys the clock stops at 2m and then its up to the ref, but that has changed this year.

I don't care where the ref came from or what school he attended, A good ref, is a good ref. He was a good ref.

In 2nd's, I felt view were denied a try from a cross field kick, that to me looked fine, but again, I thought the ref had a good game and allowed the boys to play.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I thought the 1st ref at Joeys was excellent. The game flowed and he was consistent. Sides generally complain about the breakdown when they are well beaten at it as was the case last Saturday. The jackal had to be actively stealing the ball to get the benefit, it went both ways. I hate that the rule book is not clear, but all I ask from the ref is that he is consistent in the interpretation.

The clock stops at Joeys when the ref calls for it to stop. Thats why you don't have injury time. Normally at Joeys the clock stops at 2m and then its up to the ref, but that has changed this year.

I don't care where the ref came from or what school he attended, A good ref, is a good ref. He was a good ref.

In 2nd's, I felt view were denied a try from a cross field kick, that to me looked fine, but again, I thought the ref had a good game and allowed the boys to play.

Was a brilliant kick and called play that seemed a reaction call which I also think was fine but so be it. Not going to go do this path again after a great season.

 

[ItsNotPink]

INP, I don't like to criticise as you are the 3rd XV expert but Grammar missed the 3rd XV premiership by an inch last year when only a desperate Shore tackle in the last minute of the championship game prevented them from claiming the trophy. Nonetheless depth is a challenge at Grammar.

Sorry @Eyes and Ears you are absolutely correct. They did almost win the premiership last year and I should have acknowledged that. I was thinking about the diminishing number of rugby teams that Grammar is able to field across all grades. I think in some age grades this year they only had one team, and that's my concern. Cheers

 

[Where's the beef]

So with the year closed and we turn to next year which will be my sons final one I wonder how it will look.

As a Joeys dad, I am not sure.

Finn Hannon, is tough and his ability to tackle and challenge the breakdown was without peer for a 10. Decision making needs work, but, he is only young.
Minto is a real talent
Young Jorgenson will probably play 12. (he was out most of this year)
There is ability on the wings.
The 9 will come from 2's I would guess
13 I am not sure.

The forwards Bryn, but not sure on the rest. I might be wrong, but I thought there was alot of yr 12 in this years squads which is fine.

What about the other schools ?

 

[Choc&blue]

Wow. If that is true, that's absolute madness and actually really sad at the same time.

Makes you wonder why there was no injury time, not a single second, despite the game being literally riddled by injuries. View threatening, scoreboard clock hits zero, whistle immediately blown. It really surprised me at the time. You would expect 5 or more minutes in a situation like that..

And a few of the other decisions like Joeys pretty much not releasing a tackle all day. Scored a try off it.

If true, very disappointing if just for appearances.

I was watching that game on Saturday. Being a pedantic ex-referee I noted the second half started at 1602 and the clock on the scoreboard was 1643 at games’ end moreover that clock was stopped at 1 second for over a minute as Iggies forced their way back from their 22 to within 15 metres from the Joeys line. Phase after phase until the ball was dropped whereupon the referee blew full time. They had 4 minutes after their final try to win but just fell short. They had enough time to win .The referee did not cut them short. Full stop.

 

[Choc&blue]

I was watching that game on Saturday. Being a pedantic ex-referee I noted the second half started at 1602 and the clock on the scoreboard was 1643 at games’ end moreover that clock was stopped at 1 second for over a minute as Iggies forced their way back from their 22 to within 15 metres from the Joeys line. Phase after phase until the ball was dropped whereupon the referee blew full time. They had 4 minutes after their final try to win but just fell short. They had enough time to win .The referee did not cut them short. Full stop.

An afterthought to make it clear that the second half at Hunters Hill last Saturday was 41 minutes long. Not 35. So there was plenty of injury time! Great heroics by Iggies captain Grover to stay on with an injured shoulder even throwing passes with one arm. Captain courageous. Hope he recovers promptly as Aus schools will miss him if he doesn’t.

 

[twister29]

What about the other schools ?

Shore missed the front row strength of Armstrong this year, hoping he can return next year but you never know with knees.

16As looking strong but not dominant, with a few players that will sift through into the 1XV. The likes of Baxter and Lyne are some 16s playing up in the opens this year are consistently performing in the age above. But apart from those 2 there isn’t any other boys playing up from the 16s, nothing of the numbers that Joeys has.

 

[Backintheolddays]

What about the other schools ?

