The Wombat
Chris McKivat (8)
They shifted all teams down a grade for easier games at start of season
Sydney Subbies 2024
- Thread starter Lindommer
- Start date
TheBigArvo
Larry Dwyer (12)
Colleagues in 5/6 preliminary finals after I’d written off their year a couple of weeks ago is an impressive effort.
The Waverly boys out in force again at Drummoyne. Could be a massive day down at Concord if Waverly make the majority of Grand Finals given the support they’ve had this year. the tunnel might do a couple of laps round the oval!
The Waverly boys out in force again at Drummoyne. Could be a massive day down at Concord if Waverly make the majority of Grand Finals given the support they’ve had this year. the tunnel might do a couple of laps round the oval!
crushermoran
Bob McCowan (2)
Burraneer took out the Jeffrey Cup yesterday. They were far too aggressive and physical for Manly. They went out to 50-0 before taking the foot off the accelerator, and cleared the bench. Manly ran in 4 or so consolation tries but the game was done by halftime.
It is interesting Burraneer used the strategy of qualifying players from the Wollongong Comp who had played all year there and finished their season. Players scraped through with "2 games" and then popped up in the finals.
It is interesting Burraneer used the strategy of qualifying players from the Wollongong Comp who had played all year there and finished their season. Players scraped through with "2 games" and then popped up in the finals.
crushermoran
Bob McCowan (2)
Maybe your committee should call an extraordinary meeting to protest the result? Ring up other clubs and rally support to side with you.
Eastcoast
Bill Watson (15)
Wow... This forum descended into a little bit of madness over the weekend. Lets hope the Div 1 clubs keep some class about themselves if they dont win a Premiership.
Congratulations to all the Grand Final winners in the lower divisions.
Drummoyne Oval had some absolutely cracking games. As always the regular season script doesnt always go to plan. Kentwell HH and Blueys was a great match back and forward with Blueys just sneaking home. Huge test against a rampant Waverley this weekend who didnt really seem tested against Lindfield who will be stronger next year for the experience.
Huge win for HH in Burke knocking off an undefeated Waverley. Have a feeling it wont be the last time we see them.
Colleagues are on the march as well though in the lower grades, will be pushing Blueys and Waverley for those last spots in the GF this weekend.
Congratulations to all the Grand Final winners in the lower divisions.
Drummoyne Oval had some absolutely cracking games. As always the regular season script doesnt always go to plan. Kentwell HH and Blueys was a great match back and forward with Blueys just sneaking home. Huge test against a rampant Waverley this weekend who didnt really seem tested against Lindfield who will be stronger next year for the experience.
Huge win for HH in Burke knocking off an undefeated Waverley. Have a feeling it wont be the last time we see them.
Colleagues are on the march as well though in the lower grades, will be pushing Blueys and Waverley for those last spots in the GF this weekend.
footy_footy
Ward Prentice (10)
Div 2 Season Wrap
Newport - 2 premierships (1s & 3s), 2 minor premierships (1s & 2s) and comfortable club champions. Easily the best club all season and were comprehensive throughout the grades. May be a bit disappointed they didn't pick up another premiership or two but they will go to Div 1 in 2025 confident. Across the board strong but an early season 4th Grade forfeit may raise some concerns about depth, particularly when just about all Div 1 clubs run 5th grade with a bench.
St Pat's - 1 premiership (colts), 3 minor premierships (colts, 3s & 4s) and 2nd in the club championship with a good lead on UNSW. St Pat's were particularly vocal during the off season but looked a lot more comfortable in Div 2 and speaking with a number of people closer to the action, they are happy where they are. A conveyer belt of quality colts continue to come through and they will be needed to turn around the train wreck 1st Grade season. Would also be disappointed they missed out on the lower grade GF action. Big club with 5 grades most weeks, colts and women's.
