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NSW AAGPS 2025 (banter and commentary)

shaquille_oatmeal

Allen Oxlade (6)
Great job to all teams this season and all the boys who put the time in and gave it a red hot go. Small sidenote but in the final game between View & Joeys I am curious how you can have a Joey's old boy refereeing 1st's games for his alma mater. Some of the View boys had been quite vocally disappointed with the refereeing (which is in no way to say View deserved the win that day) but I don't understand how there can be a notion of impartiality if referees can referee 1st's games for their own school. I am not entirely sure how they pick the referees for these matches but would be curious to know if anyone is familiar with the system.
 

Joker

Moderator
Staff member
Great job to all teams this season and all the boys who put the time in and gave it a red hot go. Small sidenote but in the final game between View & Joeys I am curious how you can have a Joey's old boy refereeing 1st's games for his alma mater. Some of the View boys had been quite vocally disappointed with the refereeing (which is in no way to say View deserved the win that day) but I don't understand how there can be a notion of impartiality if referees can referee 1st's games for their own school. I am not entirely sure how they pick the referees for these matches but would be curious to know if anyone is familiar with the system.
Referees in the Joeys AAGPS 1-3 games are appointed independently by the Sydney West Referee association. The schools have no say on who they want. My own wife is a part of this and has been refereeing game that do not involve Joeys. Often she is out at Kings. For home games at Joeys you will find some refs doing up to 3 games. These refs come from staff, supporters and parents who hold a legitimate accreditation.
 

Homer

Tom Lawton (22)
O’Connor has been the one of the biggest improvers I have ever seen, U15 he wasn’t even a certainty to get selected for the A’s. U16’s saw most of his cohort move to opens a year early. First year in Opens he was stuck in the thirds. This year he was recognised as best back. He does have size and speed but he has always had those things. The more important factor is work ethic, as a distant observer i’d say he has that by the truck load.
Is he staying in rugby?
 

The Chairman

Arch Winning (36)
There are a few players that I feel do not get enough credit.

My main 3 would be Jock Sides (TSC), Dom Jarrett (SHORE) and Ashton Thomas (NC). All reliable weapons in their individual forward packs. They have impressed me but I have not seem them mentioned around the froum at all.
 

gothenewboys

Bob McCowan (2)
There are a few players that I feel do not get enough credit.

My main 3 would be Jock Sides (TSC), Dom Jarrett (SHORE) and Ashton Thomas (NC). All reliable weapons in their individual forward packs. They have impressed me but I have not seem them mentioned around the froum at all.
Thomas was awarded Newington best & fairest. Speaks to his calibre considering the stars in that side and the fact he did not receive GPS selection
 

Rugbynbeers

Johnnie Wallace (23)
Great job to all teams this season and all the boys who put the time in and gave it a red hot go. Small sidenote but in the final game between View & Joeys I am curious how you can have a Joey's old boy refereeing 1st's games for his alma mater. Some of the View boys had been quite vocally disappointed with the refereeing (which is in no way to say View deserved the win that day) but I don't understand how there can be a notion of impartiality if referees can referee 1st's games for their own school. I am not entirely sure how they pick the referees for these matches but would be curious to know if anyone is familiar with the system.

Probbaly should be looked at going forward, not to say the ref made any poor decisions ect but it is obviously a clear conflict on interest.

maybe as AR this would be okay but the be the main referee is a stretch and probably won’t happen again you’d assume.
 

twister29

Alfred Walker (16)
Probbaly should be looked at going forward, not to say the ref made any poor decisions ect but it is obviously a clear conflict on interest.

maybe as AR this would be okay but the be the main referee is a stretch and probably won’t happen again you’d assume.
Can’t confirm but I’m pretty sure there was one game this season where the referee’s son was playing in the actual game… Again no evidence to support this it’s just the conclusion I have come to.
 

RemainingInTheGame

Herbert Moran (7)
Can’t confirm but I’m pretty sure there was one game this season where the referee’s son was playing in the actual game… Again no evidence to support this it’s just the conclusion I have come to.

I can't see the NSW referee association doing the appointments for GPS 1st to 3rd XV allowing a parent to referee their sons game (if they are aware) but for the lower grades the school would do the appointments so possible (and in the lower grades probably not an issue in the scheme of things).
 

shaquille_oatmeal

Allen Oxlade (6)
Probbaly should be looked at going forward, not to say the ref made any poor decisions ect but it is obviously a clear conflict on interest.

maybe as AR this would be okay but the be the main referee is a stretch and probably won’t happen again you’d assume.

Yes of course, the issue is in principle as there should be enough referees that you don't have to allocate old boys to referee their school's games, AR would be alright but ideally at 1st XV level all-neutral refs would be ideal.
 

TonyTackle01

Stan Wickham (3)
There are a few players that I feel do not get enough credit.

My main 3 would be Jock Sides (TSC), Dom Jarrett (SHORE) and Ashton Thomas (NC). All reliable weapons in their individual forward packs. They have impressed me but I have not seem them mentioned around the froum at all.
Definitely agree in regards to Jarrett, does anyone know if he is in year 11 or year 12?
 

