Shute Shield 2009
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Mole
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Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Gday Lee and Forum.
Spent sometime on the sportal forum the last couple of years with little stimulation. I have spent the last few weeks reading here on the scarf and i have really enjoyed the majority of the posts. Well done all. Great to have an educated chat about our game. Geez Lee i know your a Rats man. had my first outing at Rat park a couple of weeks ago for the rats V Uni fixture seeing it was not televised. Great game of club rugby and a great spot to watch it from. The crowd hostile and the kids just go nuts during the intervals on the park. rats very unlucky. Deserved the win.
Your rats and Woodies this weekend will be a great battle. If Pek Cowan had a partner in crime in the front row i really think the rats will be hard to beat if they get to a major semi this year. Once the Brumbies boys come back its going to be a great product coming into the semis club rugby. Something an old die hard like myself has been waiting to see for sometime.
A quick comment on the uni guys. Caldwell and Tilse are injured at present i believe. For how long i am not sure. Pat Ryan at scrum time is on the improve. Got Pek Cowans measure a fortnight ago, However i dont know how much support poor old pek got on the otherside of the scrum. Is a decent ball carrier as well. He has switched sides of the scrum this year. His progression will be interesting coming into the back end of the comp. Weeks is captive in QLD so wont be seen at all.
Lee I saw you mention a short piece on McCallman and Inman and their depatures to the Force. Both blokes are only 20 years old and have big futures ahead. Sad to see them slip through the NSW program. Now no Tahu Inman may not of been a bad one to get for the Tahs. McCallman tough as nails a walgett boy. You will see him play super rugby in 2010. Watch this space. Inman 2011 IMO. A standout for Uni in the past month has been Alfie Mafi (Currently on the Brumbies Tour) Big things awiat this kid in the little bits i have seen. lee i am sure you have seen him during his school days. But has a point of difference running the ball some Oz wingers lack.
Really hope people get out and about this weekend, Its school holidays still. Be great to see Club Rugby grounds full of specators this coming weekend.
regards
Lee Grant said:
Gday Lee and Forum.
Spent sometime on the sportal forum the last couple of years with little stimulation. I have spent the last few weeks reading here on the scarf and i have really enjoyed the majority of the posts. Well done all. Great to have an educated chat about our game. Geez Lee i know your a Rats man. had my first outing at Rat park a couple of weeks ago for the rats V Uni fixture seeing it was not televised. Great game of club rugby and a great spot to watch it from. The crowd hostile and the kids just go nuts during the intervals on the park. rats very unlucky. Deserved the win.
Your rats and Woodies this weekend will be a great battle. If Pek Cowan had a partner in crime in the front row i really think the rats will be hard to beat if they get to a major semi this year. Once the Brumbies boys come back its going to be a great product coming into the semis club rugby. Something an old die hard like myself has been waiting to see for sometime.
A quick comment on the uni guys. Caldwell and Tilse are injured at present i believe. For how long i am not sure. Pat Ryan at scrum time is on the improve. Got Pek Cowans measure a fortnight ago, However i dont know how much support poor old pek got on the otherside of the scrum. Is a decent ball carrier as well. He has switched sides of the scrum this year. His progression will be interesting coming into the back end of the comp. Weeks is captive in QLD so wont be seen at all.
Lee I saw you mention a short piece on McCallman and Inman and their depatures to the Force. Both blokes are only 20 years old and have big futures ahead. Sad to see them slip through the NSW program. Now no Tahu Inman may not of been a bad one to get for the Tahs. McCallman tough as nails a walgett boy. You will see him play super rugby in 2010. Watch this space. Inman 2011 IMO. A standout for Uni in the past month has been Alfie Mafi (Currently on the Brumbies Tour) Big things awiat this kid in the little bits i have seen. lee i am sure you have seen him during his school days. But has a point of difference running the ball some Oz wingers lack.
Really hope people get out and about this weekend, Its school holidays still. Be great to see Club Rugby grounds full of specators this coming weekend.
regards
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Welcome mole. Good stuff.
Unfortunately the Rats THP, Dan Barnard, is no great shakes and his backup, Pingi, is a LHP who fills in there and limped off injured last week anyway 5 miinutes after he came off the bench to give Barney a rest. Our 2nd Grade guy should be in 3rd grade and sometimes is.
But what we suffer in the scrums will be made up at lineout time as we have 3 pretty good jumpers. If Luke Holmes throws well, which is not always, the likes of Chris Thompson should deliver.
