NSW GPS – Round 7 Preview

Scots vs Joeys

    by “Crackerjack”

It’s anointed

After last week’s ‘kissing your sister’ result at Stanmore and the return battle of Lane Cove/Hunters Hill now dusted for Season 2015, the task gets no easier for Scots and Joeys when they face off at Bellevue Hill. Both sides absolutely must win this one to have any Premiership chance. For that reason alone, it must be ‘Match of the Round’.

Looking ahead

The Round 2 result to Scots, 21-15 away at Hunters Hill, should rate little more than a footnote this week. But it’ll add some ‘get square’ motivation for the young men in cerise and blue, which is never to be underestimated.

The ‘brought to you Betatine’ bit

Both sides are backing up from bruising encounters last week. Expect similar rosters to those in the last 3 rounds, except for possibly Tom Wright from Joeys. Let’s hope his injury from last weekend proves less serious than first thought.

The match-ups

The expected line-ups look pretty even on paper, with quality all across the park.

The vaunted Joeys pack didn’t daunt the lads in gold and blue in Round 2, and don’t expect that will be any different this week.

The loosies will practically destroy themselves securing the breakdowns and pilfering each others’ possessions. Let’s hope Charlie Smith can stay on for the full 70′ this week!

Numbers 9 through 13 in both sides are all class.
The back 3s, if given any room, will make the others pay, even from inside their own 22s.

Looking forward

Both teams could still take the big prize.

For Joeys to do that, in the space of three consecutive weeks, they will need to knock-off Riverview (away – first milestone achieved), Scots (away) and Newington (at home).

If Scots win this Saturday, they will still need another team (with Joeys the most likely candidate) to knock off New, just to be able to share the silver.

Look forward to a belter of a match on Saturday and hope that the current forecast of possible showers fails to materialise.

Riverview vs Shore

by “Gary Owen III”

The ins and outs

Word is the casualty ward at Northbridge has again been busier than a one-armed bricklayer in Baghdad. Another four Shore players succumbed to injury last weekend and now only seven players from Round 1 are expected to start this Saturday. Meanwhile, an inside back from Lane Cove is out, otherwise View are expected to field an unchanged line-up.

The situation

While neither team is pressing for the title this year, both will be highly motivated.

View will be smarting after seemingly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the Catholic Cup last weekend. So avoiding a repeat of their second half Blackadder moments would be front and centre for them.

Shore’s win column has been drier than the Sauvignon Blanc at a Mosman Garden Party, but they will be looking to bust this drought.

Off the field

The battle of the car park will be a fairly even affair. Expect more European models on show than fashion week in Milan. Even more certain is a few bogged cars in the hillside carpark if the weather turns wet.

On the field

View will be firm favourites with the bookies, but more interest may lie in the exotics. Plenty of money has been flowing for the number of shots at goal missed? The odds on how many Shore boys finish the game are shortening. But most interest appears to remain in guessing the average length of the Shore backline’s fringes.

For the binoculars

Riverview have a number of potent weapons across the park. In the forwards, Michael Fenn and Chris Scott will cause plenty of havoc on the fringes of the ruck, creating space for Jack Mac and Will Terry out wide, whom has been in stellar form.

Shore will rely on the up front experience of Fergus Bragg and Jake Hedge to lead the way forward. And in the backs they will need to reproduce the defence shown by Lachie Patrick and Ed Gregory last week, to contain the dangerous View outside backs.

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