Qld Premier Colts

[Jets]

Off the back of Lee Grant starting a Sydney thread I thought I would start one for Brisbane.

It is quite a close comp in Brisbane this year with 7 teams still in the running with 5 rounds left to go.

Sunnybank, Brothers and Gold Coast have been the top teams for most of the year with GPS and Easts hitting some form of late. Uni and Souths both seem to run a bit hot and cold and probably need to win all of their remaining games to make it to the final for this year.

Some good games this weekend with Sunnybank v GPS and Easts v Uni having a direct result on the comp. Souths play Sunny Coast in what could also be seen as a danger game for the Magpies as the Stingrays have hit a bit of form themselves of late.

Brothers should get over the top of Wests and Gold Coast should be too good for Norths in the other games.

 

[Jets]

Uni got up over Easts 31-17 at Tiger town. They were down 14-5 at halftime and put in a good second half to stay in the hunt for some finals action.

 

[Jets]

Here are all of the results from last weekend. Things are still tight with 7 teams in the running for finals with 4 weeks to go.

Easts 17 v University of Queensland 31
GPS 24 v Sunnybank 24
Rugby Gold Coast 58 v Norths-QUT 5
Souths 46 v Sunshine Coast Rugby Union 24
Wests 17 v Brothers 47

Everything could change this weekend with 6 of the top 7 teams playing each other.

Brothers v Souths
Easts v GPS
Sunnybank v Rugby Gold Coast
Sunshine Coast Rugby Union v Norths-QUT
University of Queensland v Wests

Brothers should put an end to Souths run at the finals. Easts and GPS will be interesting with the Tigers stinging from their loss last weekend but I think GPS might get over them. Sunnybank should maintain top spot with a win over Breakers. Stingrays should get a win over cellar dwellers Norths. You would think Uni will be to good for Wests but the students have been up and down all year and will have to be on their game if they want to beat a team that has some talent in their ranks.

 

[waves]

Can someone name a few standout players from the top 5 or so teams ?

 

[Jets]

Can someone name a few standout players from the top 5 or so teams ?

Off the top of my head.

GPS #9 Fisby(??) organises his team well. takes the gap near the ruck if it is on. Has good vision

Sunnybank #8 Faliniko (??) good ball runner, Lineout option. Has scored quite a few tries this year.

GC #6 Finigan strong presence around the field. Runs ball well and good defensively.

Easts #15 Lala Out injured and has played Premier a bit. Very dangerous in attack.

Uni #13 Foley Great defence. Has very good vision.

It has been a bit of a funny year. Most of the teams are winning on the back of good team play with few stand outs. Most of the better players are playing Premier or have been away at the JRWC. Also these are off the back of games they played against Uni so other guys might be ripping it up and I haven't seen it.

 

[Jets]

Here are the scores from the weekend

Brothers 33 d Souths 31
GPS 25 d Easts 15
Gold Coast 32 d Sunnybank 20
University 48 d Wests 12

Easts and Souths will have to win all their games if they are to make the top 4 from here. GPS continue on their winning way, have only lost 1 game since round 5. Gold Coast are back on top of the table and have pushed Sunnybank into 3rd spot. Brothers take over 2nd in a high scored against Souths. The next few week will be interesting with a lot of teams in the running to play against each other. Here is the top 7 teams and who they play over the next 3 weeks.

Gold Coast GPS Sunny Coast Brothers
Brothers Norths Sunnybank Gold Coast
Sunnybank Sunny Coast Brothers Uni
GPS Gold Coast Wests Sunny Coast
Uni Souths Norths Sunnybank
Easts Wests Souths Norths
Souths Uni Easts Wests

 

[Jets]

Off the top of my head.

GPS #9 Fisby(??) organises his team well. takes the gap near the ruck if it is on. Has good vision

Sunnybank #8 Faliniko (??) good ball runner, Lineout option. Has scored quite a few tries this year.

GC #6 Finigan strong presence around the field. Runs ball well and good defensively.

Easts #15 Lala Out injured and has played Premier a bit. Very dangerous in attack.

Uni #13 Foley Great defence. Has very good vision.

It has been a bit of a funny year. Most of the teams are winning on the back of good team play with few stand outs. Most of the better players are playing Premier or have been away at the JRWC. Also these are off the back of games they played against Uni so other guys might be ripping it up and I haven't seen it.

Norths are running last but their Hooker was outstanding when we played them. Not sure of his name. Ran down a winger to save a try when the game was lost.

