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| Saturday 30 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students and teachers at Mackay High have been enjoying the company of three English schoolboys who have travelled from the other side of the globe to study and play Rugby League for nine weeks. Ross Padget, Jordan Grayston and George Griffin all 16 have been attending Mackay High this term, training with the schools Academy teams and playing for local teams in the local club competition. Ross, Jordan and George are all living with the families of Academy players Matt Ahern, Clinton Hewitt and Brandon Hassan. All three boys attend Outwood Grange College in Wakefield and play Rugby League for the Stanley Rangers in the Yorkshire League. The lads arrived in Australia just in time to join a Mackay High Academy team on the Gold Coast for the Titan’s Country Challenge, eventually winning the carnival after the Mackay High Academy team moved through the competition undefeated. Ross and George are hard working back rowers and Jordan is a strong running centre that hopes to play rugby league professionally in the future. Back home all the boys follow their local Super League team the Wakefield Wildcats and brought Wildcats jerseys as presents for their host brothers. All three boys agree that our lifestyle is a lot more easygoing than they experience at home but also agree that the football is a bit faster. Ross has been playing for Sarina, Jordan has linked up with Souths and George has joined Norths where despite some minor injuries they have all enjoyed a degree of success. Although the lads have missed their family and friends at home they have enjoyed their adventure immensely and remain impressed with Mackay’s winter weather which they enjoy because it is so ‘warm’. While in Mackay the boys have regularly joined our local ARL development officer Brad Henry travelling to district primary schools to help with his rugby league program. They visited schools and worked with students at Hampden, Mirani, Calen and Proserpine, Brad also found time to take them on a crocodile spotting expedition in the creeks around Proserpine. A group of Under 16 Mackay High Rugby League Academy players will be touring England in September 2009, playing games against school and club academy teams in London and the northern counties including a team from Outwood Grange College in Wakefield, a school with over two thousand students and winners of this years Wakefield Cup and finalist in the regions Yorkshire Cup. All the boys think that the Mackay High Academy team will do well on their England tour next year. Jordan says that particularly in the north of England, the colder, harder fields will suit our up-tempo style of play. This ongoing international exchange program is a Mackay High Rugby League Academy initiative that aims to provide young Wakefield and Mackay players with the opportunity to live and compete overseas. |
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VALENTINE VICTORY -- U12/3 NEWCASTLE SCHOOLBOYS PREMIERS  Valentine-Eleebana "Red Devils" won the 2008 U12 third division Premiership in the Newcastle Schoolboys competition last weekend. Valentine defeated Nelson Bay 16-nil in the grand final played at Dora Creek. The Valentine side had a strong year, standing six points clear of the table at mid-season. Competition intensified later in the season, but the Devils easily secured the minor premiership. Valentine's defence has been outstanding, with only 46 points scored against the boys in 2008. Special mention goes to the consistently excellent Brendon Johnson, who has been virtually unstoppable in attack. The Red Devils' championship team was: Toby Walters, Alex Hopkinson, Jye Fogarty, Gavin Coates, Brandon O'Davis, Riley Russell, Jye Blackman, Jett Dunning, Kane Kingston, Brendon Johnson, Hayden Callen, Mitchell Powell, Hayden Cafe, Talbot Brewster, Tyran Emerton, Josh Jones-Power and Jarred Reardon. Coach: Dave Russell. Manager: Brett Dunning. |
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The Lithgow Storm started the game full of confidence against Cowra’s under 16s at River Park on Saturday. Despite some enterprising attack Lithgow managed to repel Cowra for the first 10 minutes. Shannon Boyd hit the ball up from a goal line drop-out and made valuable metres. With the backs deep, quick hands saw Sam Ryan score five metres in from touch. Cowra were looking threatening in attack, only to be let down by a few lapses in concentration. From a scrum win on Storm’s 40 metre line, Chaydin Reid caught the defence napping with a clever kick over the backline, he re-gathered, dummied and ran around the cover defence to score in almost the same place as Sam Ryan. Ryan Downing converted. Sam Ryan went over for his second try in the corner, this started about 40 metres out with the ball once again being moved along the backline after some solid runs by the forwards. Early in the second half Cowra received a penalty 10 metres out from Lithgow’s line, from the tap the ball was passed along the backline before Jarrod Dominello stepped back in towards the posts and managed to swerve past the defence and score under the posts, Ryan Downing successfully converted. After a Cameron Leal kick through, Lithgow spilt the ball, Michael Murray cleaned up and ran 20 metres to score beside the posts, again Ryan Downing added the extras. Ryan Downing made valuable metres from dummy-half runs throughout the game, after one such run he slipped a pass, while held by three defenders, to Jake Mossman who stepped his way through to score beside the posts. Ryan converted again, taking the full time score to 32-0. With the finals coming up soon the boys showed some great teamwork. This was evident mid-way through the second half with the coach trying several players in different positions without taking any cohesion away from the side. Jake Mossman was this week’s players’ player. Every young Magpie that took the field on Saturday can hold their heads up after a fantastic exhibition in their last game at River Park. |
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| Friday 29 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 It will be a battle of strength for Dubbo College Senior Campus schoolmates Max Ray and Brodie Chapman this Saturday, when the two face each other in the Group 11 Rugby League under-18s grand final. Max, a forward for Dubbo CYMS and Brodie, the hard hitting lock for Macquarie, are good mates and have grown up attending the same schools for most of their lives. However, this weekend the two will pull on their club colours and battle it out against each other for the title of 2008 premiers. As the grand final draws nearer the two agreed the trash talk around the schoolyard had certainly picked up. “It’s good to have that bit of rivalry between us,” Max said. “There has been a fair bit of blue calling (Macquarie) around school, we (CYMS) are a bit outnumbered.” Max said he had been keeping his lips sealed about Brodie when it came to game plans and team talk so that he could “surprise” him come game day. Both Brodie and Max play together for their school rugby league side and both proved outstanding in last week’s University Shield quarterfinal against Chifley College. While they both enjoy playing alonside each other for their school, they say playing against each other in club footy has never been a problem. “Growing up we played junior league for different sides so we are fairly used to it,” Brodie said. “It’s good when we play each other, because we could do something a little sly in a tackle and know it’s all in good fun and we will still be mates after the game,” Max added. As far as praise goes, the two couldn’t have enough to say about each other, both agreeing the other is a threat on the football field. “Max is a good player, he has a great running game and he is hard to tackle,” Brodie said. “Brodie’s good all round, he has a solid forward game and he is dangerous out wide,” Max added. The two said it would be school as normal this week, but agreed there would be a fair bit of silence between them tomorrow as they prepare themselves for Saturday’s match. The under-18s grand final action will kick off at Apex Oval from 4.45pm, at the conclusion of the presentation of the reserve grade winners. CYMS meet Nyngan Tigers in reserves with kick-off at 3pm. The 2DU/Regency Jewellers Tooheys New Group 11 Player of the Year will be announced at half time of the under-18s, while the first grade grand final between Macquarie and CYMS is scheduled to kick off at 6.30pm under lights. |
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| KIRWAN BURSTS BUBBLE Story By :  The bubble burst for Mackay State High yesterday when they lost to northern nemesis Kirwan State High. After recording a spate of strong wins, their Arrive Alive Cup campaign came crashing down with a 32-16 defeat in the North Queensland final at Townsville. "It was a good battle - a real good schoolboys game of footy," coach Don Saunders said after the much-anticipated showdown. Mackay SH nabbed an early lead against their opponents when promising prop Andrew Ward crashed over but they were behind 14-6 at the half-time break. Tries to winger Bevan Healy and Trent Heading kept the side in the hunt; they trailed 20-16 with just 10 minutes to go. But Kirwan SH rallied in the final moments to cement a coveted berth in the Queensland final. Many schoolboy rugby league fans were predicting big things from Mackay High's rugby league nursery this year after their determined 2007 side surprised most to reach the North Queensland final. But injuries, including to key player Pat O'Hanlon, cast some doubts on their potential in 2008. However, the Milton Street boys showed plenty of grit to knock out Yeppoon juggernaut St Brendan's in the NQ semi-finals to ensure their place in the NQ decider. About a dozen of the players are expected to remain with the team for next year when Saunders expects the school to mount another strong challenge in the Cup. "We've got to go to the next level yet," he said. |
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Story & Photo By :  Glen’s Under 18s finished the preliminary part of the season undefeated after a 48 - 12 win over Tingha. The visitors fielded only nine players, so Glen matched them with the same number and rotated their players to give everyone a hit out. It didn’t take centre Joel Jackson long to get into try-scoring mode, getting his first in the opening minute. He crossed for three more inside the first half but played no part in the second half. Sam Kiehne was great at dummy half and continually set his supports in motion while Michael Adams had a terrific game, scoring two tries and gapping the defence on several occasions. His defence was also spirited. Adam McPhillips had another strong game and then played well in Reserves off the bench. He could have scored an early try but unselfishly passed the ball to centre Adrian Wadley who got the second try of the game. Nick Ehsman had a strong game with a couple of bell ringers in defence and a forty metre sprint to the line. Wingers Andrew Grob and Luke Whan also got four pointers, but the game was a disappointing way to finish before the semi finals. Nevertheless, it was a great effort from the Magpie lads to go through a season unbeaten, although they pulled the Houdini act against Guyra at Mead Park in a game that finished in a draw. Several times they won without playing great football but they will face staunch opposition from Inverell and Guyra in the playoffs. |
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| Thursday 28 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sarah Redfern took on Tuggerah Senior College at the Entrance yesterday in the University Shield Quater Final. Both teams started strong in the opening exchanges with Tuggerah unlucky not to cross on a few occassion with plenty of possesion. Sarah Redfern broke away with a strong lead of 16 points heading into half time, thanks to some impressive ball running from the forwards and great work from the outside backs, Moe Vaka and James Lealuai. Both forward packs played quality footy, with the Tuggerah props doing well to try to contain the mobile Sarah Redfern pack. Some classy plays by the Captain Vincent Chan Sau saw Sarah again capatalise early in the second half. Leading 6 tries to 1, the game looked all but over, but thanks to some creativity in the halves Tugerah hit back and were able to bring the game back into contention. Tuggerah players lifted and were able to gain some momentum mid way through the second half which led to some good tries. The game finished off with a 34 - 26 win to Sarah Redfern who will now advance to meet Dubbo Senior College in the Semi-Finals. |
