By “Nutta”
Hale and Well Met all you Red Men (and Women),
Saturday 22 April 2023 saw the Drummoyne Dirty Reds make the annual sojourn eastwards, past the ages-gone hedonistic wonderland of Kings Cross, to the land of the stockbrokers, trust-funds and private yachts in leafy Woollahra. And it was there that we partook in the ritualised hunt for a carpark wedged in somewhere between the Cranbrook Junior School and the golf course at Rose Bay. For thus is the path to the land of the Colleagues sandpit wherein many an aspirational tilt at Premiership glory has come unstuck over the years. For as a wiser man than I once said to me: “Nutta, Colleagues don’t field bad teams, It’s just that some years they are better than others.”
2nd Colts: Lost 12 – 5
Comments from Supercoach Maybank were along the lines that there was much improvement in the sides performance from last week to this week with some “barnstorming” runs up the middle of the pitch, some fantastic dominant tackling and a much clearer idea about maintaining possession and building some play. However whilst a great Reds try was eventually carved out later in the match, the Colleagues earlier 2 tries and a conversion proved too much to claw back from. The team is at a place where, for the 2nd week running, no one is doubting the effort or the will to ‘have a go’. But there is clearly a need for more team training, familiarity and general organisation to ‘find their groove’.
That said, whilst a 2 tries to 1 loss is disappointing, it is hardly something to be despondent about. Weaker men would have taken the first defeat of last week and not come back. So keep truckin’ lads. Your effort is stellar and the results will come as you cement the fundamentals. But yes, there is work to do as the side sits mid competition table thanks to bonus points.
B&F points were 3pts to Tom Sidgreaves, 2pts to Will Hobson and 1pt to Ned Greenwell.
4th Grade: Lost 22 – 5
With both the Blue and Red men coming into the game on the back of convincing wins the previous week, Supercoach Heller’s men were right to be both excited but anxious about the opportunity being presented. And so whilst the increasingly-familiar late-week shenanigans about front-rowers kept the side from being confirmed in good time, it was nonetheless a robust side that took the field with tails high chasing one of the more elusive scalps in Subbies rugby – a lower grade win at Woollahra.
Alas, the Red Men ran front on into a well organised and well settled opponent who proved too strong to upset, not even with the late notice injection of Club Stalwart Benn ‘No, not me Sir’ Sykes.
Supercoach Heller’s comments focussed on the positives surrounding good construction of phase play and the holding of the ball for extended breakdown counts, grinding their way upfield with good ‘tip and hazard’ work enabling the runner to consistently hit a soft shoulder while patiently waiting for the gaps to open up. The pity was that against such a well drilled opposition, such gaps were few and far between.
Likewise, Supercoach Hayward noted the enthusiasm of the set-piece defensive effort in-particular, with the Colleagues lads showing some frustration at their inability to achieve a single line break off their set piece for the entire game.
However, both Supercoaches comments were remarkably similar in that against such a well organised Blue defence, our slow-ball and re-start plays were either poor choices or poorly executed that all-to-frequently then lead to costly turnovers. Further, as our Backs were keen to share in the workload of the tighter defensive channels, we were then left frequently exposed to their quick-shifts of ball to their wings as demonstrated by all four Colleague tries being scored down the touchlines as our Backs were overlapped every time Blue swung the ball wide and fast.
So it was a ‘Such is life’ loss at the hands of a well drilled foe. The gift therein was that there were lessons to be learnt from it. At 4th on the table, above Forest but behind Mosman, the question is if we will learn our lessons…? B&F points were 3 pts to Adrian Andreacchio, 2 pnts to Etoni Tonga Alone and 1pt to Benn ‘No, not me Sir’ Sykes.
3rd Grade: Won 17 – 0
Colleagues came into the match following a hard fought 22-17 win over Hunters Hill the previous week and so were hardly overawed by the motley collection of Red flavoured Thirsties who took the field in the midst of introducing themselves to each other. Thus it was into that bizarre alternate world of rugby where the Red Thirds did venture, to play with over half the side being changed from the previous week. And, to be frank, the opening exchanges reflected a group of Red Men who seemed strangers to each other and were waiting on someone else to do something with such lethargy only being shaken off by the rapid fire yellow-carding of Captain Nick and then the red-carding of young Sione. As-such, this rapidly deteriorating scenario left our 3rds in the most dire of places: down to 13men, with Colleagues hard on attack and with Kenny Stephenson yelling at my good self to “Lead them sensibly Nutta! Lead with MATURITY!”
