Waverley v. Aloys
by “Anonymous Al”
While it was a tough day at the office for Waverley, St Aloysius put on an impressive display of rugby to dominate at Death Valley and set up an interesting last-round match with Cranbrook next week.
First half
Even though Waverley opened the scoring with a penalty goal from 15 Dion Narayan, it was all Alos in the first half. Both teams won their fair share of ball, but it was the St Aloysius forward pack that dominated to put the Waves on the back foot for much of the 35 minutes. Waverley got off to a bad start in general play and that trend continued for the entire half.
Alos outgunned their opponents at the breakdown to gain control and possession, making life difficult for the Double V defenders. Waverley’s scrambling defence couldn’t hold back the tide that saw Alos attack with excellent ball control and momentum.
Behind a dominant forward pack, 9 Matthew Hayes gave good service to 10 James Dainton who was clinical with his kicking, passing and running game. The Alos backs spun the ball out wide through quick hands to see Rory Vevers carve them up and score all three tries. Vevers used his speed and skill to finish off great work by his team mates.
The Waves made some good breaks through their forwards running wide off 10 Tyzac Bailey; Will Picone, Will Carr and Zac Cardassilaris in particular ran strongly with the ball. Backs Henry Patterson and Jackson Mohi looked threatening in attack with limited opportunities, but too often a pass would go to ground or they’d lose possession at the breakdown. Waverley made it harder on themselves through the mistakes they made and also by kicking too much possession away.
The Waves played well in patches but their poor ball control didn’t allow them to build any momentum and caused them to do a lot of defending. Waverley’s woes were intensified with as many as four players going off through injury during the first half.
Halftime score 19-3 St Aloysius
Second half
Both teams competed well to grind out a scoreless second half. Waverley picked their game up with neither team dominating. They cancelled each other out with strong defence and through the intensity of the contest. A forward from each team was yellow carded and Waverley had more troops leave the field through injury. It was a tough and even contest.
Final Score: Aloys 19 — Waverley 3.
The Teams
St Aloysius
Alos have improved out of sight this season and were awesome in the first half, dominating all aspects of the game. Their dominance at the breakdown, their go-forward, clinical kicking game, passing and running were excellent. If they can maintain that form, it should be a cracker of a game next week against Cranbrook.
Waverley
The Waves had a day they’d rather forget. They were never in the hunt in the first half but were competitive after the break. It’s back to the drawing board to try to recapture the form that saw them turn their season around so impressively.
There was too much indiscriminate kicking that saw them give possession away; that’s something that will need to be harnessed if they’re keen to finish the season on a positive note. They can look good when they run it, so keeping the kicking to a minimum while improving their ball control is the way to go for the Double V vs Trinity next week.
The Players
St Aloysius
Backs Rory Vevers and James Dainton stood out as they took advantage of their forwards’ ability to win and control the ball. Dainton’s kicking game was precise. The entire forward pack impressed with Nick Slaven and Eric Stene the busiest workers. Tom Nowlan was prominent winning good ball for his team in the lineouts.
Waverley
There were some good individual efforts by Waverley players but they didn’t gel as a team. Henry Patterson and Jackson Mohi attacked well when they had the chance. Jordan Bracewell defended strongly. Tyzac Bailey’s passing and defence were reliable. Will Carr, Will Picone and Zac Cardassilaris also showed some good form.
The Wrap Up
There was no score in the second half; both teams toughed it out in a good preparation for next week’s games. Alos were far too good in the first half and should be well primed for their much anticipated showdown with Cranbrook next week. The Waves ended up with quite a few injuries so it will be interesting to see what team they field next week.
Good luck to all Year 12 players next week in what will be their last games for their schools. That fact alone should ensure that all encounters will be intense and entertaining for the last round of the season.
The Scoring
St Aloysius 19 (Rory Vevers 3 tries. James Dainton 2 cons) Waverley 3 (Dion Narayan pen)
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