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Story & Photo By :  THE under 16’s sullivan cup side played Tumut in a very tight, evenly matched game last Saturday at Twickenham Oval in Tumut. As Young kicked off to get the game underway, they moved up quickly in defence and through this good pressure defence Tumut lost the ball and this put Young in good field position, close to the line. Young capitalised on this by keeping the ball moving and in the first minute of the game Andrew Garvey scored in the corner to put the first points on the board and lead Tumut 4 points to nil. From the kick off Young were pumped and going forward putting good pressure on Tumut, but this was short lived as Tumut gained possesion through Young’s errors,and caught Young napping in defence to go straight through and score under the posts with the conversion successful, Tumut took the lead in the sixth minute of the game 6 points to 4. Young gained possesion back quickly after Corey Smithers found touch from the kick off and were on the attack close to the line. A lot of opportunities went begging and the ball changed hands several times until Young finally broke Tumut’s defensive line and a good pass saw Brad Dewar go over in the corner and Young were back in front 15 out from half time 8 points to 6. As this nailbitting game flowed there was some good solid running from the forwards and some great defence but one and a half minutes out from half time Tumut seemed to get a roll on and charged their way though Young’s tiring defence to go over for another try and take them into the half time break to lead Young 10 points to 8. The second half saw Young lose posession through a mistake from the kick off and although Tumut got a succession of penalties and had several sets of 6 on Youngs line they couldnt break the strong defensive line,as Young scrambled well and held Tumut out. As Young worked their way back up the field and the game intensified, those little errors kept creeping into the game and they just couldn’t seem to hang on to the ball. Although when they did, they ran it hard and made good yards but due to handling errors they had several missed oppertunities. They came so close to scoring a few times but could not seem to complete their sets to get over the line. They started to play a lot of panic football when close to the line and this just seemed to lead to dropped ball and frustration. To Young’s credit though they muscled up in defence for the whole second half this week and also kept Tumut scoreless in the second half of the game and as the fulltime hooter sounded the game remained as it did at the half time break with Tumut winning 10 points to 8. Heads up boys, and look forward to a win when Young take on Gundagai in the last round of matches before the semis at Alfred Oval in Young on Sunday. |
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| Wednesday 27 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COCA COLA CHALLENGE NEWS
U/13 Coca Cola Challenge Semi Finals The NSWRL Under 13 Coca Cola Challege Semi Finals will be played this week. Date: Thursday 28th August 2008 The games will be as follows: Strathfield Raiders (Balmain) V Berkeley (Illawarra) |
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 THE Kempsey Cannonballs under 18s are major and minor premiers after an impressive 26-10 grand final win over Coffs Harbour on Saturday. In extremely windy and gusty conditions at Port Macquarie the Cannons opted to run with the breeze at their back in the first half. And what a first half it was. After only five minutes the Cannonballs showed no signs of nerves when number eight Carl Thurgood crossed the line. The try came after excellent lead-up work by the forwards in close and winger Marty Cutler converted to give the side a 7-nil lead. It wasn’t long before the broken play magician, fullback Corey Gale, showed great skill to crash over for the Cannonballs second. Again it was converted by Cutler to give Kempsey a 14-nil lead. Even though Kempsey had a gale-force wind behind them, it was the bigger men up front that did all the damage. Captain Robbie Bartus lead the way up front all game and in the 25th minute made a barnstorming run. After beating three defenders and running 40m downfield, he off-loaded to flying outside back Craig Rogan who crashed over out wide for the team’s third. Winger Cutler had his kicking boots on and made it three from three with a sideline conversion in the windy conditions. A dominant first half by the Cannons was bettered still further just prior to the break. With eight minutes remaining winger Cutler added his name to the try scorers list. It was an exceptional team try with five rucks by the forwards before halfback Jeremy Lipscombe sent it wide to the backs and over they went. Cutler missed his conversion but took his personal tally to 11 points and the Cannonballs went to half-time with a 26-nil lead. Running into a strong breeze in the second half, the Cannons were unable to put any further points on the board. On a number of occasions the side defended their own try line with sheer guts and determination, which eventually paid off. The Coffs Harbour team, who had beaten Kempsey twice in their last two encounters, could only manage two unconverted tries. When the final whistle sounded the Cannonballs had done enough to claim the Abigroup Mid North Coast Rugby competition. Cannonballs under 18s captain Bartus was named player of the final while the side’s youngest member, 16 year-old Eddie Burrett, was named highest point scorer for the year. |
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| Tuesday 26 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday the 20th August the Red Bend u/14s League team travelled to Bathurst to play the St George district champions Penshurst Marist in the quarter finals of the Cochrane cup. The Cochrane Cup is a state wide competition open to Catholic and Independent Schools in the 14 year age group. Our boys have already won over teams from Dubbo, Orange, Oberon, Bathurst and Penrith. A big side came onto the field to meet the boys but we just went about the game as we normally do, a couple of mistakes early had us under pressure and it wasn't long before Penshurst crossed for the first try of the game. All this did was calm our boys down as we had to play smart to get the try back; this was done with good guidance from Jake O'Brien, James Rousell and Kyle Baxter, we got down their end and a strong run from Pat Welsh saw him brought down short allowing Kyle to cross from close range, It wasn't long before Pat crossed and we were on our way, some strong running from our forwards notably Jim Park, Mike Bayley and Dave Cowhan saw us again pressuring their line and a good kick from Kyle saw Dave leap to score at the fullbacks feet. Our boys really went up a gear then with Tori Freeman, Luke McMahon, Jarred Tyack, Harrison Baker and Tim Holmes making ground by running good lines and playing good support. Our reserves had made it on by now with all playing strong roles with Ty Healy and Daniel Nicholson controlling the ruck and Troy Armatige, Wade Harris, Ben Thompson and Ethan Kosef all making sure we stayed on the front foot in the forwards. We went in at halftime with a good lead and knew that we only had to repeat the effort to progress to the semis. The second half was a real team effort with everyone doing their bit in attack and defence, Tries were scored by Kyle, Luke McMahon, Jarred Tyack and Jake O'Brian and we ran away comfortable winners 36-14 which was a great team effort. Our best on the day were Jake O'Brian, Kyle Baxter and Ben Thompson but they couldn't play without great support from everyone also to Jack Jackson who was real sick but still made the effort to get us started. The boys would like to thank the parents who travelled down as their support was appreciated and to John and Bill who ran the water. The boys now progress to the Semi Finals of the Cochrane Cup being one of the top four teams in the state. There we will face Mater Dei from Wagga Wagga this Thursday at Red Bend. Mater Dei will be strong side as they put us out last year to become the country cup champions. We have a pretty good side ourselves and will give ourselves every chance especially as it will be at home. |
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| Monday 25 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The pinnacle of local schoolboy Rugby League, DET Wests Leagues Cup Grand Final Day has arrived for 2008. Six Grand Finals are set down for decision on Wednesday August 27th at Campbelltown Stadium, with the U/13 Division 3 clash between Bowral HS and Cecil Hills HS opening a big day of local footy at 10am. The feature match of the day sees Ashcroft HS attempting to defend their title against a very strong Eaglevale HS in the U/15 Division 1 decider. Ashcroft HS will be aiming to be the first school to defend a Division 1 WLC title, whilst Eaglevale HS will be squarely focussing on lifting their school’s first ever WLC Premiership trophy. With a number of potential future Tigers stars on show, this will be a very keenly contested affair. Kick off is at 4.20pm. At 12 Noon, Hoxton Park HS and Eaglevale HS will clash in the U/13 Division 1 Grand Final. This is expected to be a tightly contested affair, with both schools being standouts throughout the season. Both schools will be looking to claim their first ever WLC premiership. The 3pm match will be a local derby between Camden HS and Elderslie HS. In a repeat of last year’s U/15 Division 2 decider, Camden HS under the coaching of ex- NRL star Brendan Reeves and with influential playmaker Mitchell Brasington at the helm, will be looking to turn the tables on Elderslie HS, who downed them by two points in 2007. It will be a big day for Rugby League in the Southern Highlands with Bowral HS, Moss Vale HS and Picton HS all winning their way through to Grand Final day. Bowral HS will square off against Cecil Hills HS, with both schools attempting to claim their first WLC title in the U/13 Division 3 decider, which is set down for decision at 10.00am. Picton HS will be looking to win their second WLC crown at 11.15am against a very slick Miller THS team in the U/13 Division 2 decider. Leagues club officials are predicting that this could well be the match of the day. The man of the match in the U/13 Division 2 Grand Final will receive the inaugural Gordon Fetterplace Medal, named in honour of the late Campbelltown identity, who was instrumental in the establishment of the WLC competition in 2005. At 1.45pm, Moss Vale HS clash with Bonnyrigg HS. Coached by Matt Carlyon, who previously steered Picton HS to their first WLC crown, Moss Vale HS will be looking to thwart a powerful Bonnyrigg HS team and take their first title. All winning players receive custom made polo shirts. The Man of the Matches in the U/15 and U/13 Division 1 Grand Finals will receive the John Skandalis and Brett Hodgson Medals from their local heroes and a framed Wests Tigers jersey for their efforts. |
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| UNDER 20S TO UNDERGO RADICAL RULE TRIALS Story By : Glenn Jackson  AFTER giving the green light to a radical trial of 11-a-side in the final round of the National Youth Competition, the NRL has also foreshadowed more key changes - including giving greater power to kick-defenders in an attempt to curb the number of tries scored from the boot. The NRL has revealed it will trial a new law in which the defending side is given a 20-metre tap if a player diffuses any kick into the in-goal in two matches, one in round 25 this weekend and the other in the final round of the under-20 competition. The current law allows a team a tap on the 20-metre line only if a ball is caught on the full in the in-goal, although the trial will, presumably, make kicking to force a drop-out or score a try less attractive than it is now. There has been widespread criticism of the direction of the game this year with a significant number of tries being scored off kicks - most notably the Sydney Roosters, who at one stage of the season had scored half of their four-pointers off the boot. That led to Canberra chief executive Don Furner suggesting a radical change in the Herald - having less points available for tries off kicks. The NRL has effectively admitted that they believe too many tries are scored via that avenue with the latest change. "We've got to keep pace with the trends in the game," chief operating officer Graham Annesley said. "If there's a view out there that there's too many tries scored off kicks, this kind of rule change would obviously discourage so much kicking into the in-goal." While that rule - or something similar - could be introduced into the NRL in the short term, 11-a-side would take far longer to be put drafted in. The change - proposed by Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart to dull the dominance of athleticism over football ability - will be trialled in the last-round NYC clash between the Sharks and North Queensland. But in describing it as "the great unknown", Annesley denied the game's officials were becoming "desperate". "It's probably a sign of a couple of things - the general view of the rugby league community that we need to make the game as attractive as possible, and a sign of the Toyota Cup being a vehicle to do some things that are out of the ordinary," Annesley said. "We always said that the Toyota Cup was a great opportunity to experiment with some new ideas … this is something we can't experiment with in the NRL. "It would be several years before a law so dramatic would be brought into the NRL because of the significance of such a change. Because it's such a radical idea, I'm sure it's not something that would change in the short term, in the immediate term." Asked if he thought the change could work, Annesley said: "I honestly don't know. It's one of those questions you can't answer until you've seen it in operation … whether it would be a better outcome remains to be seen." |
