By “Nutta”
Gudday Cobbers,
Coming out of the ANZAC bye into Round 4, the club was certainly primed for a big day out at Drummoyne Oval. With Ladies Day on and a small army of willing volunteers beavering about the place, the sun was shining and the Red Men stood primed to host our northern neighbours from over the Gladesville bridge – Hunter Hill. With the club fielding 5 senior men’s grades along with 2 mobs of Colts, and with other notable occurrences such as club stalwart Richard ‘Jobbo’ Jobson racking up his 200th appearance, newly anointed Club Captain Christian ‘CV’ Vanezi punching his 100th ticket and prodigal son Hamish ‘Beat Me’ Beattie making a rare reappearance, the stage was set for a massive day on the shores of a sparkling and spectacular Canada Bay.
5th Grade (Halligans Cup) vs Colleagues. Lost 15-10.
The opportunity to run out in 5th grade was well welcomed by the motley assortment of Red Men who rolled out and onto the fabled Drummoyne oval for the Breakfast-Club kick-off, particularly given it got a few of us off the hook from having to work out how to build the marquee. And with a fine group of forwards assembled in-particular, the Red Men were feeling quietly buoyed that we would own scrum time and likely own lineout time and so pave the way for our backs to orchestrate an outstanding start to the day proceedings. Unfortunately, in what some described as a-typical Colleagues form, despite having a number of lads in their ranks who could not possibly have been described as anything other than ‘portly’, the Colleagues lads pled ‘uncontested’ scrums which left Messieurs Tukadra, Garraway & Beattie looking for other avenues through which to add value. Thus the match duly got underway with the Red Men discombobulated by the Colleagues ‘uncontested’ shenanigans. This, combined with the Red Men’s relative unfamiliarity with each other compared to the obvious cohesion of the Blue Men, and so made for an under-whelming opening. Thus Colleagues skipped out with an early pie. However that try seemed to sting the Red Men into action. And with two enormous midfield tackles off the ensuing kick-off forcing turnovers which then allowed the Red Men to set up camp inside the Blue quarter for an extended period, the Red Men shortly thereafter balanced the ledger with a well-constructed pie of their own and the mood seemed to indicate the DD was about to ‘kick on’ with the match.
However it was not to be. What followed was some entertaining officiating, including some interesting interpretations of the men-on-field count for the Blue Men when they had called uncontested scrums, and a demonstration of why rugby is indeed a team game better played by teams who have familiarity with one another. Thus whilst it was an engaging tussle that see-sawed from one end of the park to the other, the Blues familiarity and cohesion saw them put two more pies on the board for the Red Men’s one extra try. Fittingly for 5ths, where all kicking should be barred, all pies went un-sauced. And thus the Red Men’s poor start proved prophetic as the final whistle saw the tally at three pies to two, with no sauce to add either way, and thus the 15-10 victory travelled with the Colleagues lads back to Woollahra.
I can say that the DDR 5ths lads were truly disappointed to not start such an auspicious day for the club in the manner it should have been, not the least because the win was actually well achievable. But in the end, the poor start and the familiarity and cohesion of an obviously regularly-playing Colleagues outfit shone through against the best endeavours of the odd-day-out Red Men who, whilst they played with heart, did also play minus that same level of familiarity and cohesion. Ce sera sera. Rugby was the winner on the day. Blah blah blah. Bugger. I needed a drink.
Best and Fairest points went 3pts to Grant Staunton, 2pts to Alex Armistead and 1pt Adrian Harrison.
2nds Colts (Radford Cup) vs Wakehurst Brothers. Lost 41-5.
Meanwhile, 2nds Colts continued their search for their elusive first win as they took the field against a Wakehurst that was big, strong and direct out on Taplin oval. And the Red Colts continuing development maintained its course early, particularly in defence against such a large and well-structured side. So despite not much ball or field position, the Red Colts defence stood strong throughout the first half and comments from Supercoach Maybank were that the lads may have surprised themselves to find they came out the other side of the storm and went into halftime only one pie behind.
However the Red Colts were unable to get a good percentage of possession in the second half and the defensive momentum required proved too much to maintain. After a match and a half of proving we would tackle everything that moved, we started to fall off tackles and began losing the collision zone. Subsequently the lads started to leak points and the Wakehurst lads seemed to grow stronger on the momentum. Wakehurst skipped away in the end and so the score wasn’t really fair reward for the effort the Red Men put in. But that’s life and that’s rugby at times. She can be a cruel mistress.
Closing comments from Supercoach Maybank were that more work is needed on organisation and efficient execution particularly when we have the ball, because we ‘look well dangerous’ when we do and so we also then don’t spend the majority of matches and energy having to tackle our way out of trouble.
