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SPONSORS NEEDED |
| Friday 28 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Would you like to be a part of the Canberra Raiders? LOCAL TRIALS – Northbourne Oval Players selected from the local trial, may be required to trial again on Saturday 26th 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. Please see attached form for information on 2010 Canberra Raiders Trials for under 16's, 18's and 20's. www.raiders.com.au |
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Endeavour SHS are thru to the Quarter Finals of the Arrive alive Cup after belting Hills 12 - 36 this afternoon at MacCreadie Oval. Endeavour play the winner of the QLD final tomorrow nite between Keebra Park & Kirwan. Joseph Leilu was the best on the ground, breaking the Hills line at will, running plenty of meters and scored a try in each half in a dominating game. Both half backs played well, Hills half Jason Saege must have made over 20 tackles in a good display of what a tough little man can do. Plenty more soon including "PK's" Match Report and heaps of gr8 foto's |
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TASSELL TROPHY CHALLENGE 2009 FINAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations to the best Under 14’s Club Carnival in Northern Australia are closing soon! Come and join us for a friendly, family orientated, fun packed festival of footy! WHERE : Pride Oval, Irene St, Mooroobool, Cairns WHEN : Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September 2009 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Carnival Convenor : Tony Quinn Ph 0402 892834Carnival Secretary : Sheron McDougall Ph 0417 741170 |
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 The minor league 12s, 14s and 16s will play the minor semi final this weekend in Guyra. While, the under 8s will play a round robin at Guyra on Saturday from 9am. They will play three games in total, each game being 20 minutes. The 16s were the only team to play on the weekend. They had a great win over Guyra at mead Park 54 points to 12 . In a great match, Guyra started off on the back foot as they only turned up with 11 players, which always has ill effect on the Glen men as taking off two players and through the team right out. All in all it was a great game, a great team effort. A length of the field run by our front rower Jai Perkins was a stand out as was Aaron Grose and Jamie Williams in defence. Joe Speedy, Dillon Watson and Brady Willis had a blinder in the fowards whilst Mitch Munro and Dan Kilner were a stand out in the backs. Harley Wright, Hayden Johnstone, Damien Hamel and Craig Browne all had great games and are linking well outwide. Curtis Pringle and Alex Mossman had solid games at hooker. Sam Schiffmann and Brendon Jillett were taking it up and causing havoc around the ruck. Jay Smith Webster and Bryce Anderson proved too hard to handle opening the opposition up and causing plenty of holes in the defence. Our Farrer import Jake Hartman never fails to impress he has been a great asset to the 16s and a big thanks to Jo and Steve for all the travelling. A huge effort is required on the weekend to beat Moree to pave our way to the grand final Christopher Alt SATURDAY Under 12s 11:30am Glen Innes v Moree . Under 14s 12:20pm Glen Innes v Inverell West SUNDAY AT WARIALDA Under 16s 12:30pm Glen Innes v Moree. The winners of these games will go through to the final to be played at Moree the following Saturday. The loser will be out. |
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| Thursday 27 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2010 the Sydney Roosters will be fielding teams in the U/16's Harold Matthews and U/18's S.G Ball Competitions. The U/16's will be holding an Open Trial at Henson Park, located at Centennial St Marrickville, on Saturday 26th September : 8.00am Registration with a 9.00 am Kickoff (All Eligible Players Welcome). The S.G Ball and Harold Matthews Teams will be then holding a further INVITE ONLY trial on the 10th October. To be considered for the S.G Ball trial you will be required to submit a resume stating your details and playing experience to Peter O'Sullivan via email petero@sydneyroosters.com.au All other general enquires are to be directed to Mark Baldwin at markb@sydneyroosters.com.au or call the Sydney Roosters office on (02) 80633800 |
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| ST. DOM'S WIN MCS GRAND FINAL St Dominic's College Campbelltown defeated Patrician Brothers Blacktown in the MCS Grand Final yesterday. Doms have never won a 1st grade grand final in the 33 years it has been going. Blake Austin coming back from Aussie Schoolboys duty on sat, scored three trys and kicked 5/6 goals including his first from the sideline. |
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| DUBBO END SARAH REDFERNS YEAR!
Dubbo Senior Campus have caused one of the biggest upsets of schoolboy rugby league in recent times, beating Uni-Shield heavy weights Sarah Redfern High 32 - 22. In front of their home faithful at Apex Oval, Dubbo were behind 12 - 0 after 7minutes of play, but held strong and scored 18 unanswered points to take the 18 - 12 lead at half time. The second half began the same as it ended with Dubbo scoring in the opening set, to race to a 26 - 12 lead. With time ticking,the experience and talent of Sarah Refern no.3 Ronny Palumbo and hooker Fatu King came through with both players breaking the line numberous time and both scoring to take a 26-24 score line. With 5 minutes to go it looked as though Palumbo & King gave their side the edge to take victory... but it wasnt to be with dubbo fullback Charly Runciman scoring just before full time to seal the upset victory! Dubbo's Captain & Prop Max Ray had another great game as did fullback Charly Runciman. Dubbo now face Bega! stay tuned for results! |
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 IT’S been a case of right time, right team, right coach for the rugby league team representing Goonellabah Public School. Goonellabah has surprised many by making it through to the North Coast semi-finals of the NSW PSSA knockout, beating Wyrallah Road, Kyogle, Brunswick Heads and Murwillumbah. For a small school it is a remarkable achievement and one that has made the team’s coach Elliot Knight tremendously proud. “They respect and respond to anything that I say,” Knight said. “Even if we work out a new move, I’ll show them, and we’ll go through the drills and they’ll do it themselves. “The boys train really hard. The way they train and play is unbelievable, all pushing one another, helping one another. “It’s been a big surprise how well the team has done this year. “Even to win one game, but to achieve this, and perhaps go even further than we have, is great.” Knight, who has had plenty of rugby league experience with South Lismore, Wardell and Alstonville, said the success of his team was largely due to the solid platform provided by his forwards. “I have a good backline, but the forwards, they dominate,” he said. “They take the ball forward for our backs to spread it wide. “We have speed in the backs from our halfback right through to fullback and the forwards are just as fast as the backs.” Although most of the the team play league at the weekend, they’ve converted a couple of others from soccer and boxing. They’ve also received support from unexpected quarters including Parramatta coach Daniel Anderson, who sent an encouraging letter, and former Cronulla and Hull prop Danny Lee, who came to speak to the boys. Goonellabah will play Sawtell in the semi-final at Kadina High School on September 7 from 1pm. |
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| Wednesday 26 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Two brilliant tries from Dubbo College Senior Campus fullback Charly Runciman highlighted a spirited 34-22 win against Sarah Redfern High School in last night’s NSW CHS University Shield match at Apex Oval. Sarah Redfern came out blazing with two early tries but once the smaller Dubbo College boys built up the courage to take them head-on things turned in the home team’s favour. Captain Max Ray led from the front and fittingly opened Dubbo’s account before putting Runciman through a hole for his first try in the 21st minute to even the scores at 12-all. Dubbo’s athleticism started to wear down Sarah Redfern’s big men and next it was Kieran Cubby who scooted over from dummy half. Leading 18-12 at half-time Dubbo continued the tirade with centres Brad Spencer and Alex Ronayne scoring spectacular tries with Josh Merritt’s fifth consecutive conversion things looked too far gone for the visitors. But their giant pack became increasingly difficult for Dubbo to handle and with tries to Fatu Wong-King and Ronny Palumbo the momentum had swung and with eight minutes to go once again it was game on. But desperation from the Dubbo side mixed with frustration from the opposition resulted in Dubbo holding on for an admirable win capped off with Runciman running away to score in the corner on the bell. Dubbo now face Bega in the coming weeks in the quarter-final. |
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| FOOTY CLINIC FOR YOUNG GIRLS ARL Development will be holding a girls rugby league camp in Brisbane during the September school holidays. Any girls aged 12-18 years of age are welcome to attend, even if they have never played rugby league before. The camp is being held at Nudgee College between Tuesday 29th September and Thursday 1st October. Girls are invited to live in for the camp or come along each day. The camp will involve a range of activities including rugby league games and skills coaching, strength and conditioning, nutrition advice plus use of Nudgee facilities such as tennis, basketball and aquatic centre. The camp will be supported by Brisbane Broncos, QRL and Australian Women's Rugby League. COST : $150 live in, $80 daily attendance. CONTACT : Kylie O'Neill, QRL Women's Development Officer, k.oneill @ qrl.com.au, 07 3367 6000. |
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 WILLOWS State School rugby league team have made it through to the ARL Development Cup state final for the third consecutive year. Willows put in the hard yards to finish with a 32-22 win over St Patrick's Catholic College from Emerald in the North Queensland division finals. Agassi Stowers and Kyle Brock scored in the first half to build a 12-10 lead for Willows by halftime but coach Russell Hall said St Patrick's were more deserving of the advantage. ''They had the better field position and ball control through the opening half,'' Hall said. The second half saw an early try from Willows centre Cody Smith but Hall said the lead never felt safe. ''Even after Brenn Foster set up two runaway tries to Mitchell Postle and Rhein Fran, St Patrick's fought back to notch a few more. ''But we held on for what was an exciting win.'' Willows will now head to Brisbane on September 6 where they will play the winner of the southern division as the curtain raiser for the Broncos versus Raiders game. Hall said their opponent was yet to be decided. ''I'm very proud of the boys and I'm hopeful this Willows team will go on to do one better this year,'' he said. |
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| Tuesday 25 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The winner is set down to play South Coast champions Bega High who defeated the Riverina champions in their last match. In a competition with more than 300 teams entering each year, both teams can lay claims to being the most consistent in the State since 2005. Dubbo College has made the semi-finals in the past four years and Sarah Redfern High the semi-finals in the past three years. However, in the semi-final last year it was Sarah Redfern High School who dominated, taking the match 52 - 10 at Campbelltown. Cheered on by a large vocal and well-behaved crowd of supporters, Sarah Redfern dominated the match against a disappointing Dubbo side. In fact, the loss is the biggest defeat ever inflicted on Dubbo. In that match Sarah Redfern out- enthused and out-muscled a Dubbo team to win convincingly. This year has been a real mixed bag for Dubbo with convincing wins in the Astley Cup against Bathurst and Orange high schools. In the early rounds of the University Shield Dubbo had a bye, received a forfeit, defeated Cowra High 30 - 24, Mudgee High 48 - 0 and Gilgandra High 48 - 34. Unfortunately a clash of dates with the Astley Cup meant they were unable to defend their Country Cup title won in 2008. Sarah Redfern have been totally dominant in the Sydney South West Region, winning their first four rounds of the competition with large margins before deposing of Airds High in their area final by 38 - 4. Then in the round of 20 game they accounted for the highly fancied Chifley College who were the champions of Sydney West region. Many of the team’s players are with the Wests Tigers and coach David Rawlings is the coach of one of the Wests Tigers junior representative teams. Once again Sarah Redfern will have a large pack with plenty of go forward. Prop Francis Lemaile, Keelan Akavi, Tim Lefai and Limoni Latu form a formidable pack that have openly targeted Dubbo’s Max Ray who has the key to Dubbo’s forwards. All would love nothing better than getting the better of a NSW CHS representative. Half back Pat Leapepe is other player of note who completely dominated Dubbo in the last encounter with smart ball service and dynamic running. Ronny Palumbo (centre) is another class player returning for Sarah Redfern from last year. In that game he made Alex Ronayne and Brad Spencer look ordinary in defence and his strong defence left both players ineffective for most of that mach. It is no secret that Dubbo will need to hold the Sarah Redfern forwards in the middle and the game presents a great opportunity for Country Rugby League (CRL) players Tom Alchin, Jackson Merritt and James McKinnon to show their skills and ultimately toughness. Macquarie Raiders lock Maddison Thomas will need to be very effective in defence also. Under-16 CRL representative Kieran Cubby’s explosiveness could also be a key factor, particularly in the later stages of each half against tiring big men from Sarah Redfern. On paper Dubbo contains some real talent in the backline. Halves Josh Merritt and Stephen Riley are in outstanding club football form but Dubbo will really need both to stand up tonight and deliver 70-minute performances. Centre Brad Spencer will be keen to make up for his disappointing game against Sarah Redfern last year, while Dubbo’s back three of Charly Runicman, Jyie Chapman and EJ Fernando will all need to be busy to take some of the workload of the forwards. |
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A penalty by ‘Player of the Tournament’ Tom Gilmour two minutes from time gave England the European Cup Under 16’s crown as they defeated France 22-14 in Belgrade. The English were holding a one score advantage going into the final stages of a tremendous, passionate clash when a dangerous tackle allowed stand off Gilmour to pot the decisive goal. France opened the scoring in the ninth minute, loose forward Pierre Louis Bourrel grubbering through on the last tackle for second rower Martial Romano to cross, Joan Guasch adding the extras. Two tries in eight minutes from centre Chris Taylor gave England the lead, the first a superb length of the field solo effort, the second in the corner after a sweeping move and decisive pass from Gilmour, who converted the initial touchdown to make it 10-6 at the break. The French were aggrieved to have had what would have been an equalising score ruled out for a forward pass just before the break and they found themselves further behind straight after it, as England posted two tries in as many minutes. Winger Mike McMeeken went over out wide after more fine handling across the line and Gilmour’s fine kick deceived the French defence for fellow winger Ben Warrilow to cross in the opposite corner, both tries being unconverted. Bourrel burrowed over on the hour to give France hope, Damien Cardace getting free out wide after the England defence had been sucked in to make it 20-14 to set up a frantic finale. England held on, with Gilmour’s boot landing Chris Chapman’s men the trophy. EUROPEAN CUP – ENGLAND 22 FRANCE 14 (Half time 10-6) Men of the match: ENGLAND – Tom Percival FRANCE – Joan Guasch |
