NSW GPS – Round 10 Preview

We have one round to go and the Premiership is still up for grabs.

Since last Saturday, your panel of esteemed G&GR rugby experts has been busily preparing for the 2015 AAGPS Season Review. Who should we pick for the ‘team of the year’, MVP and ‘try of the season’? You’ll have to wait till next Tuesday to find out the answers to these and other questions.

In this week’s previews Crackerjack takes a look at the possible Premiership scenarios and how he sees them unfolding, while Rich_E (yours truly) assesses the game more likely to split this year’s heavy-weights, the Stanmore match between Newington and Riverview.

Gary Owen III lets us know what to expect on and off the field at Shore V Joeys and an anonymous G&GR forum member reviews the contributions of some of our previewers and regular posters. Watch this one stir up some banter over in the forums.

Coming soon: The one and only Azzuri has been captured on video in a rousing call to arms previewing the Kings v Scots game in front of a rowdy crowd of sky blue and white true believers.

Have a top weekend and make the most of your last opportunity in 2015 to watch what remains to be the best brand of Rugby in the solar system.

Cracker’s Maybes

    by “Crackerjack”

The form-guide says there’ll be a shared 1st XV Premiership at the end of Saturday – Scots and Newington. Who’d seriously doubt it after the 9 Rounds gone?

Shore and Joeys can no longer influence the outcome, though Shore at home can tie up bragging rights on the Season’s Best BBQ award. Otherwise, there are still all kinds of ‘Maybes’ that remain to be answered.

Maybe you’d have thought Scots, who are playing away at Kings, have an easier final draw than Newington, who are playing at home at their big ‘Back to Newington’ Day, where they host Riverview.

Maybe that had been the thinking, right up until Kings ripped into the Riverview lads in Round 8, beating them well in the end, 33-17. So, Kings playing at home again in this final round will be no easy meat for the Bellevue Hill lads.

Maybe Riverview will reflect on their first half, 3-try, lead over Scots just last Saturday, and know that if they can maintain that kind of play for the full 70′, they can indeed both redeem their narrow first round loss to New and pull off a massive upset. But to do this, they will need to leverage their set pieces and defend across the line like the Lord of The Rings’ Rohirrim in the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

Shore – going for the BBQ award

Or maybe there’s nothing much either of the underdogs can really do, and it’s all been divined this way because there was never meant to be just one in sole possession of the Schools Challenge Trophy at the end of this 2015 Rugby season. The Round 6, 17-all ‘kiss your sister’ result at Stanmore would appear to have happened for this reason.

But if an upset does loom at either North Parramatta or Stanmore on Saturday arvo, then maybe we will get to run on the adrenaline of it all, with furious texting of updated scores sending mobile phone plans into meltdown, and for all the 2015 chockies to go to the team that hold its nerve best.

For mine, though, even with the work still needing to be done, form-guides are the way they are for good reasons, and ‘upsets’ are aptly named.

Predictions: Joeys by 24, Scots by 14 and New by 14. Scots and New to share the Premiership Trophy for 2015.

Much thanks to all the GPS 1st XV players through the season, whether you got named in the programmes or not! You’ve played some magnificent rugby throughout, and no doubt more on Saturday. You’ve given great pleasure to thousands of spectators, and you’ve done yourselves, your coaches, your Schools and your sport, proud. Bravo. Well done to you all, and best of luck on Saturday.

Banana split

    by “Rich_E”

This Saturday is ‘Back to Newington Day’ (BTND) at Stanmore. According to Newington’s website, what was originally a day of Old Newingtonian reunions, it has expanded to include an afternoon tea reunion for Mothers of Old Newingtonians (the ‘MOONS’ as they are officially and affectionately known). No prizes for guessing where you’d be more likely to find me at 3.15 if I wasn’t going to Scots v Kings.

Being a fan of all things gold, you’d probably also find me in the lead-up to kick-off MOONlighting as Con the Fruit (no typo here), looking for the ripest bananas in the BTND fresh fruit and veggies stalls.

Because the 1st 15 match against View could be a banana skin for New’s hopes for a joint premiership with Scots (the second in three years). If View get up, and Scots beat Kings at North Parramatta, the result will split the two heavy-weights and hand Scots their second outright victory in two years.

View really wants a win, as they are currently tied with Kings on 3 from 9 and, given the weight of pre-season expectations, to not finish above Kings would signify a poor season for them. Jack McGregor (10) was injured last week, groin, so View will have their fingers crossed that he will be OK.

A view victory is not inconceivable, as they only went down 45-36 in the clash earlier this season. And it was 38-36 with two minutes to play. A try on the buzzer to New 9, Matthew Long, making the big difference to the final score.

New will want to be on their game this Saturday. Their big win against Shore last week won’t count for much against more fancied opposition. Joeys the week before may have been a better measure of View’s form and they have tired late in games many times this year.

The battle of the forwards will be brutal and expect most of the points to come from the back three in both sides. But the game is going to be won or lost in the 10, 12 and 13 channel.

Prediction: Newington by 5 in another high-scoring thriller

Postscript: The New lads should hope the MOONs snap up all the bananas at the BTND fresh fruit and veggies stand to make Banana Bread for their afternoon tea.

 Click on Page 2 below for more dribble by “Gary Owen III” and “anon”