CAS Rugby 2017

[redblack]

Front row forward Finn Wright has a big chance of going all the way this year. He was training with the NSW U19s Dev squad before it was disbanded so he's already in the mix.

Good luck to him on his development and improvement this season.

SV - is it true he is Owen Finnegans nephew? If so good bloodlines.

 

[formerflanker]

^^^

How dare you. Nick frost will go down as one the best schoolboy players in History.

I'll see your humorous hyperbole and raise you one Russell Fairfax and 3x Ella.
I'm holding Greg Cornelson and Wally Lewis cards in reserve.

 

[sidelineview]

SV - is it true he is Owen Finnegans nephew? If so good bloodlines.

Yeah, that's true. Good breeding indeed.

He's certainly got the necessary mongrel in him but he was too ''over exuberant'' as a 15 year old playing 1sts 3 years ago. He showed no fear which is a good thing but much to the frustration of his coaches he received far too many yellow cards.

However, he managed to harness that natural aggression last season and ran riot over the opposition without having to leave the field too often. Big aggressive players like him get targeted by the referees so he has to play smart. Much to his credit he showed great improvement in that area.

He's got very good hands and ball skills for a big man as well.

There's no doubt the opposition will try to bait him but he just needs to continue to play smart and be mentally tough and he'll do OK.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with him this season as well.

 

[William88]

W88, Your 14 was not able to crack a starting jersey for NSW U16s last year and I can't see him getting a NSW opens one over the same competition plus the boys who are backing up in opens again this season.

@SDW, In a similar vein, Towns was running 11.99 for the 100m last season and is not physically dominant by any stretch. Unless he is considerably quicker this year I don't think he willl be a major threat on the wing for Waverley nor crack higher honours in that position.

The reason he didn't make the 16's team is because he was a shadow reserve for the NSW opens. His coach (Engele) intelligently elected for him to go the opens path because it will open more opportunities for him this year.

Their aren't many kids in year 10 who makes opens NSW squad. He will be one of the first picked.

 

[sidelineview]

The reason he didn't make the 16's team is because he was a shadow reserve for the NSW opens. His coach (Engele) intelligently elected for him to go the opens path because it will open more opportunities for him this year.

Their aren't many kids in year 10 who makes opens NSW squad. He will be one of the first picked.

He was chosen in the starting lineup for the CAS 2nd XV last season as a 16 year old.
I didnt realise he was a shadow NSW Opens player but I'll take your word for it.

He's not only very quick, he is also a strong defender. He did what many wingers in the CAS comp couldnt do last year: he contained Waverley's Jackson Mohi in a Trinity/Waverley game.

I agree, if he continues to improve, he'll be one of the first picked for NSW and also has a big chance of going all the way to one of the Schoolboys teams.

 

[Armchair Selector]

The reason he didn't make the 16's team is because he was a shadow reserve for the NSW opens.

That's actually not correct. There were 2 players who were shadow players for the NSW Opens squad. They were eligible for selection in NSW U16s schools and as would be expected were selected in the squad.

Your number 14 may be very quick but he has weaknesses in his game that he should be working on. He was not selected in the starting 15 for NSW U16 schools presumably on the basis of these weaknesses which the coaching staff would have identified. So he was on the bench.

In space he is a rock star. One on one defence and defensive alignment needs work.

I am sure all teams will test that wing through the trials to see if things have changed. Good luck to the lad.

 

[sidelineview]

W88, Your 14 was not able to crack a starting jersey for NSW U16s last year and I can't see him getting a NSW opens one over the same competition plus the boys who are backing up in opens again this season.

@SDW, In a similar vein, Towns was running 11.99 for the 100m last season and is not physically dominant by any stretch. Unless he is considerably quicker this year I don't think he willl be a major threat on the wing for Waverley nor crack higher honours in that position.

But how fast is Towns over 20, 40 or 60 metres?
How good is his acceleration?
How elusive is he at beating a man? Has he got a swerve, a step, a good fend? Can he kick and chase?
Has he got the ability to read the game and be in the right spot at the right time?
Can he defend?
Has he got good hands and can pass the ball well?

There's a lot more to being a good winger and back in general than sheer speed.

 

[MrTallTimber]

I personally wouldn't have Towns in the Centres

does anyone know what Cornish's preferred position is?