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| Saturday 23 rd August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MEET the next generation of NRL superstars. These 19 players are the best under 18-year-old rugby league players in the country - the latest instalment of the famous Australian schoolboys. Over the past fortnight they have given it to England and France, winning three out of three matches to remain world champions. And according to coach Brendan Barlow, they are getting better ever year. Good news for rugby league fans when you consider recent graduates include State of Origin stars Mitchell Pearce and Israel Folau. "We aimed to win every game and we did that," Barlow said. "We just took it one game at a time and managed to win them all. We had a couple of tough games but got the job done. "I was very impressed with the talent. The skill levels of these young guys was certainly high. All the boys are linked with NRL clubs so they know how to play." And already one of the all conquering schoolboys stars has had a taste of the big time. "We had Jordan Rankin for the first match but then he got called up to play for the Titans," Barlow said. "I was very impressed with Jordan. He was one of the young blokes, just 16, but he played well above his age. And it was no surprise that he played NRL and handled it very well." And the production line continues with giant centre Jamie Idris set to get his chance in the NRL tonight when the Bulldogs tackles the Eels. Idris, a student at Bankstown De La Salle, had to skip classes this week to train with the injury-ravaged Bulldogs ahead of the ANZ Stadium clash. "Jamie was great for us," Barlow said. "He scored four first-half tries against France." Another to impress Barlow, a teacher at Wavell State High, was boom 16-year-old William Hopoate, the son of infamous Tigers and Manly winger John. "Williams was giving away a lot in age, like Jordan," Barlow said. "For him to come out and play against an older English side was very impressive. If he keeps working hard he will have a bright future." Hopoate recently created NRL history when he signed a $300,000 deal with the same Manly club where his famous father starred. And Hopoate won't be the only one from this lot earning the big bucks on offer. Already the chase is on with a number of the schoolboy players inking new deals. Rabbitohs back-rower Dominic Walsh is being courted by several clubs with the Titans understood to be leading the race to snare his prized signature. Melbourne Storm back-rower Ryan James has already agreed to move to the Titans in 2009, while Penrith fullback Matthew Wright has been signed by the Sharks. "These are the cream of the crop," said Roosters recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan. "NRL clubs have been following their progress for a few years now." |
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| Friday 22 nd August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : ANNA YEO Talented front rower Max Ray and captain Broadie Chapman lead their side to a University Shield semi-final birth yesterday, when they put away their western Sydney opponents by six points 40-32. The win moves Dubbo College Senior Campus one step closer to the Shield, which has Chapman and his team mates excited. Senior Campus looked the part as they took the field at Apex Oval yesterday, facing off to their larger Chifley College opponents from the first whistle. Both sides were scoreless throughout the first 15 minutes of the match, before some handy ball work put centre Mat Marks over for Dubbo's first. Senior Campus continued their dominance, scoring just minutes after their first try, this time to right side centre Alex Ronayne. Just when it appeared Dubbo was in control of the game Chifley hit back, breaking through the Campus defence to get their first points on the board. A lapse in concentration by the home side saw Chifley's five eighth Trevor Bolt even the scores at the break, converting his own try to leave it 12-all at half time. Dubbo looked more than on fire up as they took to the field for the second half, but Chifley was keen to keep their good form rolling. Bolt, the stand out for his side was able to put Chifley in front in the first five minutes of the second half, making a break and running 40m to score between the posts. It wasn't looking good for the home side at the 50th minute, when a mistake by Dubbo's full back Brad Spencer saw Chifley cross the line to go out 24-12 leaders. The try to Chifley was enough to spark a fire in Dubbo's captain Broadie Chapman, who responded with an unbelievable 30 meter try to get his side back in the game. The energy was well received by team mate Max Ray, who joined with his captain to trample their Sydney opponents and regain control of the match. Following a try from fellow front Rower Anthony Egan Smith, Ray put centre Alex Ronayne over for his second, to extend his sides lead to 36-28 with only 10 minutes remaining. With the game fastly slipping from their grasp Chifley refused to give in and fired back with anotehr try to five eighth Bolt, to put them only two points behind 36-34. A late try to hooker Jeremy Smith however was enough to wrap the game up for Dubbo and send them to the semi-finals. Chapman was more than impressed with his sides performance yesterday and said that making the finals for the shield was a goal the team had set from the beginning of the competition. |
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A 20-member national under-19 rugby league team will be finalised by August 29 to play a curtain-raiser at the Rugby League World Cup in Australia. The side, to be coached by Suva Grammar School teacher Jo Savou, will play against an under-19 Australian selection team comprising of age group players from local clubs. Fiji National Rugby League administrator and board member Rusi Ratakele said the U19 side would feature in the curtain-raiser on November 1 before Vodafone Fiji Bati plays France in its first pool game at the World Cup. "They will play in only one curtain-raiser game and after that return home, but it is a great opportunity for the young boys because they need exposure," he said. "By playing there, the scouts and development coaches will have access to them. "They will also play a warm-up game against West Tigers U-19 team from Sydney on October 11 in Suva." The initial trials, featuring 26 players from secondary schools around Suva, started on Monday at the Fiji College of Advanced Education (FCAE) grounds and will continue until Friday. The secondary schools team once finalised will march into camp on Sunday at FCAE and play a combined eastern/ western clubs U19 team on August 29. |
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| SYDNEY SCHOOL EXACTS REVENGE ON HILLVUE Story By :  HILLVUE Public School got caught by the quarter-final bug again in Sydney yesterday, falling a game short of the Legends of League semi-finals. The Tamworth side repeated their efforts of a fortnight ago when they reached the quarter finals of the NSW All Schools finals, going down to St Bosco’s Cronulla at Granville Park yesterday 26 - 16 at the final eight stage. It was sweet revenge for the Sydneysiders after Hillvue had scored on the bell to beat them in the pool stages two weeks ago. Yesterday they crossed on the bell to push the scoreline out to the final 10-point margin, and then won their way through to the final. Hillvue was battling by that stage with injuries, leaving them with limited numbers. “(But) they beat us fair and square,” Hillvue team manager Craig McDonald said. The Ray Berry-coached side had finished top of their pool after receiving a first round forfeit, convincingly beating Taree, drawing 16-all with Parramatta and giving North Coast a touch-up 34-6. The Parramatta game was the decisive one, scoring late to “get out of jail”. “It was a fantastic day. The boys had a wonderful time,” McDonald said. “They met some of the legends of league and some of the Roosters players came down.” There were several other Sydney club players present, with the boys returning with footballs littered with autographs. “They’ve done a great job,” McDonald said of the boys’ efforts. He said their defence particularly was outstanding yesterday. “They’re so small compared to the other sides,” he said. “Billy Nean was outstanding at half-back, Damien Berry was all over the field and Brodie Orr in the forwards was outstanding all carnival.” McDonald also made particular mention of manager Jim Alley and local ARL development officer Damien Kenniff for their hard work. |
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QUARTER FINAL AT STAKE Forbes High School’s under 14s Buckley Shield rugby league side are through to the top 16 in the state and have a chance to move into the top eight when they clash with Hoxton Park High School in Forbes tomorrow. The Buckley Shield is a state-wide under 14s rugby league competition which began in 1974. More than 200 schools participate in the competition which was named for Bill Buckley, a leading NSW and Australian rugby league president. Duncan Sharpe is the Buckley Shield side’s supervising teacher. Mr Sharpe said his side can expect competition to be fierce now they are down to the final 16. The winner of the match can expect to come up against Bega. Forbes has already beaten Cowra, Canowindra and Canobolas Rural Technology High to meet Blayney in the western area final. Forbes came out on top of Blayney but will face a step up in class when they come up against Hoxton Park tomorrow. “Good,” Mr Sharpe said when asked about the quality of the side’s football in the competition. “They’ve had a few spots and splirts but they’re a very talented side.” Mr Sharpe said team cohesion is helped by the fact the majority of the young side play in the Forbes Magpies under 14s side. Forbes High clash with Hoxton Park tomorrow at 11.10am on the Forbes High School Oval. Anyone wishing to attend is welcome but must present to the office before proceeding to the oval. The Forbes High Buckley Shield side is: 1 Braden Bell, 2 Nathan Antram, 3 Jake Cutler, 4 Matt Townsend, 5 Brett Stace, 6 Martin Herbert, 7 Tom Caldwell, 8 Jackson Brown, 9 Ben Brunt, 10 Jake Adams, 11 Adam Stace, 12 Jordan Coles, 13 Cooper Lyneham, 14 Josh Townsend, 15 Nick Driscol, 16 Sam Cootes, 17 Jake Hanley, 18 Mark Simmonds, 19 Hayden Brett, 20 Mark Downey, 21 Daryan Hazel. |
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| Thursday 21 st August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KEEBRA CLEAN SWEEP INTO FINALS Its been a most successful week for Keebra Park with all teams in all ages blasting their way into the premier finals. The thirteens will face Wavell after beating a strong Cav Road side 40 - 0. Jayden Warbrick and Perry laid a strong foundation up front that was exploited by their speedy backline. The boys will face Wavell at Pizzey Park.TBA The fourteens were 20 - 6 down at halftime but managed top claw back to topple Wavell 22 - 20 with minutes to go. This will have been a good learning experience that they need to hit the game running and show more urgency and commitment rather that play "Catch up Football", in the finals. Some good running and leadership from Costner Lemafa was the driving force behind this victory. They will now face PBC at Pizzey Park. TBA The fifteens faced Mountain Creek and lost two key players in James Dunley and Andrew Vella to see themselves 10-6 down at the break. Some good maturity from Geordie Penrose, Matt Beddow and Taylor Feeney saw the emerge 26-20 winners afetr a blitz in the middle of the second half. They did slacken off toward sthe end of the game and let Mountain Creek in for a couple of soft tries and will need to work on that aspect of the game as they face PBC at Pizzey Park in the final. TBA Likewise the Opens will play PBC In the South East Final of the Arrive Alive Cup at Pizzey Park next wednesday after baeting Wavell 32-6 at Suncorp last Friday. Keebra will go into this game as confident but with the local underdog tag due to PBCS flurry of Australian players and NRL debutante Jordan Rankin. This game is on Wednesday 27th at Pizzey Park. | LEARN MORE ABOUT KEEBRA PARK RUGBY LEAGUE | |