UNSW - 3rd on the club championship and will be rueing a slow start to the year. All grades in finals is a great effort that only Newport were able to achieve as well. For years Uni have been a mark of consistency but just fall short. Their Colts had a great run at the back end of the year and will only strengthen a quality grade line up. On their day UNSW 1s were as good as any but let themselves too much work to do late. UNSW could perhaps be a bit disappointed they didn't pick up any silverware but they have the potential to have a Lindfield 2023 or Newport 2024 year if they get it right. The wet weather debacle hurt uni more than anyone. Another big club with 4 grade, colts & women's.
Petersham - 4th on the club championship and the biggest disappointment in 2024. They too were a bit loud in the offseason but was a difficult year at Camperdown. Wooden spoon in 1s & 4s is an ordinary outcome for a big club. Colts were strong and their 3s were a quality outfit, perhaps to the detriment of the higher grades. No doubt Petersham will be disappointed with their performance in 2024 and interesting to see how they bounce back in 2024 as 1st Grade has for a long time being their strength.
Briars - 5th on the club championship and 1st Grade Grand Finalists. Briars also one of the few clubs in Subbies that grew in 2024 as they added on a regular 4th grade - great effort considering West Harbour around the corner, St Pat's and Drummoyne not far away either. Briars are a tough one to gauge. 1s feel just short in the big dance and, if they keep that team, start favourites for 2025. The big question is if they can keep them -who knows? Their grade and colts setup isn't flash and they lack depth. Hopefully for the competition 2024 is the start of a revival for Briars as they can improve across the board.
Hills - 6th on the club championship and 1st grade finalists. Hills are in a tough spot - no colts in 2024 and struggling colts in the years before that. Appear to have an ageing playing group and at times struggled to field 4th grade. They're in a tough market in Baulkham Hills and growth may be difficult for them. Their 1st Grade kept things on track but they were well off the speed in other grades. Hopefully they can get things in order as they're a great Subbies club.
Beecroft - 7th on the club championship and a tough year for the promoted club. Their 1st Grade were as good as any on their day and had some big wins v St Pat's, UNSW and Hills. Unfortunately didn't have the resources to keep up dropping out of 3s early in the year and forfeiting 2s on occasion. Their Colts are solid and hopefully they can retain them. Can't imagine they'd be keen to stay in Div 2 in 2025 and a disappointing year after their successful 2023 campaign.
Epping - 2 premierships (2s & 4s) and 8th on the club championship although probably not a accurate reflection of their competitiveness. A lot has been said bout Epping but at the end of the day they won 2 Grand Finals. Epping have been given a fair bit of assistance in 2024 and hopefully they can use there premiership success to turn around their broader club wide struggles. No colts for a 3rd year in a row and were a grade short. There are some good Subbies people at the Rams and they too are in a tough market (Eastwood had their toughest year in a very long time in 2024 with shrinking player numbers).
An interesting season with no shortage of controversy!
Turning to Division 1 - I'm predicting a Waverley clean sweep of the Grade draw with Hunters Hill 4th time lucky knocking off the undefeated Whales in the Colts GF.
Newport - 2 premierships (1s & 3s), 2 minor premierships (1s & 2s) and comfortable club champions. Easily the best club all season and were comprehensive throughout the grades. May be a bit disappointed they didn't pick up another premiership or two but they will go to Div 1 in 2025 confident. Across the board strong but an early season 4th Grade forfeit may raise some concerns about depth, particularly when just about all Div 1 clubs run 5th grade with a bench.
St Pat's - 1 premiership (colts), 3 minor premierships (colts, 3s & 4s) and 2nd in the club championship with a good lead on UNSW. St Pat's were particularly vocal during the off season but looked a lot more comfortable in Div 2 and speaking with a number of people closer to the action, they are happy where they are. A conveyer belt of quality colts continue to come through and they will be needed to turn around the train wreck 1st Grade season. Would also be disappointed they missed out on the lower grade GF action. Big club with 5 grades most weeks, colts and women's.
UNSW - 3rd on the club championship and will be rueing a slow start to the year. All grades in finals is a great effort that only Newport were able to achieve as well. For years Uni have been a mark of consistency but just fall short. Their Colts had a great run at the back end of the year and will only strengthen a quality grade line up. On their day UNSW 1s were as good as any but let themselves too much work to do late. UNSW could perhaps be a bit disappointed they didn't pick up any silverware but they have the potential to have a Lindfield 2023 or Newport 2024 year if they get it right. The wet weather debacle hurt uni more than anyone. Another big club with 4 grade, colts & women's.
