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Souths backing youth to overcome experience in quest for first title
By Jack McIlroy Reid
Southern Districts skipper Jed Holloway is backing his team to secure its first ever Premiership title this weekend, despite being pitted against experienced Eastwood leader Hugh Perrett, who is 10 years his senior.
Both teams’ leaders will have one eye on each other this Saturday afternoon as Southern Districts and Eastwood battle for the ultimate prize in Sydney club rugby.
This year’s Grand Finals Day will take place at Concord Oval this Saturday, August 16. Free shuttle buses will take fans from the venue to ANZ Stadium for the Bledisloe Cup match at 8pm and a free family fun day will run from 12pm. The game will also be broadcast LIVE on ABC TV and streamed LIVE online internationally at www.abc.net.au/news/livevideo from 2.50pm on Saturday.
With each identifying the other as their greatest threat on the day, the rivalry between four-time champions Eastwood and title-hopefuls Souths will be intense come Saturday afternoon, when the 2014 Magners Shute Shield culminates in the Grand Final at 3pm at Concord Oval.
After leading his team to two last-gasp sudden death victories in successive weeks, Souths captain Jed Holloway will welcome the inclusion in the pack of his Tahs’ teammate and Super Rugby veteran Kane Douglas for this weekend’s big one. “Kane brings real leadership to the side and experience of the big games having played the entire Super Rugby finals series with the Waratahs,” said Holloway.
And Holloway will be banking on that nous to help combat the experience of his opposite number. “Hugh has played in finals before and knows how to win them,” admitted Holloway. “The whole Eastwood forward pack is dangerous but Hugh in particular could be the difference in the final we are going to have to keep him quiet.”
Last weekend the Rebels left it to the 80th minute to secure their place in the final with a dramatic long range Ben Volavola penalty dispatching current champs Sydney University. Eastwood skipper Perrett is fully aware of the threat from the ‘underdog’ Rebels.
“Jed is so influential for them and if he plays well the whole team plays well,” said Perrett. “Ben Volavola leads a backline that is full of speed and class and last week he showed how dangerous he can be with the boot. We know we can’t give away any penalties in our own half. We’ll just have to make sure that the game is played in their half and not ours.”
Holloway was also singing the praises of his sides star flyhalf who’s performance last week inspired the Rebels to victory over the reigning champions.
“I was getting a bit anxious towards the end of the game, we knew at half time that Uni would come back into it because of their strength in depth and their experience but as soon as Ben pointed to the posts his confidence in his own ability gave me confidence, he didn’t second guess himself. Watching it sail over was such a good feeling!”
Last week saw Eastwood became the first team all season to win away at Manly Oval, as they knocked out minor premier Manly in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year. Despite his side controlling the game and only being behind for a short period in the first half, Perrett is modest about his side’s victory.
“The ball certainly fell our way a lot, everything seemed to go right. They boys put in 100% effort as they always do but we certainly got the bounce of the ball and sometimes it is important to have a little bit of luck on your side.”
Souths coach Matt Barr last week admitted he would prefer to face Eastwood over Manly in the final and a glance at the sides’ head to head record in 2014 explains why. This Saturday’s Grand Final will be the fourth time the two sides have met this year, with Souths winning two of the three previous encounters and losing by only a three-point margin on the other occasion. Like his coach, captain Holloway believes this weekend is the club’s best shot at a first ever Premiership title.
“Our performances and our results against Eastwood this season do give me confidence going into the final,” said Holloway, “especially because we have beaten them twice already.
“The best thing about these games is that there are never run away winners, they are good genuine battles against two sides that respect each other. Don’t get me wrong, there will be no love lost on Saturday but the fact that we know what to expect from Eastwood and the fact we have managed to come up trumps against them twice this year fills us with confidence.”
By contrast, Perrett says past results will not weigh heavy on the Woodies’ minds.
“We don’t feel more pressure because we’ve won the competition before or because Souths have edged us twice this year,” said last year’s Shute Shield Player of the Year. “We need to defend well and make sure we execute when we have the ball but we’re extremely confident of success going into this one.”
A Southern Districts victory would see the Sylvania-based side lift the Shute Shield for the first time in its history and Holloway admits that becoming the winning captain would be a dream come true.