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| VYING FOR UNI SHIELD Story By : Dubbo Senior College and South Campus teams are back in action today at Apex Oval in quarter-finals of the State University and Buckley shields competitions. The under 14 Buckley Shield game will feature South Campus against Chifley College while at 4pm the open's game will see Dubbo Senior College also against Chifley. According to coach Craig May, both Dubbo teams are hoping for a big crowd support to give them a vocal home ground advantage. "The Uni Shield clash is one that many have wanted to see since both schools became colleges in 2002," the coach of both Dubbo teams said. "Both have strong records in the Uni Shield with Chifley in recent years having featured in two finals and several semi-final appearances. "Chifley then went into the Elite Schools competition for three years in preference to the Uni Shield where they were competitive against the State's sporting high schools. "This year they are back in the Uni Shield and in the lead-up games to today have been strong. "The team is made up of the cream of talent from the Penrith and Mount Druitt areas with many players having played in junior representative teams. "Feedback suggests they will have a big side that have intimidated many opponents including traditional league powerhouse Terra Sanca College by 28-0 and in the Sydney final beat Colyton High 24-4. They also beat Brisbane Waters College 48-18 and Tuggerah Lakes College 28-18. "We're expecting a touch match." May, however said Dubbo College will go into the match full of confidence after their strong Country Cup win but aware of the need to again step up their performance. "Against Griffith High, we struggled to contain the size of their forwards and they will be confronted with a similar pack from Chifley," May said. "Just how many of the team shape up after the Group 11 under 18 local derby between Macquarie and CYMS last Sunday could have a vital bearing on the result. This match has a real City versus Country feel about it." The under 14 mach will be a real test for the Dubbo College South Campus team which will again be up against a big side that has dominated the Sydney West region. Along the way Chifley defeated Rooty Hill High 38-6, Merrylands 38-8 and Colyton 48-0. Craig May said the respective forward packs could again be the area to decide the match. "If Dubbo South can contain Chifley's big men and get good go forward, we will be a big chance," the coach said. "If this happens then our captain Swade Dunn will have the opportunity to create opportunities for talented outside backs Mitchell Stageman, Daniel Wirth and Jai Dunn." The winner of this match will take on the winner of South Coast Region versus Sydney East Region. UNIVERSITY SHIELD Dubbo Senior College: 1 Brad Spencer, 2 Allan Arnold, 3 Matt Marks, 4 Alex Ronayne, 5 Elliott Knight, 6 Josh Merritt, 7 Jordan Boney, 8 Anthony Egan-Smith, 9 Jeremy Smith, 10 Max Ray, 11 Jake Josephs, 12 Grant Kemp, 13 Brodie Chapman. Interchange: 14 Ray Fuller, 15 Dylan Hill, 16 Brodie Duff, 17 Tim Armstrong, 18 Marc Field, 19 Maddison Thomas, 20 Duncan Lawrence, 21 Kieran Cubby, 22 Michael Shiel, 23 Daniel Coughlin. Coach: Craig May. BUCKLEY SHIELD Dubbo College South Campus: 20 Jai Dunn, 2 Conor Bush, 3 Daniel Wirth, 4 Mitchell Stageman, 5 Linton Shaw, 6 Swade Dunn (c), 7 Alex Bonham, 8 Kieran Hill, 9 Adam O'Connor, 11 Jarryd Usher, 12 Lincoln Kavanagh, 13 Martin Fernando. Interchange: 14 Jake Boland, 15 Alex Greenaway, 16 RJ Merritt, 17 Jordi Holmes, 18 Steve Merritt. Coach: Craig may. |
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| WEdnesday 20 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MANLY SEA EAGLES TRIALS
Please advise any boys at your school from year 9 up to year 12 that trials for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Harold Matthews and SG Ball Squads (Under 16s and Under 18s) will take place on Saturday 27th September. Boys must click on the link as soon as possible to book a place. |
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Story By :  Photo's Courtesy : OLF Australian & Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Super Coach Ricky Stuart visited Our Lady of Fatima Primary School this week to congratulate the Under 11 rugby league team on their fantastic efforts this year representing Cronulla at this years NSWRL All Schools Knockouts Carnival. Our Lady of Fatima Under 11's rugby league team did the Shire proud after their historic State Championship victory over Hebersham Public School from Penrith to win 18 - 12 Ricky presented the boys with their own t-shirts for winning the local Cronulla Knockout and generally had a good laugh with the kids. |
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Story & Photo's : rjohnston "The National Primary Schools Rugby League Exchange for 2008 concluded on Saturday evening with Queensland running out deserved winners over a gallant NSW outfit. Representative teams from every state and territory in Australia travelled to Richardson Park in Darwin for the tournament, except Tasmania who were replaced by a Northern Territory Invitational team. NSW won through to the final by defeating ACT, NT, NT Invitational and WA in the semi finals. Queensland won pool games against NSW, VIC, SA and then beat NT in their semi final to proceed to the final against NSW. The final took place under lights in front of a big crowd and what was very much like a State of Origin atmosphere. It was a very entertaining game with NSW standing tall and taking the fight to Queensland but the big, fast Queenslander were too strong and ran away with the game to take the cup for 2008". |
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BULLDOGS prodigy Jamal Idris was preparing to return to school yesterday when an unlikely excuse arrived for him to skip this morning's Science class. "I got a call from (Bulldogs assistant coach) Kevin Moore saying he had good news and that I'd been picked in first grade,'' Idris said. "I was driving home from lunch with mum, and the first thing Kevin asked was to get her permission for me to miss school tomorrow and train with the NRL side. The teacher was okay with it, but wanted to know if I could come in the afternoon.'' The 18-year-old is currently studying for his HSC at De la Salle Bankstown, but missed his trial exams because of commitments for the Australian schoolboys over the past fortnight. He passed the footballing Test with flying colours, crossing for four tries in the opening half against France last week. But Idris might have excelled much further a field had he chosen to pursue promising efforts with both discus and javelin that pole vaulted him to last year's Junior World Athletics. Standing at 195cm and weighing 106kg, the dreadlocked centre is the fourth Toyota Cup player at the Bulldogs to graduate to NRL this year. His promotion came as a welcome tonic for the Belmore outfit, whose miserable season continued yesterday with confirmation that major sponsor Mitsubishi Electric will not renew next year. |
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| Tuesday 19 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo BY : KIRSTY O’LEARY  Brad Field’s rugby league career began early, as he pulled on the boots for the Under-8s in Nambucca. Now the 17-year-old has been singled out as one of the most talented up-and-comers in the state. He was recently selected in the Australian Secondary Schools Open rugby league carnival, where he joined with players from all over NSW to take on other states. The six days of competition, from July 12 to 18, were held at Richardson Park, Darwin, and were a new level of competition for Field. Already a member of the Broncos development squad, Field impressed schoolselectors at a Coffs Harbour trial. The Bishop Druitt student then settled down to a three-day camp at Narrabeen, Sydney, where a group of more than 100 would-be state representatives was whittled down to just 20. Field once again showed he had all the skills, playing at hooker or half-back. He was eventually selected as hooker for the four games NSW would play against CAS (Combined Affiliated States), the ACT and Queensland. Two wins over the CAS squad secured NSW a place in group ‘A’. Field said Queensland was a huge challenge and proved too strong for the NSW outfit. The team also went down to ACT. “It was a lot faster and harder than down here,” Field said. “It was a good experience. I learned more about footy and the way it’s played at that level.” The size of the other teams was also a significant challenge, Field said. Field said he had enjoyed his representative experience and the visit to Darwin, accompanied by his father. He was initially led into rugby league at a young age by his brothers and his father, who were all ‘into the game’. Field has played for Nambucca and Macksville, but is currently part of the Under-18s Macksville Sea Eagles team that is contesting a spot in the finals. It is the only rugby league team in the valley to take on the competition in the semi-finals. Field said he was looking forward to the finals, but was a little apprehensive as well. He said there was no doubt that football training twice a week, games on weekends and the finals campaign would get in the way of his studies as he came up to the HSC. While he does not have a career path in mind yet, Field said he was looking at options to attend university. Meanwhile, along with his rugby league commitments, Field also competes in rugby union, representing his school. |
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| Sunday 17 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : Peter Badel GOLD COAST whiz kid Jordan Rankin has knocked back a $240,000 contract from a Sydney-based NRL club to dedicate his best years to the Titans. The 16-year-old received a two-year, $120,000-a-season offer from an NRL rival last month but chose to stay at the Gold Coast on a base salary of just $20,000. The sacrifice underscores the maturity that saw Rankin last week become the youngest halfback debutant in the code's 100-year history. Mindful of interest from six clubs, including the Cowboys, the Titans handed a new three-year deal to the Australian Schoolboys sensation a fortnight ago, just before his top-grade debut against the Knights. Rankin's upgraded Titans deal is laced with incentives, with the Year 11 student in line for a significant bonus if he plays 10 first-grade games next season. Titans boss Michael Searle revealed the pressure Rankin was under in the face of big-money plays from rival teams. "Jordan had some huge money on offer,'' Searle said. "Six clubs were keen on Jordan but, to the boy's credit, he didn't want to go to Sydney, he wanted to finish school on the Gold Coast and he wanted to represent the Titans. "To be honest, he could have earned substantially more by going to Sydney before he even played first grade. But life isn't all about money.'' Searle said the Titans were keen to secure Rankin for the long term before handing him his NRL debut, aware his promotion would have sparked a bidding frenzy if he remained unsigned for 2010. "The new deal for Jordan was in the mix for months. We weren't going to play him in first grade before we signed him to an extended deal,'' he said. "Our base deal is what you'd expect a 16-year-old to earn. We're happy with it and he's happy with it. "It just removes a bit of pressure off Jordan. He's a Gold Coast kid and he wants to stay on the Gold Coast. Now that we have longevity with his contract, we can bring him along gradually instead of rushing him through to see if he's up to it. Jordan's contract with us is structured in a way that the more NRL he plays, the more he stands to earn. "I hope I have to continue paying him bonuses.'' Life has returned to normal for Rankin after his 28-minute cameo last Monday night against the Knights. The Palm Beach Currumbin student still gets driving lessons from his mother, Tracy, still embarks on a 90-minute bus trip to Titans training when he can't score a lift, and still has a poster of Broncos captain Darren Lockyer on his bedroom wall. The only noticeable change in his bedroom is on the rack containing every jersey he has owned since the age of five. Next to the Burleigh Bears jumpers and the Queensland and Australian Schoolboys representative jerseys sits the Titans No20 he wore last week. "Jordan's got this beam at home and on it he hangs every jumper he's had,'' Tracy says. "They are exactly how they were when he played in them. He says, 'that's how I wore it, that's what I did in it, that's the stain I got wearing it and you can't wash it'. "His room smells like a locker room, but they're all there.'' Tracy admits she is only mildly surprised her boy made the big time so soon. At five, he told her he wanted to be a football star. By 10, he would record league games to study key moves. However, Tracy urged him to have a Plan B just in case fate shattered his NRL dreams. "I told Jordan, 'you need a back-up plan'. He said, 'no Mum, I just want to play football','' she says. "I'm just so proud of him. As a kid, he'd record a game on the video, watch a part of the game, pause it, then run outside and practise what he just saw. "Some kids take the wrong path, they drink or go to parties, but Jordan has no interest in that.'' And already he's been forced to modify his goals. Next year, he wanted to play NRL. Now, he's thinking State of Origin. "I know he would love to play for Queensland and I'm sure he'd love to captain the Titans,'' Tracy said. "I said to him the other day, 'you've played first grade - what are you going to do now?' He said, 'I don't know, I'll think about it'.'' Heaven help us if Jordan Rankin dares to aim high. |