Petersham - 4th on the club championship and the biggest disappointment in 2024. They too were a bit loud in the offseason but was a difficult year at Camperdown. Wooden spoon in 1s & 4s is an ordinary outcome for a big club. Colts were strong and their 3s were a quality outfit, perhaps to the detriment of the higher grades. No doubt Petersham will be disappointed with their performance in 2024 and interesting to see how they bounce back in 2024 as 1st Grade has for a long time being their strength.
Briars - 5th on the club championship and 1st Grade Grand Finalists. Briars also one of the few clubs in Subbies that grew in 2024 as they added on a regular 4th grade - great effort considering West Harbour around the corner, St Pat's and Drummoyne not far away either. Briars are a tough one to gauge. 1s feel just short in the big dance and, if they keep that team, start favourites for 2025. The big question is if they can keep them -who knows? Their grade and colts setup isn't flash and they lack depth. Hopefully for the competition 2024 is the start of a revival for Briars as they can improve across the board.
Hills - 6th on the club championship and 1st grade finalists. Hills are in a tough spot - no colts in 2024 and struggling colts in the years before that. Appear to have an ageing playing group and at times struggled to field 4th grade. They're in a tough market in Baulkham Hills and growth may be difficult for them. Their 1st Grade kept things on track but they were well off the speed in other grades. Hopefully they can get things in order as they're a great Subbies club.
Beecroft - 7th on the club championship and a tough year for the promoted club. Their 1st Grade were as good as any on their day and had some big wins v St Pat's, UNSW and Hills. Unfortunately didn't have the resources to keep up dropping out of 3s early in the year and forfeiting 2s on occasion. Their Colts are solid and hopefully they can retain them. Can't imagine they'd be keen to stay in Div 2 in 2025 and a disappointing year after their successful 2023 campaign.
Epping - 2 premierships (2s & 4s) and 8th on the club championship although probably not a accurate reflection of their competitiveness. A lot has been said bout Epping but at the end of the day they won 2 Grand Finals. Epping have been given a fair bit of assistance in 2024 and hopefully they can use there premiership success to turn around their broader club wide struggles. No colts for a 3rd year in a row and were a grade short. There are some good Subbies people at the Rams and they too are in a tough market (Eastwood had their toughest year in a very long time in 2024 with shrinking player numbers).
An interesting season with no shortage of controversy!
Turning to Division 1 - I'm predicting a Waverley clean sweep of the Grade draw with Hunters Hill 4th time lucky knocking off the undefeated Whales in the Colts GF.
Here To Do
Stan Wickham (3)
Long time listener, first time caller...
I had the honour of commentating the Division Two Grand Finals on Saturday and it was another fantastic day of rugby with an incredible atmosphere at a legendary venue. Congratulations to all the teams, especially those that made the Grand Finals and who became Premiers. I imagine there will be some sore heads from yesterday's Silly Sundays.
Main thing that was great to see was the hundreds and thousands of supporters streaming into Concord Oval - it would be great to see those crowds every weekend, not just GF Day, but still great to see there is a strong grassroot supporter base for club rugby.
Epping Rams have been, for better or worse, the talk of Division Two all season. I understand the frustration many have with not fielding a first grade side and, from what we saw on GF Day, the argument of whether or not they should have fielded "top down" grades will always be contentious.
We have to remember something important - Subbies is playing solely for pride and premierships. We're not playing for million dollar prize pools or better TV rights or anything like that - Epping forfeited an entire grade, as per the Subbies ops manual, all season.
My personal feeling at the start of the season was that, for one matchday, forfeiting top grade was the "right thing" to do, but on a frequent basis it would have been fairer to require them to play "up" a grade. Seeing them win 2/3 premierships they've competed in this season has cemented that feeling for me for the reasons many have raised, but I cannot hold their success against them and I certainly don't think they've "cheated".