I missed that game against Uni as I was at Knox for the Oz Schools tournament. Bloody Halangahu kicking the conversion from the sideline to win the game ..... He's a class act in club rugby though, and it was good to see him get a good run in the Super14 at the end of the season.
Good comments on the young blokes you mentioned, and yes I saw all of them as schoolboys. Some of them will be fine Super players as you say, but as I said before: even though I have seen them from a young age I can't pick which of them are going to make it as pro footie players.
Ben McCalman is a fine young player but a bit of a halfling at the Super level. He plays lock for Uni but will be way too short to play there for the Force and will be in competition for a 6 or 8 spot with Brown and Hodgson who play a heavy game. I know it's too early to be thinking about his starting in the S14 but one realises how the odds are stacked against young players who don't have ideal builds to play pro rugby - or are a step too slow, for that matter.
I certainly hope that Alfi gets a bit more time on the park next year, so we can assess him better.
Thanks for your comments on Paddy Ryan, who I watched a lot of when he was at Joeys. He was a fine Schools player and I wondered what happened to him, as I said. If he can hold onto his place in the Uni 1st Grade team when Tilse is healthy again it will be a good sign as he will be noticed more and more.
Welcome mole. Good stuff.
Unfortunately the Rats THP, Dan Barnard, is no great shakes and his backup, Pingi, is a LHP who fills in there and limped off injured last week anyway 5 miinutes after he came off the bench to give Barney a rest. Our 2nd Grade guy should be in 3rd grade and sometimes is.
But what we suffer in the scrums will be made up at lineout time as we have 3 pretty good jumpers. If Luke Holmes throws well, which is not always, the likes of Chris Thompson should deliver.
I missed that game against Uni as I was at Knox for the Oz Schools tournament. Bloody Halangahu kicking the conversion from the sideline to win the game ..... He's a class act in club rugby though, and it was good to see him get a good run in the Super14 at the end of the season.
Good comments on the young blokes you mentioned, and yes I saw all of them as schoolboys. Some of them will be fine Super players as you say, but as I said before: even though I have seen them from a young age I can't pick which of them are going to make it as pro footie players.
Ben McCalman is a fine young player but a bit of a halfling at the Super level. He plays lock for Uni but will be way too short to play there for the Force and will be in competition for a 6 or 8 spot with Brown and Hodgson who play a heavy game. I know it's too early to be thinking about his starting in the S14 but one realises how the odds are stacked against young players who don't have ideal builds to play pro rugby - or are a step too slow, for that matter.
I certainly hope that Alfi gets a bit more time on the park next year, so we can assess him better.
Thanks for your comments on Paddy Ryan, who I watched a lot of when he was at Joeys. He was a fine Schools player and I wondered what happened to him, as I said. If he can hold onto his place in the Uni 1st Grade team when Tilse is healthy again it will be a good sign as he will be noticed more and more.
AussieDominance
Trevor Allan (34)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
'We are not playing a game of league here' Nathan Pearce - Quite appropriate I thought in response to Manly & Warringah's opening fireworks last weekend.
'We are not playing a game of league here' Nathan Pearce - Quite appropriate I thought in response to Manly & Warringah's opening fireworks last weekend.
R
rugbywhisperer
Guest
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Hi Naz, which part of the above are you disputing and whoopee doo - the woodsmen beat the rats at rat park without O'Connor as well I believe. :yay :yay :thumb
Apparently he said he didn't want to train as he was a bit weary but the coach sort of insisted and wouldn't you know it, small collision with another player and instant corked thigh.
naza said:
Hi Naz, which part of the above are you disputing and whoopee doo - the woodsmen beat the rats at rat park without O'Connor as well I believe. :yay :yay :thumb
Apparently he said he didn't want to train as he was a bit weary but the coach sort of insisted and wouldn't you know it, small collision with another player and instant corked thigh.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Well done to your guys whispers - they were too good and didn't give the Rats a look in.
The Rats looked flat after some tough games against Randwick, Gordon, Uni and Manly and didn't execute things very well. The can still make the finals as their run in is reasonable on paper but the loss to Eastwood was a double whammy as they were just below them on the ladder and could have played leapfrog.
They'll have to play a lot better though. They frequently turned the ball over in the Woodies red zone including being stripped a few times and were often caught out of position at the back when there was a transition. Their kicking game was crap too.
