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ISA 2018

DaSchmooze

Johnnie Wallace (23)
Newigton 3rds dont play in this comp? So their 3rds play other schools 4ths come GPS time?

Hi DaSchmooze. I will write a proper reply because it is a very interesting (and important) question. The short answer is that it' been a considerable success. Mist importantly, it's given boys from smaller rugby schools (smaller in terms of numbers. not commitment or contribution) the chance to continue playing serious rugby with a recognised prize. It's helped maintain the infrastructure of and interest in rugby in the country and especially in Northern NSW. It's strengthened the GPS by keeping more boys involved in GPS sport. It's created a small barrier, a small space, against the overwhelming dominance of big schools whose numbers and resources have been crowding out others. All these things are good, but there have been problems as well connected with byes and logistics. One effect is that the comp is no longer a total GPS comp with New withdrawing.
 

Central Best

Chris McKivat (8)
ISA 1st round tips

Oakhill +10 over Pius
Auggies +12 over KWS
Stannies +18 over Gregs

Hope I haven't offended anyone, Kinross have a some good results against Auggies recently so may surprise but I don't think they have the quality out wide to match St Augustines. Hoping St Pius rise to the occasion and back playing the 1st XV sides can put on a good show against a struggling Oakhill. Going on some recent results Stannies should be to strong for Gregs.
 

Mr ISA Rugby

Herbert Moran (7)
2018 ISA Season Preview

Pius

Trials:
L 81-5 Aloys
L 29-3 Cranbrook
L 41-17 High
L 44-12 Scots
W 37-34 New 3rds

After 2 years of splitting fixtures with Greg’s and having their First XV playing in the Second XV competition very successfully, 2018 will see Pius finally face the music of playing against other school’s best team. Pius’ trail results point to a developing team that will struggle to win a game this season. Pius’ was once a great rugby school, this year marks the beginning of a journey to return to those glory days, everyone who loves schoolboy rugby would love to see that as well.

Projected finish = 7th

Greg's

Trials:
L 26-10 Cranbrook
W 39-24 TAS
W 50-5 Grammar

Greg’s is always such a mixed bag you can never underestimate them. They are always a fit and athletic team that just don’t know the laws of the game (usually a major part of their downfall). This, along with varying availability due to league commitments always makes them the darkhorse of the ISA competition. They love to be underestimated and have pulled off plenty of great upsets in the past. Their trial results so far this season can’t really give us an insight into what sort of talent they have this year. Will win a few and lose a few.

Projected finish = 4th

Kinross

Trials:
W 62-5 Knox 2s
W 41-10 TAS
L 55-12 Kings
L 38-17 View

Kinross’ rugby program has gone from strength to strength every year with some great things happening west of Bathurst. With a mixed bag of trial results, word is that Kinross have a solid team this year that will cause some trouble for a lot of teams. The Kinross v Stannies game this year is sure to be another fiery affair with many punters struggling to pick a winner. They will win more games then they lose.

Projected finish = 3rd

Stannies

Trials:
W 17-15 Knox
L 38-0 Kings
L 31-24 View 2s
L 20-7 Scots

The reigning Premiers’ lost a lot of talent with the departure of the Class of 2017 but a quality side still remains. The team’s trial against Scots showed plenty of promise against the heavyweights of schoolboy rugby in Australia and surely sent shockwaves around the ISA schools. Much like Kinross, Stannies has developed a solid rugby program over the years and will be fiercely competitive for much of the season. The Auggies v Stannies game will be the grand final for this season but I expect Auggies to pull through despite Stannies home- ground advantage.

Projected finish = 2nd

Auggies

Trials:
L 47-36 Waverly
W 22-21 Scots
W 33-27 New

Auggies have been the consistent heavyweights of the ISA competition for a sustained period of time. Despite not winning it last year, they still remained extremely competitive but fell to Stannies at the final hurdle. This year they will be looking for revenge, and after a great showing at the SANIX tournament and the historic upset win against Scots last week it is clear that this team is the real deal. Despite some injuries to key players Auggies are the hot favourites to win this season, most likely without dropping a game.