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| Saturday 16 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : BEN WALKER Dubbo College’s open rugby league team has been crowned the best team in country NSW after scoring a commanding 46-24 win against All Saints St Mary’s Maitland at Apex Oval on Wednesday. Led by man-of-the-match Max Ray and inspirational skipper Brodie Chapman, the Dubbo side ran in nine tries to four in front of a parochial crowd, which was kept entertained by the commentary of the Maitland cameraman throughout the match. While the final result went the right way for Craig May’s boys, things didn’t look promising early when Maitland’s lock Jay Stevens crossed under the posts in the second minute to help the visitors establish a 6-0 lead. Dubbo fought back through a try to Alex Ronayne before Maitland again hit the front through a try to halfback Taylor Matthews. But that was the last of Maitland’s resistance as Dubbo piled on a further 16 points to lead 22-18 at half-time. A further 24 unanswered points in the second half saw Dubbo stretch its lead to 46-18 before Maitland scored a consolation try in the dying minute to end the game at 46-24. Dubbo coach Craig May was proud of his side’s achievement to take the crown that about 90 schools throughout the State tried to win. “It was a great performance today because we got contributions from all of the players,” May said. “In other games we have had individuals play blinders but today it was a good team effort.” With their confidence high, Dubbo College’s next task will be the quarter final of the University Shield competition against Chifley High next Wednesday. “There is a bit of history between the two schools, next week is going to be massive,” May said. “It’s great that we have been able to get over this Country Cup hurdle, now we have another big game to look forward to.” |
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The mighty 11's have all but clinched the division two minor premiership after a resounding win over Woy Woy Roosters 36 - 6. Equal competition leaders Budgewoi Bulldogs lost to third placed Gosford Kariong providing the 11's with the competition leadership and superior percentages with one round left to play. 14'3s prevailed against undefeated minor premiers Kincumber Colts 28 - 20 in what can only be described as a 'barnstorming performance'. If the Raiders win their next game the 14's will finish the season in second place. Unfortunately the very spirited 11'3s were beaten by competition front runner Wyong (Gold) 38 - 0 ending their opportunity to reach the semi-finals. Every player tried very hard and should be very proud of their efforts. A very galant 13'2s sent shockwaves through competition heavyweights Toukley Hawks, the Raiders effort and commitment was fantastic, going down 36 - 16. The awsome 10'2s had victory snatched from their grasp by the Entrance Tigers 22 - 16 in a highly entertaining game of footy. The 10's never stopped trying and only a couple bounces of the ball and the result may have been different. 12'3s displayed quality rugby league in their very impressive 34 - 0 win over Central Wyong. This team has really fired during the second half of the season. Next year may see this team pushing for a semi-final. The 10'3s and 13's both had a bye during round 14, players from both teams displayed great club spirit and mateship by backing up for teams that had injuiries or players with illness. the 10'3s must win their last round game against Gosford Kariong to have a chance of making the semi finals. |
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| Friday 15 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : CHARLIE PAYNE  It was ugly, but Mackay State High School did the job in the North Queensland semi-final of the Arrive alive Cup at Shark Park yesterday. The 18-14 win over arch-rivals St Brendan’s, Yeppoon, has propelled MSHS into the NQ final, against Kirwan High or Ignatius Park. The two Townsville sides clash next week, with the final to be played the following week at a venue to be decided. Mackay coach Don Saunders described the win as “ugly”. “It was a bit scrappy as it was played in very windy conditions,” he said. “The first 20 minutes was just sorting each other out, but our defence was excellent and across the park we were strong.” Halves Leon Curry at five-eighth and halfback Marmin Barba led the side well, and the forwards were strong. Saunders said front rower Andrew Ward, who scored two tries, and lock Brad Simpson were outstanding. Jordan Richardson scored MSHS’s other try, and Barba kicked three goals. Saunders wasn’t in the least concerned about how his side won the game. “It’s always good when you can play ugly and still win the game,” he said. “We were not perfect with the ball control but our defence held on well and we did a lot of the little things right, and our attitude in defence was good.” St Brendan’s beat Mackay in the NQ grant final last year, and had beaten them 16-10 in this year’s Super 10 series, so the win was satisfying for the coach and team. A bonus for the team was that many of the side which played yesterday were in Year 11. “Today 12 of our players were in Year 11, and last year 15 of the 17 were from the 11s,” Saunders said. “We’re going to have a lot of the Year 12s back for the final. “I think it shows the depth that we have, we’re comfortable.” Saunders said he wasn’t sure which of Kirwan or Ignatius Park would make the final. “We’ve beaten Ignatius Park this year and they’ve beaten us. “It’s always tough between either of those two sides, so it’s going to be a great battle.” |
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Story & Photo BY : GRANT ROBERTSON FARRER 56 Def BALGOWLAH BOYS 4 TUGGERAH LAKES 48 Def INVERELL 22 FARRER put Balgowlah Boys High School to the sword at Simpson Oval yesterday to march into the University Shield semi-finals but Inverell High wasn’t so lucky against Tuggerah Lakes. After a good start and an early try to Jake Hinkelbein, Farrer let the Sydney side back into the contest with some uncharacteristic errors but once the green and golds regained control it was all one-way traffic. The home side led 28-4 at the break and doubled its score in the second half. “Our completion rate was 30 per cent in the first half,” Farrer co-coach Gus Comi said. “Against strong opposition you just won’t win with that. “So we’ve got some work to do.” But the second half was better, with Farrer dominating. It was strong in defence and ruthless in attack, especially when flying winger Dominic Bower entered the fray late in the game and scored two trademark tries down the left flank in a matter of minutes. The forwards laid the platform, with the likes of Scott Blanch and Ryan Pooley capitalising. “It was good to see guys like Jacob Wheeldon and Sam Jackson back playing,” Comi said. “They’ve both been out injured. “Jacob had a broken jaw and to go from having your jaw wired up to playing again is pretty good and Sam has had a few injuries as well so it was good to see them back. “Marcus Bower had an outstanding game, Jack Shelton – our replacement second-rower – was good and Ryan Pooley on the wing. “The forwards played well. “Jake Hinkelbein had a great game. “He was players’ player against Toormina and I wouldn’t like to have him running at me.” The semi-finals will be played in a few weeks and Farrer is hoping to gain the home ground advantage again in a bid to reach its first Uni Shield final since the success of 2003. Inverell hosted Tuggerah Lakes in a round if 16 clash but found the visitors’ big men too hard to handle. Tuggerah Lakes won 48-22 but it was close at halftime. “They had two sets of six at the start and scored two tries,” Inverell coach Glen Partridge said. “But we came back and it was 20-16 at halftime. “Harley Lane scored two tries and Blake Murray one. “But they were too good in the second half. “They were a big side.” Partridge said his side did well to handle the bigger side in defence after the early tries but, without four of their best players, the Inverell boys couldn’t match the strong Central Coast team. “We had three props out,” he said. “After they scored those first two we started tackling around the legs. “But they were very big.” Tuggerah Lakes now meets Sarah Redfern High in the quarter-finals. |
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Story & Photo BY : BRIAN SMITH  IT was not hard to be impressed with the debut of 16-year-old Gold Coast schoolboy Jordan Rankin against the Knights on Monday night. At an age when many kids are juggling homework, part-time jobs, junior sport commitments and their social lives, young Jordan was getting ready to play in the world's toughest rugby league competition. Making a first-grade debut is often a daunting experience, even for players who have served a lengthy apprenticeship in reserve grade. But if young Jordan was remotely nervous, he sure didn't show it. After entering the game midway through the second half, he produced a cheeky chip-and-chase with one of his first touches, almost scored a try soon after only to spill the ball just short of the line, and then set up the last try of the match with a grubber kick that took a fortunate bounce. All in all, it was a remarkably confident start. Just where he goes from here, however, remains to be seen. I see that Roosters coach Brad Fittler, who also launched his top-grade career while still at high school, has already tipped Rankin to play for Australia at senior level. But I am certainly a lot more cautious about burdening a kid with such expectations. It is a quantum leap from the Australian Schoolboys jersey Rankin has already earned to the green-and-gold senior version. Certainly he has a head-start on other kids in his age group, but there is a big difference between a one-off game and a lengthy career. I notice that Rankin has not been named in Gold Coast's top team for this weekend and wonder what the thinking was behind his selection against us. Obviously Titans coach John Cartwright knows the kid far better than me, and he must have thought it through thoroughly. I guess he figured Rankin would handle it which he did and that the experience would be good for him. I hope he's right, because young Jordan has stamped himself as a rising star in the Toyota Cup (under-20) competition over the past couple of months, regularly emerging as Gold Coast's best player. Rankin would have had a tale to tell at school on Tuesday, but the reality is that now he has to carry a reputation and expectation for the rest of his career, however long that may be. Forever more, he will always be tagged as the third-youngest top-grade player in the game's history. Perhaps, like Freddy Fittler, that type of label will be nothing more than the prelude to a glittering career. But there is also a chance that Monday night's game will place pressure on him that could become a burden should his career not advance as quickly as some hope. The long-term impact has to be considered whenever a coach is considering blooding a youngster in the NRL. We've been through the same thing this season at the Knights with Junior Sau and Akuila Uate. In both cases, I was confident they were ready to play first grade, having watched their progress at training and in our trial games. It was all a question of picking the right moment to unleash them. I had to feel sure that they were mature enough, and had suitable support networks in place, in case their debuts were memorable for all the wrong reasons. As it turned out, both Aku and Junior have taken to first grade as though they were born to play at that level. They are still on their L-plates, but both have unlimited potential. It was a similar story last year when we introduced Cory Paterson, James McManus and Scott Dureau into the NRL, and likewise with Jarrod Mullen a couple of seasons earlier. They are all established players now, and that says a lot about how far rugby league has come. Young kids can now feel safe that we have a stringent judiciary system in place and that any foul play will be dealt with accordingly. The other fact that Jordan Rankin's selection highlighted on Monday is how our game continues to produce outstanding young talent. There have been plenty of headlines in recent weeks about high-profile players leaving the game, for whatever reason, but the bottom line is that nobody is irreplaceable. For every top-end, big-name player who exits the NRL, there is a future champion waiting, often impatiently, for his opportunity. As they say, if you're good enough, you're old enough. |