Best and Fairest points went 3pts to Tom MacLaren, 2pts to Nicholas Baksa and 1pt Will Hobson.
Keep truckin’ lads. It’s a learning process and I promise you the relief you will feel as a team when you finally crack the walnut will be worth the work. Keep showing up for each other.
4th Grade (Judd Cup) vs Hunters Hill. Won 17-5.
Whilst the day had not started as we had hoped overall, with 5ths and 2nds Colts dropping their heads, proceedings had not yet commenced against the main fare of the day: our northerly friends from Hunters Hill. There lay the big fish to be landed and filleted.
And thus the 4ths took to the main oval at 10.45am, stinging from their loss to Colleagues on their previous outing and well aware they were charged with getting the day against Hunters Hill started in the right manner. And so they did duly oblige, rolling their sleeves and settling into their work early and gifting Outside Centre Tiernan ‘StickyT’ Stuckey with some wide-channel front-foot ball well inside his own quarter, which he gleefully accepted, swerved through some bamboozled defence and streaked away some 80 odd metres to coast over for a pie which he then duly self-converted to ensure he got the sauce as well. 7-0 to the good guys and the match was not yet barely 5 minutes old. And the Juddies day rolled on from there. A pie sans sauce to both Craig Hendo and Tom Hall compared to a pie no sauce to the black & whites later in the game saw the Juddies take the day 17-5.
Comments from Supercoach Heller were that the forwards did a great job in providing efficient, effective and clean phase ball in open play for the backs to exploit off the front foot and so consistently break the line. Body position in the tackle and over the ball was much improved from the previous outing and that meant we were winning the collision zone. This produced consistent quality ball and that meant we enjoyed ongoing possession and so field position. What didn’t work well enough was 1st phase ball with both scrum and lineout being generally ‘appalling’ and needing serious attention before approaching the Blue Goats. But against Hunters, the lads willingness to win made our own luck. So from the Supercoaches perspective, all in all it was a good win with only one lapse in concentration allowing the black & whites to go over in the corner.
With 2 wins from 3 starts the Juddies are in 4th spot on the ladder overall and solidifying as a side. But likewise on 9pts are Waverley (3rd), the Blue Goats (5th) and Forest (6th). Mossy and Colleagues are well out in-front on 15pts each (3 from 3 plus BP’s). So from here on, it’s not just wins but bonus points which will be at a premium if aspiring for September honours.
Best and Fairest points went 3pts to Nick Cramp, 2pts to Tom Hall and 1pt Chase Gatland.
3rd Grade (Whiddon Cup) vs Hunters Hill. Won 26-12.
With club stalwart Jobbo celebrating his 200th trot in the scarlet jersey, and after training and warming-up seemingly quite well, the to-date undefeated Thirsties were keen to kick-off and play the sort of structured and fast-paced game they have been aspiring to. However for reasons we had best sort out why, the Thirsties instead started surprisingly slowly and seemingly unwilling to talk and coordinate with each other. This led to the Red Men trying to play rugby at the wrong end of the park and thus the Red Thirsties subsequently found themselves a pie and sauce behind on the scoreboard early and clearly unsettled by the slowing tactics the Hunters Hill lads were adroitly deploying.
Post-match comments from Supercoach Scully indicate that some abrupt words of redirection from Captain Doc behind the try line seemed to rouse the slumbering beast somewhat and the lads settled and started to spark and find their groove. The scrum and particularly the lineout resumed functioning like well-oiled machines and the tackles and passes started to stick. And thus soon after Will ‘Farr-Jones’ Brandon crossed for the first of his eventual double pies. Following on, consistent winning of the collision zones led to the Reds playing at the right end of the field and this pressured the Hunters lads into successive penalties and cheap metres which led to a series of Red waves crashing on the Hunters try line and a 2nd pie seemed inevitable. Indeed, under such weight of field position and possession, it was this old salt who sniffed a pie in the air and so was in-process of snagging said pie from a quick tap when the Referee decided yet another offside Hunter who was attempting to tackle me around the eyebrows needed to ‘sample the frommage’ more than I needed to score. And thus the enthusiastic Referee blew the pea before I grounded the try! However my initial outrage was tempered by the realisation it was a penalty try to the Reds plus a yellow card to Hunters to boot. And thus the Red Thirsties trotted into half time up by 2 pies and a sauce to 1 pie sans sauce plus a one man advantage for the opening 10min of the second half.