Projected finish = 1st


Pats

Trials:
W 43-3 Grammar
L 24-0 Trinity
L 75-5 Barker
L 24-14 Joeys 3rds
L 27-12 Aloys

The boys in black have had some frustrating seasons over the past couple of years with some heartbreaking losses that keep on stirring up thoughts of “what could have been”. This frustration needs to be converted into good, aggressive rugby that will allow them to cause some trouble in the season ahead. With a good mix of skilled players and size, the team definitely has potential. Looking at the other teams they could finish as high as 3rd or as low as 6th, only time will tell.

Projected finish = 5th

Oakhill

Trials:
L 55-0 Trinity
L 58-0 Barker
L 33-22 Joeys 3rds
L 57-7 Aloys

While it may feel like a lifetime for Oaks fans and supporters, the Oakhill 1st XV was once a very strong team that were pretty much unbeatable (except by Auggies every now and then). Fast forward a few seasons and Oaks are in a clear rebuilding phase following the departure of many great players. Their trial results so far have been disappointing but they still cannot be underestimated due to the sheer amount of depth the College has. Could pull off some upsets along the way but they will be towards the bottom when it's all said and done.

Projected finish = 6th
 

Central Best

Chris McKivat (8)
2018 ISA Season Preview

Pius

Trials:
L 81-5 Aloys
L 29-3 Cranbrook
L 41-17 High
L 44-12 Scots
W 37-34 New 3rds

After 2 years of splitting fixtures with Greg’s and having their First XV playing in the Second XV competition very successfully, 2018 will see Pius finally face the music of playing against other school’s best team. Pius’ trail results point to a developing team that will struggle to win a game this season. Pius’ was once a great rugby school, this year marks the beginning of a journey to return to those glory days, everyone who loves schoolboy rugby would love to see that as well.

Projected finish = 7th

Greg's

Trials:
L 26-10 Cranbrook
W 39-24 TAS
W 50-5 Grammar

Greg’s is always such a mixed bag you can never underestimate them. They are always a fit and athletic team that just don’t know the laws of the game (usually a major part of their downfall). This, along with varying availability due to league commitments always makes them the darkhorse of the ISA competition. They love to be underestimated and have pulled off plenty of great upsets in the past. Their trial results so far this season can’t really give us an insight into what sort of talent they have this year. Will win a few and lose a few.

Projected finish = 4th

Kinross

Trials:
W 62-5 Knox 2s
W 41-10 TAS
L 55-12 Kings
L 38-17 View

Kinross’ rugby program has gone from strength to strength every year with some great things happening west of Bathurst. With a mixed bag of trial results, word is that Kinross have a solid team this year that will cause some trouble for a lot of teams. The Kinross v Stannies game this year is sure to be another fiery affair with many punters struggling to pick a winner. They will win more games then they lose.

Projected finish = 3rd

Stannies

Trials:
W 17-15 Knox
L 38-0 Kings
L 31-24 View 2s
L 20-7 Scots

The reigning Premiers’ lost a lot of talent with the departure of the Class of 2017 but a quality side still remains. The team’s trial against Scots showed plenty of promise against the heavyweights of schoolboy rugby in Australia and surely sent shockwaves around the ISA schools. Much like Kinross, Stannies has developed a solid rugby program over the years and will be fiercely competitive for much of the season. The Auggies v Stannies game will be the grand final for this season but I expect Auggies to pull through despite Stannies home- ground advantage.

Projected finish = 2nd

Auggies

Trials:
L 47-36 Waverly
W 22-21 Scots
W 33-27 New

Auggies have been the consistent heavyweights of the ISA competition for a sustained period of time. Despite not winning it last year, they still remained extremely competitive but fell to Stannies at the final hurdle. This year they will be looking for revenge, and after a great showing at the SANIX tournament and the historic upset win against Scots last week it is clear that this team is the real deal. Despite some injuries to key players Auggies are the hot favourites to win this season, most likely without dropping a game.