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Story & Photo BY : MICHAEL CHAMMAS  HE'S big, strong and at 181centimetres tall is very hard to miss on a rugby league field. At the age of 12, lock forward Koki Wu from Canley Heights Primary School towers over his team-mates, who look up to him in more ways than one. But as the team prepare for their grand final this week, they will be doing so without Koki, who is in Darwin with the NSW under 12 rugby league team. He's pursuing his dream of one day playing for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. Arriving in Australia from New Zealand three years ago, Koki has fast earned a reputation as one of the region's most talented footballers, playing for his school, the Marconi Mustangs and Sydney South West. Admiring team-mates describe him as ``a monster'' and ``a machine'', while coach Tony Allen believes he is the complete package. ``I have seen some prospects over the years, but this kid can really be a big thing in the game,'' he said. ``He's quite a role model off the field as well.'' Koki's school has helped fund his tour, raising more than $1500 with a mufti day and sausage sizzle. |
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Story & Photo By :  THE Broulee Dolphins under 10s pulled off a fantastic second-half fightback from a 12-nil halftime deficit to win 17-12 against the competition leaders Gungahlin in last Saturday’s ACT Junior Rugby Union competition match. After the win, many observers dubbed the match the upset of the round. The Dolphins put plenty of pressure on Gungahlin defence in the first half, with much of the game being played in the opposition 22 zone, but were unable to finish off the point-scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Gungahlin ran in two first-half tries from counter attacks. After the break, the Dolphins turned up the heat with the forwards running straight and hard to create momentum. This resulted in three unanswered tries and eventual victory. Meanwhile, the Dolphins under 13s kept themselves in finals contention with a gritty 17-all draw against Trinity. The Dolphins made a strong start, and were leading 17-5 late in the game, before Trinity staged a fightback. The Dolphins built their game on a solid forwards performance and after a close first half they scored from a tap move taken 22m out from the line. The try was converted for a 7-nil lead at the break. Trinity came back strongly in the second half and threatened the Dolphins line repeatedly but the Dolphins’ defence withstood the pressure. Gradually the Dolphins re-asserted themselves and Matt Jenkins scored after two strong runs from the scrum base. The conversion was unsuccessful. Trinity responded with a quick but unconverted try. The Dolphins worked their way back upfield and scored from another forward rush to extend their lead to 17-5. The conversion attempt missed. Trinity then scored two late tries to tie up the match with a successful conversion on the bell to take the score to 17-all at fulltime. While the Broulee boys felt they had let one get away in this match, the result consolidates their position in the final four and augurs well for the business end of the season. Next week’s matches are the final away games for the round robin competition before the teams play at Captain Oldrey Park on August 9. In what will be a huge day of South Coast Rugby, the seniors FSCRU semi-finals double header will also be played. |
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| Thursday 14 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : On Tuesday 19 th August, a NSW CHS Development side will play a one off International against the visiting French National Under 19's team. The Game kicks off at 5:30 pm at Western Weekender Stadium and should provide Sydney Rugby League fans a good look at the up coming NSW CHS juniors in action. Atfer being flogged on Wednesday night by the Australian Schoolboys 48 - 6 at Kougari Oval, the French boys are keen to put on a good show. The French squad arrive in Sydney on Friday, their plane arrives from Brisbane at about 1 PM. Good luck to both teams and see ya's at the footy. |
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| NT, FRANCE ON LEVEL TERMS France's Yoan Tisseyre tries to get past NT under-18 player Matt Johnson at Richardson park last night. The game ended in a thrilling 14-all draw. Picture: DANI GAWLIK THE Territory's teen Titans salvaged a thrilling 14-all draw against the touring French under-19 side at Richardson Park last night. A crowd in excess of 1000 saw the Titans play exemplary rugby league in the first half to take a 14 - 4 lead into the break. Tries to Matt Johnson, Kruise Nichols and Quinton Pomare-Anderson looked to have set up a memorable win and the first international scalp for the Titans. But the French showed they are fast learners by adopting the same hard hitting defence and full completion rates their Titan opponents had displayed in the first 30 minutes of the game. The Tricolours crossed for tries in the third and 15th minutes of the second half. A converted try midway through the half saw them draw level with the desperate Titans. The game was a see-sawing affair in the dying minutes as both sides tried to get the winning points. The Titans went closest to scoring right on the full-time but the French defence managed to scramble the ball to safety. NT U18s 14 (M Johnson K Nichols C Pomare-Anderson tries. J O'Donohoe conv) drew FRANCE U19s 14 (C Nauroy 2 K Larroyer tries. D Guasch conv). HT: 14-4. Crowd: 1000. |
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| UNDER 18S SITTING ON TOP Glen Innes Under 18s let in an early try to the Rams but bounced back strongly, especially in a dominant second half, to run out 34 - 12 winners over a determined opposition. Scores were level at half-time after Matt Crowhurst scored following a kick on the siren. Crowhurst stormed up centre field to finish the movement which saw several players from both teams try to retrieve the ball which bounced around wickedly. Joel Jackson scored Glen’s first try with typical strength but Armidale generally had the best of the first half hour and were probably unlucky not to lead at the break. But it was a different story after half time and Glen scored four tries while keeping Armidale scoreless. Nick Ehsman’s classy dummy and sprint through the gap in the 39th minute put Glen on the front foot and Jackson got his second try four minutes later. Jake Turner (five goals) converted both and Glen had a match winning 24 - 12 lead. An impressive effort from Tim Croft was rewarded with a try six minutes before time and James Ryan was in good position to grab his try a minute from fulltime. Ross Lewis was unfortunate to suffer what appeared to be a broken collar bone and he will be missed by the young Magpies. His pace on the wing and willingness to get in and chase defensive work have been impressive throughout the season. Tom McCarney ran hard all day and was excellent for Glen. Jackson was strong throughout while Croft and Toby Scheutz had good games and Michael Adams was excellent off the bench. Glen has a tough match against Guyra on Sunday. If Guyra produce the sort of effort they showed in their last clash at Mead Park, Glen will have to lift their form to retain their unbeaten tag. |
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 The under-12 boys’ rugby league team from Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart (KRB) took out the annual Luke Ricketson Sevens tournament with an 18-0 win over Galilee Catholic Primary School, Bondi Beach. Demonstrating the hard work and dedication shown during training sessions, the KRB boys displayed spirit and determination to win all four of their group games to make it through to the grand final. Throughout the day-long competition, the boys showed good ball control, made plenty of metres in attack and were strong in defence. The decider was an absorbing affair with scores locked at nil-all at halftime. In the second half the KRB boys turned up the heat, creating turnovers with some punishing hits. With more possession, KRB took the game by the scruff of the neck, crossing for three converted tries to clinch the title. At the conclusion of the tournament, Sydney Roosters international Anthony Minichiello presented the championship shield and the man of the match award to Kincoppal-Rose Bay’s Edward Ryan. Kincoppal-Rose Bay Junior School is co-educational from Prep to Year 6 and offers an extensive and varied sports program to the boys and girls in K-6. In kindergarten to Year 2, KRB has 74 students playing in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association. They train once a week with qualified coaches and play small sided and modified games on a Saturday. In Years 3-6, KRB competes in the Junior School Heads Association boys’ competition in cricket and basketball in term one and four, soccer in term two and three, as well as an intensive rugby program. KRB also organises and hosts a competition with many rugby league clubs from the Eastern Suburbs. Athletics and swimming programs are also offered throughout the year. All these sports have qualified coaches who develop and enhance the students’ skills and sporting awareness. Achievement pathways can lead to NSWCIS and State and national level representation. |
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| Wednesday 14 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BEARS FANS RAISE MONEY FOR CANCER AS BEARS FACE WINDSOR Life-long North Sydney Bears fans, Geoff Davidson and Paul Batfay will mark Rugby League's centenary by walking from Parliament House, Canberra to the NRL Grand Final on October 5. All sponsorships and donations will benefit the Cancer Council Australia. This massive task by Geoff & Paul will include a stop over this weekend at North Sydney Oval during the NSW Cup match between the Bears and the Wolves at which all donations will be greatly appreciated. Back on the paddock the North Sydney Bears will hope a return to the home ground advantage of Bear Park will aid them in their run to the finals. Losing their ‘Top of the Table’ mantle to Wentworthville they now face fifth placed Windsor on Saturday 16th August at 2:30 p.m. at North Sydney Oval. North’s line up is unchanged apart from the loss at lock of Dean Widders and the resting of Captain Luke Grant from injury. PICTURED: Forward Daniel Sayegh will again muscle up for the Bears this week against Windsor. PHOTO BY: Steve Little Date: Saturday 16th August 2008 |
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| Monday 12 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sarah Redfern High School will take on Rutherford HS in the FINAL 16 of the CHS Uni-Shield on Wednesday 13th of August. Sarah Redfern are looking to better their Top 4 position from 2007. Hosting a fully fit team for the first time in 2008 with 5 key players returning from injury, they are looking to impress, and overcome their disapointing defeat at the hands of Illawarra Sport High in Tier B (TV Game) of the Arrive Alive Cup. Sarah Redfern took the SSW Regional Champions title again for the fourth consecutive year with a storming 38 - 4 victory in the final of the SSW Championships and are looking forward to some tough footy on Wednesday afternoon... | LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARRIVE aLIVE CUP | |
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Story & Photo's By : Dean Ritchie NEWCASTLE 32 GOLD COAST 12 IT was the night a precocious 16-year-old schoolboy showed every rugby league fan there is life beyond Sonny Bill Williams. While the Newcastle Knights severely dented the Gold Coast's finals hopes with a dominant 32-12 win, Jordan Rankin was the toast of the NRL after celebrating a memorable debut for the Titans. Still in Year 11 at Palm Beach, Currumbin, Rankin showed why he is rated one of the hottest prospects in the game when he became the youngest first-grade debutant in 72 years - and the third-youngest in the history of the game. Just minutes after an eye-catching performance at halfback in a beaten side, Rankin said: "It's back to school tomorrow . . . I've got to start studying for the end-of-term tests. But it was awesome out there tonight." Titans veteran Preston Campbell feels certain Rankin has a big future in the NRL. "I still get nervous before each game but I was surprised. He wasn't nervous at all," Campbell said. After their third straight win, the Knights are back in the top eight and are now primed for a Sunday blockbuster against the in-form Canberra Raiders. Having played SG Ball earlier this year, Rankin made football history last night when thrust into the match at Skilled Park in the 52nd minute. The only players younger than Rankin's 16 years and 238 days on debut were Easts forward Ray Stehr in 1929 and Wests prop Jack Arnold in 1936. The most recent 16-year-old to play first grade was Cronulla's Adam Ritson in 1993. Rankin set up the final try for Gold Coast with a grubber kick and put forward an audacious chip kick with his first touch in first grade. He almost scored a try in the 59th minute but fumbled a pass from Josh Graham. "I just wanted to do my friends and family proud tonight," he said. "It was a dream come true. It is surreal being out here. The game went so quick." Titans coach John Cartwright said the return of Mat Rogers from suspension next week could mean Rankin is pushed back to Toyota Cup. But there is no doubt the kid has the talent. Asked how it felt telling senior players where to stand last night, Rankin said: "My teammates have been good to me over the past week or so and they want me to push them around. That's my job when the forwards get slack. "My defence wasn't on par - there were a few big boys out there and it's something I will work on. My attack was sound although I got roughed up - that is something you expect. I wished I could have scored that try." Cartwright said he had doubts whether Rankin would sustain the ferocity of first grade. "He showed touches of class but he's not really ready," Cartwright said. "I wanted to see how he handled it. For the future, I was happy." Knights coach Brian Smith also paid tribute to the rookie's performance. "His chip-kick early showed there is no shortage of confidence," Smith said. "It doesn't appear that he will die wondering. It would have been a bit scary and I imagine his mum and dad would have been a bit nervous." NEWCASTLE 32 (J Sau 2 K Gidley A MacDougall C Paterson C Vuna tries K Gidley 2 C Paterson 2 goals) bt GOLD COAST 12 (B Meyers J Rapana tries P Campbell 2 goals) at Skilled Park. Referee: S Lyons. Crowd: 15,136. |