I would prefer a Hardaker/Cornish midfield

or even Andrews/Hardaker

to me Towns is a finisher . and don't know if it is just the games I have seen, but his hands aren't always the best, and better defenders IMHO

either way trials will be interesting, and Rich_e you have put together an awesome "match of the rounds"

I reckon Frost is a freak . he was the only stand-out last year, when Joeys destroyed Knox . and if Knox end up a force in 2017, I think his aerial dominance will be key

certainly Waverley hasn't got anything like that "tall timber"

I can confirm, Frost is a freak. His stand out performance against Joeys last year epitomises his ability to perform even when the team he is playing on is getting stomped.
Waverley most definitely does not have anything close to Knox's "Tall Timber" he will be a force in the air throughout the season

 

[SonnyDillWilliams]

Tall timber are you related?

Don't think he is as good as Ryan MacCauly from Scots ... at least not yet

...but in a lot of ways they are very similar ... and lets see how he goes in 2017.

In my estimation Frost is not as dominant an influence as say Swinton (a few years back) ... as Frost isn't quite as terrifying ... then what do I know ... Swinton wasn't picked in Aussie Schoolboys (if my memory serves me correct)

Rich_e, you missed out some notable games

apparently 18 March St Augustines are playing Knox in a trial at Auggies

and then following weekend, 25 March .... I gather View are playing Auggies ... think that is at View

those games will be interesting and given Auggies have had a strong age group (last years 16As) and feature Hopoate amongst other notables, could be interesting

 

[SonnyDillWilliams]

sideline, I find myself agreeing with you more and more

although you are always banging on about how lovely the Waverley coaches are

not that I disagree

the point I agree with you ... using 100 metre race times as indicator is dubious

if memory serves me correctly back in 88, there was a big blonde bloke from Kings (Jason) ... he was a deadset Dolph Lundgren

believe he went on to Commonwealth Games ... anyway his 100m times were freakish

he played rugby and his 5/8 ended up being the Aussie schoolboys 10 (Fenwich) ..

yet Michael Towns was the bloke on the wing against both England and the Kiwis ... if memory serves me correct ... same team as Michael Brial

 

[sidelineview]

SDW. Only their mothers would think they were ''lovely'' but they are clever little vegemites. They're good at devising cunning plots, especially against Knox.

That would have been in 1988 when Michael Towns made the Aussie Schoolboys and he wasn't as fast as the other bloke you mentioned but was obviously more talented.

Using 100 metre race times only is not a good indicator. Jackson Mohi was very quick but he wasn't just quick; he had an uncanny ability to stand his opposite number up and leave him grasping at thin air.

I haven't seen young Towns play much but from what i remember he's a very balanced runner and certainly quick enough. Apart from that I'm not sure what his strengths are but plenty of good judges rate him.

As far as Swinton and Frost are concerned Frost seems like more of a ''nice guy'' whereas Swinton had an abundance of ''mongrel'' in him. He didn't play Aussie Schoolboys but played 1st grade for Sydney Uni just one year out of school.

 

[_Anonumous_]

Towns is too dangerous to have on the wing. Preferably i think 13, as he would have more time and space. Hardaker/Towns would be a lethal combination to have in the midfield.

Does anyone know if teams are starting to have internal trials, and where i can find trial draw etc.?

 

[Rich_E]

Thanks for the heads up SBW. GPS match fixtures calendar only shows 'internal trials' for those dates.

I've just seen that Lachlan Swinton has been picked at 6 for NSW U20s in match against Force on Sat arvo. Justin Cooper was picked at 8, and Ryan McCauley at 4.

 

[Mr Touch Finder]

W88, Your 14 was not able to crack a starting jersey for NSW U16s last year and I can't see him getting a NSW opens one over the same competition plus the boys who are backing up in opens again this season.

@SDW, In a similar vein, Towns was running 11.99 for the 100m last season and is not physically dominant by any stretch. Unless he is considerably quicker this year I don't think he willl be a major threat on the wing for Waverley nor crack higher honours in that position.

Put it this way; IF Towns was still at Knox he would of been picked in the starting 1stXV...

