CAS 2019
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P. Parker
Allen Oxlade (6)
P Parker .. I'll be the bloke at the bar . wearing (waving) a Waverley rugby cap . looking thirsty.. at the end of the game
but you are probably safe . Knox definitely short odds. they beat Joeys at HH. say no more.
then again Rechner (12) is easily Knox's best back . and he had heavy strapping on one leg . and the fact that he was leaving the field, when the game was still in the balance . shows he was genuinely injured
even the 8 . looked injured, not out of gas..
I guess they will all be looking for CAS selection (comes out on Saturday night?). so even if half OK, they will try and get on the park
anyway time will tell .. and no doubt the Knox camp will be keeping quiet
my son has played the Easts synthetic grass and in the wet and he tells me it remains a very fast track in the wet
that will probably suit Cranners . whereas normally on other fields a wet track would favour the team with the big pack (ie Knox)
I'll find you at the bar SonnyDillWilliams - sounds like the place will be pumping!
You are right - Rechner (12) will be a loss if he doesn't get on - but he was out for the Joeys match too, where Longhi played well.
Knox played most of their pre-season Japan games on synthetic grass, so I'm looking forward to a fast, flowing game of schoolboy footy on Friday night.
I'm already feeling sorry for Aloys though - I can only imagine what awaits them on Saturday at Death Valley. I hope they bring plenty of ice...
FoleyBealeFolau
Ward Prentice (10)
P. Parker and SonnyDill, I'll be the bloke with the old tahs hat and a rona. Hope we can meet and have a good chat about footy. I am looking forward to cranners vs knox, the atmosphere should be great.
Don't really get these posts implying aloys will be a walkover. They lost 12-5 to Cranbrook and by a try to trinity also, both games which they probs should have won. They are a proud team and deserve more respect really. Anyone whose played aloys knows that they always have a crack and rarely are an easy beat team. This in spite of being easily the smallest rugby playing school (numbers are really dwindling there) and having an absolute bar on any form of sport scholarship is worthy of a fair amount of respect.
runningrugby1
Herbert Moran (7)
Being a proud team and having a go doesn't get you praise I'm afraid. Good on them and yes I know Aloys always put their hearts into everything, the best school spirit in Sydney - but just don't have the talent (no scholarships), or the scores to match it. That's all there is to it unfortunately.
Personally I thought Trinity were a far, far better side on Saturday. Thought it was going to be a blow outa at 12-0 in the first few minutes until a yellow card halted their momentum and some dropped ball (including one over the tryline) let them down.
Aloys yes give it a crack and yes deserve respect but getting "respect" doesn't win you games of footy. So if you're wondering, that's why everyone implies they will finish last this season without a win. Would love to be proven wrong.
Fair enough perspective but to be clear I wwas more referring to the couple of references to "feeling sorry for aloys" etc. when despite your perspective, they have been within a try in each of the competitve games theyve played this year (i believe the rest of their trials were against very average opposition but happy to be corrected). I don't doubt that they are probably the most likely to get the spoon but I think that they worthy of being taken seriously.
P. Parker
Allen Oxlade (6)
Agree with all you say Crass. Full respect to Aloys - they always have a red hot crack, and have been competitive in this age group since the boys were in Year 7.
I feel sorry for them because:
1. Death Valley is never an easy trip.
2. Waverley won’t be happy with last weekends result, so I imagine they will turn the heat up a few notches this week.
3. Aloys traditionally aren’t a big side, and Waverley is huge this year.
So, no reflection on Aloys spirit and ability - I’m just feeling for them having to be the next ones to front up to Waverley.
WLF
Arch Winning (36)
Crass, I feel your pain.
I have 2 very close nephews and a few cousins who went to Aloys, along with many close View cousins.
Aloys have ALWAYS stuck it to the Waves over the years, even when the Aloys side on paper has no right to do so.. Must be a Catholic thing, a bit like Joeys v Riverview, except I understand that comparison as there is a more even balance in everything in that 1.
The obvious problem now is the selective academic nature that Aloys has chosen,albeit right or wrong, going forward, unless the school/ future headmaster/s modifies that mantra, rugby things will probably just get worse, to the point where Aloys join Grammar,TAS etc. and the Aloys 1sts and A grade teams etc end up in a 3rd tiered division, then it's game over for Aloys in the CAS comp.