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| Monday 11 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SCHOOLBOYS SNEAK HOME Story By :  The Australian Secondary School Rugby League side were lucky to get away with a win over the visiting England Academy side with a 17 - 10 win. The English boys out played the Australians in every department except for composure. The Australian Schoolboys retain their title as Champions of the World and are now preparing for the visiting French National Junior side which play on Wednesday 13 August at Kougari Oval, Wynnum. Scorers for Australia : TRIES: Neenan Simpson, Peter Mata’utia, Albert Kelly GOALS: Peter Mata’utia 2 FIELD GOAL: Albert Kelly |
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Story & Photo By : Christian Nicolussi  THE mother of teenage prodigy Jordan Rankin holds no fears for her son's safety should he get the nod to make his debut for the struggling Gold Coast Titans against Newcastle tonight. Titans' coach John Cartwright will make a final decision today on starting the 16-year-old Rankin against the Knights. Cartwright expected Rankin to come under heavy fire from the rampaging Newcastle pack because of his age and inexperience. But Rankin's mother Tracy, who is half-expecting her boy to come under extra punishment, is confident he'll hold his own. "I'm expecting Newcastle to target him because of his inexperience. And if it wasn't him it would be somebody else," Tracy Rankin told The Daily Telegraph. "If Scott Prince returns from injury they'll try and target him. "I'm nervous and excited at the same time. One thing I do know is Jordan is very confident and has always been able to handle himself on the football field. "He was forced to drop out of the Australian (Schoolboys) side last week when called to train with the Titans. He said it was tough watching the Australian side play on Saturday night (against an English Academy side in Brisbane) but hopefully he'll get his chance for the Titans. "Carty (John Carwright) is experienced and he wouldn't start Jordan if he wasn't ready." Rankin will become the third youngest player in rugby league history should he start tonight. Cartwright was mindful of Rankin's age but happy to gamble. "He's only a kid but he's got all the raw attributes. But he is 16 and I don't want to do the wrong thing by him," Cartwright said. "If he does make the 17 we'll be smart with how we use him. He'll come off the bench. Newcastle will target him. They'd be crazy if they didn't. I'd do the same thing. I've watched him for three or four years now and I think he's got the potential to be a regular first-grader." Cartwright said Prince was a chance of returning from a broken arm and would await X-ray results today. TAB Sportsbet's Glenn Munsie said the Titans would firm slightly if Prince plays, "but they won't be favourites given Prince has been sidelined since Origin III". Cartwright said his side needed a confidence boost after being ripped apart by injury and suspension in the back half of the season. The teams : |
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Sharks junior Jake Denford was this week called into the Australian Schoolboys team to play the visiting English Super league Academy side for a match to be contested on Saturday evening in Queensland. Denford, from the Engadine Dragons club in the local Cronulla-Sutherland District competition, was added to the schoolboy’s side when back rower Dom Walsh was forced to withdraw after suffering a shoulder injury in the first match played last weekend. The selection of Denford caps a stellar 2008 season, one in which he was named as the Sharks junior representative player of the year for his performances in the SG Ball competition, where he captained the victorious NSW Combined High Schools side to victory in the National Schools Championships and has since being pushed up into the under-20’s, playing strongly for the Sharks Toyota Cup team. Denford was rated as unlucky not to have earned selection in the Australian Schoolboys side when it was first chosen, considering he was named as his team’s player of the series in their national championship triumph last month. He left for Brisbane on Tuesday evening to join the Australian squad. The Australian Schoolboys play the English Academy side – the British Super League’s premier development team – at 7pm at Wynnum Manly’s Kougari Oval in Brisbane. The match will provide spectators with a genuine look at the game’s stars of tomorrow, with many players from former Australian Schoolboys teams having attained NRL and Test status. Current Kangaroos Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Ryan Hoffman and the Sharks own Greg Bird are just a few of the big names to have turned out for Australian Schoolboy’s in recent years. Denford will then remain with the Australian Schoolboys’ as they continue their 2008 campaign against the French Under-19 team in a match to be played on August 13. The Australian Schoolboys defeated the English Academy 68-6 in the first Test played on August 2 at Dairy Farmers Stadium. |
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| Friday 8 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This week saw all three junior Keebra sides progress through to their respective semi-finals. The under thirteens continued their very impressive unbeaten season with a demolition of Harristown High school in Toowoomba (48-10). Jayden Warbrick made a solid contribution as he battled through the defence and a few penguins (it was a bit chilly). In the under Fourteens, the boys were a little rusty after their previous match was forfeited. They found their stride and went in at half time 16-0. owever their opposition rallied and posted two quick tries to make the score 16-12 and this led to a tense period of play. Keebra eventually clawed their way back on top and then put the accelerator down and ran away 38-16 winners. Well done boys. Costner Lemafa was a stand out. In the Under 15 age group the boys travelled to Sandgate on Brisbane's northside to face an unknown opposition. This game was similar to the Fourteens game with a period of tense play but once again Keebra pressed on and the eventual score was 28-8. Well done all sides and we will keep you posted on the opposition as we progress to the finals. |
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Story & Photo's BY : BILL NORTH SCHOOL LEAGUE: Dubbo College has reached the quarterfinals of both the under-14 Buckley Shield and opens University Shield after impressive wins at Apex Oval on Monday night. In the school’s bid to go one better on last year’s runner-up effort in the University Shield, Dubbo College Senior Campus defeated Griffith High School 38-30 in the opens. Meanwhile Dubbo College South Campus, fielding several players from past South Dubbo Public School Richardson Cup and Peachey Shield champion sides, got past Temora High School in the under-14s. Coach Craig May knew it would be a tough assignment for his opens when he learned Griffith High School would be fielding three 19-year-olds in their side. “Griffith was the biggest side I had ever seen - they were mountains,” May said. “Andrew Sasita, Andrew Ngu and Niv George are all 19-year-olds who play for the Group 20 men’s side.” The big men man-handled the College boys early, who struggled to get them onto the turf, and after seven minutes Griffith moved the ball wide and scored for a 6-0 lead. Soon after Josh Merritt took on the defence to score and with the Jeremy Smith conversion scores were tied at 6-all. However, Dubbo saw little ball for the remainder of the half and at 16-6 down at half-time it was shaping up to be a long evening. Brad Spencer managed to score on the end of the first set of six in the second half to revive hopes, but again Griffith hit back to extend their lead to 22-12. Another converted try, this time to Allan Arnold, had Dubbo back within striking distance and when Smith converted Alex Ronayne’s try 17 minutes from full-time the home side led for the first time in the match, 24-22. Further tries to Brad Spencer and Dubbo’s best, Max Ray took Dubbo out to a 32-22 lead. Again Griffith struck back, scoring two tries while Dubbo’s Matt Marks spent time in the sin-bin, but missed both conversions for Dubbo to hold on to a slender lead. Then in spectacular fashion interchange player Tim Armstrong, more known for his cricketing exploits, scored a freakish try when he ran onto a Josh Merritt bomb and finished the try with a big swan dive. “Max Ray was the complete package on Monday night, with outstanding tackling and go-forward and at least three clean breaks,” May said. “Grant Kemp was strong alternating between the halves and back row while Allan Arnold’s dummy-half running and positional play was good. “Matt Marks had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde game, doing some excellent dummy-half running but also making some handling errors and being sent to the sin-bin.” Dubbo College will host the quarterfinal match of the University Shield on Wednesday August 20, with both sides to meet Sydney West champions Chifley College. In the meantime Senior Campus meets All Saints Maitland next week in the grand final of the Country Cup. “A big thankyou to the referees Laurie Caton and Sean Barker who volunteered their services for the games,” May said. Dubbo College Senior Campus 38 (Brad Spencer 2, Josh Merritt, Allan Arnold, Alex Ronayne, Max Ray, Tim Armstrong tries; Jeremy Smith 5 goals) defeated Griffith High School 30. |
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BATHURST HIGH INTO CUP FINAL THE Bathurst High under 15s rugby league side will play off for one of the biggest titles in NSW country rugby league in two weeks when they take on renowned league nursery Farrer Agricultural High School in the final of the Country Cup. The Bathurst side will take on the formidable opponent after making it through the Southern zone semi-finals and final last Wednesday with a pair of impressive victories. Bathurst were promoted to the southern semis after winning the western area preliminary rounds on a countback ahead of Dubbo's Delroy High then knocked over Wagga Wagga school Mater Dei 18-14 in the second round held at Cootamundra last week. Having progressed to the southern finals they then faced Ulladulla High School and triumphed 14-10 to progress to the state decider. According to coach Jamie Bozza, the side had to grind out a thriller against Mater Dei just to get through to the southern final. "It was actually locked at 14-all near full time before [half] Doug Hewitt kicked down field for [winger] Katon Crawford to chase ? he put enough pressure on the opposition fullback that he spilt the ball and allowed Katon to toe it through and score," Bozza explained. "We knew before the competition started that we had the side to at least get through to that southern semi-final stage, but we really had to guts it out to get to the final." Playing in a two 20-minute halves format, Bathurst High will start as slight underdogs against the New England side on August 13 at Apex Oval in Dubbo. Despite their imposing reputation though, the thought of playing Farrer is not something that worries Bozza. "We are definitely confident that we can do the job, we have a good squad who have all played together for a long time," he said. "Katon out wide, Blake Seager up the middle, Joel Bell and Doug in the halves and Jack Seijka running on the fringes have all got us to where we are now. "If we work hard through the middle of the park and tackle nice and hard and pin them down we can certainly win." |
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| Thursday 7 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo's By : It has been 3 crazy days with the guys & gals from NSWRL & Ref's from all over NSW doing a top job arranging all the games. Wednesday saw the Elite High Schools getting it on with a few suprises, we have our State Champion Rugby League Schools. The winners are : U 13's Patrician Brothers, Blacktown. U 14's - Westfields SHS. U 15's - Hunter SHS. U 16's - St. Dominics College.. MORE NEWS SOON & PHOTO'S 2.
