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John I Dent Cup and ACT competition - 2012

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Grant Jones

Ted Fahey (11)
1. Adam Friend is still head coach.
2. You can bring in 'imports' however a clubs budget ultimately dictates how many or how proven they are. Our imports this year are quite young.
Our Brumbies players were largely not what we needed - we wanted backs, and so we were given four forwards. Hoping the Brumbies might actually look to balance this out. (please note, Jerry Yanuyanutawa and Ben Hand gave been fantastic for us, unfortunately, both are unavailable for extended periods of time).
3. Arch Vanderglas is president.
4. No. Whilst many (myself included) were not happy with what happened after 2008, there was a need for a coach with level 3 ARU certification, and the coaches were not at that standard.
5. Ozzie Osbourne is around town or down at Tuross, not coaching.
John Beath has been at a couple of training sessions, but as his sons play at Queanbeyan and not Easts, he presumably doesn't have much time to spare.

I hope the Brumbies take a good look at the local scene - its become a two tier system with Vikings and Wests out front and the rest below. Not healthy for ACT Rugby.

Easts for one will continue to struggle without:

A licensed club or 'home'.

One of the major schools in its tiny catchment area is a feeder for another club (which has a whole city to develop talent from).

The continued difficulties of being in a tiny catchment area where demographics don't equate to good playing numbers.
 

Grant Jones

Ted Fahey (11)
While I agree it is a bit of a joke what the Vikings are able to do, let them do it, it makes it more rewarding when you beat them.
You have to stop making excuses as to why you are not successful.
From what I know you hav a full time coach, a luxury many other clubs do not have, who has produced nothing.
Saying you need a level 3 coach is a load of crap, it is not a requirement, pretty silly sacking a grand final coach who appeared to have the players support. Doesn't matter what qualfications a coach has, if he is getting results that is all that should matter.
Backs are not going to help you win games this year.
The reason Eddies is a feeder for the Whites is because most of them are Queanbeyan kids and saying they have a whole city (its a city of 40000 people) which is probably the same population as your area.
I think Queanbeyan have proven over the past few years that you don't need a licensed club, I would say a good culture is more important.
 

Empire

Syd Malcolm (24)
Who is saying they are 'excuses' - merely responding to the questions asked. I'll continue to do so - I know the club has its pros and cons like any. Unlike some others here, I'm not blind to the faults of my club.

Are you seriously saying that Red Hill, Narrabundah, Kingston and Manuka have the same population as the whole greater Queanbeyan area? Without checking specific demographics, house prices alone in these areas dictate that it's not exactly 'family friendly'. They are old suburbs with a large amount of retirees, and relatively few children. Besides, does your '40,000' include Bungendore, Googong and Burra into as well? Queanbeyan certainly hasn't got a bad sized catchment area. Easts, does not.

Eddies isn't as 'Queanbeyan' as you like to make out - its sizeable, but not a majority. The issue is when Queanbeyan was getting beaten by a considerable margin, Easts made the insane decision to allow Whites development officers into the school. I don't think this would ever be reciprocated by any other club - so it was a stupid decision by Easts (this was before either of us had left from St Edmunds, Grant).

Regarding the coach - More than a few have asked questions. There always will be when results have been poor. I presume there will be some sort of review at seasons end.

Osborne wasn't 'sacked' - that's simply not true. He stated he'd become a 'year to year' proposition - that doesn't leave a club with a lot of security.
He also had very limited rugby union skills, as he was a League guy. Some of the top players wanted someone with better Union specific skills.

Changes had to be made - however the board certainly could have done a better job. It was a shithouse time to be a player caught in the middle of it.

Culture is important - and Queanbeyan through coaches Thurbon, Christini, the playing group and guys like Phil Hawke have certainly turned it around and made it strong. I hope it continues!

So, no excuses - just answering questions. Irrespective, should things not improve dramatically, who knows what may happen - a 6 team JID without Easts?
 

Empire

Syd Malcolm (24)
How could I forget Forrest!