 

[Jets]

Waves the No.6 for Uni V Wests on the weekend was vaery good. Beachamp from Brothers is also very good. Felsman from Brothers is clas with gas.
As jets has alluded, West have some Talent. Sionne Fakulat (sp) the Toght head is very very good as Nemiah Tupusse and Rob Rutledge ( just returning from Injury) but they are not in the top 5.

The FB for SunCoast has the biggest boot I have seen in colts rugby!

Yeah Kane Boucault has been in very good form over the last month. Nemiah was quiet on the weekend (by his standards) but was still a handful. Rob Rutledge played 12 and made a good fist of it but caused us a heap of problems playing 7 in the first round.

The fullback from Sunny Coast has a huge boot. Almost beat us by kicking goals from everywhere. The Sunnybank fullback also has a monster boot.

 

[Jets]

The table in Premier Colts is still quite tight with 10 points seperating 1st from 7th.

Gold Coast 54
Brothers 53
Sunnybank 51
GPS 50
Uni 47
Easts 44
Souths 44

Souths are at long odds to make it but if they win all of their games and some other results go their way they are still a shot.
Easts have an easier run as they play the two bottom teams and Souths so they need some results to go their way.
Uni has their destiny in their own hands but still have to play Souths (who beat the convincingly) and Sunnybank if they are to make it.
GPS have been very consistent after loosing 4 of their first 5 games this season. Gold Coast will be their hardest game then they should win the rest.
Sunnybank after leading for a long period need to beat Brothers and/or Uni to make sure they make the 4
Brothers with Sunnybank and Gold Coast still to play have to win 1 of these and still are a chance of missing out
Gold Coast should be safe as they only need 7 point to be safe in the 4.

This weekend the games are

GPS v Gold Coast
Norths v Brothers
Souths v Uni
Sunnybank v Sunny Coast
Wests v Easts

GPS are at home and beat the Breakers in round 1 but the Breakers are coming off the back of a win over Sunnybank so I think they will get the points.
Brothers should be too good in the battle of the Northside.
Anything could happen in the replay of last years GF. The looser is out for 2010.
Sunnybank should have an easy win at the Sunny Coast boys aren't as strong away from home.
Easts should get the 5 points they need against Wests.

So next week a couple of teams will be playing for pride and we will have a better idea of what the final 4 will look like.

 

[Jets]

Here are the results from the weekend

Brothers 36 d Norths 12
University 42 d Souths 24
Sunnybank 37 d Sunshine Coast 32
Easts 50 d Wests 0
GPS 31 d Gold Coast 26

After beating the Breakers yesterday GPS now have to be favourites for this years title. Other games went as expected. Sunny Coast gave the Dragons a good run by the looks of it. Souths should be out of the running for finals action now after Uni put on 8 tries and kicked 1 conversion. George Morseu, on the wing for Uni, got a hatrick and is in a bit of a purple patch at the moment.

 

[Jets]

Looking at the ladder Easts may be out of the running too.

Brothers 58
Sunnybank 56
Goldie 56
GPS 55
Uni 52
Easts 49
Souths 45
Sunny Coast 34
Wests 16
Norths 1

The Uni boys are still a chance of making the 4 but results may have to go there way. Final game v Sunnybank will be huge.
Bank have a hard run with Brothers and Uni
Brothers have 'bank and Goldie
Breakers have Rays and Filth
GPS have the easiest run with Wests and Rays

Anyway it has been one hell of a comp this year with 7 teams in the running 3 games from the finals and any team being able to win on there day. Sunny Coast have also pushed some of the top teams and Norths have battled hard and should have got some points where they have pushed teams but conceded points late in the game. Wests have also had there moments but have been ravaged buy injuries and still managed to put up a fight.

 

[ikaletahi]

I hear Phil Kite and Giorgio Phillips playing for GPS colts this weekend off the bench.

 

[Lance Free]

I hear Phil Kite and Giorgio Phillips playing for GPS colts this weekend off the bench.

You're right - they were at training tonight. One of my boys plays for GPS Colts.

Great game last weekend with Jeeps getting over the competition leaders, the Goldie (for the 2nd time this season).

 

[Mango]

My Boy plays at Wests. They are really struggling because of injuries in Colts and Premier Grade. My boy and his mates are going to play for GPS next year. The Wests coach is going to another club and most of the Senior Colts and some grade players are going with him.
He only went to Wests because of the colts coach other wise he would have gone to GPS with his mates.

 

[Jets]

My Boy plays at Wests. They are really struggling because of injuries in Colts and Premier Grade. My boy and his mates are going to play for GPS next year. The Wests coach is going to another club and most of the Senior Colts and some grade players are going with him.
He only went to Wests because of the colts coach other wise he would have gone to GPS with his mates.