Some injuries and some minor mis-firings triggered Supercoach Scully to unleash a very handy bench after oranges and the likes of Messieurs Flannery and Cramp certainly hit Drummoyne oval running early in the 2nd spell. And with a try to Josh Flannery and then another try to Will Brandon (whom is making a habit out of spectacular tries) off the back of simple but efficient lineout work, the accumulating crowd were on their feet and enjoying an increasingly authoritative display by the Red Thirsties. Accordingly it was somewhat poetic that the closing note of the day for the Red score sheet was Double Centurion Jobbo going 1 for 1 in the conversion stakes by successfully saucing Will Brandon’s second pie before the lads took their foot off the throat and allowed the Hunters lads to pinch a late-game pie and sauce to both frustrate the Reds and restore some respectability to the black & white tally.
Closing reflections from Supercoach Scully were that the quality of the side is showing through in that the lads brought home a win, even despite a poor start and the late opposing try that took some shine off the otherwise high standard of play the Reds had displayed. B&F points went 3pts to Will Barton, 2pts to Jobbo and 1pt each to Aidan Schmitt and Will Brandon.
The win has the Red Thirds at top of the table, in front of 2nd place Blue Goats (if only by +6 on points differentials), and proudly as the last of the clubs teams to remain unbeaten, but recognising there is ‘loads of work’ to do if we are to compete against the similarly undefeated Blue Mountains Thirsty Goats after the bye. Eye’s on the prize Bhoyos.
1sts Colts (Barbour Cup) vs Hunters Hill. Won 25-22.
With chat abounding that the Hunters Grommets were expectant to come to Drummoyne and ‘dominate’, the wee Red Men were a tad fired up for their encounter on the main oval. And from the opening whistle the Reds showed intent and ferocity, scarcely giving the black & whites room to breathe via fantastic pressure defence and sharp and efficient attack to promptly bounce away with a two pies and sauce lead. However the Red Pups then had a bit of a reality check as the Hunters regathered and bounced back with their own double pies and sauce.
The neck and neck action was certainly exhilarating, but unfortunately the Red Men then lost some of their clarity and discipline. In the words of Supercoaches Maybank and Namoa, some ‘moments of madness’ and a ‘loss of clarity’ led to a few ‘really silly penalties’, along with some cheese, that undoubtably cost the Red Men not just territory, but also momentum and pies. This was all that was required to allow the Hunters to stay in the game long past they otherwise would have.
However the Red Groms did rally and strung together enough structured, positive play and effective tackling to keep their opponents honest. And a late penalty goal to Liam Doyle provided enough rump to keep the Red noses in-front in-spite of a late game Hunters pie with no sauce. Thus, almost despite their best endeavours otherwise, the Colts 1sts full time whistle blew to herald a 25-22 victory to the Red Men. The lads had snagged the win, their first of the season, and so retired to the Old Red Stand to drink their wine, tell of their deeds and sing their songs.
B&F went 3pts to Liam Doyle, 2pts to Tom Sidgreaves and 1pt to Zach ‘Harrow’ Yardley. On the whole, the structure and organisation the lads showed for most of the day heralded a huge improvement and illuminated the way forward for these young men to develop into a team that can use the clear amount of talent they have. The only thing standing in the way of that glory is their own impetuousness. The more they learn the right balance between aggression and penalties, the more the wine will flow. But they have that first-win monkey off their back so well done fellas. Now do it again.
2nd Grade (Burke Cup) vs Hunters Hill. Won 36-24.
Your intrepid reporter finally caught up with Supercoach Mick outside 429A Pitt St at about 6am on Tuesday morning and comments from the Supercoach were that, unfortunately, 2nd grade started the match in their customary way of the last two games by allowing cheap tries to the opposition. While Hunters Hill scored their first try from an illegal play at the line out, they got away with it so good luck to them. Remember lads, it’s only illegal if you get caught. This seemed to rattle the Red lads and Hunters capitalised with two more tries and suddenly we were down 0-17 in about the first 20 minutes and ‘well rattled’.
The half time speech was going to be very… colourful.
However, at 17-0 we decided it was now our turn to play. We finally got some ball in hand and made some good metres downfield for Ruben Brock to go crashing over for our first pie onto which Nick Powell duly squirted the sauce. 7-17 looked far better than 0-17 and so our butterflies settled and we set about our work. The Hunters somewhat predictable kick-off allowed us to flow straight into our programmed counter-attack and we promptly rolled back down their end of the field and ‘pied up’ again in quick time with Michael Thompson crashing over from close range.
What followed was essentially ‘eat, sleep, rave, repeat’ although it must be said the interplay among the whole team was simply stunning to send Adonis over for the 3rd pie. And with Nick Powell squirting sauce about with reckless abandon, it was shaping up as ‘a half of two halves’ with the Good Guys heading towards the break at 21-17 up. But lack of concentration or arrogance or whatever got the better of us and from our mistakes we allowed the Hunters to sneak one more pie before oranges to see us go into the break at 21-24 down.
