Australian Schoolboys & National Championship 2010

[observer]

NSW II 71 def WA0
Dundar at 10 for NSW great, why not 1st 10. this team definitely better than the NSW I

Good start for the NSW boys. Two good wins. Dunbar was only called in late from the shadow squad to replace Gerard McCallum. The selectors went for Ed Wylie from Kings. He has nice hands and solid defender. Dunbar is a good attacking player who excelled at the recent Scots Sevens competition. He was one of the best sevens players that day.

 

[Lee Grant]

observer

Agree with your two last posts about Havea - an excellent talent that should be nurtured. It will be good to be at Ballymore to see how he goes against stronger teams as the GPS lads had him crabbing sideways when he played for CHS against them. I guess that is skullring's point.

There is no certainty that he will be a top rugby union player as he looks like a league 2nd rower playing union. I read in that article about the Hills SHS lads that he had been given a 4 year deal by the Melbourne Storm. There was a counter report (by yourself??) that he wanted the deal terminated. Do you have any righteous details on how the matter stands?

 

[Lee Grant]

NSW I 55 def brave Vic 13
NSW unimpressive as a team.

Situation normal for NSW Is. Watch them in the 3rd game though - in the last two years they played their best game in the last match and it was as though they hadn't met on the team bus as it seemed was the case in the first two games.

They won't have the same excuse as the 2008 and 2009 teams as many of these boys have played together.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

QldII 28 def CS 0 in an uninspiring game.
CS put it to Qld and nearly scored a couple of times and worked well in the set pieces. Skelton looked the most unfit player here. Milne ok but not outstanding.
Taumata had a good game for Qld at #10 and kicked well. Lausi Taliauli bagged a threesome and the last was very good.
Scorers:
QLD: 3 meat pies to Taliauli - didn't get the fourth sorry
3 conversions to Taumata

 

[catchpole]

Whispers,

Thanks mate. Not bad a bad result for a team of discards thrown together. Do you think that this result has any bearing on the relative strengths of QLD I & II teams and how they wil perform against NSW I & II?

 

[rugbyfan]

I told you picking skelton wouldn't be smart, they should have picked another second rower with potential to make the schoolboy side, not someone who is big and runs 1 hitup every 15 minutes, then gets the likes of critics 'unstoppable, machine'....haha

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Poor display by Qld I forwards conceded too many turnovers to a gallant ACT.
Qld I 31 def ACT 15 but poor handling turnovers just when an attack seemed imminent cost Qld a much larger margin.
Scorers were;
Qld: Elisha Palupe, Chris F'sautia, Walter Petaia and Henry Taefu Tries, Henry Taefu 4 conversions and a PG
ACT: Tries to Holland and Chalker, Field a PG and a conversion

 

[Lee Grant]

WEST AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS (alphabetically)

Dylan Ainsworth Wesley College
Lukas Birch Guildford Grammar
Antini Brown Lakelands SHS
Ethan Carlisle Chisolm CC
Hemi Chase John Forrest High
Richard Cooper Wesley College
Manasseh Gudgeon Manea College
Ross Haylett-Petty Hale
Oliver Hoskins Scotch
Clynton Knox Corpus Christi
John Monk St Stephens
Gary Neugebauer Hale
Nathan Oakley Seven Oaks College
Tom O'Day Ocean Reef High
Chance Peni Aranmore
Nicholas Sardinha Aquinas
Jordan-Lee Simi Cyril Jackson Community College
Taupiri Tauhini Cyril Jackson Community College
Londre Te Kahu Aranmore
Corey Thomas Guildford Grammar
Scott Tolmie Shenton College
Gideon Van Zyl Woodvale SHS
Daniel Westerduin Thornlie SHS

Whispers if you get a chance have a look at 3. Oliver Hoskins. He looked handy in the Championships last year and I thought he had a shout at getting in the Oz A Schools team. He didn't and I didn't think anything more of it.

Then a few months later I was at the Oz Schools U/16 Championships and there he was as captain for WA Schools. No wonder they didn't pick him in one of the two Oz Schools opens teams - they don't pick too many 16 y.o. THPs.

Mind you: he probably won't get much of a chance to shine as WA got walloped today.

.

 

[observer]

observer

I read in that article about the Hills SHS lads that he had been given a 4 year deal by the Melbourne Storm. There was a counter report (by yourself??) that he wanted the deal terminated. Do you have any righteous details on how the matter stands?

He went to Melbourne at the end of the school year last year but got homesick and returned to the family home in Sydney. As far as I'm aware he is in Sydney playing rugby union so I assume the Storm have let him out of his contract.

I remember people were saying that Steve Cummins was not that great after he was head hunted from rugby league. Look how he has kicked on with some good coaching.