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| SCOTLAND WIN PLAYOFF In the European Shield decider, SCOTLAND emerged victorious after a terrific battle with SERBIA, winning 26-16 against the competition hosts. Prop Dejan Lukenic open the scoring for the Serbians, powering over in the 10th minute but then it was all Scotland. Sinclair Matthews went over in the corner after a fine run from Scot Wilson, and the winger claimed his second try five minutes later when burrowing in after constant Bravehearts pressure. Three penalties in succession left the Serbians under the cosh and Robbie Thompson broke two tackles to go over on an arcing run just before the break. Serbia knocked on from the kick off to the second period and from the scrum stand off David Scott jinked clear and added his second goal to make it 20-6 but the home team fought back. Second rower Stefan Nedeljkovic was too strong to hold out, Dragan Kranjcec gaoling before Wilson and Matthews setting up Stuart Duthie for the clinching score in the corner, Scott superbly adding the extras. Serbia gained a deserved consolation score, Stevan Stevanovic finding a gap from a Kranjcec pass. EUROPEAN SHIELD – SERBIA 16 SCOTLAND 26 (Half time 14-6)
After the final round of matches, at a celebratory dinner for all the competing sides and officials, the ‘Team of the Tournament’ was announced:
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TOURISTS PUT IN AN IMPROVED EFFORT BUT ANOTHER 66 POINTS FOR SLICK AUSTRALIANS Story By :  Photo By :  The Great Britain Community Lions were vastly improved, but for the second week running Haydon Hodge’s Australian Schoolboys were ruthless in the second half as they ran in 66 points against the tourists. The green and golds boasted no less than nine different try-scorers in the 66-18 second Test thumping at St Mary’s Stadium on Friday night. It wrapped up a comfortable 2-0 series win for the home side after they thumped the Lions 66 - 0 in the first Test at Canberra Stadium. Canowindra star Hodge was a shining light on that night with a hat-trick of tries (in the 1st test), but even he had to take a back seat to flying fullback Maipele Morseu who snared his own treble of tries in the second Test. The Lions were vastly improved, however, trailing by just eight points at half-time. But like they did the previous week, the superior fitness of the Australians against the largely amateur Lions told in the second half as the Schoolboys ran in a further seven tries. The game wraps up the first ever Lions tour to Australia. They had warm-up wins against Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia before being shown up by the Australian Schoolboys and a young achievers New South Wales Combined High Schools side. AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS 66 (Maipele Morseu 3, Cameron King, Joseph Leilua, Sam Saville, Aaron Whitchurch, Jake Finn, Cheyse Blair, Matthew Groat, Jordan Rankin tries; Jordan Rankin 4, Sam Saville, 4 Jacob Miller 3 goals) defeated GREAT BRITAIN COMMUNITY LIONS 18 (Sam Hopkins, Elliot Miller, Martin Gray, Rhys Fenton tries; Scott George goal). |
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 FAVOURITISM will be thrown out the window when Clarence Valley high school students return to the field for the qualifying rounds of The Daily Examiner Shield schools rugby league competition at McKittrick Park next Wednesday. Bigger and better than ever before, the highly competitive inter-school competition has been a breeding ground for the likes of highly decorated player/coach Nathan Brown and current Cronulla Sharks forward Luke Douglas. And with many of the high schools' stars playing first grade and under-18s in the strong Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition, the open division is expected to be extremely even and produce some exciting football. South High is the defending champion. “Put it this way, any of the four teams could win it,” Daily Examiner Shield co-ordinator Matt McKee said. “Grafton has a good side because they'll have a lot of players from the impressive Ghosts under-16 squad. “But Maclean will have a lot of players from the Lower Clarence under-18s team which is second on the NRRRL ladder. “And although South High has had a huge turnover of players, they still have players like Rhinos first grade winger Aaron Martin.” McKee added McAuley Catholic College's predominantly rugby union-playing side could not be underestimated, with the school slowly showing signs of becoming a force to be reckoned with in the competition. Grafton Rhinos Rugby League Club, which hosts the long-running school competition, puts up $1000 for the winning school. Hungry Jacks has come on board to sponsor the under-14 boys' competition, and will award $500 to the winning school. Maclean High's team of 'big, fast kids' is expected to figure prominently in this division. Gillwinga and Maclean public schools will battle for the Westlawn Finance Cup next Wednesday, with the winner securing a $500 cheque for their school courtesy of Westlawn. The popular high school girls' competition - minus McAuley College - is back with a new format, with South High playing off against cross-river rivals Grafton High for the chance to meet defending champion Maclean High in the final. McKee said the action on the field had proven to be a huge hit with the rugby league community. “This is one of the best schools competitions going around,” he said. “It's a great night out ... with entertaining, full throttle football.” Gates open at 2pm next Wednesday with entry costing $2. All finals, except for the primary school competition, will be held on Wednesday, September 23, at McKittrick Park. |
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| Monday 24 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magpies Junior Tim Croft has set a new club record for most tries scored in an under 18s game when he ran in nine tries in his sides 90 to 7 victory over Uralla at Mead Park on Saturday, while Jake Turner achieved pin point accuracy kicking 15 from 15 conversions. The Glen Innes Rugby League Club record for the most tries scored in a game was achieved by Brad Johnson in 1996. Johnson ran in 11 tries in the Magpies A grade sides 122 to nil victory over the Bingara/Barraba Bulls. Juniors Coach Richard Taylor said an A grade match goes for 80 minutes while the juniors lasts for just 60. “I’m sure if we had another 20 minutes on the clock Crofty would of equalled that record he was on fire it was beautiful to watch,” he said. “The tries were a combination of talent and a really hungry attitude to always be in position, something other players need to take on board.” Croft, who played lock, said the most tries he had ever scored in a game prior to Saturday was three. “It was just lucky I was always in the right spot. I don’t’ think it will ever happen again, no one scores nine tries in one game,” he said laughing at the memory of the crowd chanting ‘Give it to Crofty’. Mr Taylor said that while the team played really well the end result was not an accurate reflection on the game. “Uralla really weren’t that bad. I felt sorry for them. They played well and kept their chins up, it was a very physical game of football,” he said. Other try scorers were Ross Lewis (2), Sam Kiehne, Alan Turner and Steven Reynolds. The juniors have a break this weekend and will contest the major semi final against minor premiers Inverell in Guyra next weekend as they look toward a second successive premiership. |
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| Sunday 23 rd August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Headmaster of one of Rugby League’s strongest western Sydney nurseries in St Gregory’s College of Campbelltown today reaffirmed his College’s commitment to the code. St Gregory’s College Headmaster Mr Damien Millar sought to clarify the College’s position on its highly successful Rugby League program. “We are very happy playing Rugby League and we intend to continue our College’s proud tradition in the sport,” Mr Millar said today. “We currently play in the Metropolitan Catholic Schools competitions on Thursdays and this year we have had more teams involved in the competition than last year. “We’ve also committed to playing four more Arrive Alive Cup games this year to give the boys more football in the Tier B side of the competition. “Any suggestions we’re not committed to the sport are incorrect.” NSWRL General Manager Geoff Carr said the League’s strong relationships with schools in both catholic and departmental systems was a major reason junior participation in Sydney’s west continues to grow. “St Gregory’s has a proud history in Rugby League and has produced some of the game’s great players and coaches alike,” Carr said today. “Names such as Jack Gibson, Tim Sheens and Trent Barrett all came though the St Greg’s system and it’s a priority for us to ensure the next generation of schoolboys have the same opportunity. “The College’s Rugby League program is an example of the terrific school development pathway our sport enjoys. “With the support of the school systems we have seen a substantial rise in participation in recent years at both school level and as a flow on from that, junior league registrations. “Our 2009 participation numbers will further reflect that western Sydney not only remains a stronghold for Rugby League, but a flourishing breeding ground for our next NRL stars.” |
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 MACKAY State High claimed their third straight Terry Hayes Shield with a 22-10 win over southside rivals St Patrick's College at the JRL Grounds last night. In what was a scrappy affair, the Milton St boys held off a gutsy challenge from St Pat's to claim honours in the Mackay and district secondary school rugby league grand final. Mackay High second-rower Corban Duffy was the Alf Abdullah blazer recipient after producing a player-of-the-match performance. Rake Kelvin Nielsen and Duffy helped the more fancied Mackay High to a blistering 10-0 start before their rivals hit back through back-rower Tom Jacklin to make it 10-6 at the break. Centre Buchanan Rawiti gave MSHS some breathing room but lock Pat Gregor ensured a tense finish to the match by bringing St Pat's to with a converted try, 16-10. Duffy then sealed the match with a four-pointer, converted by Dylan Smith. “There was some solid defence - they came with intent,” Mackay State High Rugby League Academy co-ordinator Bill Esau said of a seemingly rejuvenated St Pat's side, which was bolstered by a strong effort from centre Ryan Jones. Meanwhile, Mackay State High also won the under 15 schoolboys final with a 34-10 win over Mercy College. Mackay High's Damon Mooney was recognised as best on ground as his school claimed the Booker Primrose Shield for the third consecutive year. Halfback Eamon Kelly was among Mercy's best. |
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 BLAYNEY are looking at doubling their involvement in Group 10 next year after the Bears returned to the under 18s competition this season. The Bears finished seventh in under 18s this year and missed out on the finals, which start tomorrow, however, president Steve Mooney thinks the club made a successful return to Group 10. So much so that Blayney are now working towards adding a first division team to their club for next season. Mooney thinks the support thrown behind the club this year shows rugby league in the town is popular enough to add a second team. “We hope to have a reserve grade side next year if they (Group 10) let us in and we’ll have under 18s,” Mooney said. “We’re getting plenty of good support ... and we thought it was pretty successful.” Eight of this year’s under 18s team will step up to the senior ranks, so more senior players will need to be recruited. Mooney says the town will be scoured for any interested rugby league talent so they have definitive player numbers before they state their case to the group to be admitted into first division in 2010. Blayney won five games in their return season in the under 18s and this was good enough for seventh at the end of the regular season. Mooney thought the under 18s had the potential to make the finals, but he still feels the season was a success. “They went pretty good. They got a few injuries which didn’t help and if they could have kept their best team on the field they would have made the finals,” Mooney said. “First year back, I would have liked to have seen them make the finals.” |
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| Saturday 22 nd August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2nd Test was the best effort by a Great Britain Community Lions team for many years and the whole squad should remember their '2009 Tour Down Under' forever. The second test Match saw an amazing 15 tries in an action packed 50 minutes of fantastic international junior rugby league. The Australians started the second Test with a real quick try to fullback Maipele Morseu, Jordan rankin converted the try to make it 6 - 0. LEARN MORE |
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Matraville Sports High School move closer to more Arrive alive Cup glory with a hard fough win over a very determined and skillful Patrician Brothers Blacktown at the Sydney Footy Stadium yesterday arvo. Patrician Brothers attacked their line repeatedly in the opening half and at one stage, trapping Matraville in goal and had 5 or 6 sets to break the Matra line. At the other end of the field Matraville took one set to gain 80 meters to send Arthur Takapu over the line. In a day for the underdog, Patrician Brothers went in at the break 4 - 6 in the lead after Mark Felimeka was good enough to get over in the corner, the St. Pat's boys, the band and the crowd went off, Matt Moylin added the 2 points with a great kick from the side line. More soon ? |
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Last year Sarah Redfern ended Dubbo Senior Campus's Uni-Shield dream,defeating Dubbo in the semi final 52 - 10. In 2009 Dubbo is out for abit of revenge when they face Sarah Redfern on tueday night at Apex Oval. In front of their local faithfull, Dubbo Prop & C.H.S Rep Max Ray,will need to aim up against the big Sarah Pack. The Dubbo backs will also need 2 be on their best,with the likes of Tim Lefai & Ronny Palumbo in the Sarah backline..... Should be good game, stay tuned for results! |
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| Thursday 20 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FARRER PLOUGHS ON: SCHOOL’S 15S SIDE ADDS COUNTRY CUP TO ITS BUCKLEY SHIELD FARRER Memorial Agricultural High’s 15s rugby league side followed up its win in the Buckley Shield last year with victory over Bega High School in the CRL Country Cup final at Dubbo’s Apex Oval yesterday. Farrer took the game 46-20 after a strong defensive effort in the first half and some quick points in the second. Ned O’Neill-Shaw and Dan Boland crossed twice each in the win, while Brayden McDonald, Keegan Loughrey, Oliver Thomson and Matt Brady grabbed tries. Brady kicked five conversions. Farrer coach John Lesslie was understandably elated with his side’s performance in the match. “I’m over the moon,” he said. “They had some good players in their side so it was particularly good to come away with a win.” Farrer has had a chequered history in the cup, which made victory even sweeter for Lesslie. “We have only won it (the Country Cup) three times and we have been knocked off in the final a few times. “It’s what we have been working towards all year.” Ball handling was a concern for Farrer in the first half, despite shooting to a 14-nil lead early on. “We could have really taken the game away from them then but we let them back in it a few times, but the boys defended well,” Lesslie said. Bega scored to take the game to 14-6 before a Farrer try on the stroke of half-time extended its lead to 18-6. Lesslie said all the players stood up and did their jobs in the second half. In particular, he praised the centres – Boland and Daniel Sykes – and prop forward Benny Allen as star performers. “Matt Brady also played well. He was selected man of the match by Country Rugby League,” Lesslie said. “He played halfback and his brother John played five-eighth and they were both very strong. “Our fullback, Ollie Thomson, had a great game. “He scored a try and looked really safe under the high ball. “It’s hard really to pick standouts. “They all did their jobs and played really well.” The team is now set to move into the 16s division where it will come up against other sides from Group 4. “They’re a good group of kids and they have already won back-to-back titles,” Lesslie said. “Hopefully they stick together and go on with it.” |