After some calm and controlled words at the break, play resumed with the Red Men taking control of the match and ensuring we were the only ones to score thereafter. A pie to Corey Johnson from some great play was followed by a penalty goal from Saul McCredie to set a points buffer that broke the Hunters hearts and so set the scene for a coaching tactical-substitution masterstroke with the freshly returning Nick Powell swooping on an intercept to streak away for the pie that sealed the game. With the situation in-hand, Club Captain CV stepped up in his 100th scarlet game to correct the embarrassment of the last home game and squirt the sauce squarely between the sticks for the conversion. Thus the Red Men finished the game with a 34-24 win.
B&F points were Corey Griffin for 3, Nick Powell for 2 and one point each to Reuben Brock and Trevor Rangel. It must be noted that in coming back from 17-0 down, the Red Burkies salvaged one of the more remarkable comebacks seen at Drummoyne oval in recent years. And that only added to the acknowledgement of CV Vanezi and his rugged front-rowers good looks as he swanned about in his 100th game in the scarlet jersey. As such the 2nds Bhoyos are looking good and displaying quality. But they need to fix their starts if they want to challenge into September.
1st Grade (Kentwell Cup) vs Hunters Hill. Lost 33-17.
With each side coming into the weekend undefeated with two good wins under their respective belts, the local Kentwell Cup derby between the Drummoyne Dirty Reds and Hunters Hill was a highly anticipated clash between two fierce historic rivals. And with the lower grades of the day all going in the Red Men favour, the crowd were certainly expectant for the Firsts to continue the early season trends. For the Red 1st XV itself, there were 5 changes made to the team from their last outing due to Navy/representative rugby, some injury and also some work commitments. However, despite such disruption, the coaching staff were confident and the Red Men were understandably in good spirits to be taking the field in-front of a significant Ladies Day crowd at Drummoyne Oval on a flawless Sydney Saturday afternoon.
Comments from Supercoaches Sinisa and Mews were that the lads started well and forced their way into the game positively resulting in 2 good early opportunities from 5 metre lineouts. However both opportunities came to nowt when the ball was knocked on over the line. This inaccuracy in execution and subsequent frustration proved talismanic for the rest of the day as more than 14 missed tackles and 12 handling errors throughout the balance of the first half alone gifted the black and whites both territory and possession on which they did feast. Two pies to the Hunters were finally punctuated by a penalty goal from Reds scrummie Ben Halmarick, but it was then back again to one way traffic for the rest of the half as Hunters Hill ran in another 2 pies to take a 26-3 lead into half-time oranges.
The second half began in a far more settled manner and the Red Men were able to regain possession and territorial parity. However points were proving hard to come by as continued frustration and over-enthusiasm led to a continuance of the uncharacteristic handling errors and more penalties from the Red Men. This snuffed many good attacking raids and promising situations before they could develop and deliver. Two late Red pies restored some respectability to the Scarlet Men score sheet, but in all fairness, it was probably poetic that the final bakers delight of the day went to Hunters Hill on the bell like some sort of perverse cherry on top of a proverbial dessert.
Perhaps it will prove useful in the balance of the season for the Firsts to have had this loss. And to be fair, the side was significantly altered from its previous outing. However team changes are a fact of life and such philosophising does little to remove the bad taste that such a loss, on such a day, leaves in the mouth. But it surely does set the scene, and the stakes, well in place for the return match against Hunters on 01 July (Round 10).
Best and Fairest points went 3pts to James Westbury, 2pts to Sitiveni Waqa and 1pt Adam King.
So there it is Laddies and Lassies. It was a mixed bag on the field with good wins for 4ths, 3rds, 1st Colts and 2nds all drinking deep and long of the wine. But 2nd Colts, 5ths and 1sts all came up short on Ladies Day 2023. Such is the way of it.
But all in all, it must be remembered as a successful day for the club with more grade and colts teams fielded than in any recent memory and a truly healthy crowd turning out for a highly entertaining day (and evening) at one of Sydney’s most iconic and picturesque sporting venues.
We now have another weekend off now to heal our bumps, thank our mums (yes you Palooka’s – it’s Mother’s Day this upcoming weekend so get yourselves sorted) and gird our loins for the upcoming trek westwards to the foothills of the Blue Mountains for Round 5. The Mountain Goats put 8 grades out all-up this weekend past. So they have good numbers. And they generally sit high in their respective grade competition tables (including 1st in Kentwell Cup). So it will be a fierce day at Lapstone oval and all Red Men will need to stand up and be counted.
And for what it’s worth, as I sit here typing this at 10.30pm on Sunday night in Wentworth Falls (in the Blue Mountains proper – not Penriff Heights), it is snowing and icing outside my window. So bring your woollies and fill your hip flasks with brandy as the weather will surely be at its ‘bracing and salubrious’ best.
Boire le vin.
Nutta.
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
For the other rounds