This will then further reduce the CAS comp to 5 schools, which is probably untenable unless the school boy comp is changed to incorporate the GPS schools, and/or ISA schools into 1 larger comp. Don't think some/any of the GPS schools will agree to this, a few may, but unless some forward planning is considered well...... interested to hear others views!
Aloys play the Waves this weekend, and I almost hope rain washes it all out for everyone's sake, and I am NOT trying to be a smart......! but Aloys in all grades are looking down the barrell, and in many grades the Waves are playing up to 7 different schools,and miss matching age group grades v Aloys, ie Aloys B's playing Waves D's etc.
I would think many others have some thoughts on this, this issue is NOT new, has been flogged before on many school boy sites, but now the rubber is about to hit the road, imo.
Your attitude towards the competititon seems pretty flakey and one-eyed to me. It has never not been the case that Aloys, Cranbrook and Trinity mismatch against the other, larger schools. If this was reason to demote a school, it would have been a three horse race years ago - and even Waverley went through some years of slim pickings for a while too.
Results-Wise- Aloys' firsts have come 6th once in the last 5 years . In fact, of the 6 schools, 5 have come last over the past 5 years. In 2014, it was Trinity, in 2015 it was Barker, in 2017 it was Cranbrook, and in 2018 it was Knox. And before Waverley avoids any scrutiny - Aloys absolutely flogged them at Death Valley two years in a row in 2014/2015.
Yes- Aloys' results haven't been great this year, but their first xv is a strong enough team. Aloys has always been academically selective - it is the minnow of the CAS competition (alongside Cranbrook). No one doubts this - but why should this result in the negative attitude you have towards their membership in the first xv competition.
It seems so typical of Australian rugby to jump on itself with negativity and criticism- it happened with the Western Force.
Sure, criticize for its onfield performances - and its possible (if not likely) that they will finish last this year - but implying that this should result in their relegation is frankly an unjust proposition.
Whats the point in a competition if you just jump to conclusions about relegation with little evidence to suggest that the team in point has actually got a substantially worse record than its counterparts. Shouldn't we be celebrating the strength of the competition- and its apparent evenness - and commending aloys on its continued production of fairly strong 1st xv teams?
Hasbeen
Bob Loudon (25)
Alos I have always been a bit nervous about - the supporters seem to feed their players a kind of manic energy (like W) which makes them unpredictable as a team, never to be underestimated in this CAS competition. It was not too long ago they were flogging barker and each game is difficult, despite what may be the eventual score. No team should be complacent.
WLF
Arch Winning (36)
I think it's fair to say that sometimes the reading of text can influence misconceptions. I certainly didn't mean to come across as 1 eyed or flakey (not sure why you would say this) but my point is NOT just about the 1sts,which is your focus.
I thought I made it clear that I have always admired Aloys spirit in it's 1sts XV teams,so I was commending them.
I certainly don't remember Aloys being as academically focused as they are now, they probably have historically had entrance exams etc, but I have nephews there now and getting in is much harder than in previous decades. Nothing wrong with that if that what the school wishes but it is translating into rugby, in particular, across the grades.
As I pointed out the depth in grades and overall wining ratio is getting worse,and this is precisely what happened to Grammar and High.
The LAST thing I, and many others want, is any existing school to suffer that fate.I did not suggest that Aloys should be relegated, those are your words. If you are suggesting that this year is an aberration across the grades,then I think you may find as the years progress it will only get worse, unless there is a change of focus.
My real point here is I hope nothing changes for the worse.
FoleyBealeFolau
Ward Prentice (10)
I've got a nephew at Aloys (he doesn't play anymore because of too many concussions) and he says that there is a sort of complacency within the boys about the rugby program. People flaking on training etc.
Michael_Pooper
Stan Wickham (3)
Really, I thought there was a bit of a change in culture around their camp. I was looking forward to a competitive year from them...
Snort
Nev Cottrell (35)
My views on this are pretty well known. I think the whole schoolboy Rugby system needs to be recalibrated so that like schools play like schools. What I mean by this is that the schools with similar numbers and attitudes should play each other. The ones who want to engage in the arms race are welcome to do so: a top division with (say) Scots playing Knox makes more sense than having (say) Joeys whack Shore. Let the schools with 110kg scholarship kids (and six teams in each age group) aim them at each other. Then you could have other tiers below that. Effectively, this is how US College Football runs - the schools with big programs and big scholarships play each other while their players aim for pro careers, while in the Ivy League, gentlemen scholars give it their best shot and entertain their fans with decent - but obviously amateur - games.