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 Westfields Sports High School are the first school into this years Arrive alive Cup Quarter Finals after defeating a brave Holy Cross College Ryde at Leichhardt Oval this after noon. Westfields went into the half time break with a 12 - 6 lead with both teams confident of a good second half. Holy Cross scored early in the second half to level the scores for a little while, then Westfields SHS big game players started taking control. In the end Holy Crosses fantastic 2009 Arrive alive Cup champaign came to an end with Westfields SHS adding 2 more an answered converted tries to take away the Holy Cross Arrive alive Cup dream, the semi final score was 24 - 12 with both schools playing some great footy. One more Arrive alive Cup game tomorrow afternoon at the Sydney Football Stadium when 2007 winners Matraville Sports High School take on Patrician Brothers from Blacktown. |
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 THOMAS Reddall High School's under-13 and under-15 rugby league teams have both progressed to the Wests Leagues Cup semi-final. Mount Annan High School teams were the opponents in both games, played at Jack Nash Reserve, Currans Hill, last week. Thomas Reddall's under-13s won 42-12 under the guidance of their coach Ray Mackie, with lock Makaere Bush one of the best on the ground. Wests Leagues Cup liaison officer Col Rose, who watched from the sidelines, was impressed by the action. ``It's a better standard than I had expected,'' he said. ``It's exceptional for their division.'' In the under-15s clash, Thomas Reddall had the game wrapped up in the first 10 minutes, running in four quick tries to win 34-12. They went into the break leading 24-0 but signs of a fightback were evident late in the first half. It took a mini-brawl, with a few punches thrown, to switch on the Mount Annan team. No questions would have been asked if Mount Annan coach Matt Garland had hoisted the white flag as his team trailed 24-0 at the break. But Mount Annan showed determination after the restart. They hit back with two quick tries, both converted, to half the deficit. But Thomas Reddall sank Mount Annan's hope of a semi-final tie with two more tries to seal the win. See slideshow at macarthuradvertiser.com.au |
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 KELLYVILLE High School's senior rugby league team are still celebrating after claiming the Hills Cup last month. The competition was held at Kellyville Oval on July 7 and Kellyville smashed Model Farms High School 24-0 in the finals. The school's junior team missed out on a finals' win when defeated by Gilroy College and the intermediate team lost their semi-final against Our Lady of Lebanon. |
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 The future of the Dunedoo Swans and the Gulgong Terriers will be on display in the elimination semi final of the Castlereagh Cup Under 17 Youth League tomorrow. The two teams will play in the curtain raiser to the main game at Billy Dunn Oval with both coaches declaring their sides have plenty of talent on offer. Swans Coach Jim Baker said that while his team has not had a great season since beating the Terriers in a trial game before the season start, they are back at full strength for tomorrow’s game. “We have been hit by injuries and been playing below strength but on Saturday we are back to a full compliment of players and are ready for this one,” Baker said. “We should go pretty well and I would not be surprised if we repeated the trial game win.” Players to watch include lock forward Troy Jenkinson and front rowers Sam Abbott and Phillip Yeo while in the halves combination of twin brothers Glen and Ben Baker with Ben at five eighth has served the team well. Gulgong Coach Dave Carter said about half his team had played together throughout their junior age groups and were a well knit combination. “We have beaten them on all three occasions since the trial game,” Carter said. “We have good defenders across the park and are capable of scoring from any position. “However, it is our defence that has been our strength and I believe this will be the key to a Terriers win.” Key players for the Terriers include second rowers Nathan Turner and Andrew Warwicke and lock Jack Coupe. In the back line centre James Morisson has scored a lot of points during the season by crossing the opposition line and with his boot. Morrison has been well assisted in the backs by centre partner Jake Griffiths and five eighth Brendan Carter. |
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| Thursday 20 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kurtis Crisante scored the best try of the game but it wasn’t enough to save St John’s College from defeat in yesterday Under-13s Country Cup Final played at Apex Oval in Dubbo. St John’s Catholic School at Aberdeen in the Hunter Valley came here with a good side and duly won the major championship trophy 26-14 after leading 14-4 at half time. But it was the 60 metre try by pocket dynamo Kurtis Crisante who had the big crowd talking. Renowned for his hard running, Kurtis didn’t disappoint. Fourteen minutes into the second half with St John’s trailing 26-4 he spotted an opening down the left touch line. He crunched his way through the first line of defence and all he had to do then was beat the cover tackle from Aberdeen fullback Jake Hourn. To the delight of St John’s supporters Kurtis was too big and too strong for the fullback and all that was left to do was run the final 35m and place down the ball under the posts. That try got the Saints back to 26-14 but that’s where the scoring ended. St John’s coach Andy Haycock said he was mighty proud of his boys. “Aberdeen was a very good side, they were too big for us,” the coach said. “But our boys kept turning up and it was great effort from them. “We didn’t stop trying and everyone is very proud of their efforts.” Two tries, the first after only three minutes at the start, and another right on half-time, proved to be the difference. Man of the match, Aberdeen second-rower Jayson Hovi scored three tries and proved to be a handful for the St John’s defence every time he touched the ball. Close to the line he was unstoppable. Five-eighth and captain Travis Edwards also played well scoring two tries and directing his players with precision. It was Jayson who scored the opening try and he was again on the job a minute from half-time to give his side the advantage. But St John’s weren’t to be denied. Down 10-0 mid term, centre Nick Harvey was just denied in the right corner but his side received a penalty after he was dragged into touch. In the following set the ball went from one side to the other and back before Nick scored his side’s first try. That was a tremendous lift for the home side, until the Aberdeen try just before oranges. The St John’s attack again enjoyed good ball possession early in the second half with a great run from lock Blake Smith taking them into the red zone. After a penalty, in the next set of tackles right winger Kaide Rapley found himself with the overlap to bring the deficit back to 20-8. But Aberdeen replied with another try before Kurtis Crisante scored his try. |
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 COOTAMUNDRA High School’s senior rugby league team has taken another giant step forward in the time-honoured University Shield, handing out a 52-4 shellacking of Warilla High at Fisher Park on Monday. The 48-point victory propels the Coota boys into the quarter finals of the state-wide competition where their next opponents will be a team from either the Sydney South West or Sydney West zones, that game having to be played on or before August 28. Teacher John Green, who is in charge of the side, believes it could be the first time a Cootamundra High team has delved so deep into the long standing competition. The South Coast side arrived at the ground confident of their chances of moving through to the final eight and throughout their warm up looked sharp and focused. They also appeared to have an advantage in the physical presence stakes, but in little more than an hour were sent home with their tail well and truly between their legs as the Coota boys raced in 10 tries to one. Made up primarily by members of the Bulldogs minor premiership bound Weissel Cup side, the Coota High team also contained a number of players who added another dimension to an already potent outfit. Soccer star Dylan Berkrey was menacing in the centres and crossed for one of four first half tries, while Tayce Cheshire, Mick Taylor, Isaac Mitchell and Ethan Ryan gave the home side added size up front to help match the bulk of the visitor’s pack. Any thoughts Warilla had of an easy day against the ‘bush boys’ were quickly dismissed when Coota halfback Jake Walsh slipped an inside ball to Matt Forsyth who crossed five metres to the right of the post. The early exchanges were tough, with both teams physical in defence, the nature of the home team’s tackling often forcing Warilla into error. Midway through the half the hosts went 10-0 up when they switched the point of attack from the right to the left, Walsh and Joe Bradley handling before Berkrey darted across out wide. Bradley then stormed over from close range from a set piece, before the Bulldogs showed their defensive qualities by holding out their opponents from close range after Warilla received a penalty near the half way and quickly made ground. Just before the break classy five-eighth Chris Maher ran to the line, dummied to his right and, with the defence falling for the ploy, jinked through the now yawning gap to cross untouched. Weissel Cup coach Gerad Walsh, who has been assisting the Coota High side, implored the boys to start the second half with the same intensity as the visitors would come out firing knowing their Uni Shield prospects were on the line. It took just two minutes for the lead to be increased, with Bradley diving over in the left hand corner. It would be the first of six second half tries, with Forsyth his second and third for the match, Maher also finishing with a hat trick and Taylor showing excellent skills for a big man by dummying his way through the defence from 10 metres out. In earlier round matches Coota High defeated Mount Austin, Wagga High and Young High, but given the expected strength of their opponents on Monday, the 48-point victory was by far the most impressive. |
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| Wednesday 19 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Mighty Cronulla Sharks hosted tonight's International junior rugby league game between a NSWCHS Under 16/17's development side and the touring Great Britain U18 Community Lions. This was the best game of the tour so far with tonights two teams keen to get the upper hand early. NSW CHS were 1st to score when Matt Allwood dived over, Jason Webhe added the 2 points and it was game on at 6 - 0. The Young Lions hit back a couple minutes later with some good lead up work that allowed Sam Hopkin to score his 1st try of the night on 'Shark Park', the kick missed. 6 - 4. NSWCHS more soon & heaps of aCTioN FoTo'S Thanks to Dave Whittcock, Grant Edwards & the NSWCHS team, Craig Wilson, the Sharks recruitment manager for arranging such an excellent venue for these young fella's to play this International junior rugby league match, thanks to the 2 teams and all of you families and friends in the 'ET STAND' for some mighty cheering. Good luck to the GBCL Young Guns on Friday for the 2nd Test against the Australian Schoolboys at St. Mary's Stadium, kick off 7:00 PM FOLLOW THE YOUNG LIONS '09 TOUR HERE |
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| Tuesday 19 th March 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Newtown’s SG Ball Cup campaign ended some weeks ago, but two members of that talented young Jets squad were key players for the Australian Schoolboys rugby league representative team against the Great Britain Lions last Saturday. The Australian Schoolboys demolished Great Britain 66-0 in the First Test played at Canberra Stadium as the main curtain-raiser to the Raiders-Dragons NRL match. Newtown’s Cheyse Blair (centre) and Jacob Miller (halfback) were standout players in the Australian Schoolboys resounding win, and they will be back on national team duty for the Second Test match to be played this Saturday (22nd August) at the St Marys Leagues Club Stadium at 7pm. Blair and Miller are regarded as outstanding prospects and they are both on sporting scholarships with the Sydney Roosters. They also have the honour of being the Newtown club’s first-ever representatives in the prestigious Australian Schoolboys rugby league team. In NSW Cup news, the Newtown Jets are currently in clear eighth position on the competition table and they face tough assignments at home against the Sharks and the Tigers in upcoming weeks as the battle for places in the finals series intensifies. The Newtown Jets’ next match is against Cronulla-Sutherland at Henson Park on Saturday, 29th August with this West Side Story encounter timed to kick off at 3pm. |
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| Tuesday 18 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St John’s College under-13s will represent Southern NSW against the winner of the Northern region - St Joseph’s Aberdeen - at Apex Oval tomorrow starting at 10.40am. St John’s have put together some impressive performances in games this season defeating Dubbo College South Campus 16 - 14 and Delroy Campus 22 - 18. In the western finals of the Andrew Ryan Cup they were successful over Canowindra 8 - 6, Kelso High Bathurst 24-16 and Cowra High 24-10. In the Southern NSW semi-finals played at Cootamundra, St John’s got up 6-4 over Warilla High (the Illawarra champions) before finishing 16-all with Riverina champions Wagga High but gained a passage into the final on a countback after scoring the first try of the match. According to coach Andy Haycock, the thing most going for St John’s will be their work as a unit. “Most of our tries have been team tries to the outside backs,” he said. “However all our go forward has been provided by BJ O’Connor and Dan Kilpatrick and Kurtis Crisante has been our highest try scorer. “Backrower Bailey Jenkins is a workaholic both in attack and defence while half and captain Harry Kempston is the little general. We will also be looking for fullback Nick Duffy to make his mark.” Haycock said the team had a great mix of all the Dubbo and district junior rugby league clubs with St John’s, South Dubbo, PCYC, Eastridge and Narromine clubs represented in the squad. There is also a considerable representation of the Dubbo junior rugby under-13s who have been unstoppable so far this season. The St John’s under-13s team of 2009 is attempting to emulate some of the college’s champion rugby league teams of the past. In 1986 and 1987 a Bernard Wilson-led St John’s 15s won consecutive NSW State Catholic titles and 10 years ago the 14s won the Cochrane Cup Country Catholic Championship. The 1999 team contained NRL players Daniel Conn and Brad Cross while the captain of the team 10 years ago Joel Rapley has a brother playing in tomorrow’s team. St John’s coach Andy Haycock and trainer Warwick Rapley were also involved in the Cochrane Cup success a decade ago. |
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Story & Photo BY : Joe Flynn  THE Bulls will remain a force in Queensland Rugby League (QRL) after the QRL board voted against plans to scrap the Wide Bay Division. Bundaberg Rugby League president Mal Breen yesterday hailed the decision to keep the Wide Bay as a “victory for the people” of the Wide Bay. “Wide Bay will remain as is, 47th Battalion will stay and it's a huge breakthrough for the region,” Breen said. “It's great for junior football, and senior football in the area.” A report commissioned by QRL last week had recommended that the Wide Bay division be scrapped, and split-up under reformed QRL divisional boundaries. The QRL Divisional Boundaries Review recommended the five current areas merge into three with Wide Bay areas north of Gympie, but excluding the South Burnett, swallowed up by the Central Division, while the South Burnett and areas south and west of Gympie governed by a Southern Division. But in a meeting last Friday, the QRL board opted for a different proposal, tendered by Wide Bay division chairman Danny McGuire, which allowed Wide Bay to remain in its current form. But the Wide Bay will now operate under a Central Division administration. “There was a lot of letters and a lot of emails, I guess the QRL have listened,” Breen said. “This just shows the power of the people.” Maguire, who sought opinions from all major clubs in the Wide Bay before making his proposal, said there was overwhelming support to keep the Wide Bay division. “Tradition is very hard to breed,” Maguire said. “This way the tradition is maintained and things like 47th Battalion can continue to be something our juniors strive for.” Wide Bay will also keep its development structure under the Maguire proposal. QRL managing director Ross Livermore said he did not think the new boundaries would have an impact on the game. He said merged division would allow QRL to pool its resources in under-funded areas. “The boundaries are really just marks on a map,” Livermore said yesterday. |
