Manly 2014

[formerflanker]

Great work by Kotoni Ale and Shaun Treweek at the Allambie Jets training on Friday afternoon. Despite the under 6's scattering around like rabbits in a thunderstorm, Kotoni helped structure a great session with the nippers. Shaun was at his professional best with the U7's and both men brought humour and patience to the session. They were generous with their time in remaining behind after training to autograph numerous photos for the boys.

 

[Dave Beat]

Great work by Kotoni Ale and Shaun Treweek at the Allambie Jets training on Friday afternoon. Despite the under 6's scattering around like rabbits in a thunderstorm, Kotoni helped structure a great session with the nippers. Shaun was at his professional best with the U7's and both men brought humour and patience to the session. They were generous with their time in remaining behind after training to autograph numerous photos for the boys.

Great work hey, Manly doing what they do well with the Grass Roots.

Your they were great with the kids on Feral Friday and the boys had a great time didn't they.


Those photos were kindly provided by the top blokes at www.ubfips.com.au rugby guys who provide a great printing service - thanks guys they were a huge hit.

 

[Dave Beat]

Another cracking day down at Manly oval with the depth really showing and taking 7 from 7 in front of another good crowd

Forths had a a good win.

Thirds, was a had fort tussle, Dane making a return from injury and added some required experience up front. Max and Bris added some spark, and it was good to see Christie back really straightening up the line a number of times.

Seconds, Gordon beat Uni last week, and went down to the undefeated Woodies by 1 point earlier in the year. Our defensive line was strong early, but on turn over with ball in hand we tried going wide to early and Gordon raced to a 14 point lead with 2 tries against the run of play. We started to tighten things up late in the first half and leveled the scores. Halftime chat, and the second half had the forwards doing the hard work and earning the right send the backs wide. 38 - 3 after their 2 tries against the run of play.

Firsts, very new look side with a number of players over coming niggling injuries. Fought out a good win, fought being appropriate, good experience in the forwards brought it in tight and went forward when required. Fakai ran onto a couple of great balls to get a double, then Northam shows his gas and also goes over for a double. The second half played out and Turtle trotted out for yet another game.

Gee the talent watching / not playing today in a good crowd, Jordy, Woodhouse, Maile, Sef, Hooper, Fairbrother, Porecki, Peterson, Daruda, Collins, Manu, and possible missed some.

Club Championships still looking good, and Uni play Woodies next week.

 

[Dave Beat]

I checked out Penrith recent history in 4's before the game and they put some of the top teams to the sword in recent weeks so it was a game that i thought would be a challenge - some good names mentioned in that team below coming back from injury.
All good wins,
This week our D will have to really tighten up, hoping to see more players returning from the niggling injuries.



Good recount in more detail - By Adam Lucius
The Marlins ticked off another foreign assignment with a big win over Penrith at Nepean on Saturday, but the 59-32 victory came at a cost.
Skipper Ed Gower was sent off 18 minutes into the game for a lifting tackle and was due to front the judiciary on Monday night to state his case and hopefully avoid a lengthy suspension.
"I don't know it if was worth a red but it was worth something," Gower conceded.
"It's pretty frustrating because obviously you never intend to do something like that.
"It felt like I was trying to do the right thing in the tackle but it just went wrong.
"I'm just happy he wasn't injured and we'll just have to see what happens at the judiciary."
Gower's dismissal forced Manly to play over an hour with just 14 men, inviting the last-placed Emus right into the contest.
Manly were up 10-3 when Gower received his red card but were stunned by back-to-back Penrith tries that gave the home side a surprise 15-10 advantage.
Were we about to witness the season's biggest upset unfold before our eyes?
No.
The Marlins stepped on the gas to clear away, opening up a 30-15 lead and keeping the Emus at arm's length for the rest of the day.
Penrith did get back to within 10 points at one stage but the Marlins were always able to kick clear when called upon.
Winger Dane Chisholm capped a terrific game by finishing with a personal haul of 29 points from two tries, five conversions and three penalties.

Winger Dane Chisholm on the way in (Photo: Carl Peterson)
Half Mark Swanepoel collected two tries and was good throughout, while winger Alex Northam also collected a double.
BJ Hartmann and Mitch Lewis completed the list of try-scorers.
Ninety-one points in 80 minutes would suggest defence wasn't the highest priority for either team.
"Being down one man for most of the game made it difficult and obviously there were a lot of points scored, but I was pretty happy with the way the boys stuck at it," Gower said.
"When we had 15 men we were doing what we set out to do but after the send off it was about surviving and keeping our heads above water.
"Quite often you go out there and play a scrappy game and leave frustrated and I suppose this was the same."
Manly remain undefeated after nine rounds, with six of those wins coming away from home.
The Marlins are at home to Eastwood next Saturday, with the Woodies coming off a strong win against premiers Sydney Uni.
*Popular Marlins prop Eddie Aholelei will go from the lows of Melbourne club rugby to the high of the international stage after being called up for international duty by Tonga.
Eddie will be in action at the Pacific Nations Cup, with Tonga up against Japan, Canada, Fiji, Samoa and USA.
Under-used and forced to play in the inferior Melbourne club competition, Aholelei has been missed at the Marlins but there are hopes we will see more of him in the not too distant future.
2nd Grade control the game

