Cyclops
Stan Wickham (3)
Good call Billy Black - Great weather at Breen for the arm wrestle between Pats and Pius.
A good hit out for both teams and I'm happy to add my report to the mix. Let's not pretend these were any second rate teams or teams which are ravaged by absence or injury. It's a 'cheap shot' to suggest that a team needs a new front row or more go-forward; don't blame the coaches for the personnel they have to work with year-on-year.
But make no mistake, this was anybody's game, well beyond half time. Pius just needed a sniff of opportunity, as their energy started to wane. Unfortunately, they were held up over the line a number of times; and couldn't quite capitalize on plenty of opportunities.
Pat's have struggled up-front against Knox and Joeys, so they haven't had a lot of joy retaining their ball. Today, they did hold their own - perhaps, as Billy said, it's a matter of kilos - but Pats are by no means a heavy pack.
There was some attitude in this game, both teams were here to play; as evidenced by the expletive bravado at the kick-off; which had some mums looking forward to tomorrow; or looking anywhere, really. A heavy Pat's tackle (I think illegal - but the penalty went the other way) saw a melee erupt. I was heartened to see the older heads step in to diffuse the scene. Strong, legal play continued for the rest of the game.
Now to the technical aspects. Pius lacked cohesion in their play. They were able to compile phases and completed a number of forward plays. They retained ball, at times, and the backs had opportunities. They did not use the width of the paddock and the wingers went hungry. Also, their direction of play was predictable. Pat's forwards conserved energy as they lumbered over to the obvious plays. As I said before, Pius did cross Pats line a couple of times. A five-pointer could have changed the momentum a number of times.
I wrote about Pat's performance against Trinity. Basically, nothing was working - so the only way was 'up'. Now Pat's need to look at the next dimension of their play. Bad choices are hampering their ability to secure consistent phases. 'Coach killers' are still occurring:
Quick throw-ins to a single player, facing a wall of opposing players;
Half-back pick and drives;
Box-kicks when a tired forward pack has just won the ball
Quick taps when no-one is ready
Billy said that coaching, at this level, causes premature aging - I'm sure the St Pat's cohort would agree. However, there was some reward for Pat's coaches as they secured the win through the middle of the second half. The final try was sharp inside ball to a rampaging Joey Carbo, who crashed 15 metres to score. This was like printing your own money - so often tried, so often unsuccessful; but when it comes off - tears of joy swept through the (compulsory-attendance) Blue-Black-Gold army.
The stage is set for an intriguing ISA rematch. Pius can do much better than today's outing; the score did not reflect the drama, for the first 3/4 of the game. Pius need to focus on discipline and smart rugby. If (as Billy said) they are a smaller pack, they need to let the ball do more work and retain possession by building phases, while maintaining patience and composure.
A good hit out for both teams and I'm happy to add my report to the mix. Let's not pretend these were any second rate teams or teams which are ravaged by absence or injury. It's a 'cheap shot' to suggest that a team needs a new front row or more go-forward; don't blame the coaches for the personnel they have to work with year-on-year.
But make no mistake, this was anybody's game, well beyond half time. Pius just needed a sniff of opportunity, as their energy started to wane. Unfortunately, they were held up over the line a number of times; and couldn't quite capitalize on plenty of opportunities.
Pat's have struggled up-front against Knox and Joeys, so they haven't had a lot of joy retaining their ball. Today, they did hold their own - perhaps, as Billy said, it's a matter of kilos - but Pats are by no means a heavy pack.
There was some attitude in this game, both teams were here to play; as evidenced by the expletive bravado at the kick-off; which had some mums looking forward to tomorrow; or looking anywhere, really. A heavy Pat's tackle (I think illegal - but the penalty went the other way) saw a melee erupt. I was heartened to see the older heads step in to diffuse the scene. Strong, legal play continued for the rest of the game.
Now to the technical aspects. Pius lacked cohesion in their play. They were able to compile phases and completed a number of forward plays. They retained ball, at times, and the backs had opportunities. They did not use the width of the paddock and the wingers went hungry. Also, their direction of play was predictable. Pat's forwards conserved energy as they lumbered over to the obvious plays. As I said before, Pius did cross Pats line a couple of times. A five-pointer could have changed the momentum a number of times.
I wrote about Pat's performance against Trinity. Basically, nothing was working - so the only way was 'up'. Now Pat's need to look at the next dimension of their play. Bad choices are hampering their ability to secure consistent phases. 'Coach killers' are still occurring:
Quick throw-ins to a single player, facing a wall of opposing players;
Half-back pick and drives;
Box-kicks when a tired forward pack has just won the ball
Quick taps when no-one is ready
Billy said that coaching, at this level, causes premature aging - I'm sure the St Pat's cohort would agree. However, there was some reward for Pat's coaches as they secured the win through the middle of the second half. The final try was sharp inside ball to a rampaging Joey Carbo, who crashed 15 metres to score. This was like printing your own money - so often tried, so often unsuccessful; but when it comes off - tears of joy swept through the (compulsory-attendance) Blue-Black-Gold army.
The stage is set for an intriguing ISA rematch. Pius can do much better than today's outing; the score did not reflect the drama, for the first 3/4 of the game. Pius need to focus on discipline and smart rugby. If (as Billy said) they are a smaller pack, they need to let the ball do more work and retain possession by building phases, while maintaining patience and composure.