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| INTERNATIONAL FOOTY @ SHARK PARK A NSWCHS side made up of Under 16 & 17 years old will be playing against the visiting Great Britain under 18 Community Lions The Poms have just had a 66 - 0 flogging by the Australian Schoolboys in Canberra on Saturday night and will be looking to improve against the NSWCHS youngsters. Kick off is a 6:00 pm, so grab a warm jacket and head to shark park tomorrow night for some great footy. |
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| FARRER DOES IT EASIER IN REPLAY AFTER PROTEST BY MACKSVILLE NSWCHS BUCLKEY SHIELD FARRER defeated Macksville High for the second time within a month to advance in the Buckley Shield but did it with more authority at Wauchope yesterday. Late last month, the Josh Steele-coached side had scraped through for a 24-22 win to be headed to the round of 16 but, as a result of Macksville’s protestations, the game had to be replayed. Farrer made no mistake in the replay, running out 22-4 victors to book a clash with Newcastle/Hunter champions Lambton High next week. “It was a lot better,” Steele said. Tremain Sandbrook, Troy Martin, Brad Cappello and Zac Leonard all crossed for Farrer in what was a more polished display. “Our defence was a lot better,” Steele said. “It was a very physical game and they had close to probably 65 per cent of possession in the first half.” All of it was in their own 22 but Farrer managed to limit the damage to just the one try. “We had numbers in every tackle and were very strong at getting up off the line,” Steele said. He had little doubt their defence was what won them the game. “They had a lot of chances to put points on the board but they couldn’t get over,” he said. Like in the game in Tamworth, Farrer started brilliantly, scoring off its first set of six, but that’s where the similarities ended. “The second half today was very strong,” Steele said. “Maybe the couple of tough games in Sydney (All Schools Knockout) helped us. “We turned up with a completely different attitude.” He said Martin and Capello in the centres had strong games, as did props Lyle Houghton and Jake Cocking, and fullback Tyler Fleming. “He was very strong back there,” Steele said. |
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| Sunday 16 Th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS 66 Defeated GREAT BRITAIN COMMUNITY YOUNG LIONS 0 The Great Britain Community Young Lions and being Poms, will definitely fight back from last nights flogging from the Australian Schoolboys in the 1st Test. The Aussie's were too hot to handle for the young Lions, apart from the first 15 - 20 minutes where the GBCL were fantastic, leaking only 22 points for the first half. The first 20 minutes was a great little period from the the boys with the funny accents, they were attacking with purpose, defending with strength and great organisation in their play allowed them to temporally hold out from repeated raids from the World Champions. The Young Lions got close to their line a couple time and a couple of the Pommie boys may even have got a little sniff of the white chalk. LEARN MORE & HEAPS of GR8 FOTO'S |
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| HODGE SCORES A HAT-TRICK IN SCHOOLBOYS RAMPAGE Canberra Times THE Australian schoolboys rugby league team scored 13 tries in a 66-0 romp over the Great Britain Lions at Canberra Stadium last night. Canberra Raiders Toyota Cup star Hayden Hodge scored three tries, but his night was soured by a left-ankle injury. ''It was a great experience, running out there was just awesome,'' Hodge said. ''We didn't think we were any chance of winning by that much, but everything just seemed to work for us.'' Hodge made a scintillating break with his first touch of the ball and Australian centre Aaron Whitchurch crossed the line three tackles later. But the try was disallowed after Jordan Rankin's pass was ruled forward. The Australians got on the board five minutes later when lock Joseph Leilua barged over. Australian centre Cheyse Blair scored two first-half tries and back-rower Ryan James also crossed the line. Hodge's try less than two minutes from the break brought loud cheers from the crowd and gave his team a 22-0 half-time lead. The Australians went into overdrive after the break, with winger Faleula Finau (three tries), Hodge (two), reserve Blake Austin (two) and fullback Maipele Morseu all scoring.. LEARN MORE |
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| Saturday 15 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSSIE TOO GOOD FOR BRAVE LIONS
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLOBOYS 66 GREAT BRITAIN COMMUNITY LIONS 0 PLAYER of the MATCH : Joseph Leilua (Endeavour SHS) PLENTY MORE NEWS & GR8 ACTION FOTO'S |
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KIRWAN High survived an early scare and surged into the Arrive Alive Cup state final after comfortably accounting for Ignatius Park 32-14 at Dairy Farmers Stadium yesterday. After losing both of their previous games against Iggy Park this year, it looked like it would be another tough afternoon when Alex Elisala and Chris Grevsmuhl ran in early tries. Kyle Feldt was not able to convert either try from close range though, and Kirwan raced to the lead through converted tries to Gary Fuimaono, Jermaine Veukiso and a Quinton Pomare-Anderson penalty goal. Feldt levelled the scores after the break with a damaging run at the line, but from there it was all Kirwan. In a bizarre passage of play, Ignatius Park prop Grevsmuhl lost his shoe and tossed it aside, playing with just a sock on one foot. It didn't help him, as he was penalised for a high shot on Jai Ingram and then was unable to stop a rampaging Francis Veukiso from barging over the top of him and the fullback to score and reclaim the lead for Kirwan. Hooker Nathan Norford then rubbed salt into the wound with a late try from a scrum, and Jeffery Wilson bagged a try off a chargedown to seal the rout. Kirwan coach George Bartlett rated the win as one of the more enjoyable he had been involved in after his players rallied from their two previous losses, as well as the absence of Wayne Ulugia (under-20s) and Jason Taumalolo (representative duties). ''That's why we love rugby league, we were the underdogs today and we got up,'' he said. ''I'm really proud of them, they're all 16, 17 and they think they're big men and they look like big men but they're still young kids really. ''When they put their best on the day they're going to beat anybody. ''That's footy, (coach) Dave (Elliot) is a good coach, I certainly know how they feel, I've been in that situation before. Certainly they can hold their heads high, they're a very good rugby league side.'' Kirwan will now face renowned rugby league nursery Keebra Park - the southern Queensland winner - in the final which will be one of the curtain-raisers to the Cowboys/Broncos game in a fortnight. KIRWAN STATE HIGH SCHOOL 32 (Gary Fuimaono, Jermaine Veukiso, Francis Veukiso, Nathan Norford, Jeffery Wilson tries, Quinton Pomare-Anderson 5 goals, pen goal) d IGNATIUS PARK COLLEGE 14 (Alex Elisala, Chris Grevsmuhl, Kyle Feldt tries, Jay Lobwein goal). |
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FUTURE DRAGONS SHOW THEIR SKILLS ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE SHAUN TIMMINS SHIELD Reed Park, Dapto was the place to be yesterday for the hotly contested Year 7 Shaun Timmins Shield. After rain threatened to spoil the day early the participants, coaches and cheer squads soldiered on to witness some fantastic rugby league skills on show. The event featured three divisions, in the Boys 10 a side competition there were 6 sides vying for the Shaun Timmins Shield. With all teams finishing on 4 points in the pool matches it came down to for and against to decide our semi finalist, which eventually saw Kiama HS defeating Vincentia HS in the final 16 – 10 in a great game. In the Shaun Timmins B Division, 5 sides competed with Bomaderry HS finishing on top of the table in the round robin competition on 12 points, narrowly edging out Figtree HS on 11 points. The final game between the two sides decided our winner. We also had four girls’ teams taking part in the 8 a - side Dragon Tag competition. The teams competing were Figtree HS, Cedar College, Kanahooka HS and Oak Flats HS. This was another closely contested division with the final game of the round robin between Oak Flats and Kanahooka deciding our winner. Not to be out done by the boys at the end of the 20 mins both teams were locked at 2 all with the Champion being decided on for and against meaning that Kanahooka came away winners by a 2 try margin. We must thank Dapto JRLFC for their help as well as Illawarra Referees Association for providing us with the Referees on the day. Lastly, Dragons Community and Australian Rugby League Development staff would like to say well done to all the schools for their efforts in making it to the finals day, some schools especially those from Sydney and the South Coast had to travel qutie a distance for the early start. Well done to all and hope to see you all again next year! |
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| Friday 14 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE battle for the Ashes may be on the forefront of every sports lover’s mind, both here in Australia and across the seas in England, but one Cootamundra sports star is eagerly awaiting his own personal clash with the Poms. Joe Bradley, a key member of the Cootamundra Bulldogs all conquering Weissel Cup side who also turns out for the Canberra Raiders SG Ball team, has been chosen in a NSW Combined High Schools under 17s development squad that will lock horns with the Great Brittain Community Lions, England’s equivalent of the Australian Schoolboys, at Sydney’s Shark Park on Tuesday night. Joe’s selection comes after impressive performances for CHS Southern at selection trials for the CHS state team in which his Bulldogs’ teammate Matt Forsyth also competed. “They’ve picked a side of players who are still eligible for CHS selection next year and are using this match against the English side as another chance to give us a run,” Joe said. “From what I’ve been told the English side will be primarily made up of 18 year olds.” The timing of the game couldn’t be better for Joe as the Bulldogs have a bye this weekend meaning he won’t miss out on any club commitments. However his selection in the side has forced him to bypass the opportunity to play in the finals series of a state-wide schoolboys touch competition for which Coota High has qualified. “It’s worked in well in terms of club footy, but I will miss the Gosford (touch trip),” he said. “Our team manager will pick us up on Sunday and we’ll have a training run as a side on Monday.” One of Joe’s Canberra teammates Ben Picker from Crookwell has also been chosen in the development side. As for his Weissel Cup side, Joe said everything is travelling along smoothly three weeks out from the semi finals. “We’ve already got the minor premiership wrapped up, but there’s a bigger prize ahead for us,” he said. “We’re five points clear at the top of the ladder and the thing about it is that most of the side is still young and will be eligible for under 18s again next year.” Having played a starring role in last year’s march to the Sullivan Cup premiership, Bradley said it would be a fantastic achievement to be able to go back-to-back. “That’s what we are striving for.” Almost immediately after this year’s Group Nine season finishes, Bradley will be back at the Raiders preparing for next year’s SG Ball competition and the well-spoken teenager has a definite goal in mind. “I’d love to get a crack at the under 20s once the (SG) Ball competition has finished,” he said. “If you can play well enough and show good signs, there’s a chance you can jump up into the 20s which is one of my aims.” |
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| IGNATIUS PARK UP AGAINST IT Story By : NATALIE PEUT KIRWAN State High School will go without two of their key players for the northern regional final of the Arrive Alive Cup against Townsville school rivals Ignatius Park College at Dairy Farmers Stadium. Sixteen-year-old Jason Taumalolo will be unavailable due to his selection in the Australian schoolboys team which will play Great Britain tomorrow while Wayne Ulugia will also be unavailable as he will be playing for the Cowboys under-20s team. Despite the two big losses, Kirwan coach George Bartlett had faith in the rest of his team to get the job done. ''Everyone says we can't win, but the key is for the boys to have faith in themselves,'' Bartlett said. ''We have to be masters of our own destiny. I think ball control will also be a key to which team wins.'' Ignatius Park College have every right to go into the game confident after beating Kirwan High twice in this competition - 34-16 and 30-18 - but coach Dave Elliott said they had to match Kirwan's aggressive style. ''I'm hoping we can continue to win, but we are very wary of Kirwan - they are a good football side,'' Elliott said. The game kicks off at 4.05pm. |
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| GB COMMUNITY YOUNG LIONS MAKE IT THREE ON THE TROT Story By : SARL The Great Britain Under 18’s Community Lions had the perfect boost for their opening Test match against the Australian Schoolboys in Canberra on Saturday, when they beat South Australia State Under 18s, 48 - 6 in Adelaide on the third game of their historic tour down under. Pilkinton Recs full back Danny Filson led the way with 20 points from two tries and six goals in a terrific individual display, as the tourists built a 38 - 0 lead at the break with a stunning first half performance. Skipper Mark Wool was inspirational, the Celtic Crusader dominating midfield from stand off while Elliot Miller made a highly encouraging return from injury with a strong defensive display. Another returning from the treatment table, prop Anthony Morrison set up the opening touchdown in the first minute, hooker Callum Windley backing up on the inside to take the scoring pass. West Cumbria scrum half Callum Phillips doubled the lead with a show and go from 20 metres and the tourists were 18 - 0 up in the tenth minute when another powerful break from Saddleworth’s Morrison set up Filson for his first touchdown. The early onslaught continued when Crusaders winger Alex Webber got clear on the outside and sent Ben Bailey in and two minutes later Webber crossed after a glorious cross field passing move. Miller gained reward for his efforts with a try crafted by Phillips to make it 34 - 0 at the 20 minute mark and Filson posted their seventh try of a blistering half after more expansive play. South Australia regrouped after the break and, with greater possession, spent several sets of six in the GB half. The visiting defence held firm, with Luke Tomlinson, Thomas Connick and Sam Hopkins prominent in defence, Leigh East’s Hopkins then increasing their lead with a try between the posts from a set move. The hosts gained their due just before the hour, Mete Hoepa crossing and Haydon Eijkenboon adding the conversion but the Young Lions had the final say when Wool set up Webber for his second try. GB coach Carl Briscoe reflected that his side goes into the First Test in good shape. “We lost our way a little in the second half” he said, “but I am very pleased overall with the quality of football produced and could not have asked for more than three wins out of three.” Man of the match Wool added, “It was top performance in the first half, we scored some great tries and there was some very good rugby league by the boys. Fair play to South Australia, they lifted in the second half and had a dig at us but we handled everything they threw at us. SOUTH AUSTRALIA STATE UNDER 18’s 6 GREAT BRITAIN U18 COMMUNITY LIONS 48 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1 Haydon Eijkenboon 2 Junior Funo 3 Craig Finnerty 4 Peter Brumby 5 Aslem Fatiali 6 Adam Earnshaw 7 John Vitale 8 Ben Mitchelmore 9 David Tyrrell 10 Sam Te-Tav 11 Ben Smith 12 Mete Hoepa 13 Darren Williams Subs 14 Antony Cristea 15 Jay Geers 16 Adam Butner Try: Hoepa (58) Goal: Eijkenboon GB COMMUNITY LIONS 1 Daniel Filson 2 Kriss Wilkes 3 Martin Grey 4 Elliott Miller 5 Alex Webber 6 Mark Wool 7 Callum Phillips 8 Anthony Morrison 9 Callum Windley 10 Anthony Symons 11 Sam Hopkins 12 Richard Bailey 13 Luke Tomlinson Subs 14 Mathew Lowe 15 Thomas Connick 16 Johnathan Pownell 17 Glen Riley Tries: Windley (1), Phillips (6), Filson (10, 32), Bailey (13), Webber (15, 64), Miller (20), Hopkins (50) Goals: Filson 6 MEN OF THE MATCH: SOUTHS - ASLEM FATIALI LIONS – MARK WOOL HALF TIME: 0-38 |
