Trial games
1st XV Joeys 45 Shore 14
2nd XV Joeys 20 Shore 12
Lee Grant said:
What team are Corey Ashby and Dillion Walford playing for this year? They were good friends of my nephew before he left the school and I was always carting them around the city with him when they got leave. They're great kids.
I saw them today and Corey was fullback for the Ones and Dillon flyhalf for the Twos.
Dillon opened up Shore a few times in the Twos game and he's on track to be in the Ones in 2010 as their flyhalf and goal kicker; but there is a bit of show boating in his game this year and his coaches will have to get rid of that.
In the Ones Corey was one of Joeys best players and started up many runs that ended in tries, though he turned over the ball in tackles earlier in the match when Shore were on top.
Joeys didn't have much of a clue how to stop Shore at first Some of the Shore forwards were huge and they looked more buffed than the smaller Joeys forwards. They marched Joeys up the park 3 or 4 times in mauls and scored a try from one. Joeys had to infringe to stop them and they were lucky that they had only one player carded.
Shore got their second try in a strollover when Joeys had a backrower missing because of the send off.
It was 14-0 Shore for a while and the Joeys scrummie kept throwing the ball at skipper Walker's feet. Then the Joeys blacks clicked against tiring opponents and they went in for a lovely try.
It was 14-7 Shore at oranges but after then it was one way traffic. The smaller Joeys forwards were like blue heelers on the ball and the Joeys backs scored try after try with a greasy ball. Shore parked themselves on the Joeys line a few times but the only effect was to tire the Shore forwards, who were able to rest at the other end waiting for the Joeys conversions.
Watch out for the selection of Joeys winger Steve Brandon in the GPS Ones this year. He's a livewire and has got serious gas. The other wing Saunders is getting back in the good graces of his coaches, Ashby showed he's more than a gun cricketer and Ha'angana did his Loyd Johansson impersonations. He looks like a giant prop, but he's an inside centre.
Put a blanket over the Joeys forwards because they played together and even got their scrum going in the 2nd half. Even so, hooker Hickey looked a standout. None of the Shore backs looked particularly dangerous but in the forwards 8 Jack Rollins never gave up.
It's interesting that the referee was Steve Walsh who is continuinng his rehab in Oz. He's lost a lot of weight and looks fitter than he has for years. Being off the booze has obviously helped him and I wish him well.