John I. Dent Cup 2017 - ACT Premier Rugby

[RoffsChoice]

Was at Royals-Norths, gotta say that both teams put in a good showing and it was much closer than the score reflects. Three intercept tries for Royals (looks like they intentionally play for those), and two off a lucky bounce. Biggest difference between the sides was defensive ability, with Royals holding out on their own line dozens of times throughout the game without conceding. Looking forward to the prelim next week.

 

[No.8]

East 12 - Whites 26

Yo guys - been crazy busy with work and was away for a while so haven't been able to be very active on here.

Watched the Easts V Whites game on the weekend - as I expected Whites rested a lot of players - prob 5,6,7 normal 1st Graders out of the 1st XV - with a number of colts making their first starts.

Was a pretty sloppy game - not much to report due to the Whites being a very different side than normal.

Easts as a club still seem lazy and unwilling to put in the effort to make a difference - I'm not impressed by them at all.

Their No.8 was a disgrace - trying to fight pretty much any chance he got - he ended up being red carded late into the game.

Not sure what the answer is for Easts but going off Saturday, nothing much will change next year.

Finals this weekend:

Saturday:
Royals V Vikings

Sunday:
Wests V Whites

 

[Rock Lobster]

I've watched Royals play about six games this year and I would say in at least half of those the opposition was the better side yet Royals have still won and often quite easily. They are a funny side to watch and very hard to categorise. They defend extremely well, often holding sides out from very long periods, then they get one chance to score and they take it every time. It is quite uncanny.

They say defence wins finals and that will carry them a long way and more than likely all the way and I really hope they can win the comp, however I have this niggling doubt that the riding of their luck, which they have done all year, just might not present itself during finals. As anyone will tell you, Finals are a different comp altogether.

 

[Green grass]

We certainly saw that finals are a different ball game altogether in 2015 when Royals won their first premiership in 24 years.
I think the might of the blue baggers will prove too much for any other side in the comp to handle.
Got out to Royals vs Uni on the weekend. The students toiled hard throughout, and no doubt would have enjoyed a few season ending schooners on Saturday evening.
Wests vs Dara- another blowout. Am I correct in saying that the Eagles missed the finals in the top 2 grades?
Easts and Queanbeyan didn't throw up any surprises. Interesting to see what happens with the men from Griffith next year. I can't think of any solutions to get them out of their current predicament.
Should be a cracking weekend at Erindale enclosed. I am tipping Royals to win on Saturday, and the Whites to knock off the Lions on Sunday.

 

[Istanbul]

Any whispers about sneaky additions to team line ups for this weekend?

 

[Istanbul]

Is the stampede out yet? Can anyone flick me a link to it pls

 

[Brumby Jack]

Is the stampede out yet? Can anyone flick me a link to it pls

Nope. Usually on Fridays. Still time for someone to do an injury at Thursday night training

 

[Istanbul]

Nope. Usually on Fridays. Still time for someone to do an injury at Thursday night training

Probably more a chance someone might drown at the bottom of a ruck in this weather.

Will a heavy track favour Royals or Tuggies more? I'd say royals might benefit if it becomes a forwards struggle

 

[Istanbul]

Royals 32 - Tuggies 26

Scoreboard suggests it was a close contest but I saw a very one sided contest. Royals lost Cussack early in the second half and played 20 minutes with 14 men. Very dominant performance from the men in blue. I not convinced Tuggies will make it through to the big dance. Major scrum issues right from the first scrum which they lost against the feed. Wagner got hooked after 2 scrums but the royals front row owned the Tuggies scrum all day. Sione and Penders were massive with Sione in particular having his opposition prop in the air at most scrums.

For Tuggies - Tonga was strong and Talau measured up in defence. Dourogh was good, and Robinson was sound.

For Royals - the front row was great and big Mike in the row was great. Staniforth and Cussack were quieter than usual. Pedro was pick of the backs with a very solid kicking game closely followed by Muirhead and Cole.

Can anyone tell me where Jamie Bodman was today? Injured, suspended or dropped?

On the plus side for Tuggies there didn't seem to be any major injuries but I think the score line flattered them. Need to find another 2-3 players to match royals.

Interestingly I didn't think Hyne, Jackson-Hope, Staniforth or Cussack stood out which really shows the quality of the local comp.

 

[forwards4ever]

Great commentary on the game today!

 

[Brumby Runner]

A good, high quality game especially by Royals in the first half. Thought they were a bit hard done by with the ref in the second half, but managed to stave off a strong fight back by Vikings.

I was impressed by Swain (?) at 13 for the Royals, and Muirhead was a menace from the back. Darcy Swain also had a strong game for the Vikings. F Sione probably MOTM.

 

[macka_au]

g'day,

Was able to get out to the games nice and early Saturday.

Watched 4's all the way up.

Lower grades as expected tuggies were pretty dominant against qbn in 4's. Same can be said for Gungahlin in 3's.

