formerflanker
Ken Catchpole (46)
Yes. Just like the slightly-old days.Competing under trial conditions where a loss can be even viewed as a positive, is obviously a lot different to playing in a proper competition, especially a one-round comp.
Yes. Just like the slightly-old days.Competing under trial conditions where a loss can be even viewed as a positive, is obviously a lot different to playing in a proper competition, especially a one-round comp.
Yes. Just like the slightly-old days.
Even though coaches can put the results of trial matches into perspective, individual players couldn't afford to take the games lightly with Rep spots up for grabs.
At the very worst it could have been a yellow card to most but was deemed by the young touch judge to be red which was his call (not disrespecting his judgement or questioning his character - disagree with his decision). Being put in that position for a start should not happen as he cannot possibly be seen to be independent even though he believed he was doing the right thing but that's a separate issue again.
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Contentious decisions in such a short comp can cost a team a premiership that has only 5 games
As a Waverley supporter here are a few thoughts re View and Joeys. I have watched last week's game View v Joeys at Iggies. IMO the best game I have seen this year! A beauty! (A rivalry which has the ultimate history). Love those Catholics!
But Pope Frank is a JesuitHow many times do I have to tell you blokes, Riverview AREN'T Catholics, they're Jesuits!
A rumour. I thought he was an Argie...
Thats how it used to be.
I've found it promotes spirited discussions when you bump into blokes 30 years later, so it has that social element going for it.
Unfortunately how it used to be does not make it better. That is why it was changed a few years ago.
I can also tell you that a number of boys in the firsts and seconds have stated that the delay in the start of the comp has dragged it out unnecessarily. Finally they start the comp and then it's school holidays before Round 2.
It's a ridiculous situation to say the least.
Unfortunately how it used to be does not make it better. That is why it was changed a few years ago.
I can also tell you that a number of boys in the firsts and seconds have stated that the delay in the start of the comp has dragged it out unnecessarily. Finally they start the comp and then it's school holidays before Round 2.
It's a ridiculous situation to say the least.
Those issues are getting worse. My impression from speaking to ex movers and shakers at HH was that it is verging on impossible whichever way you cut that cakeIndeed. I think that playing 7 weeks of trials for a 5 game competition makes little sense. Added to which is the issue of one competition match and then a 4 week break.
On top of that is the knock-on effect to the 3rds competition, where the previous 10 week 1st/2nds format worked quite well with a 9 week 3rds format - just one extra trial for the 3rds. A 9 week 3rds doesn't go so well with a 5 week competition format - even when you exclude a team and make it an 8 week 3rds format. This is felt right through the age groups where games have to be found for the TAS teams.
What we've also seen is that only 1 CAS school can provide the number of teams to fit in with the GPS schools and a second CAS school can field highly competitive teams, but not enough of them.
The stated idea was to reduce the necessity for schools (or one in particular) to have to play multiple opposition at multiple venues - this has if anything happened more rather than less under this format. Of course, the hidden agenda of said school was to remove the need to travel to Armidale and the end game is to move the schools who are only in the 3rds competition out so that they don't have to send a 3rds squad to a different venue.
Hey #Sweetchillination
After reading/viewing the results from the recent trial games between GPS and CAS I must say I was a little disappointed that the ISA teams didn’t get into any of the action. As a proud ISA blogger (please go and have a look at our forum for more insight) I have some potentially controversial statements about the state of your famous competition. The ISA has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few seasons. This growth has been seen in many victories over both GPS and CAS teams (e.g. Stannies vs Shore, Stannies vs Knox). Not to mention GPS teams being too scared to face the music and play the new nursery for wallabies of St. Augustines.
The mouth watering prospect of seeing an ISA vs GPS fixture is beyond me matchups such as Charlie “And the great glass elevator” Rourke vs Donnie “Rolf is a” Freeman, Dom “ Lite n” Easy vs Yool “once again” Yool,” Back in” Bo “river” Abra vs Kyle “technique is anything but” Devine (and lets remember where Easy and Devine were poached from…. You guessed it ISA). However the powers have let me down once more (thanks ARU and my nemesis Bill “Hates grass roots rugby” Pulver) and failed to schedule this fixture. Can anyone give me a reason why? Cause just the thought of this one gets my sauce spicy. I feel this failure in scheduling is emblematic of the larger problem that the ISA has been relegated as a second division competition when it is well and truly up there with you lot. Now I am not saying the ISA is better than your great competition but imagine this match up! It gets my sauces in a heap when it seems to me that both GPS and CAS underestimate the ISA competition. Although I must give credit that the GPS is nowhere near as arrogant as those morons from CAS. So my question is to my fellow schoolboy bloggers why is the ISA competition compared to a third world country????
If you ask me one of the biggest problems with the development of players in this country is the overreliance on the GPS to produce wallabies. Now this isn’t the GPS’ fault but I do feel if you don’t come from a big rich school you don’t have a realistic chance of making it to higher representative honours. For example there is young gentleman from Kinross Donnie “My man crush” Freeman who already has been mentioned in my opinion is the next big thing. He plays 7 and is any absolute weapon yet no one has heard of him because he doesn’t go to Joeys or Riverview. In my opinion this boy is far superior to Rouke but once again he won’t get anywhere because he isn’t involved in the GPS system….
To summarise I believe the ISA is just as strong and a threeway competition or super competition as it has been called would work to benefit all of rugby and aid in the development and retention of talent to the game which i still think is great.
#staysaucymygpspeeps