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Hayden Hodge had a tougher start to rugby league then most young players have ever had. Playing for his local team the Canowindra Tigers, Hodge had to start against the older boys. “I started paying when I was four in the under 8s and played four years of under 8s and two years of under 10s…back there it’s only under 8s, 10s, 14s, and 16s,” Hodge explains. Hodge’s journey with the Raiders all started at the Country Rugby League Championships two years ago. Hodge recalls, “I was playing Group 11 in the under 16s at the Country Championships at Cootamundra and Lee Woodbridge and David Hamilton were there, and a few weeks later Woody rang me up and asked me to come down for a camp and they put me on a scholarship.” Toyota Cup Coach Andrew McFadden had his eye on Hodge for some time and with Josh Dugan on the verge of playing First Grade, he knew he needed a capable replacement. “I watched a lot of SG Ball games and I definitely liked what I saw,” McFadden said. “Once their season was over we were going to bring him into our squad and when Josh Dugan went up [to First Grade] I saw it as a good opportunity for him. “We didn’t put any pressure on him when he replaced Dugan, but for Hayden, he’s really as equally good for his age really.” Even though there wasn’t much pressure on Hodge coming into Toyota Cup, he was still wary about the job he had and didn’t take a lot of confidence out of SG Ball, where his team failed to make the finals. “We didn’t perform too well in the under 18s this year so I didn’t know the expectations of the coach, so I was pretty nervous,” Hodge said. But Hodge quickly found his feet and with the help of some experienced team-mates, he became an integral part of his team. “There’re all pretty good…Mick Picker and Sammy Williams have helped me out a bit with direction,” Hodge said. McFadden added, “He’s a key player to our team and given we’ve lost a lot of players to First Grade, it’s nice to have someone like him to come in and give us a lot of strike.” Hayden Hodge’s main goal is to play in the NRL with the Raiders and says that his parents have had a huge influence on his football. Something that doesn’t surprise his Toyota Cup coach. “He’s a fantastic kid, he’s very motivated, he’s a country kid so he’s very level-headed and I spoke to Mum and Dad and you can see where he gets that from…he’s a very grounded kid and he has all the right work ethics and skills to go a long way in the game,” McFadden said. Hodge's brilliant rise continues this Saturday when he steps out onto Canberra Stadium for the Australian Schoolboys, in a match that kicks off at 5.15pm. |
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| Thursday 13 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last night at Hansen Park in Adeliade, the visiting Great Britain Community Lions recieved a wake up call in the second half. After a sensational first half the visitors piled on 38 unanswered points to take a commanding lead at the break. According to Mr. Andy Hartland, the GBCL tour manager, "the boys played really well in the 1st half, we seemed to fall off in the second. South Australia were enthusiastic throughout the match" The South Australians being Aussies came out in the second half a new team, they defended like trogans and attacked the GBCL line, but the Englishman were too good in defence. The South Australians held their opponents to only 10 points in the second half The Great Britain Community Lions are an amature team, this basically means that now of the tourists would be picked for SG Ball or Mal Meninga Cup teams. The Elite youth side from the UK is their Academy side, which isn't touring this year. Now for the 1st Test against the Australian Schoolboys in Canberra on Saturday. GO THE AUSSIES visit the SCHOOLBOYS LOCKER ROOM |
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Sarah Redfern got up over Chifley College today 22 - 16 in the 2009 NSWCHS UNIVERSITY SHIELD. It was a good game played in good spirits with both team showing skills built up all year. Some of the Best Players where SRHS : Limoni Latu, Ron Polumbo and Tim Lafai, CHIFLEY : #13 was their standout, Michael Compton and Chris Tavai were good too. Sarah redfern who were also NSWCHS Uni Shield Grand Finalists last year and now go on to play Dubbo on the way to NSWCHS University Shield Glory. |
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| MACLEAN, GILLWINGA TO FACE OFF IN LEAGUE FINAL GILLWINGA and Maclean public schools have dominated their pools in the preliminary round to march into the final of the Westlawn Finance Cup school rugby league competition. Due to increasing popularity, the Westlawn Cup - the junior division of The Daily Examiner Shield competition - was divided into two pools, with Lower Clarence schools playing at the Angourie Sports complex and Grafton sides playing at McKittrick Park. Yamba, Maclean, St James and Gulmarrad contested pool one, while pool two involved South Grafton, St Mary's, St Joseph's South Grafton, Gillwinga and Westlawn. Maclean Public School was the clear winner in pool one, while Gillwinga claimed top spot in pool two, scoring three wins and one draw. Maclean and Gillwinga will face each other on the first night of senior games, to be held at McKittrick Park on August 26. The senior finals will be held on September 23 under lights at McKittrick Park. |
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Three quality second-half tries allowed PCYC to beat a gallant South Dubbo Raiders side and tie up third place in the Dubbo under-16s competition on Saturday at Apex Oval. Led by outstanding five-eighth Kieran Cubby, PCYC got up 22-16 but not without a strong effort from the Raiders that suggests we are in for some great football in this division during the final series. In the other under-16s games played on Saturday minor premiers Narromine Jets won 28 - 20 against second-placed St John’s while Nyngan got up 54 - 11 over Wellington. The stage is now set for the finals starting this Saturday at Apex Oval. This will be the first time a five-team series has been played and officials are looking forward to four exciting weeks of football. With Narromine safely into the major semi-final on August 22, the major preliminary semi-final this Saturday at Apex Oval will see St John’s against PCYC at 3.30pm and Nyngan and South Dubbo in the elimination semi-final at 2pm. Narromine gained 26 points for the season, followed by St John’s 22, PCYC 21, Nyngan 16 and Souths 11 with Wellington on 0. To their credit the Raiders were far from disappointing despite finishing behind on the score board against PCYC. They were first to score when Jackson Merritt crossed but PCYC hit back almost immediately when the ball went into touch on the restart and in the next set Nathan Ryan scored in the right corner for PCYC. Corey Cox converted from the sideline and they led 6 - 4. It was Jackson Merritt who put Souths in front for the second time with his second try. Although he is still feeling his way after being sidelined with a broken foot, the tall athletic prop was proving to be hard to pull down, especially when he was close to the line. On this occasion the PCYC defence couldn’t hold him out and with Mason William’s conversion the Raiders led 10-6 at half-time. Sadly for the Raiders they were having trouble with high balls and another fumble saw PCYC dominate possession and Corey Cox found himself in space to score in an easy position for his own conversion and a 12 - 10 lead.. READ ON |
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| Wednesday 12 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations to Blake Austin from St. Dominic's College Penrith has been called up into the Australian Schoolboys team. Blake comes into the side to replace Queenslander Michael Morgan, Michael had to withdraw due to injury. The Aussies are in Canberra freezing while the Great Britain Community Lions are in Adeliade to play the South Australian Under 18's in a warm up game to Saturday's 1 st Test. Blake has had a fantastic footy season so far, Blake was one of the standout players for NSWCCC in the recent ASSRL Championships in Newcastle last month. Blake ripped Holy Cross apart with many strong runs, rock solid defence and scored a few points in the Arrive alive Cup round of 16 clash. Follow ourfootyteam's coverage of the Australian Schoolboys v the Great Britain Community Loins matches and the Poms tour down under. |
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The South Australian Under 18's take on the Great Britain Community Lions today as a warm up to Saturday afternoons 1 st Test against the awesome Australian Schoolboys. The South Australians are battle hardened from a weeks solid footy in Newcastle a couple weeks ago during the ASSRL Championships. The visiting Englishman got away with a close 18 - 12 win over the Northern Territory in Darwin last week. After an ordinary start the visitors second tour match had a great second half to runaway with the game against Western Australia on Saturday, The GBCL won 14 - 36. The game is on at Hansen Park, sixth av, Whittle Gardens, kick off is 6:00 PM Good luck to both teams and go the South Aussies !! LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUSSIE SCHOOLBOYS |
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 THANKS to his day job as a lifeguard, Tigers cub Robert Lui knows all about being thrown in at the deep end. But that's a completely different story to surviving a Shark attack, the challenge Lui was handed last night after being named to make his NRL debut against Cronulla at Toyota Stadium on Sunday. Gunning for six straight wins, Tigers coach Tim Sheens has elected to gamble on the 19-year-old to fill his side's problematic No. 7 jersey as they strive to continue a remarkable late-season finals surge. Virtually unknown to all but the dawn paddlers at Drummoyne Olympic pool, the Torres Strait Island youngster was earmarked for the top grade a month ago, according to Tigers assistant coach Royce Simmons. "He's a mature type of kid - I don't think this will fluster him," Simmons said. "He's been training with us for three or four weeks because we knew there would probably be an injury and he'd come in. He has fit right in at training and has no problems giving the boys orders." With regular fullback Shannon Gallant ruled out for six weeks, coach Tim Sheens has moved Tim Moltzen back to the No. 1 jersey to accommodate Lui at the base of the scrum. Lui was plucked from obscurity in Townsville five years ago when Wests Tigers recruitment boss Warren McDonnell spotted the youngster playing a junior club game for local side Centrals. Impressed with his size and ball skills, McDonnell fast-tracked Lui into the joint-venture's scholarship stream with Gold Goast schoolboy football powerhouse Keebra Park High - Benji Marshall's alma mater. After finishing his studies in 2007, Lui moved to Sydney's inner west last year. He has switched between a Tigers Toyota Cup jersey and a pair of Speedos ever since. With the pool temporarily closed for winter, he now mows lawns for club sponsor Waratah Environmental Service - ironically the same career that Cronulla opposite Scott Porter put on hold to pursue his NRL dream this season. The softly spoken Lui - who lives in a Tigers billet house in Five Dock - politely declined an interview last night, telling The Daily Telegraph he was under instructions not to talk publicly. Lui's childhood coaches in Townsville last night recalled tales about his confidence as a junior. "I'll never forget one match where we had a kid go to hospital and we were down by 18 points," said Ray Foster, one of Lui's coaches at his first junior club, Upper Ross Rams. "Robert was only 12 at the time but he said to me, 'Don't worry coach, I'll win this game for him'. "He went out and scored three tries and surely enough, we won." McDonnell said arrangements were being made for Lui's parents, who live in Mt Isa, and his Townsville-based grandmother to attend Sunday's game. LUKE O'Donnell's reputation to intimidate will be a bonus when the NSW Origin forward resumes his injury-marred season for the Cowboys against an aggressive Bulldogs on Friday night. Coach Neil Henry plans to play both O'Donnell and returning centre Ashley Graham against the Bulldogs. |
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| Tuesday 11 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KNIGHTS INDIGENOUS YOUTH DAY The Newcastle Knights will kick start the week of Indigenous celebrations this morning with a FREE Youth Day at EnergyAustralia Stadium, showcasing Indigenous culture and sport. Knights players will join an estimated 400 students from Newcastle and Hunter Valley Schools, as the stadium plays host to exhibitions focusing on culture, music, art, dance and healthy living activities. A concert will also be held during the lunch break with a free BBQ. DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS: WHAT: Newcastle Knights Indigenous Youth DayWHERE: EnergyAustralia Stadium WHEN: Tuesday, 11 August 2009 - 10.00am – 1.00pm |
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Story & Photo's By : pk Holy Cross College Ryde have performed a miracle and recovered after being down 6 - 22 to win their round of 16 Arrive Alive clash against St Dominics Kingswood 24 - 22. The game was played at Leichhardt Oval in fine sunny conditions and was part of the double-header on Thursday with the Hills Sports High School and St Gregory’s game. You could be excused for thinking this was a Penrith versus Balmain junior reps fixture when you compare the line-ups of the two teams. St Dominics fielded Penrith and Western Academy players Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Jon Pepa, Tevita Feiloakitau-Fetuani, Aaron Farkas, Robert Mate, Tai Tuivasa, Viapuna Tia Kilifi, Corey Carl, Blake Austin and Solo Alone. Holy Cross College boasted Dean Parata, Joel Brooks, Patrick Polotoni, Junior Roqica, Sebastien Vourlos, Curtis Sironen and Alex Kerti. Just as they did in their Round 3 Arrive Alive clash against a fiery Erindale College from Canberra Holy Cross dug themselves out of a hole to win the game. They found themselves down 6 - 22 at half time and I honestly thought they were gone. They started off well but went quite after two of their players, including star hooker Dean Perata, were sent to the sin bin after a donnybrook between the two teams. St Dom’s prop Tai Tuivasa was also sent to the bin. Blake Austin was on absolute fire in the first half. It was razzle-dazzle from this boy who was cutting Holy Cross to shreds with clean breaks and magic passes. Not far behind him was Viapuna Tia Kilifi who can still unload the football in impossible situations. Tries were scored by Nathan Dunn, Jon Pepa and two from Blake Austin in the first half. Aaron Farkas converted two of the tries while Austin kicked the other. The worst thing that happened to this team was the half time break. Holy Cross supporters must have prayed at half time because it seems that divine inspiration inspired the Ryde boys to a great comeback in the second half led by inspirational five eight Patrick Polotoni who bagged a double during the game. Also prominent in the teams reversal of fortune was dynamic centre Junior Roqica who made many busts in a powerful display. As our eagle eye editor reported earlier the Holy Cross boys were behind the goals waiting for the score to go to 22 - 6 against them just before half time saying, "c'mon boys, we were like this against Erindale, we can do this" - and they did. They came out scoring 18 unanswered second half points to book a place with Westfields Sports High School in the Arrive alive Cup quarter finals. HOLY CROSS COLLEGE 24 (Polotoni 2, Parata, Brooks tries, Golding 4 goals)def ST DOMINIC’S COLLEGE 22 (Austin 2, Dunn, Pepper tries, Farkas 2, Austin goals) |
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| Monday 10 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 WE were promised a big day for the reopening of the iconic Marley Brown Oval and it was nothing short of historic. Yesterday's momentous occasion marked the beginning of a new era for Gladstone's favourite field. Thankful Gladstone Rugby League President Glen Butcher said the day went smoothly and league superstar Israel Folau added to its significance. “Israel was great to the kids, it was a real community day,” he said. “We're about 500 (people) short on last week but it's still a great atmosphere. “I need to say a big thanks to everyone who got us back here and especially to the Port. |
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| UNI-SHIELD UPDATE..