I knew that the Rats scrum was going to be in trouble when Pek Cowan told me before the game that Dunning was going to play hooker. It beggared belief, but then I realised that Fitzpatrick was playing 7 and could throw the ball into the lineout. 1 Benn Robinson got under poor old Barney all day and hardly needed 2 Dunning to double team with him on Rat ball, and 1 Cowan had his hands full with 3 Ben Alexander.
Still, it was good to see all the Wallabies on the park, but disappointing that the Rabbit didn't play. I thought that there would be a bigger turnout, but the fact that so many Wallabies were playing didn't seem to be well known and the crowd didn't compare with that at the derby with Manly a week earlier.
The Eastwood team looked fitter than the Rats and not just the Super14/test players. They were harder at the ball all day and the backrow of Coridas, Perrett, Fitzpatrick and McCaffrey (a no.8 playing in the 2nd row) outnumbered the Rats and were earlier to the pill, time and time again.
Woodie 6 Coridas is looking like a Super14 player. He's been in the Tahs Academy a couple of years now and though he's an all rounder type backrower, like Brown and Hodgson at the Force, you can see why 7 Beau Robinson is not signed up for next year. He's a good lineout option into the bargain.
Woodies skipper 8 Perrett is a fine player and I thought that he would get a Super gig when he returned from Europe where he played 6, 7, 8 and 12 a few years back, but he obviously didn't get any offers. 7 Fitzpatrick did a handy job as fetcher and didn't look out of place. He was a backrower in Yr 11 at Joeys and hasn't forgotten his stuff.
As I mentioned elsewhere: Batger is looking a better fullback that anyone in the Sydney comp who is not signed up for Super rugby.
There weren't many standouts for the Rats. John Mitchell will be appalled when he sees the tape of the game and the poor combination between 9 Sheehan and 10 Harris. He won't want to see them team up on that performance - not that Sheehan would get to start for the Force on that showing - Chris O'Young was all over him and if he is still at the Force would have done his chances of starting no harm. As for Harris: his first contribution was a pass to the grass and the Woods scored a few plays later.
2 Luke Holmes played well in a Keith Wood way. He was our best backrower!! But he threw a dodgy ball into the lineout near the Eastwood goal line and when they cleared to near half-way and was about to throw the ball in again an old codger yelled: "Use the Force Luke." Yeah, it was me.
There was a Rats player I didn't recognise at first until I realised it was skipper Beau Robinson in headgear. It just didn't look right - as if you had discovered D'Artagnan wearing a Kevlar vest before a sword fight.
I turned up early at the game and just as Woodie Lachie Turner and Rat Haigh Sare were walking in the gates. Turner didn't have his Eastwood players pass and the security guy didn't recognise him but Sare got him through. The security guy asked me who he was. I said: "Wendell Sailor", and he thanked me for the info. Turner should have stayed at home as he didn't get a lot of pill, but it was good to see him play club rugby all the same.
There were a couple of funny things at Rat Park apart from Beau's headgear. Third grade was playing as I walked in and the Woodies guy threw straight to the lifted Rat 2nd rower who said: "Thank you" before he actually caught it.
The other was when Brett Sheehan walked after chirping the ref and before Leckie got the card out. He's a petulant bugger and has the Finegan fault of trying to play the referee instead of the game. The game was well lost by then but coach McKee must have been livid, all the same.
Well done to your guys whispers - they were too good and didn't give the Rats a look in.
The Rats looked flat after some tough games against Randwick, Gordon, Uni and Manly and didn't execute things very well. The can still make the finals as their run in is reasonable on paper but the loss to Eastwood was a double whammy as they were just below them on the ladder and could have played leapfrog.
They'll have to play a lot better though. They frequently turned the ball over in the Woodies red zone including being stripped a few times and were often caught out of position at the back when there was a transition. Their kicking game was crap too.
I knew that the Rats scrum was going to be in trouble when Pek Cowan told me before the game that Dunning was going to play hooker. It beggared belief, but then I realised that Fitzpatrick was playing 7 and could throw the ball into the lineout. 1 Benn Robinson got under poor old Barney all day and hardly needed 2 Dunning to double team with him on Rat ball, and 1 Cowan had his hands full with 3 Ben Alexander.
