By “Nutta”
Hail good fellows and well met be all!
I cannot help but feel frustration and fairly discombobulated as I sit here and contemplate a day of mixed results from when Drummoyne did venture over the Gladesville Bridge and met Hunters Hill at Boronia Park on a sunny but blustery day last Saturday 01 July for Round 10 of the Sydney Suburban 1st division 2023 competition. Coming off a Red Wedding Day the previous week against Blue Mountains, the Reds had gone into the weekend quite confident. And truth be told, we won more than we lost when our village did meet theirs on Saturday past, so it was a good day for the club. But it was not the ‘across the board’ success that we had demanded of ourselves. To be fair, congratulations to Hunters Hill on their wins in 3rds and 1sts. But find me a Red man who says they were happy with the day out and I’ll show you a liar.
So with that in-mind, and with Hunters unable to rally a 5ths or 2nds Colts, the day did commence in-earnest…
4th Grade (Judd Cup). Won 14-8.
Coming into the match at 4th on table with 5 wins from 7 starts on 22pts, hard on the heels of Waverley who were 5 from 8 on 24pts (but had yet to run their bye), the Red Judheads were keen to continue their run of form against the Hunters who were 1 win from 7 on 5pts. However, as expected, the Hunters lads proved to be far from a pushover and a bit of a ding-dong battle royale did ensue.
Comments from Supercoach Heller were that the match could not have begun any better with two well-crafted tries racked up in the opening 10min of play. Captain Fantastic Weasley and then Matty Jacobs had both been on the finishing end of 4 vs 2 overlaps creating ‘massive’ holes that were properly exploited. And Charlie Yeoman had duly sauced both pies. And so the Judheads looked to be off and flying for a sizeable score. However as is often the case, such early looks can prove disappointingly deceiving as the match wears on. So perhaps the confidence did go to the lads heads. But the remainder of the 2nd half saw at least 4 more pies go to waste from knock-on’s over the line, tries being held up or the last pass going astray. As such, whilst oranges saw a ‘comfortable’ score line of 14-0 to the Red Juddies, it was nonetheless a half of blown opportunities.
With no 5th grade to sate the appetite of a huge crew of middle graders, the 2nd half saw ‘the right thing’ prevail and almost a complete change of the guard re-took the field, including 6 new players not familiar with the 1331 game-shape. And it showed. So while the energy and enthusiasm were clear for all to see, the cohesion of attack suffered visibly and the opportunity presented by the early-game colour was not added to. And indeed, almost at the death there was finally a lapse in the Red Juddies defence allowing the Hunters lads to add a pie to their earlier penalty and thus the final pea blew with a 14-8 win to Red.
Best and Fairest were 1pt to Captain Fantastic Josh ‘Weasley’ Wheatley, 2pts to Matty Jacobs and 3pts to Tommy Hall.
The win consolidates the Red Judheads at 4th with 6 wins from 8 starts for 26pts, a comfortable 6pts clear of 5th placed Blue Goats. So aside from some calamitous collapse, the Juddies appear semi-final bound as byes even the field. But the matches to come against Waverley and Mosman who are higher placed on-table, demand a continuance of the strong performances of late to cement their spot.
3rd Grade (Whiddon Cup). Lost 12-5.
Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Coming into last weekend, the Red Widows were atop the table with 6 wins from 7 starts for 28pts. And they headed into that match against a Hunters 3rds who were stone motherless last. So many saw a win as a fait accompli. But despite the odd man or two recognising that red warning flags were indeed waving from across the Gladesville Bridge, the Red Widows didn’t approach the match as they could, should and would. Thus they allowed the Referee too much of a say and that allowed the size of the Hunters lads to be a factor in what turned into a highly disappointing day for the Red Widows.
Comments from Supercoach Scully was that it was ‘simply a disappointing game all-round.’ And after coming off such an open and expressive match the previous weekend, this one had so many stoppages it seemed more akin to ‘putting the covers over the Ferraris and trying to start up the tractors instead.’ Supercoach Scully did continue, adding that the Hunters lads had managed to find seemingly a new side – both in faces and commitment – to the team faced in Rd4. And the reincarnated Hunters 3rds did give the Red Widows such a confrontation, aided by a whistle-enthusiast referee, as to be a ‘real wake-up call’ and a brutal reminder to the Red Men in the necessity of ‘staying humble’. All that said, in what must have been a most ugly spectacle to watch, as-ever the Red Widow defence was the high point and it was noted with some chagrin that the match was some 9 minutes over time before Hunters, after a veritable mountain of possession and 2 yellow cards, finally scooted over for the deciding try out wide that broke the 5-all dead-lock.