This Wednsday Chifley College, Mt Druitt will face Uni-Shield Heavy Weights Sarah Redfern High, Minto. Chifley are aiming to win their 1st Uni Shield in 2009 and what a test this will be for the young Chifley team, who have imprest in 09. On the other Sarah Redfern high have been in the top 4 of the Uni-Shield for the past 3 years, and want the N.S.W League crown in Minto.Sarah Redfern have only lost 1 game in 09(to St.Gregs in A.A.C 20-16), just the same as Chifley who have also lost one game in 09(in A.A.C to Kiama). Both schools are from the heartlands of rugby league and both have alot of big polynesian forwards and talented backs. The game is highlighted with the Battle of the Props with big strong Chris Tovai (Chifley) v Francis Lemaile (Sarah) also in the halves, Dylan Ariu(Chifley) v Pat Leapepe (Sarah)and outside backs Alan Morrison (chifley) who was very impressive against Kiama v Ronny Palumbo (Sarah) who also is an impressive young athlete. ourfootyteam will do our best to cover this important University Shield match. Stay tuned for results |
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| Sunday 9 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IT has been one of rugby league's most cherished breeding grounds for the past 50 years, producing household names that include Trent Barrett, Ryan Hoffman, Tim Sheens, Jack Gibson and Jason Taylor. But St Gregory's College Campbelltown has cast enormous doubt over its ongoing commitment to the code after withdrawing from this week's 65th NSWRL All-schools knockout in St Marys. Junior league officials were stunned on Wednesday morning when the Campbelltown institution failed to enter a single team in the tournament, one of the biggest and most prestigious events on the schoolboy calendar. It has deepened concerns about the stability of league's foothold in Sydney's west, where both rugby union and AFL are looking to muscle in. Although still viewed as a strong contender in premier schoolboy competition, The Arrive Alive Cup, St Gregory's has been increasing its commitment to rugby over the past three years. A league source close to the school said the change in direction was likely to continue, given the new boarding headmaster hails from famed ACT rugby nursery Marist College. "There's a duty-of-care concern at the school about giving the boarders something to do on the weekends,'' the source said. "Rugby union has organised schoolboy competitions on Saturdays - league doesn't. Because we play midweek, that can also affect their curriculum. There's also been some red-tape about whether the kids are eligible to play in the Western Suburbs junior league on weekends.'' NSWRL junior reps boss Martin Meredith yesterday said Wednesday's no-show had caught organisers by complete surprise, with no one from St Gregory's bothering to contact him with an explanation. St Gregory's was one of eight "elite'' schools scheduled to contest the final round of the three-day knockout, drawn against fellow schoolboy powerhouses Westfield Sports High and Endeavour. Meredith remained unaware of St Gregory's reason for not entering teams in any of the four age groups, which ranged from under-13s to under-16s. "All I've been told is the decision not to come was made by the school's leadership committee, but I won't know any more until I speak to the principal directly (tomorrow),'' Meredith said. "They still played in the Arrive Alive Cup on Thursday (losing to Hills Sports High in the round of 16). The school has not contacted us with anything as yet.'' St Gregory's Arrive Alive coach Leon Robinson declined to comment yesterday, passing The Sunday Telegraph's inquiries on to principal Damien Millar. Millar did not return calls, leaving questions about St Gregory's participation in all competitions beyond this year lingering. St Gregory's uncertain future was a major talking point among NRL recruitment managers and player agents who trekked to CUA Stadium to watch Friday afternoon's Arrive Alive Cup clash between Matraville and St John's Woodlawn. Bulldogs recruitment guru Peter Mulholland, who taught and coached at St Gregory's for 20 years, was among the most concerned. "Their decision to pull out came as a shock, to say the least,'' Mulholland said. "We're obviously concerned because it's been a wonderful school for rugby league. It will be interesting to see what happens from here.'' Wests Tigers recruitment manager Warren McDonnell, whose club has several players on scholarship at the college, said it was too early to "start talking doom and gloom''. But McDonnell did admit the relatively recent advent of dedicated sports high schools would erode the status of the game's traditional Catholic strongholds. |
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| Saturday 8 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILLS TRUE GRIT TRUIMPHS OVER ST GREGORY’S The new kids on the block from The Hills Sports High School have beaten the crown kings from St Gregory’s College Campbelltown 13 - 6 in a tough round of 16 Arrive alive clash at Leichhardt Oval. The game was played in fine sunny conditions and in front of a large crowd. We had the Hills Sports High School cheerleaders adding glitz and glamour to the event not to mention the great athleticism that has made them national champions in their field. The Greg’s supporters also added great atmosphere and they revved up their team many times with their war cry of “we are warriors”. It was a tough no nonsense game where both teams fought the hard fight. No inch given – none returned. There had been much discussion over the battle of the two props Peni Terepo from Hills and Matthew Groat from St Gregs. Groat was awarded an Australian Schoolboys jersey after the Australian Championships held in Newcastle last month. Many people have claimed Terepo should also have got a Guernsey and the talk before the game was the battle of the props was going to be a game within a game. And the winner was....... Drum roll please............ Envelope....................... Peni Terepo in a clear points decision. Terepo was a colossus as he charged fearlessly into the Greg’s defence and made many inroads during the course of the game. He inspired the Hills team on the day. Whenever Terepo got the ball the Greg’s supporters would go “Ohh” in anticipation of a nice greeting from Groat and his front row partner Jack Stockwell. It was great theatre. This was schoolboy rugby league at its best. Not far behind Terepo in performance was lock Tim Crellin. This boy reminds me of a pit bull terrier – only more savage. He shortened up a few of the Greg’s boys in big hits that reverberated around the ground. His tackling performance was sensational and his effort went a long way to help Hills win this game. Hills led at half time by 12-0 after tries to hooker Nick Folino and centre Jordan Petera and both tries were converted by five eight Jason Wehbe. Folino struck like lightening out of dummy half close to the line to grab a four-pointer. Petera grabbed his after the ball went wide and he showed a nice right-foot step to out smart the Greg’s defence to score a great try. I felt Hills were comfortably in control during the first half. They were completing their sets and good kicking games from their halves pair Wehbe and Jason Seage kept Greg’s pinned down in their half. Greg’s kicking game courtesy of second rower Alex McKinnon was also good but eager beaver fullback Gerard McCallum and his two wingers in good support always defused potentially dangerous situations. The second half was a different story. St Greg’s, backed by their loud supporters group, came out for the second stanza fired up. Gregs started finding holes close to the ruck as the big Hills forwards started tiring. One of those holes led to a try by the Greg’s centre Limani Kano after some weak defence allowed him to score. The try was converted by Anthony Provost. Score 12-6 to Hills. Soon after Jason Wehbe kicked a field goal to take the score to 13-6. The Greg’s boys looked deflated for a while after this but then lauched a number of raids on the tiring Hills defence. They bombed three tries after last ditch Hills defence was there to spoil the party. Hills coach Mark Horo will be concerned about how quick the Greg’s team were allowed to play the ball. This caused great problems for the Hills defence as Greg’s continually caught them knapping close to the ruck. The 25 minute halves definitely favour the big Hills team. If Greg’s had taken those chances they would have won the game. But that’s footy. They are a great rugby league school and their boys never gave up. They should be proud of their effort. In the end it was the true grit determination of the Hills outfit that got them home. Best for Greg’s were their hooker, fullback Jay Bonnell, McKinnon and Stockwell. Hills were best served by Terepo, Crellin, lock Brett Bennett, Folino, Petera and Wehbe’s kicking game was great. Hills now go on to a quarter final match against league powerhouse Endeavour Sports High School. Interestingly in a University Shield clash held earlier in the year Hills beat them by around 30 points. I do not foresee a similar result in the next match. PK’S BEST AND FAIREST : 3 – Peni Terepo Hills prop |
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To finish this fantastic week of Arrive alive Cup football, 2007 Champions Matraville Sports High School played Regional Champions St. John's College, Woodlawn from Lismore. Matraville SHS are an awesome schoolboys rugby league team who are very well coached by Scott Murray and his staff. Matraville like to play fast and tough footy as the boys from St. John's found out the hard way at CUA Stadium Penrith. Matraville scored in the first minute of the game, it only took 3 or 4 passes from the kick off for Haliano Suluka to run the last 40 meters himself, Matraville skipper and Australian Schoolboy Jacob Miller added the 2 points. More Soon & heaps of AaC action photo's over the weekend. Watch for PK's exclusive reports and ourfootyteam.com photos of the games soon. |
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| Friday 7 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Its getting crazy with schools battling for a spot in the finals of this years Arrive alive Cup Competition. While there were three Queensland quarter finals last night, the defending Champions Palm Beach Currrumbin are GOOOnE, Keebra Park wait to find out who they play in 3 weeks. It was the Sydney boys who turned it on at Leichhardt Oval on Wednesday afternoon with an Arrive alive double header. The Hills Sports High School were the first team through to the quarter finals and earned a berth against three time champions Endeavour Sports High School. A real big thank you to Hills Sports who not only turned up with a good footy team, they also brought along their fantastic cheerleaders. Yep, Hills Sports have a well drilled and exciting cheerleaders squad. You can see them in action here Back to the footy. Hills won their game against a good St Gregory's College this after noon in a close game that ended with a slick field goal from Jason Webhe to give his school a 13 - 6 win. Both teams played well but St. Greg's bungled a few chances in the second half that cost them dearly. There was action-a-plenty with big forwards Peni Terepo from Hills and Matthew Groat, St Gregs clashing a number of times. Dropped ball cost both teams plenty and Hills fullback Gerald McCallum saved the day a couple times. Well done to the Hills boys & the coaching staff led by former kiwi international Mark Horo. They go on to the quarter finals in the competition while St. Greg's certainly proved they should be in ourfootyteam's TOP 10 AUSSIE SCHOOLS. They are a great rugby league school and as their team war cry said today; they are warriors. In the other round of 16 game St Dominics blew a good lead to go down to Holy Cross College Ryde 24-22. Balmain SG Ball five eight Patrick Politoni scored a double to seal the win. It was a fiery clash with three players sent to the sin bin as passion went into over drive. Blake Austin from St Doms also scored a double. The Holy Cross boys behind the goals waiting for the score to go to 22 - 6 against them just before half time were saying, "c'mon boys, we were like this against Erindale, we can do this" - and they did, they came out scoring 18 unanswered second half points to book a place with Westfields Sports High School in the Arrive alive Cup semi finals. Then to finish this great Arrive alive Cup week, mighty Matraville Sports High School travel to CUA Stadium to play against St. John's Woodlawn, this game should be a cracker.Watch for PK's exclusive reports and ourfootyteam.com photos of the games soon. |
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GREAT Britain produced the type of escape Steve McQueen would have been proud of to withstand a courageous Territory Titans team at Richardson Park last night. A try from centre Nicholas Johnson just five minutes from time spared the Poms' blushes with a hard-fought 18-12 win in an absorbing under-18 international. In front of a partisan home crowd of more than 3000, the Titans rose to the occasion and gave the touring Lions the fright of their lives. Even when Johnson's try gave Great Britain some breathing space, the plucky Territory boys threw everything at the visitors in a thrilling last roll of the dice. The Titans launched a number of assaults on the visitors' line, including one that saw fullback Gavin Brown denied by what seemed a centimetre during the hectic last two minutes. But some scrambling Lions defence came to the fore and denied the Territory from chalking up a second successive draw against a touring international side in as many years. Early on, it appeared it would be Great Britain by how far as the tourists racked up a 12-0 lead inside the first quarter of an hour. But from then on it was all the boys in black and ochre who played like men possessed against the cream of what the Old Dart's junior ranks. Just as he's done on many occasions for Palmerston and the Territory, blockbusting centre Matthew Johnson provided the spark the Titans needed. Johnson's trademark evasiveness was evident as he left four defenders in his wake in the space of just 15 metres to score under the posts. That made it 12-6 at the main break and Johnson was instrumental in levelling the scores midway through the second stanza when his 50m break set up winger Kruise Nichols to score. Bradley Hansen's pressure conversion 10m in from touch and 20m out made it 12-all and set up the thrilling finish. It was a performance that re-affirms this crop of Territory league talent as stars of the future - some NRL scouts should do themselves a favour and get a copy of the tape. Johnson, Hansen, halfback Jason Gebert, back-rower Trenton Smith, Brown, props Matthew Paterson-Nicolai and Jeromie Edwards, winger Brett Boucher and hooker Angus Jacobs were all outstanding. Jake Watts announced himself as a star of the future, with Jono Rioli, Dylan Cartwright and Willie May others to play strong games. For Great Britain, lock Michael Allen and Mathew Lowe were among their best, with Allen's try and Lowe's work in defence a feature, while Thomas Connick and match-winner Johnson stood tall. GREAT BRITAIN 18 (Richard Baule, Michael Allen, Nicholas Johnson tries, Scott George 2, Johnathon Pownell goals) d TERRITORY TITANS 12 (Matthew Johnson, Kruise Nichols tries, Bradley Hansen 2 goals). |
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Story By : KEEBRA PARK RL dHart Well what a week its been at Keebra!!!! First we had a victory in the Titans Cup with our Under 16 side beating PBC 20-14. This was a first for the Titans Cup boys so well done Mr Woolf. They were to quick in the opening encounters and built a 16-0 half time score that PBC never really managed to reel in. Special mention to Andrew Vella, Johnny Pati and Nofoa Leapi for outstanding seasons. Here's looking to next year and more success. Then our 13 Premiers demolished St Mary's Toowoomba 72-0 with some great strong running and patient, structured play. George Fai and Sigalu set a strong platform which was ably exploited by the speedy backs. Jayden Heu played a blinder on the wing and looks to have cemented a spot out wide. The 14's progressed with a scrappy win over Kawana Waters from the Sunshine Coast. The 15's came up against Ipswich Grammar and put on an awesome display of structured football. Halves, Zac Walsh and Dallas Wells showed some maturity in their ball playing that put player after player away into holes that saw the score exceed 50. They are really coming together as a unit and have some exceptional talent. Well Done Quaid for making the Australian merit side and to Costner, Filo, Zac, Dallas and Tuila who all made various Qld rep sides. The Opens came up against a talent stacked PBC at Pizzey Park this Wednesday and while many thought that they were just there to make up the numbers, the boys themselves had been quietly confident all week that they had the goods to come away with a win... LEARN MORE |