Still, it was good to see all the Wallabies on the park, but disappointing that the Rabbit didn't play. I thought that there would be a bigger turnout, but the fact that so many Wallabies were playing didn't seem to be well known and the crowd didn't compare with that at the derby with Manly a week earlier.
The Eastwood team looked fitter than the Rats and not just the Super14/test players. They were harder at the ball all day and the backrow of Coridas, Perrett, Fitzpatrick and McCaffrey (a no.8 playing in the 2nd row) outnumbered the Rats and were earlier to the pill, time and time again.
Woodie 6 Coridas is looking like a Super14 player. He's been in the Tahs Academy a couple of years now and though he's an all rounder type backrower, like Brown and Hodgson at the Force, you can see why 7 Beau Robinson is not signed up for next year. He's a good lineout option into the bargain.
Woodies skipper 8 Perrett is a fine player and I thought that he would get a Super gig when he returned from Europe where he played 6, 7, 8 and 12 a few years back, but he obviously didn't get any offers. 7 Fitzpatrick did a handy job as fetcher and didn't look out of place. He was a backrower in Yr 11 at Joeys and hasn't forgotten his stuff.
As I mentioned elsewhere: Batger is looking a better fullback that anyone in the Sydney comp who is not signed up for Super rugby.
There weren't many standouts for the Rats. John Mitchell will be appalled when he sees the tape of the game and the poor combination between 9 Sheehan and 10 Harris. He won't want to see them team up on that performance - not that Sheehan would get to start for the Force on that showing - Chris O'Young was all over him and if he is still at the Force would have done his chances of starting no harm. As for Harris: his first contribution was a pass to the grass and the Woods scored a few plays later.
2 Luke Holmes played well in a Keith Wood way. He was our best backrower!! But he threw a dodgy ball into the lineout near the Eastwood goal line and when they cleared to near half-way and was about to throw the ball in again an old codger yelled: "Use the Force Luke." Yeah, it was me.
There was a Rats player I didn't recognise at first until I realised it was skipper Beau Robinson in headgear. It just didn't look right - as if you had discovered D'Artagnan wearing a Kevlar vest before a sword fight.
I turned up early at the game and just as Woodie Lachie Turner and Rat Haigh Sare were walking in the gates. Turner didn't have his Eastwood players pass and the security guy didn't recognise him but Sare got him through. The security guy asked me who he was. I said: "Wendell Sailor", and he thanked me for the info. Turner should have stayed at home as he didn't get a lot of pill, but it was good to see him play club rugby all the same.
There were a couple of funny things at Rat Park apart from Beau's headgear. Third grade was playing as I walked in and the Woodies guy threw straight to the lifted Rat 2nd rower who said: "Thank you" before he actually caught it.
The other was when Brett Sheehan walked after chirping the ref and before Leckie got the card out. He's a petulant bugger and has the Finegan fault of trying to play the referee instead of the game. The game was well lost by then but coach McKee must have been livid, all the same.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
2nd Grade Rats 29 - Woodies 3
Got to the Rats v Woodies game early on Saturday because I wanted to see some of the recent Oz Schoolboys in action in 2nd Grade.
2008 Oz Schools skipper, 13 Cameron Mitchell, had played the week before for the Woodies. Eastwood team mate, 12 Michael MacDougall and Rat, 6 Kotoni Ale, were both in the Oz Schools 1st XV last year and they had been playing regularly in Grade in 2009.
Mitchell didn't play and although MacDougall and Ale looked pretty handy you couldn't say they were going any better than 13 Tim Bennetts, who didn't make the Oz Schools Ones. Tim missed the Oz Schools tournament last year through injury but they shoe-horned him into the Oz A Schools team anyway - and this year he has been a regular in the Eastwood 1st Grade team. TTBOMK he is the only 2008 Oz schoolboy playing regularly in 1st Grade rugby in 2009 though maybe there are a couple north of the Tweed.
Ben James, the NSW Schools flyhalf of last year had a very cool game in a losing team. He's the son of Wallaby Stephen James and is going better after leaving school than I thought he would at this stage. Keep it going Ben.
The star of the 2nd Grade game for me was Rat 8 Toupau Iongi, who is known as "The Po". He looked like a young TPN before he morphed into being a hooker and ran through folks every time from the base of the scrum from a standing start. Now, Cliify Palu has a cousin, Siole Iongi, who is playing for Manly, and this lad looks like he has some of Cliffy's genes in him too.
Watch this space.
