Southern Inland Rugby 2019

[yourmatesam]

With the Finals being a Top 4 this year instead of a Top 5 I reckon the Format of the Top 4 should be reviewed at the end of the season

This season in Week 1 of the Finals - the Minor Premiers (sure to be Waratahs) will host the Major & Minor Semi Finals at Conolly Rugby Park
Week 2 of the Finals is open to all Clubs to nominate to host the Preliminary Finals .
Werek 3 of Finals (Grand Finals) will be hosted by the Winner of the 1st Grade major Semi in Week 1

IMO the fairest way to run a Top 4 Series like a lot of other Competitions in the Country is the following;

Week 1 - the Minor Premiers host the Major Semi Finals and the Club that ran 3rd in the 1st Grade Competition hosts the Minor Semi Finals - that would mean a total of 8 Finals being played at 2 venues - if there is a problem with lower Grades etc being split and not being to have Reserve players available it may need some adjusting between the Venues - the preferrable split would be 4/4 but a 5/3 split would not be the end of the World.

Week 2 - the loser of the Major Semi Final hosts the Preliminary Finals

Week 3 - the Winner of the 1st Grade major Semi in Week 1 hosts the Grand Finals

This seems to work well in other Competitions and at least the Clubs coming 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the 1st Grade Comp. know they are getting one Final to host

This is a good idea mate, do you reckon there is any type of season review on the cards for this type of suggestion?

 

[Maulalltheway]

With the Finals being a Top 4 this year instead of a Top 5 I reckon the Format of the Top 4 should be reviewed at the end of the season

This season in Week 1 of the Finals - the Minor Premiers (sure to be Waratahs) will host the Major & Minor Semi Finals at Conolly Rugby Park
Week 2 of the Finals is open to all Clubs to nominate to host the Preliminary Finals .
Werek 3 of Finals (Grand Finals) will be hosted by the Winner of the 1st Grade major Semi in Week 1

IMO the fairest way to run a Top 4 Series like a lot of other Competitions in the Country is the following;

Week 1 - the Minor Premiers host the Major Semi Finals and the Club that ran 3rd in the 1st Grade Competition hosts the Minor Semi Finals - that would mean a total of 8 Finals being played at 2 venues - if there is a problem with lower Grades etc being split and not being to have Reserve players available it may need some adjusting between the Venues - the preferrable split would be 4/4 but a 5/3 split would not be the end of the World.

Week 2 - the loser of the Major Semi Final hosts the Preliminary Finals

Week 3 - the Winner of the 1st Grade major Semi in Week 1 hosts the Grand Finals

This seems to work well in other Competitions and at least the Clubs coming 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the 1st Grade Comp. know they are getting one Final to host

Love it mate.
Canberra comp, while they don’t move the finals from Viking Park have the major finals on the Saturday and the minor finals on the Sunday. This would alleviate the issues of splitting clubs on the same day.
Merit to look further into this

 

[Bubba]

Couple of key games this weekend that will have a big bearing on the final 4 for 2019. The only game that isnt crucial to that make up is Tahs v Reddies.

Aggies v Griffith is a big one for a multitude of reasons. A surging Griffith will be very hard to control for Aggies even though they are at home. A loss will really throw the cat amongst the pigeons for Aggies. I'm going Blacks.
A win for Tumut at home will almost put paid to Albury's season - if the Steamers get home then the pressure really goes on to City to make sure they beat Leeton this week. Steamers by not much.
City have had a small win this week already with the turning over of a red card decision, by the judiciary. Whilst it bolsters the team , Leeton still has a sniff of semis and will want a home win. I'm biased but it will be a tight win to city in Leeton this week.
Tahs will be stinging and I reckon Reddies will feel that . Tahs by a lot.

 

[paul bristow]

Thanks again Whistle for this. Such a great service. Griffith seem to have a bit different forward pack. Interesting to see if Aggies handle Saione. He scored 4 tries last week. Leeton are a better team than City. Bulls are on the improve again while Steamers’ form has flatlined. There’s no need for Waratahs to try to make a big statement by smashing Reddies. We all know they’re a good side.

 

[paul bristow]

Watched the livestream game. Griffith had players who didn’t travel. Aggies won and good luck to them but neither team looked particularly impressive. Anyone got the other results?

 

[yourmatesam]

#SIRU2019 Round 13 Results:

1st Grade:
Albury 31 bt Tumut 21
Waratahs 76 bt CSU 5
Leeton 43 bt City 25
Ag College 31 bt Griffith 22

A perfect storm is brewing for the remaining rounds of the competition, none greater than Albury v City at Fortress Murrayfield next weekend. The results over the past two rounds have really thrown the ladder into meltdown.

