By “Nutta”
Gudday Cobbers,
Well Saturday 03 June 2023 saw the Scarlet Men of Drummoyne host the Big Blue of the Colleagues from Woollahra at the home of Dirty Red Rugby on the shores of Canada Bay. It has always been a Battle Royale when these clubs meet and it’s fair to say the Saturday gone was another of the same with some titanic struggles on-field and some sore bodies afterwards.
Although it must also be noted that in sharp contrast to the amount of RM William’s that the Colleagues lads tend to wear, their adherence to otherwise country-style rugby practices such as showing up for post-match speeches was bloody ordinary to say the least. They simply didn’t show up at all. And in my book, being a proper country rugby lad myself, that’s beyond poor form. But it was what it was and they done what they did.
So, before we approach our next opponents being the Blue Mountains at home at Drummoyne on 24 June, we had best discuss the match reviews:
5th Grade (Halligans Cup). Lost 15-17.
It was grand to see a Halligan’s Hero’s side take the field once more in the Saturday morning sunshine. Some of my fondest and most stirring memories in the red jersey over the years have been when on-field with the Breakfast Club. And given the score line, last Saturday would have been no different for the Scarlet Men who, despite having to go with uncontested scrums, played with heart and conviction and did well against a much more cohesive opponent.
In terms of how the match rolled, an early two pies and one squirt of the sauce bottle lead to the Blue Boys was bravely hauled in by the Red Men with pies to Tom Zwart and Paddy Cantrill and one saucy squirt by Yanek. Thus with the match at 12 all, Yanek then slotted a penalty goal to grab a 15-12 lead and a fantastic and against-the-odds victory seemed nigh. But a heart-breaker of a late-game pie to the Blue Boys meant the Colleagues lads took the victory back to Woollahra to the tune of 15-17.
A grand match, a welcome return to having a Halligan’s Hero’s, but not the outcome we wanted to start the day. Bugger.
2nds Colts (Radford Cup). Lost 17-19.
It was also fantastic to see the Red Raddlers roll out on the weekend as well. Their enthusiasm, application and just simple numbers are a really welcome addition to the club scenery.
And it must be said that the Raddlers started with a bang, getting a try early on and showing their intent with some good phase play and go-forward ball. Comments from Supercoach Maybank were that the lads appeared to be dominating the match for the majority of the 1st half. However as the half aged, the pace slowed and this suited the Colleagues lads much more. From there the game lost shape and descended into a game of stop & start attrition which neither side could shake clear of to play some ‘fresh air footy’. And whilst each side was ultimately as heavily penalised as the other, it was our lads who finished behind on the scoreboard.
The positives were that, particularly early in the match, we showed we know how to play structured, flowing rugby. We know our patterns, we can execute them and our general organisation has come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks. We just need to do more of it and stay above sinking down to an opponents level or game. Best & Fairest went 1pt to Fletcher Hardwicke, 2pts to Tom Maclaren and 3pts to Ollie Baksa.
From my perspective, it’s interesting watching the Red Raddlers develop. And it’s important to view their results in context. Three of their five matches to date have been decided by 7pts or less. So the margin of difference has been a solitary try for 60% of the season. So keep pluggin’ Raddlers because you’re right on the edge of success. The win will come.
4th Grade (Judd Cup). Lost 41-7.
Coming into the match, the Red Jugheads were certainly pumped, primed and push-up’d to the heightened levels of Supercoach Hellers OzAerobics standards. However it was simply not to be as the Blue Boys of Colleagues put on the sort of display one might expect from a 4th grade side that was clearly harbouring a number of last seasons Colleagues 1st XV in their ranks.
Comments from Supercoach Heller were surprisingly calm in reflection. He said that our lads did some individual elements well, with the lineout coming in for positive mention especially. But that, simply put, ‘We got our arses handed to us by a good team. It was as simple as that. Colleagues had a perfect day and you can see why they are top of the table. Some parts of that they almost looked like they were running a clinic.’ The challenge for the Juggers is to brush themselves off, move on with the rest of the winning season while quietly formulating their plans for the next time the Red and the Blue butt heads.
The loss leaves the Jugheads 3rd on their table on 18pts with 4 wins from 6 starts whilst the Collegian Blue Boys march on at 6 from 6 plus all 6 bonus points to be on 30pts. Conversely, after a strong start, the Blue Mountains lads have fallen off the pace to 5th spot at 3 from 6. Thus the Jugheads best gird their loins to do what they must against the Mountain Goats and so punch a hole in the table topping leads of Mosman and Colleagues. Bide your time lads and sharpen your blades for your next meeting.