Projected finish = 1st


Pats

Trials:
W 43-3 Grammar
L 24-0 Trinity
L 75-5 Barker
L 24-14 Joeys 3rds
L 27-12 Aloys

The boys in black have had some frustrating seasons over the past couple of years with some heartbreaking losses that keep on stirring up thoughts of “what could have been”. This frustration needs to be converted into good, aggressive rugby that will allow them to cause some trouble in the season ahead. With a good mix of skilled players and size, the team definitely has potential. Looking at the other teams they could finish as high as 3rd or as low as 6th, only time will tell.

Projected finish = 5th

Oakhill

Trials:
L 55-0 Trinity
L 58-0 Barker
L 33-22 Joeys 3rds
L 57-7 Aloys

While it may feel like a lifetime for Oaks fans and supporters, the Oakhill 1st XV was once a very strong team that were pretty much unbeatable (except by Auggies every now and then). Fast forward a few seasons and Oaks are in a clear rebuilding phase following the departure of many great players. Their trial results so far have been disappointing but they still cannot be underestimated due to the sheer amount of depth the College has. Could pull off some upsets along the way but they will be towards the bottom when it's all said and done.

Projected finish = 6th



Nice work Mr ISA
Hard to disagree with anything you say there
 

Mr ISA Rugby

Herbert Moran (7)
So after an interesting and exciting extended trial period, it is now time to start igniting those old rivalries as we begin playing for points and trophies... how can you not be excited by that!

ISA Round 1

Oakhill v Pius - Oakhill by 12+ - Battle of the bottom by my predictions, at least one of the teams will start the season with a win. Hoping that Pius put something together to show they can be competitive but Oakhill should win easily.

Auggies v KWS - Auggies by 18+ - This is an interesting game, momentum, and form with Auggies who will be looking to provide a strong showing in their first comp game. Will be interesting to see how Kinross go, I hope it will be close but I can't count on it.

Stannies v Gregs - Stannies by 7+ - Probably the match of the round. A you-never-know Gregs team over a solid but up and down Stannies team. I imagine Stannies will win but Gregs are always the hardest team to pick. A Gregs upset could turn this comp on its head, who doesn't want that?

Pats v BYE (Riverview Trial) - Pats have the bye, to begin with. They are playing Riverview in a trial, View is also playing Barker that day in the 1s and 2s and with 3rds starting their comp only the Fourths are left for the men in black to face. A bit embarrassing but a game is a game and a win is a win... they needed to play, a two-week break before going into an ISA comp is the last thing they need.
 

Jim Belshaw

Bob Loudon (25)
I posted this earlier today to the GPS thread. Because of the broader pre-season trials which means so many of the teams played ISA, I thought that it might be of interest.
GPS Thirds Preview

Saturday sees the opening of the GPS Thirds competition, won last year by Joey’s thus opening a lead over TAS in the premiership total. It’s shaping as an interesting contest with a number of unknowns.

The leading contender
Like last year, St Joseph’s has to be classified as the team to beat because of their solid pre-season results. Still, the results are not as good as they were last year when it looked like and in the end was a laid down misere. Note the close score in the Scots match.
W 26-7 Riverview Thirds
W 24-21 Scots Thirds
L 24-14 St Aloysius Firsts
W 24-14 St Pats Firsts
W 33-22 Oakhill Firsts

The main challengers
With a solid pre-season, Scots has to be classified as first challenger. They only just lost to Joey’s, while the 19-5 victory over High is a solid result for reasons that I will discuss in a moment.
L 24-21 Joey’s Thirds
W 33-5 Newington Thirds
W 44-12 St Pius Firsts
W 19-5 High Firsts

High are something of a mystery school this year, lurking below the radar. I have not seen a single match report! However, based on limited match results and for the first time in several years, High has to be classified as a contender if behind Scots. They had a solid win against St Pius Firsts and had a creditable result against Scots.
W 41-17 St Pius Firsts
L 19-5 Scots Firsts

TAS also belong in this group, although they only won one match against Grammar. TAS had a pretty solid work-out, more so than usual, in terms of games and level playing against two ISA and one CAS first teams as well as Grammar.
Like High and Grammar, TAS sometimes has a problem with depth because of a smaller number of boys. This year there seems to be a considerable gap between First and Seconds, while the Thirds have only played one game.