Second grade continued to roll to the top of the table with a strong win against Penrith Second Grade, built on quick ball secured by Domkins, Daniel and Alley, with Tyron Rota and Dave Hart also prominent in both tight and loose.
Manly went up 28-5 at halftime with the bonus point secured, and although defensive communication slipped a little in the second half, the Marlins stayed in control and came out 56-24 winners, with tries from Carolan, Yarrington, Squires (2), Treweek, Hart, Northam and Howard, with Ryan Squires a perfect 8 from 8 with the boot.
Next week will see a top-of-the-table clash with a strong Eastwood side
Manly 56 Penrith 24
3rd grade keep foot on the gas

Jack Brisby led out a third grade side on his 100th grade game for Manly to high expectations from coaches Murphy and Donkins but the side lacked fluidity in the first half, with passes not going to hand and perhaps communication lacking.
There were line-breaks, notably from John Fakai and John Mokofosi but some of the chances created weren’t converted.
Although Manly went into half-time ahead three tries to two, the team know that efforts would need to be lifted in the second half – and indeed that’s the way things went, with Manly tightening the screws, with Brisby, Mark Watson and Mitchell “George Constanza” Gibson all crossing for 5-pointers
Manly 62 Penrith 19
4th grade stick to the game plan

4th Grade knew they would have to start strong against a Penrith Side that has put in big performances and pushed teams at the top of the ladder right to the edge – so coach John Kelly, never the easiest to please, had a wide smile on his face after the first twenty or so minutes at Nepean Rugby Park, as the Marlins stuck to a clear gameplan, building phases through tight ball and “earning the right” to spread the ball wide.
Penrith struggled to contain the big ball-carries of Vaka Manu and Chris Cocca in particular, with Robbie Pickering happy to collect the off-loads when they were finally dragged to ground.
While the structure fell apart later in the game, the Marlin’s defence stayed strong and a few more tries were run in. Kelly praised the performances of Cocca and Manu as well as Peter Squires, Joe “eki” Metuisela and Danny Boland in his 100th Grade game.
Manly will regard this game as useful preparation for next week’s clash with top-of-the-table Eastwood.
Manly 42 Penrith 12

 

[Dave Beat]

Back in the day when players returned to their club, how good would it be being able to field this team.

1. Fairbrother.
2. Porecki.
3. Eddie.
4. Neville
5. Peterson / Gower.
6. Jones.
7. Hooper (c).
8. Palu.
9. Lucas or Swanepeol
10. Lane / Hodge.
11. Hooper / Lui
12. Hingano / Daruda.
13. Sefiana or Foketi.
14. Northam / Chiz
15. Woodhouse / Treweek / Hartman

I could name some reserves to - Reid, Hilterbrand, Lewis, Gentle, Ale, Sigg, Bergelin, O'Connor, Philip, backs reserved are above.​

 

[Dave Beat]

1 from 4 but gee allot can be taken way from yesterdays round.



Rocked up with 8 minutes to go in 4's against table topping Eastwood and we were up 22 - 12, in 8 minutes the game was decided and we went down 26 - 22. But the boys clearly played well and will put that one in the bank.

3rds - lost that one in the tight 5, and we have a few players in the tight 5 recuperating at the moment. We hung in there for a while but our set pieces started to feel the pressure and the Woodies played to this strength. We know we have a strong 3’s and will no doubt learn from that game.

2nds – 2 undefeated teams and it was decided on the siren, a game we didn’t want to lose. It was a relatively new back line combination this week with Fabian stepping up from colts again, and a 10 / 12 / 13 who hadn’t started together this year if I recall. Fabian had a huge first half, but seemed to quieten down in the second, and Squires was running some good lines and kicking goals from all over the place. The forwards played well, Mitch Daniels was strong in attack and defence and played that way for the full 80. Didn’t like losing that one, hope it’s the last.


1st we won. Some passes didn’t stick but we always supported the ball, we turned off for the first 10 minutes of second half.
But I and the crowd would have enjoyed the rugby that we played, there was cohesion and we built the phases and converted them into points.
Mitch Lewis had another huge game, hit the ball up got smashed, and then carted the ball up well over the add line in the next phase. A prop that goes the full 80.
Kotoni was always strong on the ball.
Bergo whether carting it up off a quick tap, sea gulling out wide, giving a good pass, or putting in a grubber - he can also score a try & defend, another good game
Swanapoel is throwing a great ball, keeps the D honest with good runs, and pulls off some huge hits.
Whilst Daruda didn’t play, how good were Sef and Maile.
The outside backs, gee tough selection I’d go with either (BJ / Treweek) depending on the opposition, I’d also like to see Northam on the flank, but with that who’d be the kicker - 17 points Chiz.

IMO rub of the green cost Manly 10 + points - Maraki / Chiz went over meat pies that I think they should have been awarded. Lastly though I thought it was a well ref'd game with good advantages played.

