I thought both games were very high quality although they both took a while to get going, as is the case for most finals games.
In the Uni vs Brothers match, it looked like Uni was going to give Brothers another hiding, but credit to the Filth they really came back and gave it a fair dig in the second half. Michael Bond (playing fullback) was brilliant and looked dominant everytime he ran the ball. Luke Beauchamp was a menace at the breaking down, grabbing a few turnovers. So credit to Brothers, they stood up a lot more than most people thought they would.
But University were pretty devastating in attack at times. New reds signing JJ Taulagi was brilliant, either making a break or offloading in the tackle everytime he ran the ball. He finished off two slick tries and had some dazzling line-breaks. Remember the name because it won't be too long before you see him in a Reds jersey. In the pack I thought Uni were all over Brothers. Browning, Mitchell and McDuling were all standouts. Conor Mitchell tends to get overlooked a fair bit, but every time I see him play he is one of the best on the field. I got a lot of time for him, he plays well above his weight and is a terrier at the breakdown. Finally, Mike Harris was pretty devastating in defence with a few big shots.
I think University were always going to win this one, and with a dominant first half it was beyond Brothers. But to their credit, lead by Bond, they gave it a real shot in the second half. One thing Uni will need to work on is their discipline for next week. They gave away far too many break-down penalties and were lucky not to have a man sent to the bin as a result.
Onto the main game, and it was a quite tense first 30minutes, with it standing at 6-3 to Easts. Both teams were very strong defensively, with GPS backs in particular keeping the likes of Brandon and White quiet. The try late in the half really upped the anti. Blake Enever stole a clean line-out on Easts 22, broke a tackle and broke the line before running 30m's to offload to Michael Gunn who raced the rest of the field to put Tigers up by 8 at the break.
Defensively both teams were pretty good. But Easts really show that you can win premierships on defence. That's now two games in a row where they haven't had their line crossed and have only conceded 9 points. Their discipline and line speed is second to none. Whoever has drilled them defensively this year has done a great job.
Easts scrum was devastating, and demolished the GPS front row on several occasions. It does not bode will for Phil Kite, someone who would be looking for a professional contract, when it gets worked over by lesser-known clubman Parker and Randall. This lead to Easts final try to Jarrad Buttler, who had grabbed one earlier from a pick and go, as the scrum earned a tighthead on GPS line.
GPS were tough throughout but couldn't really seem to put together a large amount of phases on attack. They really struggled at the set-piece, with the scrum and line-out under a lot of pressure. They will need to fix this drastically in time for next weeks match.
For GPS, Jono Ellis defiantly lead from the front. He was very strong in contact and broke tackles every time he ran the ball. In the backs, Chris Kuridrani certainly showed why he got a EPS spot for next season. This is the first time I've seen him really stand-out, but boy he was very strong in attack. Fortunately Johnny Wilder had a brilliant game and was able to keep him contained. Samu Kerevi was very strong when he was introduced, but still not sure why he brought on so late, even with an injury cloud.
Nick Frisby was everywhere for the Gallopers, and showed how important he is for them. His positional play was great and he kicked well. Would of liked to see him have a few darts with the ball though.
For Easts, Michael Gunn was an absolute stand-out again. This kid (and he still is a kid, not even sure if he's turned 18 yet) has been the best on field for the past 3 games he's played. Strong in contact, a pest at the break-down, but it was his tackling that makes everyone notice. I lost count of the amount of times he belted a GPS ball runner, and he probably made at least 4 solid tackles on Phil Kite, who is very strong when he gets a head of steam. Even the GPS supporters around us were impressed with him. I heard rumblings that he is on the Brumbies radar for next year, the Reds must really make sure he is not lost to QLD rugby.
Other stand-outs were Blake Enever, the front row at scrum time, winger Sam Cox, and UJ Seuteni. UJ has had his critics over the past two seasons, myself included, but he has really stepped up the past few months. This was his best game I've seen, strong running, good hands, and his kicking game was very impressive.
Very excited to see the Tigers run out for the final in two weeks. They really showed that they are the real deal. GPS will have to really lift their game if they want to beat Uni, who looked strong across the park.
In regards to the Red Card, it was pretty bad. I got a poor view of it, but even what I could see looked nasty. Definitely a straight red, and should be the season over for him.
Finally, the atmosphere at Ballymore all afternoon (I got their at the end of the Premier Colts game) was great. Was very impressed by the size of the crowds for both games. Was great to see such a large amount of support for all sides. Let's just not have 50mins between games next time!
Me and few of my mates somehow got surrounded by GPS supporters in the stands, but it was great having a bit of banter with the three elderly gentlemen behind us. Always great when you can have that friendly banter during a game and then be able to say "good luck against Uni, hope you to see you in two weeks", to which the 80yr old gent replied "Mate, we're screwed".
Can't wait for two weeks. Up the Tigers!