Naturally, it is easy to note that with a 2 pies to 1 loss, if a few more things could have gone ‘our’ way, the outcome may well have been different. That’s logical enough. But they didn’t ‘go our way’. And they didn’t because the Red Widows rushed, bumbled, lacked discipline and composure and so spoilt any opportunities before they could bear fruit. All that said, the Red Widows of 2023 are nothing if not honest with each other and all accept we must take our lesson and do better.
Best & fairest points went 1pt to Stu Hammond, 2pts to Will Barton and no one deserved 3pts (fair enough).
Besides checking a few ego’s, the outcome is not calamitous. After spanking the Blue Goats by 40pts, an easy win over Hunters before another weekend off would not have been good preparation for Waverley who will surely be a benchmark test. So whilst he Red Widows sacrificed 1st spot on the ladder and now sit at 2nd with 6 from 8 on 29pts, we set our sights squarely on 1st placed Waverley on 33pts and yet to eat their bye. With Waverley, Mosman and the Red Widows making up the current top 3, the next month will prove crucial to see who lifts the minor premiership and best positions themselves for the upcoming finals.
Colts (Barbour Cup). Won 22-8.
Coming off a 6 pie to 1 pie feast the previous week, the Red Barbourians recent momentum continued to build towards the business end of the season. At 4 wins from 7 starts for 20pts and 5th on table, the Colties girded their loins for the 4th placed Hunters Hill Hoe-down and the match did not disappoint.
Comments from Supercoach Maybank were that the Hunters lads who took the field were probably 10kg per man bigger than their Red counterparts. And so the order of the day was to use the Hunters bulk and unfamiliarity against them and run them about with plenty of switch-play to keep them moving and unsettled. However the plan did not unfurl as desired and the 1st half turned into a brute force affair with the Red men having to defend stoutly throughout to go into oranges 1 pie each.
After some refocus at halftime about game shape and chat in defence to isolate their 1-out runners, the 2nd half kicked off with the Red Barbourians ready to move the ball about and test the Hunters ‘big men’ fitness. And so the match did play out with the Reds racking up 2 pies with 2 squirts and a penalty squirt to skip away to a comfortable 22-8 win. That said, there was then clear recognition after the match that more points had certainly been left on the field and whilst the Red Barbourians had ‘fronted up well’ against a large and imposing side, such lack of clinical use of the ball will not be good enough in coming weeks against the Colt competition big guns and leading into finals.
Best & Fairest went 1pt to Charles Kelso, 2pts to Josh ‘Big Boy’ Rhodes and 3pts to Ned ‘Servo’ Greenwell.
The win leaves behind an intriguing table. Drummoyne sit 4th on 5 from 8 for 24pts, whilst Forest sits at 3rd also on 24pts but with a better for and against while Colleagues hold 2nd on 27pts but yet to eat their bye. And Hunters are not out of it, sitting only 2pts behind the Red Barbourians. So unless something spectacular occurs, the semi-placings are shaping as a struggle between these 4 behind a clearly impressive St Pats at 9 from 9 for 40pts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when games between good teams get tight at the business end of the year, discipline is generally the deciding factor. He who controls it, wins it.
2nd Grade (Burke Cup). Won 19-12.
Coming into the weekend, the Red Burkies sat 2nd on their ladder with 5 wins from 7 starts on 25pts behind Colleagues on 7 from 8 and 31pts. Interestingly Hunters were 3rd on 5 from 7 and 22pts (bonus pts being the difference). So The Red Burkies had much on the line in Joey-Town. And in-keeping with that pressure, what an uneasy game it turned out to be.
Comments from Supercoach Mick were that, in-keeping with the rest of the day and the D.Reds making life hard for themselves, the Burkies started with a fluffed kick-off and then a penalty from the ensuing scrum. As such we put ourselves under significant pressure from the start and our defence was put to a stern test. In answer to this self-imposed critique the Red Burkies held out repeated Hunters Hill raids on our line and then turned the tables and sent ‘wave after wave’ of attack at their line. Eventually Billy on the wing made a great run and created space to pass to Evan who notched the first pie.
Having successfully repelled the last Hunters raids, the Red Burkies then decided to put themselves under the same sort of pressure again, and after some 20min of self-imposed defensive drilling the Red Lads decided enough was enough and pushed back down to the Hunters end of the field. After several penalties and a consistent hammering from our increasingly dominant scrum, Alex Wilmore took a quick tap and from the ensuing rucks an ever-alert young-gun Trevor Rangel picked and drove to notch pie no2. Shortly thereafter, together with some more pressure and good field possession, this then led to Corey Griffin taking a snipe and racking pie no3 to head to oranges 19-0 to the good guys.