Albury v Ag College in Round 15 is also clearly an important game for the Steamers.

The message is pretty simple from Coaches Musarra and Curgenven - WIN, WIN, WIN!!!

 

[paul bristow]

I probably agree with you Whistle, but Griffith basically flogged Waratahs last week. Apparently both teams were missing some players but the Blacks were dominant. Saione only lasted 5 - 10 minutes against Aggies. Injured I assume. But if he and Chris Latu lined up grand final day against Waratahs it could make for an interesting afternoon. If Griffith could make it that far.

 

[yourmatesam]

I wonder when SIRU will decide where Week 2 of the Finals will be held ????

Apparently submissions close this week? Then the Board needs to meet to determine who is successful etc.

I reckon that's leaving things a bit fine myself. Surely the clubs would appreciate knowing where that round of matches is being played?

In other news, the WaggaTV MOTR this week is the Albury v City clash. If I recall correctly, Mick Raynes called the last game down there. Will we see the Two Micks - Raynes and McTaggart commentating this weekend?

I hear from a reliable source that the Steamers have their Ladies Day on this weekend also which will add another element to the day down at Fortress Murrayfield.

Did I hear correctly during the week that James? Devlin is back for the Steamers this week? If that's accurate, I'll tip the Steamers for a win come Saturday.

 

[Bandar]

Don't get me wrong PB I would love the GF to be a hotly contested decider but the way things are shaping Waratahs are definitely the team to beat

Actually I think this year is the most open the comp has been in years. I think Griffith in 2014?? were the last team to win the comp having lost multiple matches, every year since have been undefeated premierships.

Not saying Waratahs aren't the team to beat, just that they can and have already been beaten this year.

Edit: Sorry Albury lost one match in 2015 against Leeton when they had half the team playing Brumbies Provincial.

 

[paul bristow]

I think Waratahs are long odds on favourites Whistle and Bandar. However Saione Ahomana scored 4 tries against them last time he played them. Chris Latu proved very damaging last time he played against them. These 2 have not played regularly for Blacks this year. Without them playing for Blacks they and Aggies are pretty even and clearly below Waratahs. Put them together in either of these lesser teams and I think they become Waratah competitive. They have a very strong, hard to tackle body shape and a mungo background. They’re unconventional rugby types. Waratahs have shown they really struggle against this type of player.

 

[yourmatesam]

They’re unconventional rugby types. Waratahs have shown they really struggle against this type of player.

Good observation there PB, I reckon you're onto something.

The teams that I've seen run around this year have struggled to show much imagination or ability to change the point of attack or even to play to the conditions in some regards. Maybe this "flair" or unconventional approach is the answer to winning the comp?

From all reports, the Waratahs back 3 are pretty adept at the counter attack. I wonder if this is just pure pace or if it's the sign of a smart footballing team? Gordon Lagaali scored a cracking individual try against Ag College in the wet recently, at the time I thought it was only one or two missed tackles but when I watched the replay back on WaggaTV, Aggies had a number of defenders who were in position to tackle him.

Gordon is a similar type of player I think, in that he has that ability to break tackles and doesn't typically "go to ground" easily. That type of player is dangerous as long as they can maintain possession and there is strong support around them.

 

[Bandar]

A few Clubs have their seasons on the line this Weekend - If City, Tumut & Leeton want to play Final's Football this year they have to win their respective games.
Personally I reckon City against Albury at Murrayfield have no hope and I reckon the same applies to Tumut who are away to Waratahs in Wagga
The Leeton Phantoms should not be taken lightly by Ag College at CSU Wagga but realistically Leeton are on their final chance as well
If the Top 4 teams taste success this Weekend the Top 4 is just about signed, sealed and delivered.(Waratahs, Ag College, Griffith & Albury)
The same Clubs feature in the 2nd Grade Top 4 with Wagga City inside the Top 4 instead of Albury

I think Leeton have been on their final chance for the last two rounds - If they win this Saturday I'm backing them to make finals.

 

[yourmatesam]

..

It's an amazing scenario, but City are a genuine chance of falling back in line with Leeton on the ladder by season's end, and who would have thought to see a run for the last 4 rounds like Griffith, Leeton and Albury and putting together!!

I don't think Aggies can lose 2nd place on the ladder but it certainly makes for a gripping end to the season. I think the Blacks have got some real positives in their last few games and should enter the finals series with confidence, particulary if the SIRU Board make the right decision and send the 2nd week of the finals out to Griffith.