“To be the first Southern Districts captain to lift the Shute Shield would be a huge honour for me but this season everyone has stood up and been a leader, and I would simply be accepting it on behalf of the team and this fantastic club.”
Lifting the Shute Shield is something Hugh Perrett has already achieved and playing in Eastwood’s third final in four years he hopes his side may be able to build the kind of dominance previously exerted by Randwick and Sydney University.
“I’d like to think this is the start of something,” said Perrett. “I won’t be around in 10 years’ time but if I can finish my playing time consistently reaching and winning finals and in 10 years’ time, can watch my successor playing in and winning finals, that would be fantastic.
“However it all starts this Saturday and it is going to be a great day for both clubs and I’m expecting a noisy atmosphere from both sets of passionate supporters.”
Ben Shorter replacing the injured Nick Batger is the only change to the Eastwood starting XV, and its one that Perrett believes could be a blessing in disguise.
“Both Nick and John Grant have scored a lot of tries this year and it is a shame that they aren’t fit to play but we have players in the shape of Ben Shorter and Brad Curtis who are more than capable of stepping up. The opposition won’t have watched them play as much and won’t know how dangerous they are so these injuries could just end up working in our favour.”
The Rebels only make one change to the side that denied Sydney University a place in the finals for the first time in a decade, with Kane Douglas starting ahead of his younger brother Jake at lock.
“His aggression in defence will also give us the edge but it is important that as a team we keep doing what we have been doing over the past few weeks,” said Holloway. “We have hit form at the right time and to be the best you have to beat the best. It’s great to have Kane playing but it is important we do not change too many routines or winning formulas on the pitch.”
This year’s Grand Finals Day will take place at Concord Oval this Saturday, August 16. Free shuttle buses will take fans from the venue to ANZ Stadium for the Bledisloe Cup match at 8pm and a free family fun day will run from 12pm.
Make a day of it and cheer on the next generation of NSW Waratahs and Wallabies in the biggest and best day of club rugby this season, just hours before the Wallabies take on the All Blacks. Fourth grade kicks things off at 9am, followed by the third and second grade finals, with the headline first grade Magners Shute Shield Final taking place at 3pm. The 2014 Ken Catchpole medal winner and Rookie of the year winner will be announced at different points throughout the afternoon.
From 5.15pm, free shuttle buses will then transport fans from Concord Oval to ANZ Stadium, just 6 kilometres away, in plenty of time for the massive opening match of The Rugby Championship which kicks off at 8pm.
As well as the spectacular on-field action, there’s also a free family day running from 12pm and featuring kids’ inflatables as well as appearances from Wallabies and Waratahs mascots Wally and Tah Man.
Tickets are priced from under $3 for juniors and $23 for adults and are available now from Ticketek. Waratahs Life Members can watch the Grand Final for free simply by showing their Life Members card.
The full match Concord Oval schedule (Saturday August 16) is as follows:
9.05am - Henderson Cup (fourth grade) - Eastwood v Sydney University
10.50am - Henderson Shield (third grade) - Sydney University v Warringah
12.50pm - Colin Caird Shield Shield (second grade) - Sydney University v Manly
3.00pm - Magners Shute Shield (first grade) - Eastwood v Southern Districts
The Shute Shield Grand Final will be broadcast LIVE on ABC TV throughout NSW and the ACT. Regional and international fans can also watch LIVE online by following the link www.abc.net.au/news/livevideo from 2:50pm on Saturday.
For up to the minute scores of all grades throughout the afternoon to follow the competition on Facebook at Shute Shield and twitter at @ShuteShield. Highlights and previews of every round are also available on the Shute Shield YouTube channel.
Magners Shute Shield Grand Final: Saturday 16 August
Eastwood v Southern Districts, Concord Oval (3pm)
Eastwood: 1. Jed Gillespie, 2. Hugh Roach, 3. Guy Millar, 4. Jared Barry, 5. Andrew Clyne, 6. Michael Kovacic, 7. Hugh Perrett (c), 8. Pat Sio, 9. Mick Snowden, 10. Jai Ayoub, 11. Ben Shorter, 12. Tom Hill, 13. Michael McDougall, 14. Brad Curtis, 15. Ben Batger.