Colts was a bloody good game of footy. Gungahlin just too strong in the end. For those of you interested Mac Hansen is worth checking out he's going to be a bloody good footballer, same can be said for Gersekowski with Tuggeranong let's hope the Brumbies can keep these blokes in Canberra!

2nds was a pretty dominant showing from tuggeranong. A few lapses here and there but I think the scoreline tells the story. Mcgrath, Oakman-Hunt and Henderson were very impressive (you'd expect that however being regular 1st graders). I'm not sure of his name but the Royals number 10 had a really good game as well.

Onto the main event. It really was a tale of two halves with Tuggeranong nearly pulling the win off. Having said that it was a much-deserved win for Royals as they were the better team for the majority of the game and for that matter all year.

Tuggeranong Scrum was under a lot of pressure. Losing Wagner in the first few minutes obviously didn't help but it was under pressure even with him.The scrum was steadied slightly when mcgrath came into the game however, it didn't last long as understandably mcgrath started to tire. All I can say is he must have a massive ticker he played 60 odd minutes in 2's and backed up and did it again 1's. Tuggies backs looked good when they had the ball, Jackson-Hope caused some problems for the Royals defence late in the game. Sua Tonga was fantastic (again).

For Royals it was an absolutely dominant first half, leading 32-7 at the break I was worried we were going to see a cricket score. Muirhead was brilliant seemingly creating a try just before half time out of nothing. Very strong up front in my view macinerny was their best he's a real pest at the breakdown and gets through a heap of work. They may have been unlucky going down to 14 men late in the 2nd. However, they play very much on the edge of the laws, they really push the limits on the offside line and around fringes and maybe pushed a little too hard on Saturday.

At this point, I don't think there's a team in the comp that can beat Royals. I have serious concerns about tuggernong getting through this week against Wests and even if they do they'll be super battered and bruised.

It's Royals GF to lose in my eyes.

 

[Istanbul]

If the Wests scrum is as dominant as everyone is reporting it to be then I then I think Tuggies are in for a world of pain this week. I can't recall seeing a Vikings scum be so easily dominated as it has been over the last few weeks. Major question marks over Wagner's scrummaging. I'm tipping Wests to advance through to the GF and I give them more a chance of upsetting Royals than I do Tuggies.

 

[Green grass]

The blue army are coming in numbers in 12 days time.

 

[No.8]

Watched both games on the weekend.

Royals V Tuggeranong -

Great game to start with and I was starting to think not about Royals winning but how many points they can put on Tuggers - in the first half I thought they were just going to run away with it and put 50-60 on the Viks.

Royals didn't play that well in the 2nd half and let Tuggers back in - if Royals had kept their first half form they would of put 50 on at least I reckon.

Royals from 1 - 15 are strong - I don't really see any weakness in their side.

Sione Taula and Michael Henry need to go I think - saying that though they don't really have any replacements that I can see - They brought on Nailor? (spelling) for the young prop very early - I think Nailor (spelling) was playing 1st grade when I was a schoolboy 10-15 years ago.

Henry and Taula have become real weaknesses in the front row - they have done an awesome job for Tuggers over the last decade but time to step aside.

Wests V Queanbeyan -

Queanbeyan never looked like winning this game - from the get go you could tell Wests were more up to the challenge - I honestly think this was close to the worst game the Whites have played this season. They just looked frustrated and in parts not interested - Penca again tried hard - but really didn't notice him either as much as normal.

Wests are a solid side and with a couple of Brumbies in there I honestly think they are the team to rival Royals for the title.

Queanbeyan seem like they are slightly on a tipping edge in regards to staying a top 4 side or maybe starting to drift to the bottom parts of the ladder - they have been there or so close for so many years the frustration may be starting to show?

They have a good colts side so we might start to see more of these players step up into key positions next year.

It will be interesting to see if the likes of Sok, Penca, Chainsaw etc stick around for another year - they are really in need of a couple of real impact players 1 forward/1 back - next year will be very interesting for the Whites I believe.

 

[Istanbul]

Do you think it might be time for Adam Fahye to step aside No 8?

I agree with your assessment of Tuggies, Wests and Royals. I think a Royals v Wests GF would be a cracker and a lot closer than most might think.

I don't think your whites will fall too far off the pace mate - got to be doing something right to make the finals right across the grades and QBN has a habit of finding very handy players.

 

[No.8]

Do you think it might be time for Adam Fahye to step aside No 8?



I agree with your assessment of Tuggies, Wests and Royals. I think a Royals v Wests GF would be a cracker and a lot closer than most might think.



I don't think your whites will fall too far off the pace mate - got to be doing something right to make the finals right across the grades and QBN has a habit of finding very handy players.

From what I can see Adam is well-respected and I don't think he needs to move on - what I saw from the Whites First Grade side this year is that they were just a bit one dimensional - always close to being that really dynamic side they were last year but just a bit of the mark.

I think bringing Mosely into first grade from Colts was the right move - when in form he was arguably the best 10 running around in 1st grade at different points of the season - I can see him becoming a Brumby - very much a "New Zealand" style 10 - can control the game well.