I did wonder for a moment if Kenny did realise the deep, inherent contradiction entwined in yelling at a guy called Nutta, a guy who only became a lawyer because he expects the police to come visiting one day, to “lead”, be “sensible” and possess “maturity”. One wonders what Kenny had been drinking.
However the cheese and vino duly served to the Thirsties only proved to spark the well-needed revival. And with challenge as set, the Bhoyo’s kicked into gear. Our scrummage was enormous and one may be forgiven for thinking the Blue Boys were on skates at times as the seven-man (and sometimes six-man) scrum just rolled them backwards. Our lineouts were safe in attack and disruptive in defence. And our sheer grit in defence – particularly when Colleagues were camped on our line for periods so long I wondered if they were paying rent – was just first rate. Thus 3 tries later, we went into half time both frustrated by their own limitations, but also awakening to the opportunity being presented.
The second half was more of the same with the 3rds simply dominating the field. However the due reward of a try to Zwarty and a 2nd try in 2wks to ‘Mr Mature’ (me) were denied by some highly confusing refereeing adjudications. And to be fair, the effort of the match told in the last 10min as we lost our shape. However we held our nerve and it was still 17-0 at stumps with 3rds not only collecting that most-rare Woollahra middle-grade scalp, but did so leaving the Blue Boys nude on the line.
In the maelstrom, players like Sam McKenzie materialised and played a blinder while Will Brandon played Half in Nick Farr-Jones-esque manner as a quasi extra forward. Meanwhile Joe Colley cut swathes out wide just as Aidan Schmitt cut swathes in the lineout air. Up-front, Moana Jeffrey-lam hit the ground running with a most effective game (which included pinching a try from me) while Mark McDermott earned his ticket to heaven climbing into loosehead against an opponent of sizeable girth. And throughout, the ever reliable Jobbo just kept truckin’ and showing the way forward.
All up it was a grand day out. Supercoach Scully nabbed his first win against Colleagues at Colleagues and at 2 wins from 2 starts and sitting 2nd on the table behind Blue Mtns (who lead by +1 bonus pts), the Thirsties are contemplating the side they just may become if they want to. B&F points were 3 pts to Mackenzie Long, 2 pts to Moana Jeffrey-lam and 1 pt to Joshua Davidson-Craig.
1st Colts: Lost 31 – 5
Comments from Supercoach Maybank highlighted that the Red Men were to be complimented on their commitment to the broad brush-strokes of the game: physicality, willingness, aggression etc. and a case in point was the ferocity of some of the tackling which was maintained for the entirety of the game. To that point, indeed the match was a head on head contest until about the 50th minute when the Colleagues sheer weight of positive possession started to tell and the Red Wall finally started to crack and leak points. The observation from one pundit was that for the same amount of ball, our lads were breaking the line and making good inroads before a lapse in concentration, a moment of poor discipline or a ‘rush of blood’ triggered a knock on or a ‘silly’ loss of possession. The pity is that such ‘silliness’ cost the lads the match.
The positive is that such stuff is known, recognised and the ability is well within the groups toolbox to fix it. And whilst the lads are in the bottom half of the table, the competition is still open enough for a good tilt to be made.
B&F points were 3pts to Spencer Benjamin, 2pts to Pat Musillo and 1pt to Matty Moore.
2nd Grade: Lost 17 – 10
Colleagues went down to Hunters Hill 15-12 the previous week and so seemed quite ‘up for it’ in the opening exchanges. In response, the Red Men seemed lethargic and suffering the same lack of intensity that gripped the 3rds. And thus it was hardly surprising that the Colleagues ran in a fairly straightforward ‘up the guts’ try that left more Red Men on the ground clutching dust than were left on their feet. And this was then followed up by the calamity of an intercept try. And both were in the opening 10 minutes with conversions from in front.