The clubs agreed that would be the way forward for the Rams and noone was complaining until they became successful. They've had a tough few years and sacrificed themselves since COVID in many ways but have had a rub of the green this year. Congratulations on completing your redemption arc, I hope you enjoyed yourselves at Somerville afterwards - hopefully you're able to field a full compliment of grades next season.
Newport are probably due for a promotion - they not only dominated the Club Championship and Div Two all season, but they well exceeded the likes of Petersham and St Pat's. All 3 are probably unlucky that Div One has shrunk to 8 clubs - Petersham will be disappointed with their first grade struggles and Pats will rue missing out on Finals based off of results, while the Breakers secured their minor premiership as quickly as possible. Clearly, the drop down is much harder than the jump up - Lindfield have showed that, after an adjustment period, you can adapt to tougher competition, but going down makes player retention and morale a struggle.
I make no apologies for being a partisan of Briars - I've volunteered for the club since 2015 as their ground announcer and commentated their games since 2021. I've seen the lows of the club having started in Division Four through to the highs of this season and our Major Semi win. I was actually more emotional after our loss in the McLean GF in 2019 than I was on Saturday - to make the big dance and fall a kick short of Newport in "their" competition is, in my opinion, a raging success. Seeing an influx of new players, after the initial struggles, has been encouraging too, regardless of some of the as-yet unfounded chatter regarding the team's "legitimacy".
The biggest concern I had from this season was the disjointed nature of each competition. Having the Stockdale as the only fully representative competition is a worry - No Epping in 1s, no Epping or Hills in Colts, no Beecroft in 3s and 4s. Colts is seriously worrying, given how many younger players are jumping to league. I do wonder just how sustainable a 5 grades + Colts comp in Div One AND a 4 grades + Colts Div Two structure is going forward, especially with Div Two clubs "expected" to field as many senior grades as the SRU.
All in all, there is still a strong base of dedicated rugby players and supporters in Sydney which is encouraging. For what it's worth, I am a lifelong NRL supporter and it was the 2014 Rabbitohs premiership that inspired me to "give back" to a local club - the camaraderie, sportsmanship and pride is what has kept me in rugby and makes me prefer it to the toxicity often found in all levels of league.
We must be careful about how we speak about and treat clubs in this amateur competition - this entire union is based on the work of volunteers, players, committee members and everyone else who makes matches happen. If we lose them, we lose the game and that is something we cannot afford. Debate is perfectly fine and clubs should be held accountable for their actions, but until there is evidence I'd urge everyone to presume innocence for the good of the union as a whole.
I had the honour of commentating the Division Two Grand Finals on Saturday and it was another fantastic day of rugby with an incredible atmosphere at a legendary venue. Congratulations to all the teams, especially those that made the Grand Finals and who became Premiers. I imagine there will be some sore heads from yesterday's Silly Sundays.
Main thing that was great to see was the hundreds and thousands of supporters streaming into Concord Oval - it would be great to see those crowds every weekend, not just GF Day, but still great to see there is a strong grassroot supporter base for club rugby.
Epping Rams have been, for better or worse, the talk of Division Two all season. I understand the frustration many have with not fielding a first grade side and, from what we saw on GF Day, the argument of whether or not they should have fielded "top down" grades will always be contentious.
We have to remember something important - Subbies is playing solely for pride and premierships. We're not playing for million dollar prize pools or better TV rights or anything like that - Epping forfeited an entire grade, as per the Subbies ops manual, all season.
My personal feeling at the start of the season was that, for one matchday, forfeiting top grade was the "right thing" to do, but on a frequent basis it would have been fairer to require them to play "up" a grade. Seeing them win 2/3 premierships they've competed in this season has cemented that feeling for me for the reasons many have raised, but I cannot hold their success against them and I certainly don't think they've "cheated".
The clubs agreed that would be the way forward for the Rams and noone was complaining until they became successful. They've had a tough few years and sacrificed themselves since COVID in many ways but have had a rub of the green this year. Congratulations on completing your redemption arc, I hope you enjoyed yourselves at Somerville afterwards - hopefully you're able to field a full compliment of grades next season.
