CAS Rugby 2023

[Phil Miller]

This may be controversial but i see aloys coming top 3 for CAS this year, they have shown over the past 2 weeks that when they get things right they look amazing and they are hard to stop. Thoughts?

Mils Out

 

[Snort]

Thing is, we now have some comparable results that help us assess where the schools stand. Cranbrook lost to St Augustine's; Knox beat St Augustine's relatively comfortably: it's hard to see that this makes Cranbrook a better side than Knox. Cranbrook beat St Patrick's 17-5; Barker beat them 36-14. It's hard to see how this makes Cranbrook a better side than Barker. Knox and Barker have had very tough trials against GPS opponents, during which they had some significant wins: Cranbrook had a soft outing against Kinross.

Same goes for St Aloysius. A 26-25 win over St Pius is great, but Trinity beat St Pius 17-12 after leading 17-0 with a few minutes to go, so that result doesn't make St Aloysius an obviously better side than Trinity, let alone Waverley and Cranbrook.

It's nice to say, "my school can win" or "my school can come third" but back it up with some facts!

 

[Eyes and Ears]

I believe Barker are playing Nudgee this weekend. I think it is 1st XV only and that other games are against Pius inlcuding Barker 2nds v Pius 1st.

 

[Union on Top]

At this point of the season, here are my CAS predictions.

1. Knox (look to be a quality side. Beat a injury-ridden joeys team, but that is still no small feat)

2. Barker (comfortable beat Auggies with a few key players out)

3. Cranbrook (This is a tough call to make. I belive at full strength Waverly will be Brook in round 1, BUT it seems like boys will only just be coming back from injury and therefore not have many games under there belt against a brook side with no notable injuries)

4. Waverly (could easily see them finishing 3rd)

5. Trinity (should beat alloys, but can’t see them beating the rest)

6. Alloys (it’s hard for them to beat the other with no imports; you’ve got to feel for their head of rugby. It’s not a very appealing job)

 

[megarugbyman]

Thing is, we now have some comparable results that help us assess where the schools stand. Cranbrook lost to St Augustine's; Knox beat St Augustine's relatively comfortably: it's hard to see that this makes Cranbrook a better side than Knox. Cranbrook beat St Patrick's 17-5; Barker beat them 36-14. It's hard to see how this makes Cranbrook a better side than Barker. Knox and Barker have had very tough trials against GPS opponents, during which they had some significant wins: Cranbrook had a soft outing against Kinross.

Same goes for St Aloysius. A 26-25 win over St Pius is great, but Trinity beat St Pius 17-12 after leading 17-0 with a few minutes to go, so that result doesn't make St Aloysius an obviously better side than Trinity, let alone Waverley and Cranbrook.

It's nice to say, "my school can win" or "my school can come third" but back it up with some facts!

Agreed. Knox and Barker continuously challenge their 1st teams by putting them against quality GPS sides, whilst Cranbrook are struggling against ISA teams and are put against Kinross. There isn't really a chance to show quality when a side verses Kinross so oftenly.

 

[Iloverucks1]

Agreed. Knox and Barker continuously challenge their 1st teams by putting them against quality GPS sides, whilst Cranbrook are struggling against ISA teams and are put against Kinross. There isn't really a chance to show quality when a side verses Kinross so oftenly.

Oftenly. That must be a new word haven't seen that one before.

 

[Snort]

At this point of the season, here are my CAS predictions.

1. Knox (look to be a quality side. Beat a injury-ridden joeys team, but that is still no small feat)

2. Barker (comfortable beat Auggies with a few key players out)

3. Cranbrook (This is a tough call to make. I belive at full strength Waverly will be Brook in round 1, BUT it seems like boys will only just be coming back from injury and therefore not have many games under there belt against a brook side with no notable injuries)

4. Waverly (could easily see them finishing 3rd)

5. Trinity (should beat alloys, but can’t see them beating the rest)

6. Alloys (it’s hard for them to beat the other with no imports; you’ve got to feel for their head of rugby. It’s not a very appealing job)

RR it's difficult to argue with your logic. I'd say that it looks as though the Knox-Barker game will decide the competition.

But... there are three buts.

