Not sure if BBC took Churchie lightly this arvo but the score line of 40 - 38 flattered BBC with goal kicking proving the difference in a narrow but expected win for the College.
With BBC running with a strong breeze in the first half, it appeared they were going to establish a big lead but to Churchie’s credit, they kept coming back and it became a bit of a shoot out in the first half. BBC looked dominant close to the Churchie try line and scored some easy tries with pick and gos which is something for Churchie to work on before Round 1 next week.
As far as players who stood out for each team, Churchie were once again well served by busy hooker H Solofa who had a solid all-round game on both sides of the ball. Defensively he was very strong and was rewarded with two well taken rolling-maul tries from line-outs and his work rate has been a stand out in the pre-season. Definitely one of the form hookers heading into the season proper.
Versatile Churchie back-rower S Williams had another strong game breaching the advantage line with strong carries and is setting himself up for a big year.
Churchie has missed regular starter from 2023 J Crothers at No. 8, playing his first pre-season game in about 6-7 weeks and added some much needed punch to the Churchie pack bending the line in a couple eye-catching carries.
For the Churchie backs, captain M Blanch was a solid contributor and led the team well. The tougher the game, the better young Blanch plays and he’s as tough as they come.
Hot-stepping fullback T Pritchard was dangerous in attack and will be the x-factor that Churchie needs to break open a game when needed.
For BBC, stand-out performers for me were todays fullback C Bird whose goal-kicking and calming influence in attack will be vital for BBC this year.
BBC LH prop O Donovan had a strong game and scored a typical front-rowers try with a powerful surge to dot down.
Young halfback I Kefu had a busy game and seems to be coming into his own. Once he learns when to pick his moments to snipe around the ruck and catch-out lazy forwards, he will be very dangerous.
Overall, I think Churchie can take a lot of positives out of today’s trial as they pushed BBC all the way. Churchie will go into Round 1 at home next week versus BGS in a confident mood and if they can fix up a few areas they lacked in today, BGS could be in for a long afternoon at Main Oval next weekend.
The College were expected to dominate Churchie today and have been one of the form teams of the pre-season but unfortunately for them, no points are awarded for trial matches and they could be at a disadvantage with the first round bye, followed by a tough round 2 fixture against a resurgent BSHS.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, this season is shaping up as one of the closest and the majority of the games should be very competitive based on trial matches from today.