Newport are probably due for a promotion - they not only dominated the Club Championship and Div Two all season, but they well exceeded the likes of Petersham and St Pat's. All 3 are probably unlucky that Div One has shrunk to 8 clubs - Petersham will be disappointed with their first grade struggles and Pats will rue missing out on Finals based off of results, while the Breakers secured their minor premiership as quickly as possible. Clearly, the drop down is much harder than the jump up - Lindfield have showed that, after an adjustment period, you can adapt to tougher competition, but going down makes player retention and morale a struggle.
I make no apologies for being a partisan of Briars - I've volunteered for the club since 2015 as their ground announcer and commentated their games since 2021. I've seen the lows of the club having started in Division Four through to the highs of this season and our Major Semi win. I was actually more emotional after our loss in the McLean GF in 2019 than I was on Saturday - to make the big dance and fall a kick short of Newport in "their" competition is, in my opinion, a raging success. Seeing an influx of new players, after the initial struggles, has been encouraging too, regardless of some of the as-yet unfounded chatter regarding the team's "legitimacy".
The biggest concern I had from this season was the disjointed nature of each competition. Having the Stockdale as the only fully representative competition is a worry - No Epping in 1s, no Epping or Hills in Colts, no Beecroft in 3s and 4s. Colts is seriously worrying, given how many younger players are jumping to league. I do wonder just how sustainable a 5 grades + Colts comp in Div One AND a 4 grades + Colts Div Two structure is going forward, especially with Div Two clubs "expected" to field as many senior grades as the SRU.
All in all, there is still a strong base of dedicated rugby players and supporters in Sydney which is encouraging. For what it's worth, I am a lifelong NRL supporter and it was the 2014 Rabbitohs premiership that inspired me to "give back" to a local club - the camaraderie, sportsmanship and pride is what has kept me in rugby and makes me prefer it to the toxicity often found in all levels of league.
We must be careful about how we speak about and treat clubs in this amateur competition - this entire union is based on the work of volunteers, players, committee members and everyone else who makes matches happen. If we lose them, we lose the game and that is something we cannot afford. Debate is perfectly fine and clubs should be held accountable for their actions, but until there is evidence I'd urge everyone to presume innocence for the good of the union as a whole.
parkfootyenthusiast2
Herbert Moran (7)
Grand Final Results - 3/3, you're only as good as your last round!
Clark Cup (1st Grade): Irish def. Harbour 19-14. For the first time in their short history, the Oysters will end a suburban rugby season without a premiership. Fantastic showing for them defeating Knox and Merrylands on the way to the big dance and falling just short against the heavyweight favourites, can hold their heads high in what was a cracking contest at TG. Irish did what they've done all year, they never blow their opponents away, but they've got a formula that works, and they should be thrilled with this one. Congrats to them, hell of a season.
Farrant Cup (2nd Grade): Irish def. Knox 19-9. A mostly gruelling defensive affair, Knox really competed well in a game nobody picked them to win but they just couldn't get any go forward or momentum in their attack. Defensively the two sides were matched but Irish just had that little bit extra with the ball in hand. Two premierships in two grades is a fantastic result for the lads from the back of Coogee, a bit of a headache for the board next year with what to do with them, but for now, enjoy the Guinness' boys, certainly well earned.
Nicholson Cup (Colts): Knox def. LCOI 43-5. Scoreline blew out towards the back end of the second half, doesn't do the LCOI boys justice. At 5-5 at halftime there would have been some nervous folks at Knox, the LCOI scrum and set piece was fantastic and really frustrating the undefeated favourites but their class rose to the top in the end. An undefeated and largely untroubled season for Knox colts, another tough one for the board, they're clearly a cut above the rest of the Colts sides in division 3, but their grade sides are right at home. Both clubs will need a large contingent of the colts' leavers to hang around if they want to build up to challenging back into div 2 and eventually 1 in the future.