In the meantime, let's not deceive ourselves that this is a new issue. The first CAS competition was held in 1930. St Aloysius has won the official competition precisely once - in 1933 (it also claims one-fourth of the unofficial premiership in 1972, and an unofficial title in 1978). It has always been a smaller school. That doesn't mean there isn't a place for it. Its teams compete and their aspirations are usually different - they aim to win a few games here or there rather than dominating competitions.
Look, I went to Trinity in the 70s. We didn't win a lot. I remember scoring a try in the 13As that was our only score in a 4-68 defeat. The first match I can remember not losing was a 0-0 draw in the 16As. And we had a very ordinary 1st XV (which did, however, draw 14-14 with Waverley at Queen's Park). But the year after I left the 1sts shared the unofficial premiership. That's how life goes for Trinity and Cranbrook - once in a while, the stars align and a good team wins a title. You get used to it!
So the CAS is really a three-pace competition. Most years, Knox, Barker and Waverley are in the mix. Trinity and Cranbrook bob up now and again. And St Aloysius does its best with what it has (which, in recent memory, has included Bernard Foley and Pat McCabe). Is that ideal? Probably not. But until someone comes up with the courage to buck tradition and do something radical, it will do.
In the meantime, let's not deceive ourselves that this is a new issue. The first CAS competition was held in 1930. St Aloysius has won the official competition precisely once - in 1933 (it also claims one-fourth of the unofficial premiership in 1972, and an unofficial title in 1978). It has always been a smaller school. That doesn't mean there isn't a place for it. Its teams compete and their aspirations are usually different - they aim to win a few games here or there rather than dominating competitions.
Look, I went to Trinity in the 70s. We didn't win a lot. I remember scoring a try in the 13As that was our only score in a 4-68 defeat. The first match I can remember not losing was a 0-0 draw in the 16As. And we had a very ordinary 1st XV (which did, however, draw 14-14 with Waverley at Queen's Park). But the year after I left the 1sts shared the unofficial premiership. That's how life goes for Trinity and Cranbrook - once in a while, the stars align and a good team wins a title. You get used to it!
So the CAS is really a three-pace competition. Most years, Knox, Barker and Waverley are in the mix. Trinity and Cranbrook bob up now and again. And St Aloysius does its best with what it has (which, in recent memory, has included Bernard Foley and Pat McCabe). Is that ideal? Probably not. But until someone comes up with the courage to buck tradition and do something radical, it will do.
WLF
Arch Winning (36)
Couldn't agree more Snort, that is precisely the history.
The concern is going forward. This weekend Aloys will field 13 teams across 5 age groups, it's getting extremely thin in each age group. There are 27 soccer teams at Aloys, and yes soccer is dominating across nearly all schools but probably not to this extent. The 16s,15s, and 14s Aloys rugby teams number only 2 in each age group, if a few more drop out you are down to 1 full team!
I suspect this is the lowest participation in their history, and as some people have mentioned the rugby program may not be attracting boys.
I certainly agree with you, a tiered system across associations is my preference, but getting that across the line, well....
1 day though, there may be no choice.
FoleyBealeFolau
Ward Prentice (10)
does anyone have the footage of the barker 1XV coach allegedly coaching though a mouthpiece on the sideline
Derick Smith
Frank Row (1)
In actual fact I've got a step son Craig who has just started playing rugby and attends the "valley school" he is saying that a lot of the boys are rolling their ankles in the modern era.
Retired FootyHead
Frank Row (1)
Yep, and concussions. When I used to play if you got knocked out you would just ran back on bit later, such a fuss made nowadays don't really understand it at all.
Hasbeen
Bob Loudon (25)
Ben Donaldson has done well in the U20's
https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/...l/news-story/54d278fbeb2be6e362f3197fdbd9ba2e
https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/...l/news-story/54d278fbeb2be6e362f3197fdbd9ba2e
S
sidelineview
Guest
Haha. Me too.
The good old days, but there's been a lot of research done on the damage caused by concussions so they're doing the right thing by the players these days.