Saying that though they dragged him from the game - prob about 15 mins into the 2nd half - and he was NOT happy about it.

Queanbeyan have a lot of heart and I think that has carried them through a difficult season - but they just lost that heart in the most important game of the year unfortunately.

If I was the Queanbeyan coaching staff I would be looking for possibly a big impact 2nd rower, and No.8 (even though they do have a good young colts loose forward/islander guy) and they need more size and impact in the backline - so I would be looking for a big/crash centre - JR for mind could be this guy but looks to be lacking confidence and is very injury prone - and possibly another big/crash winger.

I think overall they have lacked size this year.

They do have a couple of colts players that could step into these roles - I've totally forgot their names haha - but one is an islander loose forward who has played a fair bit of 1st grade this year off the bench. Then they have another islander kid who's played wing/centre in 1st grade this year.

Place they have a couple of good props/hookers etc.

Will be very interesting to see who/if any Queanbeyan players get picked for NRC.

 

[Istanbul]

Can someone tell me what's the story with Royals centre Jamie Bodman. I thought he has been solid all year but noticed he didn't get a start on Saturday. The replacement centres were good. Did Bodman play seconds or is he out injured?

 

[No.8]

Can someone tell me what's the story with Royals centre Jamie Bodman. I thought he has been solid all year but noticed he didn't get a start on Saturday. The replacement centres were good. Did Bodman play seconds or is he out injured?

Think he might be injured - saw him watching the game in Saturday. Swain I think is the most underrated centre/back in the comp - he's always been very solid ever since juniors. The red head centre was a gun also.

 

[bluebags]

g'day,

Was able to get out to the games nice and early Saturday.

Watched 4's all the way up.

Lower grades as expected tuggies were pretty dominant against qbn in 4's. Same can be said for Gungahlin in 3's.

Colts was a bloody good game of footy. Gungahlin just too strong in the end. For those of you interested Mac Hansen is worth checking out he's going to be a bloody good footballer, same can be said for Gersekowski with Tuggeranong let's hope the Brumbies can keep these blokes in Canberra!

2nds was a pretty dominant showing from tuggeranong. A few lapses here and there but I think the scoreline tells the story. Mcgrath, Oakman-Hunt and Henderson were very impressive (you'd expect that however being regular 1st graders). I'm not sure of his name but the Royals number 10 had a really good game as well.

Onto the main event. It really was a tale of two halves with Tuggeranong nearly pulling the win off. Having said that it was a much-deserved win for Royals as they were the better team for the majority of the game and for that matter all year.

Tuggeranong Scrum was under a lot of pressure. Losing Wagner in the first few minutes obviously didn't help but it was under pressure even with him.The scrum was steadied slightly when mcgrath came into the game however, it didn't last long as understandably mcgrath started to tire. All I can say is he must have a massive ticker he played 60 odd minutes in 2's and backed up and did it again 1's. Tuggies backs looked good when they had the ball, Jackson-Hope caused some problems for the Royals defence late in the game. Sua Tonga was fantastic (again).

For Royals it was an absolutely dominant first half, leading 32-7 at the break I was worried we were going to see a cricket score. Muirhead was brilliant seemingly creating a try just before half time out of nothing. Very strong up front in my view macinerny was their best he's a real pest at the breakdown and gets through a heap of work. They may have been unlucky going down to 14 men late in the 2nd. However, they play very much on the edge of the laws, they really push the limits on the offside line and around fringes and maybe pushed a little too hard on Saturday.

At this point, I don't think there's a team in the comp that can beat Royals. I have serious concerns about tuggernong getting through this week against Wests and even if they do they'll be super battered and bruised.

It's Royals GF to lose in my eyes.

Pretty spot on Macka. I got to watch Colts and 2nds also for the 1st time this year. What wasn't mentioned was that Gungahlin used a pretty significant wind in the 1st half which appeared to largely die off at the change. Their scrum absolutely dominated and considering 2/3 of Tuggers front row I was told, had played 1st grade , this made it even more impressive. In saying that Tuggers backs with limited possession, kept them in the game. Some really scratchy decisions went against them also noticeably, the try just before 1/2 time. Gungahlins No 7 was great.

As you said, Vikings in 2nds never looked like getting beaten. Their 1st 20 minutes was very slick. OH and Bowden were terrific and Ravouvou and the stripper was sharp. I think Vikings also copped 2 yellow cards.

The main game saw the vikings start brilliantly but I think the next 4 ? tries were scored by Royals who then copped a couple of cards themselves.
Istanbul, I actually thought Staniforth was really involved...maybe not entirely effective but havent seen enough of him this year to compare. Similarly, those moments where Tuggers got a roll on were generally the result of Hyne and Tonga. Dorrough looks like his 1st step is always sideways and simply shovels the ball on. The 2 times he took it to the line were effective and I think Vikings scored. Overall, Tuggers simply lacked props and 5/8s across the 3 grades. Vikings scrum again was bashed. Wests will test them even further next week and I can see the Vikings going uncontested (dont laugh...there lack of depth is scary) in the GF should they get there.