Lovely area, but again - majority of it is older residents, diplomats etc - not a huge amount of football age guys!
 

rugbyskier

Ted Thorn (20)
I would have thought that the seven teams correspond with the seven discrete districts within the Canberra-Queanbeyan urban area. Uni-Norths - North Canberra; Easts - South Canberra; Wests - Belconnen; Royals - Woden/Weston Creek and Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and Queanbeyan in their respective areas. A bit of tweaking in the North Canberra and South Canberra catchments would even things up, with Campbell, Reid and ADFA/RMC in Easts. That would give the following populations to the catchments for clubs:

Easts - 32,000
Uni-Norths - 38,000
Royals - 55,000
Gungahlin - 41,000
Wests - 82,000
Tuggeranong - 87,000
Queanbeyan - 40,000
 

Empire

Syd Malcolm (24)
I would have thought that the seven teams correspond with the seven discrete districts within the Canberra-Queanbeyan urban area. Uni-Norths - North Canberra; Easts - South Canberra; Wests - Belconnen; Royals - Woden/Weston Creek and Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and Queanbeyan in their respective areas. A bit of tweaking in the North Canberra and South Canberra catchments would even things up, with Campbell, Reid and ADFA/RMC in Easts. That would give the following populations to the catchments for clubs:

Easts - 32,000
Uni-Norths - 38,000
Royals - 55,000
Gungahlin - 41,000
Wests - 82,000
Tuggeranong - 87,000
Queanbeyan - 40,000

I'd say numbers are one thing, but demographics are probably just as important. Inner suburbs have a decidedly older demographic.

Irrespective, each area will have disadvantages and advantages. It is the clubs prerogative to be seeking solutions within their areas.

However, more emphasis should be placed by the ACTRU/Brumbies to empower/support each club to get out and run programmes across their area, in the Auskick mould. This would provide enormous benefits and foster local community relations.
 

Slim 293

Stirling Mortlock (74)
The JID will see quite a number of Brumbies players involved over the next couple of weeks.

Auelua, Mogg, and Kimlin will be playing for Wests this weekend.......
 

Brumby Jack

Steve Williams (59)
Saw Wests play Uni-Norths at ANU North Oval.

It was an interesting battle with both teams having both their contingent of Brumbies back playing club rugby. Uni-Norths had Ian Prior, Tom Cox and Dylan Sigg, whilst Wests had Peter Kimlin, Jesse Mogg and Fotu Auelua on show.

Wests started the better of the two and held onto the ball for the opening 5 minutes and finally got the try they were after from Jesse Mogg. Uni-Norths weren't scared to front up to their bigger opponents and got back level shortly after.

The game see sawed in the cold conditions with both teams hanging onto the ball for long periods of play and both were helped by infringements from the other team. Wests kept the scoreboard ticking over but Uni-Norths replied each time and even got in front at one stage but undid their good work by allowing Wests to score immediately from the restart and added another just before half time to lead 26-15.

The second half didn't have that many points scored but the intensity lifted from both sides, especially from Fotu Auelua who looked like he was playing 10 pin bowling and using the Uni-Norths players as pins. He went on at least two big runs and left players in his wake and this should have lead to more points but the Uni-Norths defense held on each time despite having to a mountain of work in the second half and a scrum that was being dominated.

Wests could only add 2 more penalty goals to their score whilst Uni-Norths added a try themselves to leave the final score at 32-20 to the visitors.
 

Bugeye

Allen Oxlade (6)
I suppose Quenbeyan 4th grade went uncontested again against Royals with a squad full of backs and won not in the spirit of the game whites. As for Vikings having a fulltime career coach looks like it is the way to go for all clubs.
 

Brumby Jack

Steve Williams (59)
This probably deserves to go in this thread since it affects ACT club rugby.

An independent review was undertaken to look at the running of the ACT & Southern NSW rugby union. The recommendations of this review have come back and the key recommendations are as follows:

· The Brumbies (team and commercial business) be managed through a wholly commercial entity separate from ACT&SNSWRU, to which ACT&SNSWRU leases the intellectual property and management rights for the Brumbies, while retaining ownership of those rights.

· ACT&SNSWRU be conducted as a volunteer driven organisation, focused on actively managing the health and growth of Community Rugby in the ACT and Southern NSW.

· The licence fee from the new Brumbies organisation is set as a proportion of its revenue, at a level that ensures a substantial increase in resources available to Community Rugby.

· The licensing arrangements also include a share of any increase in the value of net assets of the Brumbies organisation (including net of any capital contribution by other parties).

· ACT&SNSWRU decide whether to seek private investors to manage the Brumbies or to establish a Rugby community aligned entity for that purpose.

This looks to be a similar setup to what the Waratahs and NSW Rugby Union have.

The last point is very interesting considering the ACT market where main sponsors have been difficult to obtain in recent times. Both the Brumbies and Canberra Raiders (league side) struggled to gain a naming rights sponsors for 2012 and at one point both were in discussion with Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company, with the Raiders ending up with them after the Brumbies missed out due to factors outside their control, namely the inability for Huawei to gain a contract as part of the NBN rollout.