And so then the Red Men decided to play, only from 12-0 down. And play the Red Men did, with spirit, heart and endeavour over the next 60 minutes duly creating more than enough opportunities to pinch the Tim Tams. However whilst the effort was there, the execution was not and we could only capitalise for two pies (with no sauce) whilst the Colleagues lads took the penalty option feeling the need for the buffer, but unable to break the Red Wall.
Comments from Supercoach Mick was that overall, once awakened, it was a ‘spirited’ and ‘valiant’ effort from our Seconds. However he also lamented that we just can’t give away such head-starts and that we lacked clarity of thought and accurate execution at critical moments. Accordingly Mick said there was no wine to be drunk on Saturday night, only beers and Jäegermeister at the Petersham Inn (with the finest of company no-doubt). On a positive, 2nds did finish with a bonus point and thus are 2nd on the ladder behind Waverley.
B&F Points went 3 to Sione Takelo, 2 to Boon and 1pt to Tybalt Smith.
1st Grade: Won 52 – 18
Coming off a 1st round loss to Hunters Hill (17-26) and in need of a win, the Colleagues Blue Men could not hope but be somewhat inspired by the results of the day so far. And they showed such confidence, and a defiant hand, early by continuously running every ball they had, from everywhere on the field. However, they kept running that ball smash-bang into the teeth of some very determined Red Men defence. The Drummoyne Kentwell side, well aware they were playing last years premiers, who had fairly ‘spanked’ them often enough in recent years, fairly battered the Blue Men at every turn.
With that said, the Blue Men took the battering and maintained composure and possession. Accordingly, it took some time for the Reds to get some pill. But once a sniff of the ball was had, the accuracy of the play was first rate and the opening try was scored. Colleagues replied promptly with a penalty goal, but again, once some possession came Drummoyne’s way, the second try was scored in quick fire fashion.
However with the penalty count mounting fast (6-0 to Colleagues in the 1st half alone) possession and field position was such that Colleagues were able to score a penalty goal and another try before the Drummoyne backline started to utilise the steady stream of front foot ball the forwards started to supply and a rapid flurry of tries later it was suddenly halftime and the score was 33-11 to the Red Men from the less fashionable part of town.
As those with years of bitter experience expected, Colleagues came out firing and committed in the second half and were first to score a pie with added sauce. However there was a certain sense of inevitability in the air, that the opportunity was not going to be lost, and the Drummoyne forwards started to turn the screws and the backs started to surge. Accordingly, three unanswered tries put the score beyond Colleagues reach and the final whistle heralded a dominant 52-18 victory for the men in red.
B&F points were 3 to Adam King, 2pts to Corentin ‘Coco’ Delaune and 1pt each for Ilaisa Nakalokalodrau and Tevita Murimurivalu.
The win leaves the Red Men top of the table, tied with Blue Mtns on 10pts, but with a 15pt F&A differential.
So there we have it. There was a great win to 1sts, an epic character-filled win for 3rds, a ‘shoulda woulda coulda’ loss to Reserve Grade and 2nds Colts and some thinking to be done among 1sts Colts and 4ths. And given recent history, that’s not a bad day out at the Woollahra sand pit. And while only 2 teams drank the wine, all are in good stead on the tables, and were in greater numbers at the speeches than their counterparts.
It’s ANZAC this week. So observe the Dawn Service with reverence, spin some coins with a laugh and wear a Legacy badge with pride. If you need inspiration, I’ve often reflected on this bit of poetry:
A beer for those who serve.
A rum for those who fought.
A whisky for those who fell.
And a prayer for those who were left behind.
Lest we forget.
Then enjoy your bye weekend in grade and 1st Colts, support our 2nd Colts for their first home game, and as you get yourself squared away and gird your loins for the coming festivities on 6th May when on Ladies Day at Drummoyne Oval we visit some well overdue square-ups on our beloved northerly neighbours from Hunters Hill.
And if you want a history lesson on why we really don’t like our northerly neighbours over the bridge, come see me at training or the pub.
Boire le vin,
Nutta.
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
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