 

[Bandar]

It's an amazing scenario, but City are a genuine chance of falling back in line with Leeton on the ladder by season's end, and who would have thought to see a run for the last 4 rounds like Griffith, Leeton and Albury and putting together!!

I don't think Aggies can lose 2nd place on the ladder but it certainly makes for a gripping end to the season. I think the Blacks have got some real positives in their last few games and should enter the finals series with confidence, particulary if the SIRU Board make the right decision and send the 2nd week of the finals out to Griffith.

I wouldn’t be surprised if City don’t win another match and can’t see City finishing any higher than 6th with Albury fighting it out for 4th.

 

[paul bristow]

The only game in question is the Aggies v Leeton match. Phantoms could win. City look shaky not naming a team. Albury probably win. The other 2 games would seem to lack any pressure for the home teams. Great summary as usual Whistle.

 

[yourmatesam]

I reckon the key to the remaining rounds is to see what Griffith can build on, they need to be getting their best XV on the park each week, likewise for Aggies and Albury.

The Steamers are waiting on Blake Le Cornu to come back from a hamstring issue, House Kora is propping again, they've got a mobile forward pack and should be confident with James Devlin, Sam Allen and Co in their backline.

Aggies need a guy like Duncan Woods back on the park and should see him return in the next two weeks from a hamstring tear.

The litmus test for the remainder of the season as far as I can see is how teams handle Leeton and Waratahs. These results should give a reasonable indication of how teams will fare in the finals.

City have some good foundations to their game but really need to stay in the game for 80mins from what I've seen.

It's good to see so much positive chat out there about the remaining weeks!!

 

[paul bristow]

Blacks 52 Reddies 12. Gutsy spirited effort from students. Hope the club continues and picks up next year.

 

[Bandar]

Thanks PB- aside from the Previews etc I would still like to see a Top 5
Various Clubs have played certain clubs 3 times instead of 2 times this year which makes the Competition 'Skewed'
Absolutely nothing against Griffith because they have been very good this year but they have had the Benefit of playing CSU three times this year as has Ag College
When Draws like this are put out they must allow for more Teams to qualify for the Finals because some teams have been ripped off by the Draw and it also gives another Club an opportunity to host a "FINALS" match
SIRU boasts about what a wonderful year it has had but gee they have stuffed up plenty of things as well
I hope they have a Review process at the end of the Season and ask for Input from the Clubs

Yeah I agree with you WH on a top 5. I thought I’d look at the table without the first 2 rounds. Not much difference:

Tahs. 56
Aggies.44
Albury. 42
Blacks. 40
City. 31
Leeton. 26
Bulls. 19
CSU. 0

The top 4 wouldn’t change

 

[paul bristow]

I don’t think Griffith could host 2nd semifinals if the date is August 17. Pretty sure the ground is booked that day by Swans AFL club here. If we did host it that day it would have to be on the 2nd ground which isn’t the main field. On another note are team sheets required to be filled in by players and signed. Do most grounds have an official table where stuff is checked? I mean when someone is sin binned for eg who times that? I did the scoreboard and some ground announcing yesterday and the players and numbers etc weren’t much of a match for the ones Whistle published with his team lists. Well they were for the most part but I know Griffith had 5 players who pulled out Saturday morning. Come Semifinals time for eg who really knows what players have played enough games to qualify?

 

[yourmatesam]

I don’t think Griffith could host 2nd semifinals if the date is August 17. Pretty sure the ground is booked that day by Swans AFL club here. If we did host it that day it would have to be on the 2nd ground which isn’t the main field.

Even if it's on the second field, it makes sense for the Blacks to host. It would be great to be on the main ground though.

On another note are team sheets required to be filled in by players and signed. Do most grounds have an official table where stuff is checked? I mean when someone is sin binned for eg who times that?

The referee keeps track of Yellow Card timings (usually AR1 if available). Reserves etc are all coordinated through the Match Day Table where both clubs run the Rugby Xplorer App to update scores etc.

I did the scoreboard and some ground announcing yesterday and the players and numbers etc weren’t much of a match for the ones Whistle published with his team lists. Well they were for the most part but I know Griffith had 5 players who pulled out Saturday morning. Come Semifinals time for eg who really knows what players have played enough games to qualify?

The teams listed in the paper may not be accurate as they're likely sent in on a Thursday lunchtime. But each club has to update their Rugby Xplorer team lists before the game is played which tracks who has played where.

Is it perfect? No. Is it open to exploitation? Yes. Is it any different to paper-based team sheets? No.