Best & Fairest went 1pt to Ken Leota, 2pts to Matthew ‘Spider’ Webb and 3pts to Danny ‘Penelope’ Karooz.
3rd Grade (Whiddon Cup). Won 19-14.
The Red Widows had posted a pretty amazing win against Colleagues at Colleagues the last time these sides met. Anyone who knows 1st Division knows that any win at Colleagues is a good win. But to win after being reduced to 13men for much of the match and having two tries disallowed by a clearly discombobulated Referee was remarkable. However the Thirsties were also 100% crystal clear in their heads that the challenge to be expected from the Blue Boys on the return leg would be anything but easy, particularly when we noted recent Colleagues first-graders gracing the field in the lower grades. And so it proved to be.
Comments from Supercoach Scully was that the match was a ‘torrid affair’ and ‘very semi-final-esque’. Indeed, this was a dogged match, with rugged and ruthless defence being dished out by the Red Piggies and Faeries alike, as the match went down to the wire largely aided by the Red Men being on the wrong end of another lop-sided penalty count. Amid the relentless defence, some glimpses of brilliance were seen as was typified by the competitions slowest fullback and winger combination who linked from a scrum break near half-way by Brando, via the butter-fingers of Doc, for Schmitt to recover the loose pill to then feed Luke ‘Boyo’ Jones and then Zwart to waddle over for a pie in the corner and the conversion to be duly squirted by Nick in his flash new boots. Indeed Tom Zwart actually bagged 2 in the Widows game (after another in 5ths) following some clever support play of the ever-elusive Billy Navoka who himself later scored the match winning try, but only after leaving everyone’s heart in their mouths by, as someone otherwise nameless referred to it as “wandering about the bloody in-goal and buggarising about with the bloody pill”.
The win consolidates the Thirsty Widows on top of the Whiddon ladder at 5 wins from 6 starts and 23pts, 4pts clear of 2nd placed Blue Mountains who are tied with Waverley on 4 from 6 and 19pts each. However it must be said that despite such scintillating attack and iron-clad defensive effort from the Red lads, some fundamentals are still missing. The scrum is a little shaky, the lineout was uncommonly clunky against Colleagues, the gap between tackle and cleaner has now been exploited 2wks in a row and the continuation of the habit of alienating the referee late in the match very much need to be addressed before hosting the Blue Goats and extracting revenge for the Red Thirsties one loss of the season to-date.
Best & Fairest points were 1pt to Tom Benson, 2pts to Tom ‘2-Pies’ Zwart and 3pts to Jobbo the Salmon.
1st Colts (Barbour Cup). Lost 19-12.
Comments from Supercoach Maybank were that, coming into the match as 3rd on the Barbourian table with only 1pt separating them from the Collegiates, Saturday’s clash had more riding on it than the usual weekend fixture. And with memories of the last encounter with Colleagues fresh and cognisant of the 33pts they scored, the Red Barbourians jaws were set to deliver a vastly improved performance on home soil.
All reports were that we looked strong in defence, stopping Colleagues gaining meters consistently and generally won the contact zones. On the other side of the ball, massive improvement in our set-piece execution established front-foot ball than then flowed across into quick and more dominant breakdown work which then directly led to facing a retreating defensive picture and so breaking their tackles to get into their backfield.
However the ill-discipline haunted us again, and had we not allowed Colleagues to stay in the game off the back of us giving away easy penalties, the score would have undoubtably been different. But we didn’t. So it wasn’t. When will we learn?
The Colleagues boys looked battered and bruised coming through the tunnel at the end and they oozed that smell of those who won, but only just. They had a clear sense of ‘thank god that’s over’ about them. And so, although ultimately the Red Barbourians lost by a score, we know and they know that when we face them again, that they are in trouble. But that said, we must correct our relations with the Referees or we will continue to lose the winnable.
Best and fairest were 1pt to Nick Long, 2pts to Liam Doyle and 3pts to Spencer Benjamin.
The loss leaves the Red Barbourians at 5th on their table with 3 wins from 6 starts on 15pts. St Pats sit a-top the table on 6 from 6 with 26pts. But with 2nd placed Forest on 19pts, only a win + bonus point gap, the season is very much an open book. To that end, the Blue Goats are right on our lads back door step with 13pts. But given the Mountain Lads are only 2 for 6, the win is there for the taking if the Red Barbourians are clinical in attack, ruthless in defence and smart in managing the Referee. And to that end, I’ll buy a beer for the first Colt who can tell me what law 6.5.a is and can explain what it means.
2nd Grade (Burke Cup). Lost 26-17.
