Nǐ hǎo Cobbers,
Effectively wasn’t {that a} unusual weekend? The Drua getting overwhelmed at dwelling, the Reds pulling a nudie win, the Pressure beating the Cru and the Donkeys not even exhibiting up towards the Blues. So with out additional ado, let’s step straight into it…
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Nutta’s Aussie Tremendous TOTW:
Choice guidelines: In the event you performed for an Aussie Tremendous Franchise, you will get picked.
- Ryan Coxon – the Pressure entrance row was immense and so he deserves his jersey
- Tom Horton – had a very sturdy day trip
- Santiago Medrano – a superlative recreation
- Sam Carter – the previous man confirmed his smarts and reminded just a few how good he’s
- Ryan Smith – maturing right into a dominant Lock with massive issues forward
- Liam Wright – the silent murderer was omni-present
- Carlo Tizzano – was in every single place and in all the things
- Reed Princep – had an enormous match with 25 odd tackles and led from the entrance
- Nic White – simply bossed it
- Tom Lynagh – some very good touches and proving to be fairly powerful
- Mac Grealy – 54 metres and 6 tackles was the very best Aussie winger
- Hunter Paisami – as bodily as ever however getting extra correct
- Sam Spink – a category footballer
- Suli Vunivalu – pies, touches, and an all-round good hit out
- Jock Campbell – an incredible recreation from the again
- Matt Faessler – loads of touches, metres, no missed tackles and environment friendly lineout work
- Penie Ravai – a lot of high-energy off the bench and was sufficient to squeeze out Slipper
- Jeff T-Allen – once more one other text-book session
- Cormac Daly – 10 carries, 10 tackles and an incredible debut for the Irishman
- Charlie Cale – +20 tackles and the very best of a poor mob
- Kalani Thomas – had an incredible run and took his alternative with each fingers
- Hamish Stewart – actually confirmed his talent breadth I assumed
- Ben Donaldson – loads of involvement and customarily astute stuff, particularly off the tee
Normal feedback on TotW:
- I gave the beginning Row jerseys to the Pressure lads. Their work towards high quality opposition, significantly given they’ve hardly been using excessive on confidence themselves, was simply improbable. As per Brissy’s commentary yesterday, the spell from Medrano in-particular must be obligatory viewing for all aspirants of rugby’s most essential jersey. Now some might query my use of the time period ‘high quality opposition’ as regards the Cru this season, however any front-row together with Joe Moody and Owen Franks is prime notch. And Brodie McAlister isn’t any muppet both. The Pressure Row earnt their wine on Saturday
- My no7 for the weekend was NSW-reject Carlo Tizzano. Sure he copped a yellow, however no7’s run that threat. With a pie, an Aussie-topping 25 tackles and the Forcies registering over 20 turnovers, the man had a monster session and he confirmed what he’s able to when he’s enjoying in a parity pack. Credit score the place due.
- My sole Brumby was Charlie Cale and for 2 causes; he made no apparent or face-palm errors that I noticed and he made 20/20 tackles. I’m comfortable to be corrected, however he was the very best of a really strange bunch on a really forgettable evening.
Random Feedback from a Random Man:
The Brumby’s: I’ve to name out that weekend’s recreation was the only worst efficiency by the Brumby’s that I can recall having to endure in years, if ever. It was simply horrible to observe. Nothing labored. In saying that, it should be acknowledged that the Blues have been coming in completely crimson scorching after shafting the Pressure the earlier week. And the Blues continued on their ruthless means and had an virtually good day trip. Their execution shouldn’t be understated or unacknowledged in how good it was. If it was towards anybody aside from the ‘my’ Brumby’s I might seemingly be lauding the Blues effort and execution as a ‘should watch’ show for the ages. However I’m not.
And the Donkey’s additionally did so much to harm themselves, in-particular with the aimless kicking early on that gave the Blues their early area place and pies that put the Donkey’s backs to the wall. After which an absence of composure at essential moments was clearly apparent alongside a tactical unawareness and incapability to drive a break within the match/Blues rhythm to provide themselves an opportunity to drive a step-change.
However the greatest lesson of all was the keen ruthlessness of the Blues to complete what they began. There was no let up. There was no cruising. It was all-out 1000 miles per hour havoc and destruction from the primary to the final blast of the whistle. So truthful play to them and truthful warning to everybody else.
The Pressure: In stark distinction to the purpose above, I might be remiss in not acknowledging the Pressure strategy to the weekend simply gone. To be clear, the Pressure have had a very powerful season. And whereas the Cru of this 12 months are usually not the Cru of years passed by, they’re nonetheless the Cru. So hats-off to Cron and his crew. After a 50-3 shellacking from the Blues, Cron and Co took a bunch of fellows whose confidence ranges should have been close to utterly shot, formed them up after which despatched them out to do a job. And out they went and execute they did. Effectively accomplished to all concerned.
The Reds: Will the actual Slim Shady’s please get up? Is that this the actual Reds? The place have they been of-late? Or is that this a momentary Kiss within the pan once more? I’m reminded of my Previous Man at instances like this and I hear his phrases in my ears: “What’s accomplished is finished, Boy. All you may change now’s what occurs subsequent.” So what’s it to be Queensland? What occurs subsequent? Are you going to proceed what you began?