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| Wednesday 6 th August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This week sees the commencement of the final stage of the Broncos Competitions with the school 13 and 14 sides travelling to Toowoomba to face of against St Mary's. The boys are fired up after a few weeks off and raring to go. Both teams are at pretty much full strength so these results should give the boys a fair idea as to where they stand against their peers. The Opens have just returned from a trip to Sydney where they played the Wests Tigers Cubs in preparation for there do or die South Queensland semi final against Wavell SHS which will be played at Suncorp Stadium on the 15th of July. All squads are looking good and are looking forward to getting back into the swing of things as the business end of the season approaches.. LEARN MORE ABOUT KEEBRA PARK RUGBY LEAGUE |
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| Tuesday 5 th August '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our Lady of Fatima Primary School (representing Cronulla) defeated Hebersham Public School (Penrith) in the NSWRL ALL SCHOOLS U/11 Final played at Western Weekender Stadium. Match 1 Our Lady of Fatima defeated Cromer Public School (Manly) 12 - 6 Match 2 Our Lady of Fatima defeated St. Clare’s (Western Suburbs) 6 - 4 Match 3 Our Lady of Fatima defeated St. Michael’s (Parramatta) 22 – 0 SEMI-FINAL FINAL Congratulations to the OLF Team: Joel Hughes, Jack Molloy, Brandon Harris, Kallan Hannah, Jared Hickel, Carter Quinn, Jack Williams, Brodie Mellor, Nathan Andrews, Jake Wedesweiler, Campbell Plevey, Jordan Kassis, Brock Jarvis, Brock Cormick, Scott Turnbull. | LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CRONULLA JUNIOR LEAGUE | |
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| Sunday 3 rd August '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008 Corporate Sports Australia International Test Series First Test – played at Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville, Saturday 2 August The Australians only took a few minutes to kick into gear welcoming the visiting Englaish lads with a try feast at Dairy Farmer Stadium. The Australian raced in for a 40 - 6 lead at the half time break after dominating the game, the 2 nd half was more pain for the Poms with the Aussies racking anoth 28 second half points to complete the demolishion of the visiting England Academy team. Australia 68 (Tries: William Hopoate 3, Jordan Rankine 2, Aaron Woods, Peter Mata’utia, Albert Kelly, Jarrod Thompson, Neenan Simpson, Ryan James, Ronnie Alovili Goals: Jordan Rankine 10) defeated England Academy 6 The tour for the English is set to continues with the second Test due to kick off in a couple days at Wynnum Manly in Brisbane |
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| Saturday 2 nd August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New South Wales’ junior Rugby League players will travel from all corners of the state to the game’s heartland this weekend to take part in the NSWRL All Schools Carnival. The annual event, in its 64th year, kicks off on Monday at various grounds across Western Sydney. With more than 3500 juniors gearing up the event, it is New South Wales’ biggest schools Rugby League carnival. The new teams join those making the journey from towns such as Tamworth, Gunnedah, Taree, Tweed Heads, as well as the South Coast and Illawarra regions. Finals will take place on each of the three days at Western Weekender Stadium at St Mary’s, giving juniors a chance to play at one of Sydney’s first-class stadiums. Primary school players (9-11 years, Open A&B) will be first to kick off the action on Monday when they take to Blacktown’s Whalan Reserve, Penrith’s Hickey’s Park and St Mary’s Boronia Park and The Kingsway. Tuesday sees the Secondary School Carnival (12-16 year age groups) take place at the same venues before the Elite High Schools Carnival (13-16 years) concludes the event on Wednesday. NSWRL Academy Coaching and Development Manager Martin Meredith said the carnival continues to grow. “This is the biggest school carnival held in the state and the biggest carnival held in the Centenary year,” Meredith said today. “It has always enjoyed terrific participation but the fact we’ve added 10 teams this year reaffirms the growing participation rate within NSW schools. “It’s a terrific result and backs up strong growth across the junior game in general.” The carnival is jointly run by the NSW Rugby League and ARL Development with support from St Mary’s Leagues Club and Penrith District Junior Rugby League. |
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| SCHOOLBOY FOOTBALL FEAST AT APEX OVAL Story By : SCHOOL LEAGUE: Monday will see a great night of schoolboy football at Apex Oval with the State final 16 series games being played in both the Buckley and University shields. Games will start at 5.30pm with the under- 14 Buckley Shield game between Dubbo College South Campus and Riverina champions Temora Haigh School. At 7pm the Dubbo College Open team will take on Riverina champions Griffith High. Unfortunately Griffith did not take part in the Country Cup due to a date clash so the match sets up for an absorbing battle. Griffith High defeated Wagga High 58-20 in their last match. When switched on the Dubbo College team has shown outstanding form, however in other matches ill discipline and penalties have proved costly. These things they will need to overcome with leading Group 11 referee Laurie Caton in control of the match. In the Buckley Shield, South Campus defeated Cobar High 36-12 in the Western Area B final, while Temora High caused somewhat of an upset in beating Griffith High 32-14 in the Riverina final. The South Campus team is made up of many of the under-14 Eastridge and PCYC teams that currently sit on the top two spots of the Dubbo District ladder. Rugby league development officer Sean Barker will referee the match and the winner will progress into the next round against Sydney West winners. Entry fee on the night is $5 for adults and $3 for school students to help cover costs involved in travel of teams involved. South Campus Buckley Shield: 1 Jai Dunn, 2 Connor Bush, 3 Mitchell Stageman, 4 Daniel Wirth, 5 Linton Shaw, 6 Swade Dunn, 7 Alex Bonham, 8 Kierin Hill, 9 Adam O’Neil, 10 Josh O’Connor, 11 Jarryd Usher, 12 Lincoln Kavanagh, 13 Martin Fernando. Senior Campus University Shield: 1 Brad Spencer, 2 Ray Fuller, 3 Matt Marks, 4 Alex Ronanye, 5 Elliot Knight, 6 Grant Kemp, 7 Jordan Boney, 8 Anthony Egan-Smith, 9 Jeremy Smith, 10 Max Ray, 11 Dylan Hill, 12 Maddison Hill, 13 Brodie Chapman. |
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| Thursday 31 st July '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo's : The first points of the game came after a powerful charge at the line by Endeavour winger Setope Saviinaea in the left corner. Blake Williamson missed the conversion. Leading 4 - 0 at the half time break Farrer peppered the Endeavour line and finally scored in the left corner with a diving try to Farrer winger Dominic Bower. The conversion went wide and the scores remained the same 4 - all up to the last few minutes of the game when the Endeavour boys finally turned it on. MATRAVILLE SPORTS Vs De la SALLE BANKSTOWN |
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| Wednesday 31 st July '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By :  IT'S time to bite the bullet – risk some short-term pain for long-term gain. With the NRL's best players becoming the targets of cashed-up overseas rugby league and union clubs, our competition needs to go fully national to ward off the rivals But that doesn't mean introducing more clubs. Actually it's quite the opposite. We need to push mergers and then relocation to traditional AFL cities in Adelaide and Perth so league can get a national foothold and become more attractive to sponsors. It has become a hot topic in the days following Sonny Bill Williams' shock decision to flee the Bulldogs for the big bucks of the French rugby union. Andrew Johns wrote in his column a few days ago the NRL needs to be cut back from 16 teams to 12 and I couldn't agree more. But to do it, it's the Sydney clubs that are going to be most affected. North Queensland, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle – the one-town teams – are in the clear, all you have to do is look at their average crowd attendances for proof of that. For the comp to be national Melbourne must also be untouched while New Zealand add an international flavour to the NRL, which also helps in sponsorship appeal. So it's up to the Sydney teams to either merge, relocate or be forced out of the competition. Most club CEOs agree the Sydney market is too crowded and that for the betterment of the game something needs to be done. But, understandably, no one wants it to be their club that is affected, either through merger or shifting elsewhere. So it is time for the NRL to treat the problem like a Band-Aid, take the initiative, give an ultimatum via standards that need to be set and act as quickly as possible. Talking will get the game nowhere and the longer the chatter goes on, the more likely it is we will see other high-profile players leave Australia for better money overseas. I know it will hurt the fans seeing their club's identity change or even disappear, but for the long-term good of the game it is the way we have to go. Less teams means more sponsorship money to go around and becoming truly national will make our game as attractive to businesses as AFL, cricket and rugby. Also, it can only drive up the price of the broadcast rights, giving 12 clubs a far bigger share than if there were 16 sides. As well as going into the grass-roots development of rugby league, that extra revenue can then be pushed into the pockets of the players. And that is why all these drastic moves need to be made in the first place, let's face it. The more money rugby league has available for the talent on the field, the more players are likely to stay in Australia rather than heading off to Europe. WITH all the doom and gloom surrounding the sport in recent weeks it was nice to get away from it all and visit Palm Island last week. Along with Keiron Lander and under-20s player Ryan Mohoney, I headed over to the island to promote good health, lifestyle choices and put on a few skills clinics. I hadn't been over to Palm before and wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great experience and the kids were awesome. They just love their footy and have so much energy and enthusiasm, it was unbelievable. The kids yelled `Turston' at me for the whole day as they chased me around. |
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| SEPTEMBER '08 ACHIVES | AUGUST 2008 NEWS | | APRIL 2008 | MAY 2008 | JUNE 2008 | JULY 2008 FOOTY NEWS ARCHIVES HERE |
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SYDNEY ROOSTERS 2009 JUNIOR TRIALS PROGRAMME
DATE: Saturday 13 September 2008 (Under 16)TIME: Register by 9.00am Trials commence 9.30am VENUE: Matraville Sports High School – Anzac Parade, Chifley |
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SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS TRIALS
U16 H. MATTHEWS CUP & U18 S G BALL 2008 TRIALS All 2007 local South Sydney Junior League players are invited to attend the trials saturday 15th September at Mascot Oval. |
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CANBERRA RAIDERS DISTRICT REP'S '09 TRIALS NOMINATION FORM Please indicate the trial you will be attending by ticking the corresponding box below Under 16s - Friday 19 September assemble at 5:00pm to trial at 5:30pm Under 18s - Tuesday 23 September assemble at 6:00pm to trial at 6:30pm Under 16s - Saturday 27 September assemble at 8:30am to trial at 9:00am Under 18s - Saturday 27 September assemble at 9:30am to trial at 10:30am Under 20s/Opens - Saturday 27 September assemble at 11:00am to trial at 12:00pm Players selected from the local trial, may be required to trial again on Saturday 27 September. Players participating in the CRJRL Senior Grand Finals will not be required to trial. Please note a “NO REGISTRATION, NO TRIAL POLICY” will apply. |
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| NATIONAL SCOREBOARD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MATTYS CUP & SG BALL SQUAD LISTS Balmain Cronulla |
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QUEENSLAND SCOREBOARD |
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QUEENSLAND WIZARD CUP *QUEENSLAND STATEWIDE WRAP Round 18. |
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ARL DEVELOPMENT SHIELD *CENTRAL DIVISION *NORTHERN DIVISION |
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NSW SCOREBOARD |
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 CHEERLEADER of the WEEK |
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2007 COWBOYS CHALLENGE 
BRISBANE METRO 
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OBE GEIA 
Jeff HARDY
Bulldogs win Harold 2007 Matthews Cup Grand Final | PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE HOSTING & EMAIL SYSTEMS BY : |
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