Leading into the match, the Red Burkies were atop the Burke table on 20pts, 2pts clear of 2nd placed Colleagues and 5pts clear of 3rd placed Waverley. As such, the fixture against Colleagues was more than a little significant leading into the middle of the season.
Following the loss, I dutifully & doggedly pursued Supercoach Mick for comment, but he proved an elusive wee bugger. I caught sight of him in the carpark and I followed him as he appeared to be following the Colleagues Boys back towards Woollahra. But I seemed to lose him somewhere around 535 Glenmore Rd, Edgecliff and I am yet to see or hear from him since.
The loss leaves the Red Burkies at 2nd on their table with 4 wins from 6 starts and on 20pts whilst Colleagues skip a little ahead into 1st spot with 5 from 6 and 22pts. The upcoming Blue Goats are adrift at 3rd last with 2 wins from 6 starts and 11pts. So whilst the opportunity is clearly there versus the Goats to nail a win and a bonus point along with a healthy top-up to for & against, equally the focus will need to be intense and precise to avoid the potential for a goat headbutt and a banana-skin result.
1st Grade (Kentwell Cup). Won 38-28.
What a difference a week makes. After 3 losses on the trot, a number of changes in key positions had been made in an effort to spark the team, not the least because after handing the Colleagues Blue Boys a 52-18 shellacking back in Round 2, the Red Kentwellians were confident of one thing: a big reply from Woollahra’s finest.
Comments from Supercoach Mews were that we enjoyed a lot of early possession and territory, but small mistakes prevented us from pinching the pies we should have and visions of the lost opportunities of weeks recently passed were swimming into mind. However, Hooker Mark Ropati dispelled the nightmares when he opened the scoring with a great pick and drive into the corner. He then followed that up with his second try after breaking through multiple defenders and dragging another couple over the line to score next to the posts. And with that we finally seemed to be leaving many of the recent frustrations behind.
However pride cometh before a fall and a couple of genuinely good long range line breaks were allowed to break down with the last pass going to ground etcetera, and the nightmares began to return, before fullback James Westbury managed to salvage a pie from the mess and so sent us to oranges with a 17-0 lead.
As was expected and discussed, the visiting Blue Bulls came our firing after the break and scored two emphatic tries to pull the lead back to 3 points before we started to get our act back together and accumulate some decent possession and field position. From there, prodigal son James Sheppard burrowed over the line to start a run of 3 tries with the others falling to No8 Siti Waqa and then scrummie Ben Halmarick.
With the win wrapped up, disappointingly the attacking psyche softened and the foot came off a wee bit. And whilst the Red Kentwellians tried desperately to deny Colleagues a bonus point, the Blue Boys clawed their way to 28pts with their final try being scored adjacent the sticks.
The coaches commented that the final score of 38-26 was probably a good reflection of the match itself, but also clearly signalled a much improved performance from Drummoyne. However they also noted in the same breath that further improvement will be needed when we host top of the table Blue Mountains in coming weeks.
At 3 wins from 6 starts and 16pts, the Red Kentwellians now sit 5th on the table of 9, 1pt above the vanquished Colleagues, but with only 6pts separating the D.Reds from guess who? Our next opponents being the Blue Mountains Goats who sit atop the table with 4 wins from 6 starts on 22pts. Gents you have 2 weeks to repair, rebuild, reflect and restart your hearts for what should be an enthralling return-encounter with the Best of the West (given that Penrith Emu’s really sux).
Best & Fairest nods were 1pt to Reuben Brock, 2pts to Zech Browden and 3pts to Mark ‘Two-Pies’ Ropati.
So there it is. The Thirsty Widows carried the day along with the Kentwellians. And given the Blue Boys didn’t even front for Lies & Skols, all was soon forgotten as we launched into an epic Crate Escape in the downstairs dressing rooms (well done to CV and The Bench). We now have a fortnight off. Don’t waste it. Train, lift, repair, heal and come back ready to absolutely sword the Blue Mountains Goats at home on 24 June.
And in that vein, for those so motivated, on the Saturday coming (10 June), some brave fools lads are joining me for a stroll out among the picturesque, rugged and deeply isolated surrounds of Belanglo State Forest Wentworth Falls. Particularly for you foreign lads, this is a rare chance to see the World Heritage listed Blueys up close with a local. We may even run into my old hunting mate Mick Taylor and won’t that will be a real treat! And those who make it out again will then adjourn to sample the beers and fare in the local ale houses of good and ill repute. About 6 victims chaps are coming for sure but all are welcome. Details are on the DDR Players FB page or just Message me if interested.
Boire le vin.
Nutta.
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
For the other rounds