The first is that we just don't know what Waverley will be like. At this stage, what you say looks reasonable, but if they get close to full strength, who knows?

The second is, how do you know Cranbrook will have no injury issues in Round 1? There are still two week to go. Stuff happens.

And the third is that the five-round competition has a bit of a sudden-death aspect to it. So it's not impossible that a highly-ranked team loses to a low-ranked team, causing (very entertaining) chaos and perhaps a shared title. There were an awful lot of shared titles in the five-round competition in the past.

 

[Snort]

You might want to brush up on your grammar skills then champ. Stay in school kids.

The one that upsets me is the use of "verse" as a verb. People: you cannot "verse" someone (except, I guess, by reading poetry to them). "Versus" is a Latin word. It means "and". In the context of "Waverley versus Barker" it implies "against". You cannot "against" someone. You do not say "Who are we againsting this week?" You should not say "who are we versing?" or that Cranbrook "verses Kinross". You should not say it ever, let alone oftenly.

Stop it. Now.

 

[Iloverucks1]

The one that upsets me is the use of "verse" as a verb. People: you cannot "verse" someone (except, I guess, by reading poetry to them). "Versus" is a Latin word. It means "and". In the context of "Waverley versus Barker" it implies "against". You cannot "against" someone. You do not say "Who are we againsting this week?" You should not say "who are we versing?" or that Cranbrook "verses Kinross". You should not say it ever, let alone oftenly.

Stop it. Now.

Touché Snort, touché

 

[Iloverucks1]

Any update on Cranbrook captain (3) after injury against Kinross?

 

[CAS Fanatic]

Thing is, we now have some comparable results that help us assess where the schools stand. Cranbrook lost to St Augustine's; Knox beat St Augustine's relatively comfortably: it's hard to see that this makes Cranbrook a better side than Knox. Cranbrook beat St Patrick's 17-5; Barker beat them 36-14. It's hard to see how this makes Cranbrook a better side than Barker. Knox and Barker have had very tough trials against GPS opponents, during which they had some significant wins: Cranbrook had a soft outing against Kinross.

Same goes for St Aloysius. A 26-25 win over St Pius is great, but Trinity beat St Pius 17-12 after leading 17-0 with a few minutes to go, so that result doesn't make St Aloysius an obviously better side than Trinity, let alone Waverley and Cranbrook.

It's nice to say, "my school can win" or "my school can come third" but back it up with some facts!

Hey Snort,

I think the issue is more within the depth, Cranbrooks top teams per age group could have trials against GPS schools and I’m sure compete for the vast majority of games, however when it comes to the lower grade teams GPS simply have more depth. The problem comes when the 13d’s get blown out by 40 which leads to parents complaining and all sorts of issues. It is a Genuine issue which is hard to play around because on one hand you have a 1st team who is looking for the best preparation for the season and on the other there’s a little kid who just wants to play his weekends worth of footy and go home. It’s hard to cater for both sides here when each trial round is usually only one school against another for all or most teams in the age group. This is why the upcoming term break Cranbrook look to play higher level teams just for the 1st and 2nds, with Shore last year and Oakhill this year.

Just some of my thoughts, I’d like to hear what you think.

 

[CAS Fanatic]

Any update on Cranbrook captain (3) after injury against Kinross?

Nothing serious, corked leg and twisted ankle. Not sure if he will play this week as pro caution.

 

[Snort]

Hey Snort,

I think the issue is more within the depth, Cranbrooks top teams per age group could have trials against GPS schools and I’m sure compete for the vast majority of games, however when it comes to the lower grade teams GPS simply have more depth. The problem comes when the 13d’s get blown out by 40 which leads to parents complaining and all sorts of issues. It is a Genuine issue which is hard to play around because on one hand you have a 1st team who is looking for the best preparation for the season and on the other there’s a little kid who just wants to play his weekends worth of footy and go home. It’s hard to cater for both sides here when each trial round is usually only one school against another for all or most teams in the age group. This is why the upcoming term break Cranbrook look to play higher level teams just for the 1st and 2nds, with Shore last year and Oakhill this year.

Just some of my thoughts, I’d like to hear what you think.