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| Thursday 06 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MACKAY State High's open schoolboys side was bundled out of the Arrive Alive Cup at Townsville yesterday by a merciless Ignatius Park. The Milton Street boys were aiming to progress to the North Queensland final for the third consecutive year but were thumped 44-10 in the NQ semi-final. The under strength Mackay side “was out of the game at half time,” according to coach Troy Rovelli, who watched his side succumb to a 32-0 deficit against a “very good side.” “It's been a rough week,” Rovelli conceded after his team was stricken with injury and illness in the lead-up to the contest. “We had a few blokes out and some that have missed training sessions because of sickness,” he said. Halves pairing Leon Curry and Dylan Smith were both forced to miss crucial training runs while slick centre Rogan Dean also battled illness. Meanwhile, Dermot Prior and Ian Brown were among those injured. “We got off the bus and we were a bit jaded and never really got going in the first half,” Rovelli said. “We had no footy in the first half and kept turning the ball over. I asked for more consistency in the second half and they gave us that.” Indeed, the Mackay High boys dug deep in the second stanza with Kelvin Nielsen and Dean crossing for tries. Rovelli, who has recently taken the coach's reins at MSHS from Don Saunders, said it was perplexing to play the game in Townsville, considering the other semi-final between Townsville's Kirwan High and Yeppoon's St Brendans was played at Mackay yesterday. Kirwan caused a boilover by beating St Brendan's 17-10 to ensure an all Townsville NQ final. Local finals MACKAY State High will now focus on the Tarry Hayes Shield, which is likely to be played next week. Their opponents in the Mackay district rugby league open schoolboys grand final will be St Patrick's College. In the under 15 Booker Primrose Shield for under 15s, Mackay High will clash with Mercy College. • Results from other Mackay district rugby league schoolboys finals, played yesterday. Year 8: Proserpine SH 18 bt Holy Spirit College 16 (best players Keiran Anderson and Rhys McBride) Under 15 division 2: Mackay SH 2 28 bt Mercy College 24 in extra time (best players Edan Duffy and Alex Hay) Open division 2: Sarina SH 18 bt Mackay SH 2 10 (best players Ben Buchholz and Hamish Walding). |
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Story & Photo By :  FRAZER MASINAMUA and Gus Jasmin are both 15 and not used to being interviewed. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that they can play. Yesterday, they were enjoying a big win with their under-15s teammates from Westfields Sports High School. In a few years, they hope to be able to celebrate breaking into the NRL. Masinamua is a big boy. ‘‘I’m trying to lose 10 kilos,’’ he told the Herald during a break from play in the early rounds of the NSWRL All Schools Knockout at Whalan Reserve in western Sydney. ‘‘I want to get back to 100.’’ Yes, just 100 kilograms. He couldn’t run while recovering from a badly broken ankle suffered late last season. ‘‘I had a screw put through my ankle and today’s only my second game back,’’ he said. Being so big makes Masinamua a constant threat on the field, as a back-rower who runs hard and has skill, and it makes him stand out off the field, where he says he is learning to take a deep breath to stay out of trouble. ‘‘I try to avoid trouble, but sometimes it’s a bit hard for me because I’m a big boy and it tends to find me,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve walked away a few times, but it’s not easy. I’m still learning. I get my patience tested, but I have to learn to turn away if I’m going to succeed. I want to play NRL. It’s a long way away, but if I train hard I might be able to make it.’’ The most revealing – and refreshing – thing about these two kids is that they seem to get it when it comes to realising that if you want to make it these days, you need to behave just as well as you play. The game is playing hardball now with off-field offenders, and that is clearly the way it is going to stay. Jasmin, a five-eighth who plays a year up in the under-16s Harold Matthews competition for the Bulldogs – Masinamua plays for Parramatta in the same comp – has also battled injury and off-field adversity. But he sees his goals, and the way to reach them, clearly. ‘‘Hopefully, one day, I’ll play NRL with the Bulldogs,’’ Jasmin said. ‘‘I’ve still got a long way to go, but I think I’m heading in the right direction. I’m training hard and I’m making sure I stay focused and keep away from trouble. I’ve been through a lot of injuries, but I’m not worried about that now.’’ |
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Story By : RFL The Great Britain Community Lions U18s are busy preparing for their toughest ever test. Since their formation back in 2005 the Community Lions have regularly locked horns with sides from France and Australia, but the summer of 2009 will see them make the first ever trip “down under.” The young Lions depart at the end of July and will play six games on a tour that is set to last three and half weeks. The trip is undoubtedly the sides toughest ever challenge, but according to Manager Joe Elliott, one which they are looking forward to. “Touring Australia has got to be the toughest test you can possibly undertake,” said Elliott. “We’re going to be playing some top quality sides that will be really tough to beat, but we’ll go their confident in our ability. “We had a good hit out against the British Pakistan side at The Grattan Stadium, Odsal last week, but other than that we’ve not played a game since February. However, we’ve been meeting up regularly for training sessions and they’ve gone really well. “I know the lads are all looking forward to making such an exciting trip and I think after all the planning and preparation they just want to get on the plane and get on the field. Many of them have been over to play against France but to travel all the way to Australia and play is a totally different experience.” As well as playing representative sides from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and the Catholic High Schools (NSWCCC), Great Britain’s main focus will be on the two game test series against the Australian Schoolboys. The first test is set to be played in Canberra on the 16th August, whilst the second test takes place in Sydney on the 23rd and brings the tour to an end. “It doesn’t get any harder than facing the Australian Schoolboys,” admitted Elliott. “Over the years the Schoolboys have produced so many players that have gone on to be stars of the Rugby League world so it’s quite possible we could be facing up to the next Matt Gidley, Israel Folau or Jamie Lyon!” As well as been able to rely on the experienced Elliott, the Lions are also able to call upon a coaching team with plenty of pedigree. Head Coach Carl Briscoe - father of England and Hull KR star Shaun - has been with the side since their launch and is a vastly experienced coach, whilst his assistant Paul Egan is a former BARLA international. The youngsters have faced the Australian Schoolboys just once before, going down 38-8 at Doncaster in December 2006. |
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| KEEBRA PARK & KIRWAN STILL aLIVE Defending Arrive alive Cup Champions are shock loosers in tonights Queensland semi final It was not until about 3 minutes until half time before the first score was put on the board when PBC's Lain Windley dived in under the posts, Jordan Rankin couldn't miss from there and added the 2 points. Half time PBC 6 - 0 KP. The second half saw Keebra Park run the ball up the middle and spread the fooy wide which resulted into tries to Mosese Fotuarka & Sam Murdoch, PBC couldn't find anymore in the tanks. Then with less than 2 minutes, Jordan Kahu successfully slotted a field goal to give Keebra Park sweet revenge on the long time rivals. In the other 2 Queensland semi final, KIRWAN SHS have set themselves up with a showdown with Ingatius Park for the right to play Keebra Park in the QLD grand Final in 3 weeks. Iggy Park where too good for Mackay High School winning comfortably to the tune of 44 - 10 & Kirwan SHS defeated St. Brendans 17 - 10. |
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| PINE RIVERS TAKE OUT SHIELD FINAL Story By : GRJRL PINE RIVERS ARE THE ARL DEVELOPMENT SHIELD CHAMPIONS PINE Rivers coach Kingi Tamati praised the effort of his players after they took out this year’s ARL Development Shield final over the Cairns Kangaroos 36-12. The Greater Brisbane Junior Rugby League side travelled on Barlow Park on Saturday to play in the final of the state-wide Under 15s club competition. “We stuck to our game plan and pretty much played like we had all season, but with a higher intensity,” Tamati said. “Across the park, all the boys played to their potential and gave everything. It was a really good win and I am proud of their effort. “But win or lose, it didn’t matter, it was the experience of playing that went much further.” Pine Rivers got away to a 20-0 half-time lead, with their solid defence pressuring the opposition into making errors. However, the Kangaroos came out strongly after the break, scoring two quick tries, before the visitors once again asserted their dominance to close out the match. “I think the adrenaline and the excitement helped and we had a lot of experience and depth in the side and I had confidence that experience-wise, that would carry the team," Tamati said. As well as their trophies for being named Shield champions, Pine Rivers will also receive a set of QRL licensed supplier jerseys for 2010 provided by Struddy Sports. Tamati also thanked the QRL and ARL for flying the team up and accommodating them, and especially thanked Northern Pride and the Kangaroos for looking after the whole team and making them feel welcome. ARL DEVELOPMENT FINAL: PINE RIVERS 36 (Isaiah Mosese 2, Craig Hunt 2, Kodi Nikorima 2, James Warr, Jack Creighton tries, Isaiah Mosese 3, Kodi Nikorima goals) def CAIRNS KANGAROOS 12 (Cruze Anderson, Boche Satrick, Nichollas Sam tries) PLAYER OF THE MATCH: CRAIG HUNT |
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| Wednesday 5 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : Steve Gee  Photo By : PLANS to replace rugby league age divisions with weight categories are being stymied because of the uncertainty of how to deal with sudden growth spurts. Administrators over the past five years have discussed picking junior sides by weight rather than age amid fears the influx of Polynesian players is forcing smaller and slightly built youngsters out of the code. While the NSWRL has long held annual weight-for-age carnivals, all weekend competitions are age-based. ARL development manager Martin Meredith said the issue was part of a major review of junior league involving the ARL, NSWRL and district leagues. He said: "It's a lot easier to run a one-off carnival where you weigh the kids on the day. The other side of the coin; with a season-long competition, if a kid puts on a bit of weight during the year and it comes Grand Final time, can he play? "That's still something we're wrangling with and we haven't been able to come up with an answer. Once kids enter puberty some put on a lot of weight and we're not in a position at the moment to say, `Sorry son, you've played all year but now you can't play in the finals'.'' Meredith said the NSWRL had been running its weight-for-age carnivals for four years under two categories, 11-12 years (55kg) and 12-13 (60kg). |
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BULLDOGS WIN INAUGURAL JASON HETHERINGTON CUP THE under 12 Brothers Bulldogs team enjoyed a successful trip to Gladstone recently, where they won the inaugural Jason Hetherington Cup. Brothers were one of four Mackay sides that travelled to the carnival, along with Magpies, Norths and Sarina. The Bulldogs finished on top of their pool after winning all six of their early games. Their results included a 48 - 0 triumph over Valleys Diehards and a 54-6 victory against Gracemere. In the semi-final, the Brethren prevailed over Mackay Magpies by a convincing 50 points. They progressed to the grand final, where they proved too strong for Sarina, winning 54 - 10 to take out the Cup. Carnival organisers selected William Anderson as the best defender of the grand final and John O'Brien won player of the grand final. Brothers coach Terry O'Brien said his side gave a “fantastic” effort during the carnival. “They were very skilful and they played really well as a team,” he said. He said after there is the Gordon Tallis Cup for under 10s and the Laurie Spina Shield for under 11s, it was good to have another carnival for the players once they reach the under 12 division. O'Brien said he has noticed a marked improvement in the playing abilities of many of the youngsters since their trip to Gladstone. He said his team had also enjoyed the chance to play against teams from other regions. The Jason Hetherington Cup is set to become an annual event for the under 12 division. A NUMBER of Mackay teams recently travelled to Proserpine for the under 9 Paul Bowman Challenge. One of the local sides that fared well was Souths, who played strongly together as a team despite being short on numbers. The Cowboys Development Officer, referees, Proserpine Junior League and the ARL Development team voted on who should win the Sportsmanship Award and Souths met the criteria. |
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TUESDAY'S GRAND FINAL RESULTS ARE : CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2009 NSWRL ALLSCHOOLS CHAMPIONS |
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Story By : GOLD COAST TITAN'S Media Release Keebra Park SHS Under-16s and St Michaels College successfully turned the tables on their rivals in the grand finals of the BCU Titans Cup and Titans Challenge competitions at Glennon Park Nerang last night. Grand final re-matches acted as the theme of the night, with Keebra Park SHS successfully avenging last year’s grand final loss to Palm Beach Currumbin SHS with a thrilling 20-14 victory in the BCU Titans Cup. It was a similar scenario in the final of the BCU Titans Challenge, with St Michaels College accounting for the disappointment of a one-point loss in last year’s decider to come away with a 24-18 win over Robina SHS. “It was a heartbreaking way to lose last year so tonight’s win makes the victory very pleasing,’’ said St Michaels coach Alan Wyper. “We know they are a strong side but as we hadn’t played them in the rounds we didn’t really know what to expect.” Player of the match was Brad Jones. In the BCU Titans Cup final, Keebra Park scored three unanswered first half tries before PBC set up a tense finale after getting themselves back into the match at 16 - 14. However, a late try to Keebra snuffed out any further chance of a PBC comeback. “We are not a huge side but we do pride ourselves on playing well disciplined, structured football and that is really what got us our win today,’’ said Keebra coach Ben Woolf. “We have kept the under - 16s together as a unit and it has a been a successful endeavour that will only see them continue to grow as a team next year . Player of the match was Joseph Tago of Keebra Park SHS. KEEBRA PARK BLUE 20 - 14 PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN |
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| Tuesday 04 th August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THRILLING FINALS IN THE TITANS CUP AND CHALLENGE. Monday night saw the conclusion of this years Titans, Cup and Challenge competitions in front of a packed house at Glennon Park Nerang. Since its inception in 2006, this knockout tournament has grown to be the premier schoolboy rugby league fixture in the local area and looks set to be even bigger in 2010. Teams from across the Gold Coast and South Brisbane, battled out the rounds in term two and in both the Cup and the Challenge, the semi-finalists were decided on points for and against, a testimony to the closeness of the encounters. TITANS CHALLENGE ST MICHAELS COLLEGE 24 defeated ROBINA SHS 18 The CHALLENGE COMPETITION saw St Michaels College take on old rivals and defending champions Robina SHS in a re-match of the 2008 Grand Final. In 2008 Robina slotted a last minute field goal to snatch the trophy from under the noses of a disappointed St Michaels team but tonight saw a reversal of fortune. “It was a heartbreaking way to lose last year so tonight’s win makes the victory very pleasing.” Said St Michaels Coach, Alan Wyper. “We know they are a strong side but as we hadn’t played them in the rounds we didn’t really know what to expect.” Leading 8-0 at half time, St Michaels looked strong but a trio of unanswered Robina tries just after half time, put them on the back foot at 12-8 down. “We were under the pump for a while there but our hunger and determination really got us back in the game and set the platform for our victory. We managed to post a couple of six pointers and we defended well enough to keep them out.” With a final score of 24-18 to St Michaels, their rivalry with Robina looks set to continue in 2010 and that is great news for both the competition and the fans. TITANS CUP KEEBRA PARK SHS 20 defeated PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN SHS 14 This years TITANS CUP Grand Final saw defending Champions PBC up against the Keebra Park Under 16’s side. These teams have faced off in the final for the past three years with PBC being victorious on all three occasions. With both schools having long, proud traditions in Rugby League it was always going to be a hard fought game and once again this fixture did not disappoint. The first half was all Keebra Park with them scoring three unanswered tries and going into the sheds with a 16-0 platform that was to prove invaluable as the second half commenced. “We know PBC were going to be a strong side who would play the full 60 minutes so we were happy that we had given ourselves a great start and had dominated the opening encounters with some great work by our forwards.” Said Keebra coach, Ben Woolf. As the second half progressed it was PBC who took the game on and through some determined attack, managed to get themselves back into the game at 16-14. This tense stalemate lasted for almost the entire last ten minutes, before Keebra Park scored another 4 pointer that snuffed out any further chance of a PBC comeback and gave Keebra a well deserved victory. “We are not a huge side, but we do pride ourselves on playing well disciplined, structured football and that is really what got us our win today.” Said coach Woolf. “We have kept the sixteens together as a unit and it has a been a successful endeavour that will only see them continue to grow as a team next year .” He added. PLAYER OF THE MATCH was JOSEPH TAGO of Keebra Park SHS. |