Kings will have the front row back with one of this years second rowers in year 11 moving forward. New second row and back row required with only the 7 returning. Will miss Isaac's three years of service. Austin Durbridge's younger brother is a bit bigger than him and will likely be there. Lachie K from the 16s is a standout but the existing 7 has incumbency and they're both on the smaller side which is not the Kings preference. Talen will be back again, hopefully on the park a bit more. I'd prefer him at 10 to get the ball in his hands as much as possible and he played beautifully there last year through the rep season. Current 10 will return and young Perret (5/8) will be in year 10 next year is very good but probably the only position they have some depth in. Like last couple of seasons will be a reliance on the forwards for points with the backs not having any exceptional size or speed coming through. Year 10 Thomas potentially good here.
GPS 16's comp this year was fairly flat with View winning but no team standing out. Joeys would have had a whole backline up playing Opens which will make them dangerous in the next two years if they can find some forwards which is usually not a problem for them. Given their 2's and 3's both went well this year Joeys will be my early favorites. Always tough to go back to back from a program perspective as they often focus on certain years so will be interesting to see how View return.

 

[Rugbynbeers]

Kings will have the front row back with one of this years second rowers in year 11 moving forward. New second row and back row required with only the 7 returning. Will miss Isaac's three years of service. Austin Durbridge's younger brother is a bit bigger than him and will likely be there. Lachie K from the 16s is a standout but the existing 7 has incumbency and they're both on the smaller side which is not the Kings preference. Talen will be back again, hopefully on the park a bit more. I'd prefer him at 10 to get the ball in his hands as much as possible and he played beautifully there last year through the rep season. Current 10 will return and young Perret (5/8) will be in year 10 next year is very good but probably the only position they have some depth in. Like last couple of seasons will be a reliance on the forwards for points with the backs not having any exceptional size or speed coming through. Year 10 Thomas potentially good here.
GPS 16's comp this year was fairly flat with View winning but no team standing out. Joeys would have had a whole backline up playing Opens which will make them dangerous in the next two years if they can find some forwards which is usually not a problem for them. Given their 2's and 3's both went well this year Joeys will be my early favorites. Always tough to go back to back from a program perspective as they often focus on certain years so will be interesting to see how View return.

Kings backs to realistically have a look out for

Will Taylor, Talen Risati Anwar elkurdi all likely locks

Nick Platis, Levi strong, Thomas aroyan, Levi perret, Jake Cavilla, cooper Fakafunu will most likely contest for the final spots

the 2s nine you would assume slots straight in unless maketo Chapman does

 

[PBear]

Joeys will have 5 back from 1's, 6 back from 2's, 9 back from 3's

 

[mudgeemudcrab]

Kings backs to realistically have a look out for

Will Taylor, Talen Risati Anwar elkurdi all likely locks

Nick Platis, Levi strong, Thomas aroyan, Levi perret, Jake Cavilla, cooper Fakafunu will most likely contest for the final spots

the 2s nine you would assume slots straight in unless maketo Chapman does

I saw the young 9 Otto Gerber play the past 2 weeks, and must say he's been exceptional. Good box kicks, good organisation who knows who will be the 9 for kings next year.

Close competition ahead

 

[Rugbynbeers]

I saw the young 9 Otto Gerber play the past 2 weeks, and must say he's been exceptional. Good box kicks, good organisation who knows who will be the 9 for kings next year.

Close competition ahead

Otto is year 11 probably will sit around thirds.

maketo and the current 2nds 9 just a touch more class.

 

[Jim Belshaw]

3rd XV - End of Season Report
This is my final post for the year, so I apologise that it is a bit long.

What a great finale it was to the 3rd XV season as Joeys claimed the premiership by a single point from Riverview at Hunters Hill. It was a terrific match that really could have gone either way but the Cerise & Blue prevailed to win the Col Windon Shield as Champions for the first time since 2019. Riverview finished outright second and TAS outright 3rd following excellent seasons from both teams. The final table looks like this:
View attachment 23147

Thank you for the regular reports. I have really valued them. TAS really does suffer from lack of game choices. This affects the preseason. TAS seems to start slow and then builds with experience. It also affects all grades below the Firsts. Sometimes only the Firsts and Seconds have access to games making it more difficult to develop a smooth pipeline.

One thing I hadn't properly realised till this year was the difference in rep pipelines between TAS and the Sydney schools. As a smaller school, TAS struggles to get spots in the GPS sides. But the story doesn't end there. This year TAS had, I think, five rep players. Two played for GPS, two for ACIES, one country under 18. Four played at the recent junior rugby championships against each other; GPS one, ACIES 2, Country 1. This provides TAS with a degree of depth not always apparent.