I always find it disappointing when there is a mass exodus at a struggling club. If you look at it objectively there should be more opportunities to play at a higher level at a club that is struggling. Also I have dealt with Rob Murdoch in the past and he is a good coach who would have been able to build up some of the young guys from the Wests Colts. But players have different reasons for leaving clubs and as I am not part of the Wests dynamic there maybe other reasons as well to why a number of players would leave. Also GPS wouldn't be my first port of call as they have great depth and are the form Prem Colts team having only lost 1 game since round 5 (awesome club culture too from what I understand so that could be a big part of it).

 

[Lance Free]

Mango/Jets. That's a shame really. One of my other boys used to play for Wests a few years back - they actually had 3 Colts teams then and things were looking good. It was just after they won the Premiership so that created a bit of a success about the place.

I saw that their Colts 2 side forfeited last week. I know one of the coaches and am aware of their difficulties. Maybe the 'gentrification' (if that's the word to use) of Toowong and surrounds continues to have a negative impact?

As for GPS, I've only had a connection there this year but the boy is pretty happy with it and there is plenty of depth with 3 squads. My understanding is that the Premier Colts team next year will probably be relatively strong also. There's also lots of talk about former club players returning and potentially pretty good recruitment processes.

Might see you over at the Bulldogs tomorrow. I'll be the guy with the G&GR T-Shirt on.

 

[Jets]

The penultimate round of fixtures in the Prem Colts comp this weekend and some games that will have an impact on the finals

Brothers v Sunnybank
Easts v Souths
Sunshine Coast Rugby Union v Rugby Gold Coast
University of Queensland v Norths-QUT
Wests v GPS

Brothers will have a struggle at home with Sunnybank looking to get their season back on track after some below standard results but I think the Filth will finish the winner from this one.
Easts should be to good for Souths as they are still an outside chance of making the 4 and Souths are now out of it.
In the battle of the Coasts the Breakers have to do the longest road trip in the comp and come up against an inform Stingrays team. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a close one but the boys from the Goldie have more to play for so you would expect them to come out on top.
Norths will be looking forward to the end of a season where they haven't won a game and have only claimed 1 point and I doubt Uni will do them any favours this week.
GPS will smash a hugely depleted Wests team.

I would encourage anyone that is free to get out and watch some Prem Colts rugby on the weekend as it can be great to watch with the top 8 teams all capable of scoring some points.

 

[Saders07]

Mango

It is disappointing that your boy would leave the kennel but to play with your mates is a key driver for a young man. To pick up on Jets point though opportunity will present for players at Wests as the club works through a rebuilding phase. I agree with Lion that the new administration are making good in roads into setting the platform for a successful future.

I'd also like to offer up another view for Lion in regard to retention for the current season. I'd respectfully suggest that many of the player group voted with their feet based on previous experiences & environment as opposed to the new regime.

All of that said I am aware planning for the 2011 season has already commenced & there will be a better & well prepared dog readied to take on the 2011 season. Part of that platform will be the few colts that have been blooded into premier grade through this season.

For the record if the current colts coach does go, I don't believe there will be a mass exodus with him. How many went with CM to Brothers?

Lion - sorry mate but I am in the you will be proven wrong court - & I'm sure you will like that

 

[Jets]

Results from yesterday

Easts 38 d Souths 25
University 75 d Norths 12
Gold Coast 33 d Sunshine Coast 12
GPS 29 d Wests 0
Brothers 31 draw Sunnybank 31

No real upsets there. The Brothers v Sunnybank result will make the Dragons v Uni game a winner in and looser out affair.

Norths stuck it to Uni early by scoring a couple of early tries but the students were always in control even with a few players being rested. Norths also had a couple of BBC 1st XV players on the field for them. Not sure what the connection is but they obviously have next year on their minds, as they should.

So the points table will be something like

GC 61
Br 61
GPS 60
SB 59
UQ 57

4 points between first and 5th make it quite an exciting weekend with the final positions on the ladder still to be finalised.

 

[Doc]

One of the issues with colts recruitment is the changing of coaches. Yes it sucks but it's part of the game unfortunately. I had a few of the top Souths recruits ask me mid year about getting a release/transfer (to even go play subbies rugby,simply to get out). They get recruited (in souths case) by the premiers only to find that the coaching staff is completely different by the time they get there (in the souths case some old boys with very little/no experience).

It happens at all clubs every now and then and given the increased pressure on clubs to recruit well means promises get made. (this was not intended to be an anti-souths post but) there are 2 u20 world cup players at uni who were signed, sealed and delivered to souths over the last 2 years, but they couldn't back up their promises so they flew the coop.