Shute Shield 2014

[Intruder]

Best game on TV so far this year - Manly are looking the goods!

Rats and Uni will be an interesting one next weekend.

Easily the best game of the year so far. A lot of praise for the Manly team but with a team full of no names teams should be very wary of this Uni outfit. They look very fit and play an excellent brand of football. Manly were the better team this afternoon grinding out the win, great coverage aswell.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Oh man Harry Bergelin is a beast. A couple of lineout steals and a couple of turnovers as well as being very difficult to contain in the ruck. He also has managed to get 7 tries in 4 games. Surely some super rugby teams will take notice.

I assume he's too small: he caught my eye last season.
He is a very good player and I have an inkling he's got the sort of grit that team mates love and that drags everyone along with his passion.
Great win.

 

[Dave Beat]

I assume he's too small: he caught my eye last season.
He is a very good player and I have an inkling he's got the sort of grit that team mates love and that drags everyone along with his passion.
Great win.

Last year he can back from injury, tough ground out win. Keen to get home and watch it.

 

[Moonball]

I'm sure he would've been suspended if he had faced a judiciary. Why didn't Wests cite?

Guys stay tuned Wests have cited him, surprised Uni with all their "follow us with the way we do things" did not do something in house with this player.

 

[2bluesfan]

Thommo's match report for Parra's loss against Norths has been posted on the Parra website.

 

[Dave Beat]

Manly;
4's didn't finish off the opportunities created, they managed to open uni up a few times but couldn't finish.
3rd came out of the break firing, but then had no ball or territory for the second half, uni tried there core game of line out rolling maul but the Manly forwards defended well.
2nd was a good win, and the forwards lead the way. Swanepoel, Vaevae and Greer were superb.
Firsts was a real arm wrestle, to hold Uni scoreless in the second half won that game. Uni's commitment and clean out of the ruck was on song, and we looked to return fire.

Porecki, and Bergo had strong games
Talaki, and the Uni number 13 were strong

Earlier games this season Manly have let in a few donations late in the game. D held tight in the 2nd half, Uni even reverted to scrums instead of their Lineout > Maul > Score.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Theer ahs been a fair amount of discussion on here about the actions of the Uni winger on Saturday. Normally when Uni is discussed Bruce Ross is a good contributor. i would be interested in his observations of the incident giving a Uni point of view

Sorry to be so late to the party but I was away in China. I can't recall ever having commented on this type of incident. It fits in with my general position of not criticising players in print.
.

 

[starkz]

I assume he's too small: he caught my eye last season.
He is a very good player and I have an inkling he's got the sort of grit that team mates love and that drags everyone along with his passion.
Great win.

He's bigger than Hoiles and Hoiles was a mighty good super rugby player. But yes I do agree he is on the small side.

 

[paul martin]

I've never considered Bergelin as small but when you think about the Tahs back five,aside from Hooper,they are very large human beings.

 

[paul martin]

The cow - "To be brutally honest as well, Harvey milked it for all it was worth as well."​

I can assure you he was in a great deal of pain. He couldn't talk for most of the week.​

 

[Dave Beat]

I've never considered Bergelin as small but when you think about the Tahs back five,aside from Hooper,they are very large human beings.

His steals in the line out had uni revert to scrums instead of their usually reliable line out.

 

[starkz]

His steals in the line out had uni revert to scrums instead of their usually reliable line out.

If manly had a better scrum Uni would not have come as close as they did.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

His steals in the line out had uni revert to scrums instead of their usually reliable line out.

He's got a knack, that may not translate to higher levels, of stealing apparently secure ball

 

[starkz]

He's got a knack, that may not translate to higher levels, of stealing apparently secure ball

Only one way to find out if this knack translates to higher levels. I spose we might find out if he has this knack in the NRC.

 

[Bomber Harris]

The prob the MMM's face in securing their first SS title since 1997 is the scrum but first and foremost the front row . Tim Fairbrother limping off early doors with Jimmy Gentle already gone for season was not a good sight no matter how much there was to like about the win .

 

[starkz]

The prob the MMM's face in securing their first SS title since 1997 is the scrum but first and foremost the front row . Tim Fairbrother limping off early doors with Jimmy Gentle already gone for season was not a good sight no matter how much there was to like about the win .

And Manly would need a good scrum if they were gonna try and go one better this season.

 

[Intruder]

If manly had a better scrum Uni would not have come as close as they did.

I would disagree with that. Uni threw a lot of possession away early halting a lot of momentum and opted a few times especially late in the game to not take the 3 points on offer. Also let's not be too critical on the Manly scrum Collins who came on had already played 80 minutes and Peterson was taken off through injury, before that it was an even battle.

What was a real difference from this game to the previous ABC clashes was the defence of both sides. That alone will see both clubs go deep into the finals series. Consistency will be a big focus for both clubs moving forward into next week clashes, not dropping standards after what was a very physical game.

 

[I like to watch]

I was the most intense SS game I have seen this year by a large margin.

 

[Dave Beat]

I would disagree with that. Uni threw a lot of possession away early halting a lot of momentum and opted a few times especially late in the game to not take the 3 points on offer. Also let's not be too critical on the Manly scrum Collins who came on had already played 80 minutes and Peterson was taken off through injury, before that it was an even battle.

What was a real difference from this game to the previous ABC clashes was the defence of both sides. That alone will see both clubs go deep into the finals series. Consistency will be a big focus for both clubs moving forward into next week clashes, not dropping standards after what was a very physical game.

I agree.
I think the ref should get credit were credit is due, he allowed a great game.
So many times in the past Uni has rolled other teams in the last 20, D was good in both teams right to the end.

 

[thecow]

The cow - "To be brutally honest as well, Harvey milked it for all it was worth as well."​

I can assure you he was in a great deal of pain. He couldn't talk for most of the week.​

Well that is good to know as well. However, as I said in my post as well, as he tried to completely milk a penalty in the first minute of the game, it could have been a bit of a "boy that cried wolf" situation, where because he has done it previously in the game, the referee and AR could have thought he was trying to milk it again.