Some time ago I promised some photos of rugby in the snow. The New England Times story provides a match description plus photos. https://www.netimes.com.au/2025/08/05/snow-no-barrier-to-tas-sydney-grammar-rugby-clash/

 

[Rudderless]

3rd XV - End of Season Report
This is my final post for the year, so I apologise that it is a bit long.

What a great finale it was to the 3rd XV season as Joeys claimed the premiership by a single point from Riverview at Hunters Hill. It was a terrific match that really could have gone either way but the Cerise & Blue prevailed to win the Col Windon Shield as Champions for the first time since 2019. Riverview finished outright second and TAS outright 3rd following excellent seasons from both teams. The final table looks like this:
View attachment 23147
Joeys 13 d Riverview 12
This was a fitting grand final for the season with both teams undefeated coming into the match. Joeys had all of the possession early and were denied two tries by Riverview’s excellent goal line defence. It wasn’t until half-way through the first half that Riverview broke the deadlock and scored a great try to lead 5-0. Joeys took a penalty right on half time to go to the break down 5-3 and it was a good decision that would prove critical to the result. Five minutes into the second half Joeys scored their first try after some well‑structured attack and then another great try with 15 minutes to go to lead 13-5. Riverview were not done, and they hit back with just three minutes to go scoring a converted try to trail by a point 13-12. The last few minutes were very tense with Riverview on the attack looking to take the lead back, but they ran out of time and Joeys took the premiership. A great contest and a tribute to both teams.

Both Joeys and Riverview have a long history of success in this 3rd XV competition, and I cannot see that changing any time soon. Both schools have great depth in the opens and strong rugby programs that will continue to produce results like this.

TAS 33 d Scots 19

TAS finished the season with their fifth win to take 3rd place outright in the competition. They had a great year and improved as the season went on. This win over Scots is typical of their great results despite the constant travel to Sydney. I think they lacked early trial opportunities to develop their combination before the season proper, as they clearly had the talent to defeat the top teams. They will continue to be competitive in this grade as long as they can get plenty of matches to develop their capabilities.

Scots had a mixed season finishing equal 4th on the table with Shore and Kings on three wins. They showed good form at times, with wins over Grammar, High and Shore, and I am sure will be regrouping next year for another crack at the 3rd XV title that they last won in 2023.

Shore 24 d Kings 12
In the battle for the middle of the table, Shore finished the season on a high note at Northbridge with a good win over Kings, ensuring that both teams finished equal 4th with Scots on the competition table on 6 points.

Shore did not have their best season, with losses to Joeys, Riverview, TAS and Scots, so they were unable to defend the Col Windon Shield that they won in 2024. Nevertheless, this was a good finish, and they will be competitive again next year I am sure, given the resurgence of the Shore rugby program.

Kings started the season in promising fashion, with three straight wins, but then had four straight losses to Riverview, Joeys, TAS and Shore. Definitely a disappointing end and I thought that they would finish higher than they did. Their loss to Riverview was a close battle at Lane Cove and then they were only beaten by a single point by Joeys the following week. Still, it’s the close games that make the difference if you are going to win the premiership.

Grammar 19 d High 5
In the battle for the wooden spoon, Grammar defeated High and claimed their first win for the season. I would have liked to see this match as I think it would have been a great contest and I note that High scored their first try in a competition match this season. To be honest, both teams face an ongoing challenge to remain competitive in this competition. They were very committed this year, but there is no substitute for the depth that the other schools have. This year in seven matches, their for and against was 39/191 (Grammar) and 8/262 (High).

Grammar won this competition in 2020, but their capability has dropped off significantly since then, and it is largely due to a lack of depth across the program. It is a great challenge for them.

High have an identical challenge to Grammar. They have worked on their program in recent years, and made some positive developments, but are struggling to remain competitive at this level, despite their great courage and determination.

I hope that both schools can continue to develop their programs and depth to remain in the 3rd XV premiership, as it is the only official AAGPS rugby competition in which they compete. Time will tell.

Well, that’s it for me this year. I trust you have enjoyed the 3rd XV commentary and look forward to contributing in 2026.

And remember… It’s Not Pink

INP
Another 3rd’s season covered.

No one quite does it like you. Always well researched, never any School bias and plain & simple facts laid out.

Well done for all this effort …especially so after the GPS cut any 3rd broadcasts 3 seasons ago.