Sydney Colts 2012

[Done that]

I was there. Look at the team selected then, and then look at the teams now. Very different players playing then in that game then now.

Skelton out with a fracture to his foot, will be back in a few weeks.

I said that I think Uni wiil win the comp, irrespective of the teams then , now , or on grandfinal day.
The point of my remarks to you was that you said Uni almost lost to Wests because they underestimated Wests , & presumably , not because Wests played well.
I know a couple of the Uni boys & I can assure you they were expecting a very hard game , & they got it , nothing to do with underestimating Wests , who obviously
had a game plan & were able to execute it.
It seems that none of the other clubs have been able to do that.

 

[Veteran101]

I said that I think Uni wiil win the comp, irrespective of the teams then , now , or on grandfinal day.
The point of my remarks to you was that you said Uni almost lost to Wests because they underestimated Wests , & presumably , not because Wests played well.
I know a couple of the Uni boys & I can assure you they were expecting a very hard game , & they got it , nothing to do with underestimating Wests , who obviously
had a game plan & were able to execute it.
It seems that none of the other clubs have been able to do that.

and i have uni mates aswell, the uni boys were expecting a tough physical game but they werent in for the physicality west brought for the whole game. thats where i ment uni underestimated them. Im not saying west is a bad team, there acttualyy pretty good, and i'd like to see them against uni in the GF. would be a very epic battle.

 

[Veteran101]

Wells injured. Wont play this year.

Bad news for the talented player, he was ment to play grade wasn't he?

 

[Spewn]

Bad news for the talented player, he was ment to play grade wasn't he?

Bad news for sure. The rest of the post is hyperbole.

 

[lily]

I spoke to him pre season in the View Sportsmasters office. He was headed to grade. It's a shame that he wasn't able to come back and play some colts. If he had it might have meant a close contest in the final.
Although Uni won 38 - 19 in the 1st round it was 4 tries to 3.

 

[MACCA]

Predictions can be unpredictable. Without doubt Uni has the best across the team fitness. I'm not so sure they have the best team. I rate Randwick and Wests forwards as being harder in the collisions but not as fit. Manly is a very well drilled team - nice to watch. Easts haven't got any try scoring power. Eastwood are below par. I'm not anti-Uni I just don't think that they're that good. I suspect they steamroll teams in the final ten minutes. That doesn't mean much at the end of the season when match fitness evens out. I'll predict this much - Easts have no chance of winning. Although they have good players in some positions they haven't got the strike power - hence they won't beat Uni twice this year (would have been three times if they had beaten Randwick), only once.

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Randwick has a better pack but yet uni won 42-14. Manly has a better pack then randwick but lost 45-11, and West have a good pack and uni underestimated them but uni won 34-27. If you have a good "pack" I would think your pack wouldnt uni's (not so good pack) put more then 40 on you. I doubt anyone will catch up to uni's fitness, if other teams get fitter towards the end..wouldnt they aswell?​

Uni have 3 or 4 Aust Under 20 players in the forwards plus a few in the backs. (How they fit that in under the points system is another story). I just don't see how they Uni forwards can be rated as being a lesser unit than others. If that was the case, the Australian Under 20 selectors must have got it wrong. mmmm maybe the did. Uni will win the comp , they have the best goal kicker and a team of rep players plus a great deal of depth.

 

[Tahboy]

I wouldn't write of Randwick who have shrugged of a slow start and lost points. They have won 5 on the trot and have the 2nd best attack and 3rd best defence
They have Zeb Holmes the very good prop due back shortly plus a couple of other quality players
They are playing good confident rugby off the back of a tough defence which has let in 1 try in 3 games plus a very strong scrum

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

Just had a look at the Club championship table. Top 6 for Colts 1 would appear as if its going to be Uni, Norths, Manly, Eastwood, Easts and Souths - leaving a bottom six group of Wests, Randwick, Warringah, Gordon, Parramatta and Penrith.

With Wests lying third on the Colts table the final 5 rounds will be interesting. I think Uni will win all 5 games with Manly and Norths winning 3 and a coin toss for their match.

In the bottom group any of the higher rated four sides could beat the other but I think Wests and Randwick will win 4 and again a coin toss for their match.

The make up fo the final 8 and in what positions they finish will also be interesting

 

[Tahboy]

Randwick had a big win over Wests who shot out to a 12 nil lead after 10 minutes. Randwick regathered themselves and started to get there phases going and won the battle at the scrum and started to pinch a few line out steals and really worked the big Wests forwards
and scored the next 27 points eventually winning 34 to 26. Wests backs looked very dangerous and had alarm bells were going off when they got some good quick ball but this just didn't happen enough
Good hard game of football with 2 good sides wanting the win but Randwick as a team just a bit too good on the day
With the 2nd round setup it will be interesting what the final 8 ladder will be.

 

[Torn Hammy]

The postponed Norths vs Easts 1st grade game will have a major influence on the make-up of the two colts' groups. I reckon it would be better for all if Easts won.