2nd Grade Rats 29 - Woodies 3
Got to the Rats v Woodies game early on Saturday because I wanted to see some of the recent Oz Schoolboys in action in 2nd Grade.
2008 Oz Schools skipper, 13 Cameron Mitchell, had played the week before for the Woodies. Eastwood team mate, 12 Michael MacDougall and Rat, 6 Kotoni Ale, were both in the Oz Schools 1st XV last year and they had been playing regularly in Grade in 2009.
Mitchell didn't play and although MacDougall and Ale looked pretty handy you couldn't say they were going any better than 13 Tim Bennetts, who didn't make the Oz Schools Ones. Tim missed the Oz Schools tournament last year through injury but they shoe-horned him into the Oz A Schools team anyway - and this year he has been a regular in the Eastwood 1st Grade team. TTBOMK he is the only 2008 Oz schoolboy playing regularly in 1st Grade rugby in 2009 though maybe there are a couple north of the Tweed.
Ben James, the NSW Schools flyhalf of last year had a very cool game in a losing team. He's the son of Wallaby Stephen James and is going better after leaving school than I thought he would at this stage. Keep it going Ben.
The star of the 2nd Grade game for me was Rat 8 Toupau Iongi, who is known as "The Po". He looked like a young TPN before he morphed into being a hooker and ran through folks every time from the base of the scrum from a standing start. Now, Cliify Palu has a cousin, Siole Iongi, who is playing for Manly, and this lad looks like he has some of Cliffy's genes in him too.
Watch this space.
AussieDominance
Trevor Allan (34)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Has Pocock actually signed for the Woods?
Has Pocock actually signed for the Woods?
R
rugbywhisperer
Guest
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Isn't he another Queenslander gone south to be added to the list
Isn't he another Queenslander gone south to be added to the list
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Should be a good TV game Sydney Uni v Randwick even though there are a few players missing with the Brumbies in France.
Am looking forward to see if winger Big Rat has made any progress as a footie player in the last month since I saw him against Warringah at Coogee Oval. Then he seemed to be practising his chip kicks more than running over folks, and his handling was poor.
With Lote gone he has a chance to make himself a valid option for the Waratahs next year but he will have to perform in the remaining crunch games for Randwick, especially against a team like Uni, and he will have to do well in the upcoming final series. He will also have to show that he is not a high maintenance project.
Meantime Manly are going to use 18 y.o. Ben Seymour against Northerns, for the 2nd game in a row. The Marlins lost a couple of games and their lead in the comp; so Seymour got the start against the Rebels last week and the Marlins got back on track. I saw Seymour play for Scots against Joeys last year and all I can remember about him is that he kicked too much. He didn't make either NSW School team in 2008 but he must be going OK to be playing in 1st Grade the year after leaving school.
Meantime Brett Sheehan will be rested from the Rats and Josh Holmes will play scrummie with young 10 Kennedy coming back from 1st Grade after a top showing in the Twos last week. Harris goes to 12.
Should be a good TV game Sydney Uni v Randwick even though there are a few players missing with the Brumbies in France.
Am looking forward to see if winger Big Rat has made any progress as a footie player in the last month since I saw him against Warringah at Coogee Oval. Then he seemed to be practising his chip kicks more than running over folks, and his handling was poor.
With Lote gone he has a chance to make himself a valid option for the Waratahs next year but he will have to perform in the remaining crunch games for Randwick, especially against a team like Uni, and he will have to do well in the upcoming final series. He will also have to show that he is not a high maintenance project.
Meantime Manly are going to use 18 y.o. Ben Seymour against Northerns, for the 2nd game in a row. The Marlins lost a couple of games and their lead in the comp; so Seymour got the start against the Rebels last week and the Marlins got back on track. I saw Seymour play for Scots against Joeys last year and all I can remember about him is that he kicked too much. He didn't make either NSW School team in 2008 but he must be going OK to be playing in 1st Grade the year after leaving school.
Meantime Brett Sheehan will be rested from the Rats and Josh Holmes will play scrummie with young 10 Kennedy coming back from 1st Grade after a top showing in the Twos last week. Harris goes to 12.
R
rugbywhisperer
Guest
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
I am is Sydney just for the weekend so Lindo is taking me to see the filthy Uni thieves take on the gay ones, not that there is anything wrong with that.