It's a fair point, and a nightmare for sportsmasters who have to try to find even matches every week. My point wasn't to criticise Cranbrook, but to point out that there are limits to how meaningful their trial results are. If I were the Cranbrook 1st XV coach, I'd think about arranging a couple of off-one 1st XV trials, perhaps in holidays, to give the side a look at tougher opposition before the competition gets underway (they have done this at times in the past).

 

[Union on Top]

It's a fair point, and a nightmare for sportsmasters who have to try to find even matches every week. My point wasn't to criticise Cranbrook, but to point out that there are limits to how meaningful their trial results are. If I were the Cranbrook 1st XV coach, I'd think about arranging a couple of off-one 1st XV trials, perhaps in holidays, to give the side a look at tougher opposition before the competition gets underway (they have done this at times in the past).

They’ve done this a few times I believe. 2021, they played a Newington and Scot’s in training matches. Last season played shore, which showed the quality of their 2nd XV, as they drew with Shore with 14 players the whole match; however, the 1st XV had a tough day out. These holidays, 1st XV and 2nd XV games will be held against Oakhill, which should be a great test before the CAS season kicks off

 

[CAS Fanatic]

They’ve done this a few times I believe. 2021, they played a Newington and Scot’s in training matches. Last season played shore, which showed the quality of their 2nd XV, as they drew with Shore with 14 players the whole match; however, the 1st XV had a tough day out. These holidays, 1st XV and 2nd XV games will be held against Oakhill, which should be a great test before the CAS season kicks off

There’s 2 CAS games before that holiday break but will still be a valuable fixture before facing the likes of Barker and Knox.

 

[Moey]

RR it's difficult to argue with your logic. I'd say that it looks as though the Knox-Barker game will decide the competition.

But... there are three buts.

The first is that we just don't know what Waverley will be like. At this stage, what you say looks reasonable, but if they get close to full strength, who knows?

The second is, how do you know Cranbrook will have no injury issues in Round 1? There are still two week to go. Stuff happens.

And the third is that the five-round competition has a bit of a sudden-death aspect to it. So it's not impossible that a highly-ranked team loses to a low-ranked team, causing (very entertaining) chaos and perhaps a shared title. There were an awful lot of shared titles in the five-round competition in the past.

Cranbrook last trial vs Auggies will show us how far cranbrook have come in their trials. If cranbrook are at full strength for all 5 rounds I can see them competing with knox and barker.

 

[Crashy]

The one that upsets me is the use of "verse" as a verb. People: you cannot "verse" someone (except, I guess, by reading poetry to them). "Versus" is a Latin word. It means "and". In the context of "Waverley versus Barker" it implies "against". You cannot "against" someone. You do not say "Who are we againsting this week?" You should not say "who are we versing?" or that Cranbrook "verses Kinross". You should not say it ever, let alone oftenly.

Stop it. Now.

I have been wanting to have a rant about that as well. drives me nuts

 

[FootyFan]

The one that upsets me is the use of "verse" as a verb. People: you cannot "verse" someone (except, I guess, by reading poetry to them). "Versus" is a Latin word. It means "and". Snort likes touching little boys. In the context of "Waverley versus Barker" it implies "against". You cannot "against" someone. You do not say "Who are we againsting this week?" You should not say "who are we versing?" or that Cranbrook "verses Kinross". You should not say it ever, let alone oftenly.

Stop it. Now.

Agreed. Shits me to tears.

F.F.

 

[Snort]

Cranbrook last trial vs Auggies will show us how far cranbrook have come in their trials. If cranbrook are at full strength for all 5 rounds I can see them competing with knox and barker.

Because....?

 

[Ziggy]

That's a solid effort from the Waves, considering the amount of talent that's unavailable due to injury.

Also, got to give Oakhill some credit. That's a solid rugby program that they are developing over there.

Scores from other age groups for Oakhill - Waverley

2nds - Waverley 29-10
3rds - Waverley 22-17

16A - Oakhill 40-12
16B - Abandoned

15A - Oakhill 53-10
15B - Oakhill 26-0

14A - Waverley 7-0
14B - Oakhill 22-0

13A - Waverley 74-0
13B - Waverley 21-20