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| NSWRL ALLSCHOOLS PRIMARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONS
MONDAY'S GRAND FINAL RESULTS ARE : CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2009 NSWRL ALLSCHOOLS CHAMPIONS
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 THE legacy of one of the first professional rugby league players in Australia continues through his proud grandson. Cameron Gersbach plays fullback for the St Marys under-14s and dreams of following in the footsteps of grandfather Keith Gersbach, who played for the Canterbury Bulldogs for two seasons before he became one of the Parramatta Eels' founding players when the club kicked off in the competition in 1947. Cameron, 14, was one of the teenagers from St Marys, Oxley Park, Londonderry and Cranebrook who shared their stories for The Story Exchange exhibition, which will be launched on Thursday night at Penrith's Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. The students spent two months working with photographer Maylei Hunt and filmmaker Vanna Seang on photographic and digital techniques to explore themes of neighbourhood strength, pride in place, local identity and passion for their environment. Cameron based his project on his love for rugby league. He said he learned more about his grandfather's career while researching the project and speaks about and shows photos of his grandfather in the film. His grandfather was a long-time St Marys resident and now lives in a nursing home in Bellingen on the NSW north coast. Cameron has been playing since he was eight and hopes to follow in his grandfather's footsteps in the NRL one day. The project was a partnership between Penrith Council and the Information and Cultural Exchange as part of the council's Neighbourhood Renewal Program, which encourages young people to express their perspectives through innovative and creative methods. ``This is an extraordinary opportunity for young people to have direct access to professional artists,'' Penrith mayor Jim Aitken said. |
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| Monday 03 rd August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AAC HOTS UP IN QLD This week will see the South East Qld Final of the Arrive Alive Cup with PBC up against Keebra Park in what has become a traditional fixture. Since 2005 these two sides have battled it out for a spot in the Qld Final with Keebra winning in 2005 and 2006 and PBC taking the honours in 2007 and 2008. This year will see PBC boasting six Titans Toyota Cup players including Australian players, Jordan Rankin, Ryan James up against a relatively unknown Keebra Park Outfit. Both sides had comfortable wins in the semi final stages and it looks like the game will live up to the expectations. Keebra will go into the game with the underdog tag but that will not phase them. They have been training well under schoolboy coashing stalwart, Greg Lenton and know they are capable of a good win if they play to their strengths. Whatever the outcome it is sure to be a great clash. The game is at Pizzey Park on Wednesday 5th of August. Good luck boys |
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| Sunday 02 nd August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ARRIVE ALIVE SHOWDOWN: HILLS SPORTS VS ST GREGORYS It will be tradition up against the new kid on the block when two of the best rugby league schools in NSW go head to head next Thursday at Leichhardt Oval in a round of 16 Arrive Alive showdown. St Gregory's College Campbelltown is rugby league royalty. They were once the kings of schoolboy rugby league having won the Arrive Alive’s antecedent competition known as the Commonwealth Bank Cup nine times in eleven grand finals. Their alumni boasts current Kangaroo head coach Tim Sheens who was school captain in 1968, Parramatta coach Daniel Anderson, Broncos coach Ivan Henjak, Souths coach Jason Taylor and the most successful coach in schoolboy history and now Bulldogs recruitment manager Peter Mulholland. And if that’s not enough; what about Jack Gibson the team of the century coach! He’s an old boy as well. What players have they produced you ask? As well as some already mentioned they have produced Trent Barrett, Ryan Hoffman, Eric Grothe Jnr, Chris Lawrence, Brendan Oake, Beau Scott and Taulima Tautai. Then God invented sports high schools. St Gregs have not contested the grand final since 2001 when they were beaten in the final by Palm Beach Currumbin 16-4. Since then sports high schools Endeavour and Matraville have dominated the competition. That’s where The Hills Sports High School comes in. The school was established in 2003 and is NSW's youngest sports high school. Their players now feed the Parramatta and Penrith systems. They are the brash, confident and out there boys from Sydney’s west. They are the new kids on the block. Their alumni pales in comparison to their much-vaunted opponents. But they can claim Penrith whiz-kid Wade Graham who captained the school to the Arrive Alive Cup semi finals in 2007. Former Kangaroo and Tiger’s fullback Tim Brasher also attended the school in years gone by. They also have many players in the Parramatta and Penrith Toyota Cup teams ready to make their mark in the big city competition. They were eliminated in the round of 16 last year after being narrowly defeated by Patrician Brothers' Blacktown.
St Gregs have a formidable pack of forwards boasting two 2009 Australian schoolboys, prop Matthew Groat and second rower Jack Stockwell. They also have St George Toyota Cup player and second rower Alex McKinnon. They beat Saint Stanislaus’ College Bathurst in an Arrive Alive Tier B round 3 clash 40-0 this week. St Stanislaus did well to make it as far as they did but they are a predominately rugby union school. This week Gregs will find the going a lot tougher as they are facing a specialist rugby league school. Hills Sports have seven members of Parramatta’s semi-final SG Ball team playing. They are half/hooker Tim Crellin, second rower/ centre Jacob Loko, centre/winger Jorge Taufua, prop Peni Terepo, half Jason Seage, centre Joshua Tuitupou and five eight Jason Wehbe.
The forward battle will be brutal with Peni Terepo looking to show Australian Schoolboy selectors they got it wrong by selecting Groat ahead of him. Terepo has been starring in Parramatta’s Toyota Cup team the last few weeks. Tim Crellin is a noted defender and his big hits will test the toughness of the Greg’s pack. Jacob Loko is a fine prospect and I expect Hills will play him in the second row. He is big, strong and fast. I think it is in the backs where Hills will have the edge. Their team will include Gerard McCallum at fullback. This boy has had a wonderful year representing NSWCHS in rugby and rugby league. He is a shadow player for the Australian Schoolboys league team (as is Terepo) and his efforts have been recognised with a new contract with the Bulldogs next season. Throw in halves Seage and Wehbe, centres Taufua and Tuitupou and winger Sam Ahofono who played in the Western Academy SG Ball team and I think you can see a pretty formidable backline that should gain the ascendency in this one. Hills are coached by Mark Horo the head coach of Shellharbour in the NSW Cup. Horo is a former New Zealand Rugby League International and played 129 NRL matches with Parramatta, Wests and the Warriors. I’m tipping a close match but if Hills can contain the St Gregory’s pack I think the brilliance of the Hills backline will get them home. If you are interested in seeing some great schoolboy rugby league then get down to Leichhardt Oval on Thursday 6 August for the 1pm kick off. |
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| BIGGEST JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE EVENT OF THE YEAR SET FOR WESTERN SYDNEY KICKOFF NEXT WEEK Australia’s biggest junior Rugby League event of the year will see more than 3000 children from 189 schools descend on the game’s heartland of western Sydney for the 65th NSWRL All Schools Knockout next week. The All Schools Knockout brings together the school junior league community from across the state for three days of competition starting Monday 3 August to Wednesday 5 August. Teams have travelled from as far as Narrabri, Benora Point, Kempsey and Muswellbrook, accompanied by more than 150 volunteers, referees, first aid officers and ground managers. The event’s enormous scale has seen the NSWRL make use of five separate western Sydney playing fields, with St Mary’s eight-field Whalan Reserve the hub of activity. And it’s not just the kids who are excited - Western Sydney junior league club the Rooty Hill RSL Dragons set up camp at Whalan Reserve tonight in preparation for the event. In an example of the vast volunteer support network junior Rugby League enjoys, around 50 members of the thriving Dragons club will run the carnival’s canteen – a huge task in itself. “We’ve all taken annual leave and decided to set up camp because this is easily the biggest carnival of the year,” Rooty Hill RSL Dragons secretary Don Milides said today. “Our club has volunteered to run the canteen so it will be a good chance to get things set up and ready to go, because there will be plenty of kids lining up come Monday morning. “You really have to see it to believe it – the scale of the whole thing. “Our club has been going for 45 years and the All Schools is a great chance for families to come together and enjoy themselves. “We love the game and we’re in the heartland of Rugby League out here – it’s a great occasion.” Easily the biggest day of the Knockout, Monday will see 110 primary schools and more than 1500 children represent their districts from all over NSW including North Coast, CRL Group 1, Mid North Coast, Newcastle, Central Coast, North West, Sydney Metro, Western Division, Illawarra and the South Coast. On Tuesday 71 secondary schools will take to the fields with more than 1400 children expected to take part, before Wednesday features eight ‘elite’ schools such as Endeavour and Illawarra Sports High. NSWRL General Manager Geoff Carr said the All Schools Knockout was an example of the far-reaching support for grass roots Rugby League. “There are literally thousands of kids getting ready to take part in the All Schools Knockout and it’s fitting we are able to host it in a region which is at the forefront of our strong growth at the junior level,” Carr said today. “Just bringing in the amount of volunteers we have is a monumental task and their commitment and passion for the grass roots is one of the reasons we have achieved this growth. “It’s also great to see that the NSW education department and the Catholic school system has shown its continued support for Rugby League by participating in our biggest event on the school calendar. “We’ve got record numbers entering this year so all indicators point towards it being the biggest Knockout we’ve ever staged.” The NSWRL All Schools Knockout is run with the support of the Blacktown City Council, ARL Development and the NSWRL. Support from western Sydney junior league clubs such as St Mary’s JRLFC, Rooty Hill JRLFC, Brothers JRLFC and Colyton JRLFC is integral to its success. WHAT: 65th NSWRL All Schools Knockout WHEN: Monday 3 August to Wednesday 5 August WHERE: St Mary’s No. 2 (Cnr Forrester & Boronia Rd, St Mary’s) Hickey’s Park (Coombes Drive, Penrith) The Kingsway (The Kingsway, Werrington) CEC Blinkhorn (Great Western Highway, Colyton) TIME: Matches from 9am to 4pm |
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| Saturday 01 st August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TAMWORTH’S McCarthy Catholic College Under 14 rugby league side bowed out of the Combined Catholic Colleges Rugby League Knockout yesterday when beaten 24-10 by Maitland’s St Peter’s. Three second-half tries from the visitors broke a 10-all half- time deadlock on a day when the Country Rugby League Cup northern zone finals were held in Armidale. Three local teams were involved at the UNE’s Consett Davis fields – the Farrer First XIII in the opens, the Farrer under 15s and the Inverell High School under 13s. But only the Farrer 15s won through to represent the north at the state finals in Dubbo. PHOTO : St Peter’s Jock Hafey is monstered by McCarthy trio (from left) Ted Alderton, Luke Wiegold (back) and Scott Davies (right). St Peter’s hooker Jarred Smyth (left) lends a hand. St Peter’s won 24-10. Photo: Barry Smith 300709BSB13 |
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Kiama HS's golden run in the Arrive alive Cup came to an end at OKI Jubilee Stadium going down to Endeavour SHS in the final round of 16. Endeavour Sports High School are through to the next round of the Arrive alive Cup after getting home against a gutsy Kiama High School this arvo. Endeavour which proudly boast 5 NSWCHS players and 3 Australian Schoolboys struggled to hold on to the footy on their way to a 28 - 10 victory. More soon & heaps of foto's over the next few days |
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Story & Photo By : Glenn Jackson  Like most Victorians, he calls the code rugby. But Cameron Hansen is also unlike most Victorians in that he prefers that very code to the established might of the AFL. After Karmichael Hunt’s decision to join the Gold Coast AFL franchise this week, Hansen is an example of a young player who is pushing against the crowd. He is no household name just yet, but he does prove that there are some, even in AFL heartland, who prefer the physicality of rugby league over the finesse of Australian rules football. ‘‘I just didn’t enjoy playing footy any more,’’ Hansen said of his decision last year. ‘‘I really enjoy rugby. I enjoy rugby’s physicality.’’ Hansen had been identified as an AFL prospect, having represented Victoria at junior-age level while also playing rugby league. Some of his highlights feature on YouTube. But he says his future lies with rugby league, having played in the Melbourne SG Ball squad that competed in the grand final this year. It was the first year the Storm fielded an under-18 outfit. It should be pointed out that Hansen is not exactly a true convert. He had a link to league even before he played his first game, his father grew up on the sport in New Zealand. But Hansen says more youngsters from Victoria will follow his lead. ‘‘I think it’s growing each year,’’ he said of rugby league. Hansen is one of a number of players vying to be the first locally produced player to turn out for the Storm. His SG Ball coach, Kim Williams, has no doubts he has the potential to make first grade. ‘‘He’s definitely got a talent,’’ Williams said of the outside back. ‘‘He loves the physical side of it. He’s got genuine speed and very good footwork. They’re pretty good attributes to start with. ‘‘He’s got that elite mentality and he understands the game.’’ Williams is also wary because Hansen, as a former Australian rules prospect who turned his back on the sport, is generating publicity largely for that reason, somewhat back-seating his ability. But it appears he at least has some of that. ‘‘He played SG Ball in nine games as a 16-year-old. That’s a pretty good indication of his potential,’’ Williams said. ‘‘We’re trying not to rush him. He’s probably in that program [SG Ball] for another two years. We don’t want him to get ahead of himself. In terms of potential, he’s certainly been earmarked to go all the way, but there are a lot of variables.. LEARN MORE |
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 30 YEARS of NSW CCC SCHOOLBOYS RUGBY LEAGUE BOOK LAUNCH The NSW CCC have launched a brand new book. 30 years of NSW CCC Rugby League. Its a fantastic book filled with great stories & photos of the history of the NSW CCC rugby league system. This book is available for sale at the bargain price of only $20.00, if you would like a copy, contact us and we can point you in the right direction. | LeaRN MoRe | ORDER NOW |
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2009 STRUDDY'S CHALLENGE 
TRIAL v WESTSTIGERS 
2009 
2009 ARRIVE aLIVE CUP
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QRL 
2007 COWBOYS CHALLENGE 
PATRICK O'HANLON 
OBE GEIA 
Jeff HARDY
Bulldogs win Harold 2007 Matthews Cup Grand Final | NATIONAL SCOREBOARD |
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| ROUND 9 NSWRL DISTRICT JUNIORS |
NSW JUNIOR LEAGUES |
 CRONULLA JUNIORS |
COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD |
| G8 GIFT IDEA'S |
| NATIONAL SCOREBOARD |
| ARRIVE aLIVE CUP |
COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD |
| CHEERLEADER OF THE WEEK |
ASSRL | PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE HOSTING & EMAIL SYSTEMS BY : |
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