TheBigArvo
Larry Dwyer (12)
Seeing as though Eastcoast can’t deliver on the Hunters club house. Surely the GAGR Christmas drinks will have to be at Porters club house.
Sydney Subbies 2024
- Thread starter Lindommer
- Start date
HarryElite
Herbert Moran (7)
I still think Briars will take the comp out in their division. You take 6/7 players from 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade shute shield team who all know each other really well and they gonna take out a division 2 subbies comp.
Heavyd
Arch Winning (36)
Which Shute Shield club, West Harbour?
SubbiesSoftie
Stan Wickham (3)
Two Blues
And they were all 3rd Graders. But yes I agree, they could go well but haven't been able to play to their apparent potential yet this year
parkfootyenthusiast2
Allen Oxlade (6)
2/4, closing the regular season in tatters.
Knox 46 def. Merrylands 20: Well, there's an upset. By the team sheets it looks like Merrylands travelled a little light this week with some key players absent, and a somewhat soft red card relatively early into the second half definitely didn't help proceedings, but that's a big momentum building win for the Knox lads at home to secure the club championship. Set piece dominance in the second half was the difference. 4 tries for the superstar Filipo at #8 for Knox, player of the season in divison 3 for sure. No changes for finals however, Knox stays in the minor, Merrylands in the major, these two could meet again soon.
Sydney Harbour 38 def. Barker 24: The end of a very tough season for the Barker lads, will be interesting to see how they stack up next year. They'll need to prioritise returning a colts outfit, the life blood of a club like theirs. For Harbour, it's a solid albeit underwhelming win against the cellar dwellars. Still without Lorang and Garrels (not sure what the diagnosis is there), they'll have to lift it up a notch next week against Knox or they'll face the prospect of their first title-less season since entering suburban rugby.
Sydney Irish 18 def. Hawkesbury Valley 14: Close one! Valley turned out for their Ladies Day schmick in their pink jerseys and gave the league leading Irish a real crack. Irish got the bus out to McQuade and they'd be happy they did because they needed everything to get this one over the line. Irish vs Merrylands will be interesting next week with both teams showing cracks. For Valley, they finish 5th in the Clark, and will go for the title in 2nd grade and Colts, a handy season all things considered. They'll aim for more consistency in the top flight next year.
Sydney Harlequins 33 def. LCOI 12: Well so much for the upset. Quins round out their season at home in a big day for the club, with some fresh legs off the back of last week's full grades forfeit vs Merrylands. A disappointing year as many had them tipped for finals. For LCOI, they'll rue a slow start to their first season post merger but there are some signs of potential there, starting with their colts outfit in the major semi next week.
Semi final previews to come.
Yours in the business end of the season,
PFE.
Heavyd
Arch Winning (36)
Home game crowd will help enormously to no doubt,
Prodigy
Ron Walden (29)
Not all third graders - some genuine second grader players mixed with first grade colts, pretty potent on the 7s scene as well.
The Ghost of Bernie
Allen Oxlade (6)
Can confirm Filipo at #8 for Knox, if given space, is hard to stop.
Super disappointing way to finish the season for LCOI against a well rested... Sydney Harlequins. LCOI lost outside centre in the first 5 mins, tight head and number 8 within 20 mins and 9 at half time. Quins established a scrum dominance after loss of tight head + 8 and LCOI struggled to get out of their own half. Finished the game with the last try and as per the little known IRB rule 800B, last try wins...
For the Colts, as mentioned by PFE2, major semi this week against an undefeated Knox.
A positive note for LCOI is many of the Colts for 2024 are ineligible for Colts in 2025 and have indicated they will stick around.
Bismarck12345
Frank Nicholson (4)
They looked the goods against Hills.
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Post Match Boat Race
Frank Row (1)
$6 a beer at Newport ..... all beers .....i reckon thats reasonable .....whats the other clubs chqrging as a matter of interest?
Prodigy
Ron Walden (29)
$5 at Epping
surely thats per litre
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
On a related note: how many rugby canteens are going cashless?
It is something I've been thinking about since we got Square POS at the Renegades. Someone from another club told me a few years back "Rugby Season is the only time I carry cash" and it starts to make sense.
It is something I've been thinking about since we got Square POS at the Renegades. Someone from another club told me a few years back "Rugby Season is the only time I carry cash" and it starts to make sense.
parkfootyenthusiast2
Allen Oxlade (6)
Division 3 Semi Final Weekend Previews:
Clark Cup - 1st Grade:
Congrats to Knox on taking out the Division 3 Club Championship. Many saw the place they were in after clinging on Div 1 too long and wrote them off so it's nice to see them recover slightly in a lower division. Tough for Irish and Merrylands who absolutely would have challenged if they had a colts outfit, something to consider for all 3 clubs in which division they line up in next year.
Sydney Irish (1) vs. Merrylands (2): The top two sides all year, couldn't play more different styles if they tried. Irish got them week 1 on the road, Merrylands got them on the return road trip. Merrylands off the back of a shellacking at Knox don't have the form behind them like Irish do, but they will get their head coach back from two weeks off and some key players returning. This is a tough one to call, but I'll give the edge to Merrylands... just. Merrylands by 5.
Sydney Harbour (3) vs. Knox (4): Like the major semi, Oysters and Knox both won the away legs of their clashes this year. Lots of this will come down to the health of the Oysters dynamic 10/15, as their run home form has been shaky without those 2, as well as their leader at #2. Knox on the other hand has been flying, upsetting the #1 ranked Merrylands at home to close out the regular season. I think Knox can win the physical battle and end Oysters' season earlier than its ever been ended before (i.e. without winning it all lol). You never really know in finals footy though. Knox by 10.