IMO Knox's 1stXV will look like this;
1. Dawson (1sts)
2. Adams (16a's flanker)
3. Cutrone (1sts)
4. Humphrey (2nds)
5. Frost (1sts)
6. Harvison (3rds inside centre)/Collins (2nds)
7. Stenning (2nds)
8. Garing (2nds)
9. Hansen (3rds)
10. Woodcock (1sts)
11. Galletta (2nds)
12. Myers (1sts)
13. Cameron (16a's)
14. Leigh(16a's)/Brown (2nds)
15. Pavlakis (2nds)

 

[White line fever]

sideline, I find myself agreeing with you more and more

although you are always banging on about how lovely the Waverley coaches are

not that I disagree

the point I agree with you . using 100 metre race times as indicator is dubious

if memory serves me correctly back in 88, there was a big blonde bloke from Kings (Jason) . he was a deadset Dolph Lundgren

believe he went on to Commonwealth Games . anyway his 100m times were freakish

he played rugby and his 5/8 ended up being the Aussie schoolboys 10 (Fenwich) ..

yet Michael Towns was the bloke on the wing against both England and the Kiwis . if memory serves me correct . same team as Michael Brial

SDW, I also think TT and BM may either be a split personality or twins, but I admire his/their passion.

You are right speed is clearly gold but rugby is so much more ,like how you beat a player, fend a defender,positional play etc, this is where a good player becomes obvious.
Max Towns has all those qualities, he is a natural,like his father, and he is fast.
You watch when he gets away its trouble time for the opposition.

Sideline's comments are also spot on.

Does anyone have any comments on the younger age groups either CAS or GPS?

 

[CatchnPass]

But how fast is Towns over 20, 40 or 60 metres?
How good is his acceleration?
How elusive is he at beating a man? Has he got a swerve, a step, a good fend? Can he kick and chase?
Has he got the ability to read the game and be in the right spot at the right time?
Can he defend?
Has he got good hands and can pass the ball well?

There's a lot more to being a good winger and back in general than sheer speed.

No question. Max is a good centre b/c he can put people into space and defends the channel reasonably well. I don't think he would be anywhere near as effective out wide. He doesn't have that elusiveness you refer to nor the speed over shorter distance compared to other wingers at the top level of schoolboy rugby. His skill set is more IC, though as others have noted he is not as big as many in that position. Lest it be thought I have some bias against waves, I thought Moretti was NSW u16s best player.

 

[White line fever]

Towns is too dangerous to have on the wing. Preferably i think 13, as he would have more time and space. Hardaker/Towns would be a lethal combination to have in the midfield.

Does anyone know if teams are starting to have internal trials, and where i can find trial draw etc.?

Anonymous, Rich_E posted the trial games draw on the AAGS 2017 NSW blog site, page 29 post no: 565. This shows all the GPS v CAS games in April/May.
Hope this is what you are looking for.

 

[CatchnPass]

That's actually not correct. There were 2 players who were shadow players for the NSW Opens squad. They were eligible for selection in NSW U16s schools and as would be expected were selected in the squad.

Your number 14 may be very quick but he has weaknesses in his game that he should be working on. He was not selected in the starting 15 for NSW U16 schools presumably on the basis of these weaknesses which the coaching staff would have identified. So he was on the bench.

In space he is a rock star. One on one defence and defensive alignment needs work.

I am sure all teams will test that wing through the trials to see if things have changed. Good luck to the lad.

Bang on Armchair. He was given every opportunity by the NSW coaches who hadn't seen or selected him as he didn't play at the u16s trials (as a shadow for opens he was an automatic selection). Those coaches watched him play a couple of games and opted for a different set of starting wingers for the NZ tour and I suspect would support Armchairs observations. He does look great in space. Thing is that against the kiwis and other top level opposition who don't give you any, but run hard at you all day, he struggles. Harder to pick that up in CAS rugby but it's there.

 

[sidelineview]

No question. Max is a good centre b/c he can put people into space and defends the channel reasonably well. I don't think he would be anywhere near as effective out wide. He doesn't have that elusiveness you refer to nor the speed over shorter distance compared to other wingers at the top level of schoolboy rugby. His skill set is more IC, though as others have noted he is not as big as many in that position.

Playing in the right position can make a huge difference to a player's chances of being chosen in Rep teams.
Coaches have to make selections based on whats best for the team, but hopefully Max will slot into his preferred position, whatever that is.
I will be interested to see how he goes this year. He's got a good pedigree.

 

[The Honey Badger]

Front row forward Finn Wright has a big chance of going all the way this year. He was training with the NSW U19s Dev squad before it was disbanded so he's already in the mix.

Good luck to him on his development and improvement this season.

Very big chance, I would say