I am is Sydney just for the weekend so Lindo is taking me to see the filthy Uni thieves take on the gay ones, not that there is anything wrong with that.
naza
Alan Cameron (40)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
Ratu was abysmal last weekend - it was as if he was making a mistake for every post I've made praising him. Sivivatu and Rokocoko were just as bad against the Boks but that's a different level. Ratu should be slaughtering blokes at club level and he's turned into a big pussycat with hands of stone.
I don't rate Randwick's chances this year. Early to write them off but where are their ball runners ? Their only dynamic runner is Kepu, a 120 kg prop !
Sydney Uni have an undersized pack at the moment so its a good opportunity for Gordon to get stuck in.
I was hyping Eastwood's Lachlan McCaffrey earlier in this thread. Now that he is known as 'Lachy', I have my doubts.
Lee Grant said:
Ratu was abysmal last weekend - it was as if he was making a mistake for every post I've made praising him. Sivivatu and Rokocoko were just as bad against the Boks but that's a different level. Ratu should be slaughtering blokes at club level and he's turned into a big pussycat with hands of stone.
I don't rate Randwick's chances this year. Early to write them off but where are their ball runners ? Their only dynamic runner is Kepu, a 120 kg prop !
Sydney Uni have an undersized pack at the moment so its a good opportunity for Gordon to get stuck in.
I was hyping Eastwood's Lachlan McCaffrey earlier in this thread. Now that he is known as 'Lachy', I have my doubts.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Re: 2009 Shute Shield
He's a good young player but don't judge him as a 2nd rower where he's been playing in the last couple of rounds. Beef him up a bit and he'll be a candidate for the Oz 5th team as a Brown type backrower. Played well against the Rats, the bastard.
Agree on Kepu and Ratu - sweet and sour. Haven't seen Kepu have a crook game since he got back after his pectoral injury. Good play at the end of the club season could see him back on another EOYT for Oz. Let's hope big Rat gives a better display in the TV game at Coogee against Manly.
In that game 18 y.o. Ben Seymour maintains his spot for the 3rd week as flyhalf for Manly, which argues well for him. Dylan Sigg the fine young Manly 2nd rower has been suspended for 3 weeks for a spear tackle. A replacement journeyman Luke Andrews from the Hurricanes and Japanese rugby should be available next week but they may do it tough against the Green Slime. He will be handy for Manly and so will another Kiwi, Tim Fairbrother, who packs down on the TH side tomorrow.
For the Rats: two of their leaders, 7 Beau Robinson and 9 Brett Sheehan are still out. Josh Holmes will play scrummie again and no doubt contemplate the universe as the ball emerges from ruck or scrum against Parramatta. Beau is apparently close to playing and may come off the bench.
Good to see that Kurtley Beale is back playing club rugby and hopefully he hasn't put on the same amount of weight as he did after his injury last year; but it's a bit disturbing that Robbie Horne is still not right. He hasn't played for Southerns in the last two years.
PS - Nod - yeah, Hodgson did play last week.
He's a good young player but don't judge him as a 2nd rower where he's been playing in the last couple of rounds. Beef him up a bit and he'll be a candidate for the Oz 5th team as a Brown type backrower. Played well against the Rats, the bastard.
Agree on Kepu and Ratu - sweet and sour. Haven't seen Kepu have a crook game since he got back after his pectoral injury. Good play at the end of the club season could see him back on another EOYT for Oz. Let's hope big Rat gives a better display in the TV game at Coogee against Manly.
In that game 18 y.o. Ben Seymour maintains his spot for the 3rd week as flyhalf for Manly, which argues well for him. Dylan Sigg the fine young Manly 2nd rower has been suspended for 3 weeks for a spear tackle. A replacement journeyman Luke Andrews from the Hurricanes and Japanese rugby should be available next week but they may do it tough against the Green Slime. He will be handy for Manly and so will another Kiwi, Tim Fairbrother, who packs down on the TH side tomorrow.
For the Rats: two of their leaders, 7 Beau Robinson and 9 Brett Sheehan are still out. Josh Holmes will play scrummie again and no doubt contemplate the universe as the ball emerges from ruck or scrum against Parramatta. Beau is apparently close to playing and may come off the bench.
Good to see that Kurtley Beale is back playing club rugby and hopefully he hasn't put on the same amount of weight as he did after his injury last year; but it's a bit disturbing that Robbie Horne is still not right. He hasn't played for Southerns in the last two years.
PS - Nod - yeah, Hodgson did play last week.
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