All in all, a good year for division 3, Merrylands, Irish, Knox and Harbour would be pleased with outcomes to some degree, Valley showed promising signs as a whole club but will need to be a touch better next year, LCOI can hang their hats on colts and give it another tilt next year, whilst Barker and Harlequinns will be back to the drawing board, with Barker a much more genuine concern.
Yours in getting ready to do it all again next year, and watching division 1,
PFE2
Clark Cup (1st Grade): Irish def. Harbour 19-14. For the first time in their short history, the Oysters will end a suburban rugby season without a premiership. Fantastic showing for them defeating Knox and Merrylands on the way to the big dance and falling just short against the heavyweight favourites, can hold their heads high in what was a cracking contest at TG. Irish did what they've done all year, they never blow their opponents away, but they've got a formula that works, and they should be thrilled with this one. Congrats to them, hell of a season.
Farrant Cup (2nd Grade): Irish def. Knox 19-9. A mostly gruelling defensive affair, Knox really competed well in a game nobody picked them to win but they just couldn't get any go forward or momentum in their attack. Defensively the two sides were matched but Irish just had that little bit extra with the ball in hand. Two premierships in two grades is a fantastic result for the lads from the back of Coogee, a bit of a headache for the board next year with what to do with them, but for now, enjoy the Guinness' boys, certainly well earned.
Nicholson Cup (Colts): Knox def. LCOI 43-5. Scoreline blew out towards the back end of the second half, doesn't do the LCOI boys justice. At 5-5 at halftime there would have been some nervous folks at Knox, the LCOI scrum and set piece was fantastic and really frustrating the undefeated favourites but their class rose to the top in the end. An undefeated and largely untroubled season for Knox colts, another tough one for the board, they're clearly a cut above the rest of the Colts sides in division 3, but their grade sides are right at home. Both clubs will need a large contingent of the colts' leavers to hang around if they want to build up to challenging back into div 2 and eventually 1 in the future.
All in all, a good year for division 3, Merrylands, Irish, Knox and Harbour would be pleased with outcomes to some degree, Valley showed promising signs as a whole club but will need to be a touch better next year, LCOI can hang their hats on colts and give it another tilt next year, whilst Barker and Harlequinns will be back to the drawing board, with Barker a much more genuine concern.
Yours in getting ready to do it all again next year, and watching division 1,
PFE2
parkfootyenthusiast2
Herbert Moran (7)
I don't see it happening. They've certainly got a great group of 25 or so that rotate in and out of their top side but they borrowed a second-grade side from West Harbour and a Colts outfit from Easts... they're in a weird spot but they probably belong in division 4 or 5 based on the fact that they only have one team.
They seem to rotate across Rushcutters Bay Park, Lyne Park at Rose Bay and the occasional home game at Easts Rugby Club on the astro turf, certainly 3 picturesque grounds to call home.
They seem to rotate across Rushcutters Bay Park, Lyne Park at Rose Bay and the occasional home game at Easts Rugby Club on the astro turf, certainly 3 picturesque grounds to call home.
Post Match Boat Race
Bob McCowan (2)
Moving along to a far more important matter - Beer prices at Concord $8 for the GF is outrageous (up from $6 from the week before)
Threw my GF Game day budget out the window, i was resigned to drinking less. My wife was happy though, as i could talk when i got home.
Reduce the price West Harbour this weekend, dont slug a captive audience because you can. (Im off to Leichhardt this weekend, budget already adjusted).
Threw my GF Game day budget out the window, i was resigned to drinking less. My wife was happy though, as i could talk when i got home.
Reduce the price West Harbour this weekend, dont slug a captive audience because you can. (Im off to Leichhardt this weekend, budget already adjusted).
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Nothing brings people together like a common enemy.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Alexandria Dukes were the core of their 2nd Grade at the start of the year, themselves not being able to stand up a full team in their own right.
Oysters having 1 team is generally an issue when in the lower divisions - not many teams at that level can compete with them over 80 minutes due to their talent and cohesion. It is a conundrum...
crushermoran
Bob McCowan (2)
Irish come into the top two divisions and we go back to 8x7x8 in the top three divisions.