Mungo1866

Chris McKivat (8)
I
Referees in the Joeys AAGPS 1-3 games are appointed independently by the Sydney West Referee association. The schools have no say on who they want. My own wife is a part of this and has been refereeing game that do not involve Joeys. Often she is out at Kings. For home games at Joeys you will find some refs doing up to 3 games. These refs come from staff, supporters and parents who hold a legitimate accreditation.
think it is actually higher appointments than that @Joker. Appointments for firsts and seconds are NSW referees association not district associations. The 1st refs will regularly also do Shute shield 1sts and 2nds.
 

Eyes and Ears

Desmond Connor (43)
3rd XV - End of Season Report
This is my final post for the year, so I apologise that it is a bit long.

What a great finale it was to the 3rd XV season as Joeys claimed the premiership by a single point from Riverview at Hunters Hill. It was a terrific match that really could have gone either way but the Cerise & Blue prevailed to win the Col Windon Shield as Champions for the first time since 2019. Riverview finished outright second and TAS outright 3rd following excellent seasons from both teams. The final table looks like this:
View attachment 23147
Joeys 13 d Riverview 12
This was a fitting grand final for the season with both teams undefeated coming into the match. Joeys had all of the possession early and were denied two tries by Riverview’s excellent goal line defence. It wasn’t until half-way through the first half that Riverview broke the deadlock and scored a great try to lead 5-0. Joeys took a penalty right on half time to go to the break down 5-3 and it was a good decision that would prove critical to the result. Five minutes into the second half Joeys scored their first try after some well‑structured attack and then another great try with 15 minutes to go to lead 13-5. Riverview were not done, and they hit back with just three minutes to go scoring a converted try to trail by a point 13-12. The last few minutes were very tense with Riverview on the attack looking to take the lead back, but they ran out of time and Joeys took the premiership. A great contest and a tribute to both teams.

Both Joeys and Riverview have a long history of success in this 3rd XV competition, and I cannot see that changing any time soon. Both schools have great depth in the opens and strong rugby programs that will continue to produce results like this.

TAS 33 d Scots 19

TAS
finished the season with their fifth win to take 3rd place outright in the competition. They had a great year and improved as the season went on. This win over Scots is typical of their great results despite the constant travel to Sydney. I think they lacked early trial opportunities to develop their combination before the season proper, as they clearly had the talent to defeat the top teams. They will continue to be competitive in this grade as long as they can get plenty of matches to develop their capabilities.

Scots had a mixed season finishing equal 4th on the table with Shore and Kings on three wins. They showed good form at times, with wins over Grammar, High and Shore, and I am sure will be regrouping next year for another crack at the 3rd XV title that they last won in 2023.

Shore 24 d Kings 12
In the battle for the middle of the table, Shore finished the season on a high note at Northbridge with a good win over Kings, ensuring that both teams finished equal 4th with Scots on the competition table on 6 points.

Shore did not have their best season, with losses to Joeys, Riverview, TAS and Scots, so they were unable to defend the Col Windon Shield that they won in 2024. Nevertheless, this was a good finish, and they will be competitive again next year I am sure, given the resurgence of the Shore rugby program.

Kings started the season in promising fashion, with three straight wins, but then had four straight losses to Riverview, Joeys, TAS and Shore. Definitely a disappointing end and I thought that they would finish higher than they did. Their loss to Riverview was a close battle at Lane Cove and then they were only beaten by a single point by Joeys the following week. Still, it’s the close games that make the difference if you are going to win the premiership.

Grammar 19 d High 5
In the battle for the wooden spoon, Grammar defeated High and claimed their first win for the season. I would have liked to see this match as I think it would have been a great contest and I note that High scored their first try in a competition match this season. To be honest, both teams face an ongoing challenge to remain competitive in this competition. They were very committed this year, but there is no substitute for the depth that the other schools have. This year in seven matches, their for and against was 39/191 (Grammar) and 8/262 (High).

Grammar won this competition in 2020, but their capability has dropped off significantly since then, and it is largely due to a lack of depth across the program. It is a great challenge for them.

High have an identical challenge to Grammar. They have worked on their program in recent years, and made some positive developments, but are struggling to remain competitive at this level, despite their great courage and determination.

I hope that both schools can continue to develop their programs and depth to remain in the 3rd XV premiership, as it is the only official AAGPS rugby competition in which they compete. Time will tell.

Well, that’s it for me this year. I trust you have enjoyed the 3rd XV commentary and look forward to contributing in 2026.

And remember… It’s Not Pink
INP, I don't like to criticise as you are the 3rd XV expert but Grammar missed the 3rd XV premiership by an inch last year when only a desperate Shore tackle in the last minute of the championship game prevented them from claiming the trophy. Nonetheless depth is a challenge at Grammar.
 

Eyes and Ears

Desmond Connor (43)
I

think it is actually higher appointments than that @Joker. Appointments for firsts and seconds are NSW referees association not district associations. The 1st refs will regularly also do Shute shield 1sts and 2nds.
This is correct. Sydney North and Sydney West Ref Associations cover some of the age groups for schools like Kings, High and St Augustines.
 

Eyes and Ears

Desmond Connor (43)
O’Connor has been the one of the biggest improvers I have ever seen, U15 he wasn’t even a certainty to get selected for the A’s. U16’s saw most of his cohort move to opens a year early. First year in Opens he was stuck in the thirds. This year he was recognised as best back. He does have size and speed but he has always had those things. The more important factor is work ethic, as a distant observer i’d say he has that by the truck load.
Probably because he grew up in Hong Kong and his Australian rugby development from U15s was a significant step up.
 
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