The Tremendous Competitors Steadiness: I noticed a graphic over the weekend highlighting the 12 months on 12 months ‘development’ of Aussie Tremendous groups efficiency towards NZ groups. The message was that when evaluating the present time of 12 months outcomes towards earlier years, after approx a dozen trans-Tasman matches had been performed, Australian Tremendous groups performances had moved from being 11-1 down when it comes to a loss-win file, to now being rather more 50/50 and on-par. And the inference was that each Australian rugby was getting higher and that probably that NZ rugby was getting worse.
Nonetheless I might warning towards placing an excessive amount of religion in both of these two conclusions, as what I consider we’re seeing is a pure elevate in Aussie efficiency to make sure, however it’s largely from the identical group of gamers throughout the board. So one would count on them to get higher from one other 12 months of expertise, mixture and maturity plus coming off such a low base. Comparatively, the Kiwi’s are rather more mature of their processes as they recommence the now oft-repeated cycle of Year1 of the World Cup build-up whereby we see their mature gamers retire or go abroad for a 12 months or two of economic and experiential progress, which opens the door to their subsequent crop of latest/replenishing gamers to shine by way of, earlier than 12 months 3 & 4 comes round and we see the Kiwi’s lock down performances once more as Invoice 12 months approaches.
So whereas I’m comfortable to see Aussie performances get higher – and I genuinely suppose they’re – let’s not delude ourselves into pondering the Kiwi’s are one way or the other so much worse or struggling some type of endemic decline. They’re biking by way of their oft-repeated World Cup rotation. It’s what it’s, however it’s not the Kiwi rugby existential disaster some people declare it to be.
Marine vs Marine: In what can solely be described as ‘avoiding a landmine’, the Royal Marines solely narrowly defeated the US Marines by 27-22 in a fiercely contested 2024 Virginia Gauntlet match final weekend, held on the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia (US clearly). Apparently the Virginia Gauntlet is an annual factor whereby the 2 units of ‘allies’ take to one another in triathlon, basketball, shotgun, rugby 7s, boxing, soccer and golf in addition to the centerpiece of Rugby XV’s. While I acknowledge that corporal punishment of service-folk in western armed forces is a factor of the previous today, it will nonetheless have been a scrumptious little bit of theatre to be a fly on the wall of dressing sheds if the Yanks had beat the English in a correct recreation of rugby. It’s not usually I barrack for Seppo’s…
Nearer to dwelling, massive ups to the Albury Steamers over the weekend with Troy Tatchell racking up his 250th recreation for the borders membership and in addition with father & son Tom and Harry Harrington taking the sphere collectively. For the pic they’re joined by Leticia Harrington (naturally from the ladies’s squad) and as-such all of the household have been out on the sphere final Saturday, with one other daughter/sister Edwina enjoying within the Junior competitors, for the golf equipment Again to Murrayfield Household Day. In the event you don’t know of the Steamers, they deserve some hearty assist when you ever get the prospect as they honestly are a lone outpost of our recreation in a heartland of AFL.
That stated, an enormous congratulations additionally has to go to the Tumut Bulls. The customarily-strugglers of the Southern Inland competitors have continued their stellar begin to the 2024 season with a clean-sweep of the Albury membership on the day.
In Sydney city, the weekend simply gone noticed a replay of the Subbies 1st Division 1st grade grand remaining from final 12 months whereby Blue Mountains took on Hunters Hill. Final 12 months, Blueys held on towards a monster comeback from Hunters to publish an epic win within the historical past of the Lapstone membership. This time round, Blueys maintained their dominance, however with out the helter-skelter heart-in-mouth end result, for a much more pedestrian 38-17 win. All-up the Blueys received out throughout the day with 3 wins to 2 (plus 1 draw) and 90 factors to 82. For these so-interested, a really actual rivalry is continuous to develop between these golf equipment that may guarantee viewers of a full days leisure every time they meet for years to return.
And talking of Sydney rugby, there’s greater than ‘simply chat’ that Penrith Emu’s will rejoin the fold of enjoying ranks with a movement to return into Subbies with a few sides in 2025 arising by way of the current Penrith AGM. For these not acquainted, the perennial Shute Protect strugglers have been pushed out of Sydney top-flight rugby by poor outcomes and even worse participant numbers some years in the past. And they also went to John Dent Canberra rugby for just a few years earlier than ingloriously exiting that competitors final 12 months for a similar causes. Clearly a inhabitants base as massive and rugby-friendly as western Sydney (with +2million individuals and +700 faculties largely untapped) wants and deserves a powerful rugby presence. And to that finish it’s good to see Emu’s re-entering the fray. However frankly, for mine, the rugby /western Sydney scenario continues to be in dire want of direct RA/NSWRU/SRU intervention to harness the oh-so-obvious potential on-offer, if solely on the idea of stewardship and ‘good of the sport’ causes.
And lastly for this week, congratulations to the Townsville Brolga’s squad who will make the 4hr and 15min trek northwards to Cairns subsequent weekend for Spherical 6 of the FNQ competitors. Yep. 4 and 1 / 4 hours a method. So I feel that settles issues for just a few of us metropolis people whining a few measly half-hour throughout city away-game often.
That may do for me at this time. I’m concerned with all of your ideas relating to TOTW, or rugby in western Sydney, or no matter else I’ve stated to stir you up. So rip into the chat beneath and get entangled. And don’t neglect or neglect to succeed in out to me if you would like me to focus on your membership at some stage.
Have a protected and reflective ANZAC of us. And good luck to your group this weekend.