RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
"Cheque book Churchie" does have a nice ring to it but shit they can play. Best team I have seen in many a year. They have won in sun , rain and wind.lucky with injuries too.
What most observers neglect in deploying the 'cheque book Churchie' moniker is:
(a) every GPS school effectively does the same thing, and given that the question is: how well have they imported and blended the new-ish comers with the longer stayers, how well have they chosen the scholarship recipients? For 2014, in the case of Churchie, the answer is: friggin' well.....and moreover
(b) Jason Gilmore as Coach of the Churchie 1st XV. This guy is unquestionably one the finest elite schoolboy coaches in Australia. He coaches a great combo of a humble, hard-working culture, excellent team preparation, a focus on basic skills down well, and a complete game where every part of the team is trained how to contribute correctly and play their role.
With the usual Australian obsession with individual players at the expense of understanding the real power of fine team coaching, (b) above is routinely neglected but it's been a huge factor in Churchie's performance this year.