So yes there is room for improvement, but that was well played yesterday, Wicks next week and they almost have the best D in the comp, and they are strong throughout the grades.

 

[Lindommer]

Phil Blake's off to Leicester later this year. Read here: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/27665243

A shame he couldn't snag a spot at one of Australia's Super sides, it's a sad loss of our rugby intellectual property. Will he be leaving before the NRC's over?

 

[GunnerDownUnder]

The NRC will kick off in late August following the State Premier Rugby Competitions and will run until the beginning of November.
Aviva starts first week of September, so you would think he wont be involved with NRC at all.
Leicester are building a great coaching staff.
My only worry for Manly would be pre-season games normally start beginning of August so question should be will he be leaving before the SS's over?

 

[Dave Beat]

The NRC will kick off in late August following the State Premier Rugby Competitions and will run until the beginning of November.
Aviva starts first week of September, so you would think he wont be involved with NRC at all.
Leicester are building a great coaching staff.
My only worry for Manly would be pre-season games normally start beginning of August so question should be will he be leaving before the SS's over?

All is still looking good, close knit team

 

[Dave Beat]

Short this week,
Really like the D in 2s and 1s.
Rota, and Daniels were good up front - keen to hear how the shoulders are.
Yarrington, and Treweek "" in the backs, great seeing Treweek joining in the back line again it was good to see.

Forward pack played as a unit.
Maile, and Lui, created havoc with their straight running.

Supporting the ball was also seen, great example of this was when Bergo almost went over took it in and Sigg scored.

 

[Bomber Harris]

Saw 3's - a good return to winning with BP after fairly dismal effort v Woods . Watson very strong game along with the halves - Max Wood giving Bris plenty of options as well as making a couple of nice dashes himself . Tight 5 incl makeshift front row did well . Re warehousing on SS thread add Mike Howard and Josh Carolan to list.

Agree re Sean Treweek in 2's good to see him running straight again - back to early season form.

First grade just great to watch . And they can get better!

 

[Dave Beat]

Yeah Sean was back joining the line, and gee that makes a huge difference.

Yeah firsts were a joy to watch, and yeah you are right they can get better.

It was only one muppet (something about 2 passes) who had a crack, there was a lot of praise there for what the club has achieved.

 

[James M7]

Hey Dave,Great to hear that Sean is finding the form that he is capable of showing.How did the front row combination , Mitch Lewis & Chris Cocca are team mates from Canberra I believe. From what I have read Lewis is getting plenty of credit from the coach?

 

[Dave Beat]

They played the first half last week, and about 50 minutes this week.
Mitch has been one of the best / most consistent this year, gets through a heap of work.
Chris is a big lad, and has played well in the 2 halves I've seen - want to see more of him.
Tim, Dane, Tank, Eddie and Gentle - imagine if the full roster was available.

 

[James M7]

WOW ok coach Blake is in a good place up front and all over the park as well . If the boys up front are getting on the front foot the boys out wide should be having a good day then. Looking forward to the boys being back home this week.

 

[Dave Beat]

Huge weekend down at the village this weekend, and no doubt want to lift on last weeks great performance.

Souths gave been erratic this year and with Souths performances over the last couple of years Manly will be looking to turn up.

Looking forward to seeing the team sheets as the players start to return and the depth starts really showing.

 

[Dave Beat]

Really looking forward to one of the colts dads stepping up under an alias to add some posts!

Seconds straight week weather has put 3's & 4's to an outside field and i can only say we took the points.

2nd's we were dominant most of the game, but the scoreboard attendant were kept busy with there ab&c creatively arranging
Emirates &
Finvu
on the scoreboard, unfortunately the numbers weren't ticking over as fast as expected. We had a very dominant scrum, and our line out was winning plenty of ball until Wesson was replaced at the break. My take on the score - we weren't as ruthless in the ruck and maul aggression on phases 3 +, lacking this go forward stifled the backs speed & flare. Any way took the points and all good.

1st's a real battle for the first 30, a tough ground out game. Great defense with our line going uncrossed, only points they received were given to them by the ref with a penalty try after they knocked on at the back of a scrum. It appeared to be a different approach this week, our outside back had huge impact in recent weeks, and this week the ball didn't travel wide. Most of the points came in the 10 minutes either side of oranges. Huge effort when down too 13 men in the second half.
Kotoni had a huge game, with some great ball carries.
Sigg played hard for his 70 minutes, pulling off some great hits.

 

[formerflanker]

Rugby players can drink and thrive, study shows.

Wonderful news in The Australian today, in which A new study debunks the affects of alcohol on the performance of athletes.
I'm hoping to be the specialist coach in charge of drinking pints of beer the night before a game.

 

[Dave Beat]

Manly teams V Parra - off the NSW site and some interesting selections,
Melrose returning to the wing in second grade??? Western Force lock Phoenix Battye making a return in seconds.
With 4th grade having some interesting names - Tank Collins returning from injury, and last years 1sts colts trio Squires, Fakai, Northam listed as the outside backs

 

[Dave Beat]

Play to win, do not play a game not to lose - looked like a fright in 3's today.