Farrant Cup - Second Grade:
Sydney Irish (1) vs. Merrylands (2): Just copy and paste the above as the story is exactly the same here... though Irish has looked comparatively stronger in second grade all year than even the mighty Merrylands, so I'll take them here. Irish by 14.
Knox (3) vs. Hawkesbury Valley (4): This one could go either way, depends on the strength and depth of both clubs lower grade. Given Valley has known for a few weeks that their first grade wouldnt be making it, I suspect they'll name a slightly stronger side than when these last two met. Which coincidentally was a 16-16 draw. Valley by 7.
Nicholson Cup - Colts:
Knox (1) vs. LCOI (2): 66-0 across the two games these sides have played this year, Knox will likely finish their season off undefeated, though the pressure of finals can do strange things... in any case: Knox by 20.
Sydney Harbour (Easts) (3) vs. Hawkesbury Valley (4): Tough one, but I'll take Valley on the principle of never rooting for Shute Shield clubs in Subbies. Give 'em hell boys! Valley by 5.
Yours in still not knowing why next rounds games are at Holroyd...
PFE
Clark Cup - 1st Grade:
Congrats to Knox on taking out the Division 3 Club Championship. Many saw the place they were in after clinging on Div 1 too long and wrote them off so it's nice to see them recover slightly in a lower division. Tough for Irish and Merrylands who absolutely would have challenged if they had a colts outfit, something to consider for all 3 clubs in which division they line up in next year.
Sydney Irish (1) vs. Merrylands (2): The top two sides all year, couldn't play more different styles if they tried. Irish got them week 1 on the road, Merrylands got them on the return road trip. Merrylands off the back of a shellacking at Knox don't have the form behind them like Irish do, but they will get their head coach back from two weeks off and some key players returning. This is a tough one to call, but I'll give the edge to Merrylands... just. Merrylands by 5.
Sydney Harbour (3) vs. Knox (4): Like the major semi, Oysters and Knox both won the away legs of their clashes this year. Lots of this will come down to the health of the Oysters dynamic 10/15, as their run home form has been shaky without those 2, as well as their leader at #2. Knox on the other hand has been flying, upsetting the #1 ranked Merrylands at home to close out the regular season. I think Knox can win the physical battle and end Oysters' season earlier than its ever been ended before (i.e. without winning it all lol). You never really know in finals footy though. Knox by 10.
Farrant Cup - Second Grade:
Sydney Irish (1) vs. Merrylands (2): Just copy and paste the above as the story is exactly the same here... though Irish has looked comparatively stronger in second grade all year than even the mighty Merrylands, so I'll take them here. Irish by 14.
Knox (3) vs. Hawkesbury Valley (4): This one could go either way, depends on the strength and depth of both clubs lower grade. Given Valley has known for a few weeks that their first grade wouldnt be making it, I suspect they'll name a slightly stronger side than when these last two met. Which coincidentally was a 16-16 draw. Valley by 7.
Nicholson Cup - Colts:
Knox (1) vs. LCOI (2): 66-0 across the two games these sides have played this year, Knox will likely finish their season off undefeated, though the pressure of finals can do strange things... in any case: Knox by 20.
Sydney Harbour (Easts) (3) vs. Hawkesbury Valley (4): Tough one, but I'll take Valley on the principle of never rooting for Shute Shield clubs in Subbies. Give 'em hell boys! Valley by 5.
Yours in still not knowing why next rounds games are at Holroyd...
PFE
Crashy
Colin Windon (37)
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Ha!
TBF while the Pale Ale isn't to everyone's taste, they stock an "Australian Lager" which is quite nice and similar in output to Tooheys or VB. The mid strength is alright as well for your middle-of-the-road beer.
Bismarck12345
Frank Nicholson (4)
Div 2 Predictions.
Briars v Newport: This one’s been really tough to predict. Briars have looked the goods in recent weeks and are coming off an impressive win against Hills. The other side is Newport, who have been undefeated all season but have looked less impressive these last few games. A true toss up and both teams will be lucky they have a second chance as this will be a very tight game in my view. Predicting that the home ground advantage may give Briars the edge, but could see this going either way. The team that wins this will likely go all the way in my view. Predicted score: Briars by >7.
UNSW V Hills: Another tough one to predict. Everything was going wrong for UNSW, until it all started going right 3/4 of the way through the season. Based off performances over the last few weeks, you could argue that UNSW is looking like a real competitor, but they have lost both games to Hills this year. This will fill Hills with confidence and they’ve truly been a solid side this year that deserves their place in finals. Prediction: another coin flip, but my gut says UNSW >7.
Briars v Newport: This one’s been really tough to predict. Briars have looked the goods in recent weeks and are coming off an impressive win against Hills. The other side is Newport, who have been undefeated all season but have looked less impressive these last few games. A true toss up and both teams will be lucky they have a second chance as this will be a very tight game in my view. Predicting that the home ground advantage may give Briars the edge, but could see this going either way. The team that wins this will likely go all the way in my view. Predicted score: Briars by >7.
UNSW V Hills: Another tough one to predict. Everything was going wrong for UNSW, until it all started going right 3/4 of the way through the season. Based off performances over the last few weeks, you could argue that UNSW is looking like a real competitor, but they have lost both games to Hills this year. This will fill Hills with confidence and they’ve truly been a solid side this year that deserves their place in finals. Prediction: another coin flip, but my gut says UNSW >7.
Never Was Been
Stan Wickham (3)
Newport have a knack for turning up the heat in finals series'. I think it will make for a fantastic game of running rugby on Saturday but I'm tipping Newport to book their ticket to the Big Dance.