 

[observer]

I'm hearing the two wingers from NSW 2's got injured in the game against WA. Jason Seage Hills Sports High and Cameron Clark Knox Grammar are both out of the tournament. Commiserations to both players.

 

[Nanai]

NSW II 71 def WA0
Dundar at 10 for NSW great, why not 1st 10. this team definitely better than the NSW I

Not surprised about this at all.
Dunbar is a real quality player who should've been in the GPS 1s. Loads of attacking flair and a terrific kicking game. Has brain explosions from time to time, though. Is small too - which is the kind of thing that would've held him back in the eyes of a selector. Plays big.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

WEST AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS (alphabetically)


Whispers if you get a chance have a look at 3. Oliver Hoskins. He looked handy in the Championships last year and I thought he had a shout at getting in the Oz A Schools team. He didn't and I didn't think anything more of it.
Then a few months later I was at the Oz Schools U/16 Championships and there he was as captain for WA Schools. No wonder they didn't pick him in one of the two Oz Schools opens teams - they don't pick too many 16 y.o. THPs. Mind you: he probably won't get much of a chance to shine as WA got walloped today..

Hi Lee, funny you should mention him as apart from Bermingham he was for me the only real big scrummager there.
I thought he had a good game for such a big unit.

 

[Lee Grant]

I'm hearing the two wingers from NSW 2's got injured in the game against WA. Jason Seage Hills Sports High and Cameron Clark Knox Grammar are both out of the tournament. Commiserations to both players.

Yeah that's bad news. At least Clark will get another shot next year - though he seems to be injury prone.

We could all name boys who missed out on Oz Schools selection because an injury robs them of a chance to be compared with others; it even hangs over their heads when they leave school. But the Colts coaches don't worry too much about scrapbooks and it doesn't matter after a while. It hurts at the time though.

The opposite is true also: a lad may get into one of the Oz Schools teams because a rival is injured, but a couple of years down the track and it's the injured fellow appearing in the Oz U/20 squad and not him.

I remember people were saying that Steve Cummins was not that great after he was head hunted from rugby league. Look how he has kicked on with some good coaching.

It's a pity that he missed the trial games else he could have ended up starting in one of the two NSW teams. But if he's good enough he should be spotted, especially if the coach gives him more time on the park than expected because he's playing well.

.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Yes Lee, the two were injured and it didn't look good for Clark with XRay images being produced later i nthe day.
Don't know what happened to Siege but it didn't appear too severe.

 

[Lee Grant]

Overseer

Didn't see the game from here in Sydney (1st time I've missed the Championships in years and I'm doing it tough), but Doc may have been reporting about what he saw from his angle watching the game and you reported on what you saw from your angle.

I know I've watched a few Tahs games at the ground and have been astonished at how wrong the TV camera was when I got home and watched my recording.

Let's not assume an axe is being ground.

 

[Wrinkled Rat]

I'm hearing the two wingers from NSW 2's got injured in the game against WA. Jason Seage Hills Sports High and Cameron Clark Knox Grammar are both out of the tournament. Commiserations to both players.

Loselli from Auggies is on his way to mascot

 

[Informer]

Can we have a quick summary of the overall performance of the NSW and Qld teams. As I read it (from a distance) NSW1 went well against a solid Vic team. I hear they subbed most of their forwards in the second half. NSW2 also went well and seem to be the team to beat but injuries to key players may be an issue. Qld 1 overcame tough opposition from ACT with their forwards off the pace. Qld 2 also not too impressive in their defeat of CS. Would appreciate a high level forecast of the games ahead based on the performances today.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Can we have a quick summary of the overall performance of the NSW and Qld teams. As I read it (from a distance) NSW1 went well against a solid Vic team. I hear they subbed most of their forwards in the second half. NSW2 also went well and seem to be the team to beat but injuries to key players may be an issue. Qld 1 overcame tough opposition from ACT with their forwards off the pace. Qld 2 also not too impressive in their defeat of CS. Would appreciate a high level forecast of the games ahead based on the performances today.

I would think that NSW will come together very well after today.
NSW I started with 3 or 4 subs on and by the end of the game had subbed all their subs.
NSW II started with ALL their subs on and gradually replaced them thru the game except for Dunbar. Best #10 on the day overall.
Qld II while winning well didn't have it all their own way and there is no accounting for the fight in a team and CSS delivered today.
ACT also stood up very well and for a game that should have been put away by Qld I at half time they didn't capitalise or was it the ACT resurgence - either way it was a good and fast game - fastest game of the day.
No prediction from here other than the best games will be on Friday.

 

[Informer]

Thanks Whisper

 

[Lindommer]

I remember people were saying that Steve Cummins was not that great after he was head hunted from rugby league. Look how he has kicked on with some good coaching.

Yer get that sort of stuff at Pirates Colts training. Just wait til you count how many of these NSW players turn up at Concord.