The school generally has some good backs, with the team’s final performance depending on the ability of the forwards to hold against often bigger packs.
L 41-10 Kinross Firsts
W 24- 6 Grammar Firsts
L 46-14 Cranbrook Firsts
L 39-24 St Gregs Firsts

I wasn’t sure whether or not to include Grammar in this top group because they have had such a torrid pre-season, including the solid loss to TAS. I have included them for two reasons. First, the results against TAS below the Firsts suggest that Grammar has more depth than TAS to draw from. Secondly, they played against two ISA firsts, two CAS firsts. There were solid losses, but I suspect the team has learned.
L 43-3 St Pats Firsts
L 41-10 St Aloysius Firsts
L 24-6 TAS Firsts
L 50-5 St Gregs Firsts
L 46-11 Cranbrook Firsts

The remaining schools
One difficulty with the remaining three schools is that I have no way of judging results against CAS thirds, while I also have results gaps.

I have two results for View. I have placed them in the bottom group because of the size of the loss against Joey’s.
W 48-0 Knox Thirds
L 26-7 Joeys Thirds

I have only one result for Kings Thirds, a 50 point win over Barker Thirds.

I do have four results for Shore Thirds. Here I am placing greatest weight on Shore’s 33-12 loss to Joey’s Fourths.
W 17-5 Knox Thirds
L 33-12 Joey’s Fourths
W 69-0 Trinity Thirds
W 46-0 Barker Thirds

Based on the limited results that we have, I think that Kings and Shore are likely to be the weakest teams in the competition.

The first round
This Saturday first round will greatly clarify matters. The games are: S v A, E v I, H v K, G v J. It’s always very difficult making predictions, my tipping record is not good, but sticking my neck out.

The Scots v TAS match is critical for both sides. If Scots wins, it will consolidate its position as the lead challenger to Joey’s, while TAS needs to win to stay in the hunt for the premiership. Sentiment says TAS, but results to date suggest Scots.

The Shore v View match will give us a feel for ranking among the teams I have ranked in the bottom three. View to win comfortably.

The Kings v High match will give us a chance to assess High’s real strength. High to win comfortably.

The Grammar v Joey’s match is another critical one. If Grammar were to win, it would throw the whole competition wide open. Grammar is a little unlucky to strike Joey’s first because it gives the Grammar boys their toughest match straight after a tough pre-season. Joey’s to win.
 

Central Best

Chris McKivat (8)
Hi Jim
I was not at the game but from all reports it was a bloody tough game of footy some huge hits and you are very correct gregs played well and better than I thought although gregs always tough.
Score was 12- 8 midway through second half final score 26-13
 

Jim Belshaw

Bob Loudon (25)
Hi Jim
I was not at the game but from all reports it was a bloody tough game of footy some huge hits and you are very correct gregs played well and better than I thought although gregs always tough.
Score was 12- 8 midway through second half final score 26-13


Very interesting, CB. One side effect of the pre-season is that I am now following ISA. A few days ago i found myself trying to explain the ISA comp to someone who knew nothing about them! Who would have thought?
 

scoobypapa

Frank Row (1)
Hi Jim
I was not at the game but from all reports it was a bloody tough game of footy some huge hits and you are very correct gregs played well and better than I thought although gregs always tough.
Score was 12- 8 midway through second half final score 26-13

Jim, early send off for Greg’s. Stannies won 22:8. Bruising encounter for Stannies and Greg’s. SSC fullback minced by no 3 prop. Pretty scrappy match. Does anyone no the results forKWS vs Auggies?


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Bullet

Bob McCowan (2)
Jim, early send off for Greg’s. Stannies won 22:8. Bruising encounter for Stannies and Greg’s. SSC fullback minced by no 3 prop. Pretty scrappy match. Does anyone no the results forKWS vs Auggies?


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27-26 Auggies over KWS
Penalty goal on siren for auggies


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