 

[Blackers13]

Uni have 3 or 4 Aust Under 20 players in the forwards plus a few in the backs. (How they fit that in under the points system is another story). I just don't see how they Uni forwards can be rated as being a lesser unit than others. If that was the case, the Australian Under 20 selectors must have got it wrong. mmmm maybe the did. Uni will win the comp , they have the best goal kicker and a team of rep players plus a great deal of depth.

I saw Uni against Parra on the weekend and while they won by a heap to nothing, I agree with Spewn in that they're not the most impressive colts side I've seen this year. Uni probably had players rested and 2's and 3's given a run due to no lower grade opposition, however Manly have appeared to be the most cohesive and dangerous from what I've seen. Full credit to the Parra boys, they never stopped trying and with a big influx of new recruits lined up for next year, we should see a much improved Parramatta Colts program next year.

 

[Keithy]

The postponed Norths vs Easts 1st grade game will have a major influence on the make-up of the two colts' groups. I reckon it would be better for all if Easts won.

If you are talking about top 6/bottom 6 then this was decided a week ago with Uni, Ewood, Easts, Norths, Southern, Manly In the top 6 and the rest in the bottom 6.
This will give Easts and Southern a hard run to the finals. The question will be if Wests and Randwick can get enough tough rugby in the lead up to the finals.
Will the bottom group in Colts 2 be given 5 points for the Parra match?

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

If you are talking about top 6/bottom 6 then this was decided a week ago with Uni, Ewood, Easts, Norths, Southern, Manly In the top 6 and the rest in the bottom 6.
This will give Easts and Southern a hard run to the finals. The question will be if Wests and Randwick can get enough tough rugby in the lead up to the finals.
Will the bottom group in Colts 2 be given 5 points for the Parra match?

I think that the bottom group is very competitive with not much between Wests, randwick (who beat Wests on Saturday), Gordon (who only lost to manly by 5 points) and Warringah. They will get plenty of tough football.

 

[Spewn]

I agree Easts and Souths will struggle in the top six, more so Souths. Easts will need to find a way to score tries when they have possession.

Having viewed all the teams, Uni is obviously the team to beat, but I could see Norths for example doing that. Manly and Norths are the two teams that stand out as having very good backlines and should be able to challenge Uni. Norths in particular have very classy backs. The number 12 is very good. The Norths forwards I don't think are as good as West Harbour or Randwick. They certainly didn't dominate Easts on the weekend.

The question is whether Uni can outlast the challengers.

 

[rugbyfan]

The balance that Uni has with both forwards and backs is the determining factor in a team overcoming them. It appears that teams with the most both balanced forward and backs would have to be Manly, West Harbour and Norths. This balanced factor will obviously contribute significantly to how they compete against Uni in the upcoming rounds. I would like to see Manly and Norths really be direct with Uni and try and 'force the issue' when Uni is in possessions. For me, viewing Manly play Uni and West Harbour, their forward pack has the ability to dominate when consistent phases are put together, but too many times they are inconsistent in their ability to be consistent throughout the game, evident by West Harbour overcoming a large deficit in the 2nd half.

West Harbour have the size and flare in the back line to dominate the bottom 6 (assuming they are in there) and really shape up come finals. I don't see Norths being able to knock off these such teams on their day.

 

[Bruce Ross]

I saw Uni against Parra on the weekend and while they won by a heap to nothing, I agree with Spewn in that they're not the most impressive colts side I've seen this year.

There was the small matter, Ryan, that despite having only one Colts side Parra pulled uncontested scrums from the outset. Tends to destroy the rhythm of a game.
.

 

[Blackers13]

There was the small matter, Ryan, that despite having only one Colts side Parra pulled uncontested scrums from the outset. Tends to destroy the rhythm of a game.
.

True, however, physically it was men V boys. Uni were bigger, faster and stronger in every position. I expected a more dominant display and that's why I gave credit to the Parra boys who turned up, 6 of them only 17 years old. Their front row and a number of others withdrew the night before, hence the need for uncontested scrums and Bruce they had to drop off a player and play with 14. Uni should have won by a hundred+.

 

[Bruce Ross]

I am very sympathetic to Parra's situation, Ryan, and under the circumstances your boys stuck to their task very well and didn't look like throwing the towel in.

My point is that uncontested scrums destroy the whole rhythm of the game and so it's very difficult to evaluate a team under such conditions. More so than in any previous year this Uni side is starting to play the physical imposition style that characterises its First Grade team, and the scrum is a major part of the process of achieving domination over the course of the game.

If Uni are "not the most impressive colts side [you and others have] seen this year" we are in for a very interesting Finals series.
.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

What became of Brogan Roods? He doesn't seem to have played at all this year - injured?

Brogan was still on crutches last week. As is often the case the first out of school sees a rash of injuries as the training and trials intensity picks up and bodies are still growing.

Is Brogan Roods still "broken"?

Haven't seen his name in the programme.

 

[Spewn]

I now withdraw all prior predictions. Uni will win. They are too fit and have too much training and conditioning to be defeated. All other clubs are like amateurs with Uni the professionals.

Sucks actually.