For some reason, the start of the 2nd half was a repeat of the first with a poor kick-off, a penalty and more self-imposed defensive practice. This was the tone for the balance of the half – back and forth, tit for tatt – but therein the lads were most disappointed to allow the Hunters boys to post 2 pies and a saucy squirt of their own to close out the game 19-12. Final comments from Supercoach Mick was that whilst it was a win, it was not our ‘best win’ and ‘the lads should have won by plenty.’
Best and Fairest went 1 pt to Billy Navoka, 2 pts to the front row, 3 pts to Nick Powell.
The win consolidates the Red Burkies in 2nd spot with 6 from 8 on 29pts, 6pts behind Colleagues. But the Big Blue are yet to eat their bye which will leaven the field. Waverley is 3rd on the Burke table on 25pts but are also yet to have their bye. And with 5th placed St Pats on 22pts, the Burke table is crowded at the top with arguably no-one bar Colleagues assured of a semi spot in August. So again, as in the other grades, Waverley are shaping as a major benchmarking test in the next hit out.
1st Grade (Kentwell Cup). Lost 38-31.
The Reds entered the ‘village across the way’ fray at middle of the table with 4 wins from 7 starts on 21pts whilst the Hunters were 3rd on 5 from 7 and 23pts. And with the one win that separated them being the 33-17 result from Rd4, the scene was set for a proper test of skills and wills.
And proceedings started well for the men in red with an opening pie to Tiger Parker being followed by a huge scrum pushover pie awarded to number 8 Alex Connolly. Now we all know such tries being awarded to Loosies is a folly. Indeed, with the Red front row literally lifting the Hunters Hill tighthead prop off the ground and carrying him over the try line like luggage, methinks there is cause for a Papal Intervention to correct such nonsense. But it is what it was and the administrative injustice stands as a pie for the no8 at least for now. As the half progressed, a 3rd pie went to Adam King from a lineout and driving maul, and this was only complemented by the 4th Red pie being awarded to Tiger ‘fat man’ Parker (his 2nd pie of the day). And so, against the Hunters squirted pie and two penalty squirts for 13pts, and the Reddies went to oranges with a comfortable 26-13 lead and full of confidence for righting the wrong of Rd 4.
From there the good news ended. Perhaps it was the excessive confidence that all grades had seemed to struggle with throughout the day, but regardless of the source, and despite the mountain of good Red work done in the first half, the Hunters lads came out from oranges renewed, reinvigorated and determined to take back the impetus. And fortune then did favour the black and white braves as the Red Men spilt kick-offs, conceded penalties, fumbled balls and took sub-standard options in inviting the Hunters lads back into a match they had no right to still be in. And once given the invitation to bang on the door, burst on through it the Hunters lads did. A late try from Lock Reuben Brock proved not enough to stem the Hunters tide and the match slipped out of the Red Mens fingers with the final bell tolling with a 31-26 loss. And with the final whistle still ringing in sore ears, a comment from the sideline seemed more than apt: “Hunters didn’t win that. We lost it.”
Best and Fairest went 1pt to Marcus ‘The Porter’ Castle, 2pts to Reuben Brock and 3pts Alex ‘Pie Pincher’ Connolly.
The loss leaves the Red Kentwellians at 5th on table with 4 from 8 on 23pts and 10pts adrift from table-toppers Blue Mountains. That said, 3rd and 4th placed Colleagues and Waverley are both 5 from 9 on 27pts, but both are yet to eat their bye. So the race for the semis is still wide open and the Red Men are masters of their own destiny in this regard.
So there you have it. In yet another instalment of the Battle of Gladesville Bridge, the results were mixed but generally favourable to the Red Men given Drummoyne pulled 3 victories to Hunters 2. And Hunters did forfeit 5th grade. And they don’t have a 2nds Colts. So arguably it was Drummoyne’s day at 5 wins to 2 losses. However no can argue that losing 1sts, particularly after being comfortably in control of the game, and certainly having table-toppers 3rds lose to the stone motherless dead-last Hunters 3rds, soured what otherwise may have been a most memorable day. Such is life. We learn our lessons and we make ourselves better.
So enjoy the weekend off. Go for a run. Lift some weights. But whatever you do, get your head in the game for the upcoming struggles against Waverley and Mosman before rounding out the season with Forest and St Pats – all are must win games across the grades as we position for the semi finals.
Boire le vin.
Nutta.
#dirtyreds #deeperthanblood
For the other rounds
Round 01
Round 02
Round 03
Round 04
Round 05
Round 06
Round 07
Round 09