The problem with Canberra is that there are no coal miners/oil barons or the like with deep pockets ready to unload a huge chunk of cash to support a team.

The history of teams playing in national competitions hasn't been to great in the last 15 years or so with only the Brumbies and Raiders the only teams to survive, albeit with some very generous help from the ACT Government.
 

BrumbiesPolynesian

Fred Wood (13)

I tend to agree.

From what I understand it was only two front line players who wanted change back then but the Head Coach had the full support of the rest of the coaching staff and players. From then, bulk of the players went to Royals or to League.

Whilst you cant turn back the clock now, you just have to hope the club has learnt from that piece of history and making continued improvement. I would hate to see the club become null and void in the next year or two because in reality, if that happens it will all stem back to the end of the 2008 season.

Good luck to them though.
 

Slim 293

Stirling Mortlock (74)
Pretty big upset for the Eagles to beat Vikings with only 13 men.......


Brutal Eagles bring down Vikings
Chris Dutton
June 24, 2012

ng-locrugby-artwide-20120623233142228840-420x0.jpg
Brumby and Gungahlin Eagles' No.8 Ita Vaea pushes through the Vikings defence. Photo: ROHAN THOMSON
THE GUNGAHLIN Eagles bashed and belted their way to the biggest upset of the season yesterday and in the process blew the John I Dent Cup premiership race wide open by inflicting the Tuggeranong Vikings' first loss of the year.
The Eagles physical game plan stunned the previously undefeated Vikings as Gungahlin secured a boilover 29-12 victory at Nicholls Oval.
The win was made even more impressive by the fact the Eagles were reduced to 13-men in the second half with Rutikha Ilolahia red-carded and Xavier Duffy in the sin bin.
Their 17-point triumph will give every team in the competition hope that they can be a title contender in the coming weeks.
Prior to the match the Vikings had not been beaten in their nine games and appeared destined to win another premiership.
They had scored 380 points and conceded just 111.
But the Eagles have given rival clubs a blueprint on how to challenge the premier division powerhouses - be aggressive.
Boosted by the inclusion of ACT Brumbies No.8 Ita Vaea and some outstanding play from inside- centre Matt Hawke, the Eagles were ruthless.
''I got some lucky hits and sometimes it was like they didn't know where I was coming from so I got some good hits on,'' Vaea said.
''I'm absolutely knackered, we were playing with 13 boys for a while so I was just trying to stay positive.''
The Vikings have set the benchmark this season and have rarely been troubled in their rise to the top of the ladder.
They beat Easts 73-8 two weeks ago. In nine matches they had never scored less than 40 points and had ran in more than 70 points in three matches.
The last time the teams met, the Vikings won 40-0 and the game was even called off with 20 minutes to go after an injury to Ben McGee.
But the Eagles were ready for the challenge this time.
The match had everything. Ilolahia was sent off for kicking while referee Brett Bowden gave yellow cards to three other players.
The Eagles held a 24-5 lead at half-time thanks to tries from James Lovell, Xavier Duffy and Vaea.
Vaea was dangerous in defence, landing several bone-crunching hits on unsuspecting Vikings.
The Eagles defended staunchly after the break and despite having two less players, the only time the Vikings got over the line in the second half was when they were awarded a penalty try for repeated scrum infringements.
''Tuggeranong are the benchmark so we spoke all week about being physical and aggressive,'' Gungahlin coach Owen Finegan said.
''We worked hard for each other … everyone is a contender now and we've showed it's about coming with the right frame of mind.''
Three Tuggeranong players - Tom Murday, Darragh Fanning and Rodney Iona - had played trial Super Rugby games during the week, but coach Dan McKellar said that wasn't an excuse for his side's poor performance.
''Full credit to Gungahlin, they were full of energy and enthusiasm … we were a bit flat,'' McKellar said.
''If you're off a little bit, you'll get beaten. We're not kicking cans, but we definitely got out enthused.''
AT A GLANCE
GUNGAHLIN EAGLES 29 (X Duffy, I Vaea, M Hawke, J Lovell tries; M McMahon 3 conversions, penalty) bt TUGGERANONG VIKINGS 12 (B Taueki try, penalty try; R Iona conversion); UNI-NORTHS OWLS 61 bt EASTS 7; WESTS 19 (M Pankhurst, F Auelua, J Luteru tries; A McKerchar 2 conversions) bt QUEANBEYAN WHITES 16 (N Murray, C Barbaro tries; S Windsor 2 penalties).
 
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