Southern Districts: 1. Duncan Chubb, 2. Maile Nguamo, 3. Cameron Betham, 4. Andrew Leota, 5. Kane Douglas, 6. Marcus Carbone, 7. Kieran Black, 8. Jed Holloway (c), 9. Chris O'Reilly, 10. Ben Volavola, 11. Alex Gibbon, 12. Apo Latunipulu, 13. Paul Asquith, 14. Afa Pakalani, 15. Ben Connelly.
Referee: Angus Gardner
Shute Shield Media Release
Saturday September 14, 2013
Davidson leads Students to eighth Premiership title in nine starts
Shute Shield Grand Final Review by Brittany Mitchell
Sydney University captain Tim Davidson today retired on a high after leading the Students to an eighth Shute Shield premiership title in nine grand final starts.
Davidson’s men dominated the match, outscoring Eastwood by seven tries to nil and running in 34 second-half points to demolish the minor premiers by 51 to 6 and send the skipper off with a fairytale ending.
“It couldn’t have gone any better than that,” admitted a delighted Davidson after the match.
“You can’t script it, all you can do is prepare. Prepare for the game and hope that things in the grand final go your way. Not much has separated the teams all year and Eastwood, I can’t speak higher of the players they’ve got, how they played and how they’re led. I don’t think it was a fair reflection of their season today.
“I was really proud of the guys and the way they applied themselves this week. We had a strong build up and it showed today how we wanted to play, which is great. I couldn’t be happier.”
Watch the match highlights now on Shute Shield TV.
Led by the 2013 Shute Shield Player of the Year Hugh Perrett, the Woodies were under pressure from the kick-off, with the Students’ early pressure yielding the first points through a Bernard Foley penalty within the first five minutes.
Eastwood was quick to regain possession from the kick off but a penalty at the breakdown gave the Students another opportunity to move downfield. With their direct forward runners tying in the Woodies’ defence, an overlap was soon created, with Tom Carter’s cut out allowing Lachlan Mitchell to dive over for the Students’ first try. Foley added the extras to put the score 10-0 after 10 minutes.
The Woodies continued to fight hard in midfield, running strongly with the ball but a number of early errors, forced by the aggressive Uni defence, prevented them from building momentum. An early turnover in their favour though, allowed Ben Batger to slot the Woods’ first points to bring the scores to 10-3 after 20 minutes.
A second Batger penalty minutes later closed the gap to four points and although Uni flyhalf Bernard Foley’s field goal was unsuccessful, they added to their tally soon after when Tom Kingston scored their second try after palming his way through several defenders to dive over. Foley never looked like missing as he added the extras to put the scores at 17-6 going into the half-time break.
Eastwood looked strong as they returned to the field, winning the ball early and making their way into the Students’ half. Although they were rewarded with a penalty, Batger’s 30m effort went wide. Things weren’t looking good for Woods when Batger missed another soon after and they got worse when the Students quickly return to the Woodies’ half and earned a penalty of their own, which Foley slotted easily to extend the Students’ lead to 20-6.
A try from the tournament’s leading try scorer Greg Jeloudev, converted by the outstanding Foley, took the score to 27-6. Minutes later, it looked as though the Woodies would have an advantage as Uni went a player down but with their execution again letting them down, the Woods lost the ball and were quickly punished with a 70 metre run from Lachlan Mitchell that allowed Tolu Latu to step the last defender and cross in the corner. With the extras, the Students led 32-6 before the first of two tries from centre Tom English allowed Foley to kick his team to a 39-6 lead.
Although replacement flyhalf Pierre Hola gave them a boost and Perrett, Hugh Roach and fellow back rower Locky McCaffrey were tireless, the Woodies were simply outclassed. English’s second, the result of a length-of-the-field run from Lachlan Mitchell, took the score to 46-6.
Although victory was beyond their reach, the Woodies continued to give their large and vocal contingent of travelling supporters something to cheer about.
With minutes remaining, they continued to fight back wave after wave of Students’ attacks but a small midfield gap allowed evasive Melbourne-bound fullback Kingston the chance to complete his double, with his try under the posts and on the whistle putting the Students past the half century. The honour of kicking the final conversion was, fittingly, given to captain Tim Davidson. Although he was unable to put the points on the board, the miss did nothing to dampen the skipper’s spirits, with the final whistle wrapping up an impressive 51-6 victory.
The match also marked the end of a second Uni stalwart’s career, with long-time centre Tom Carter also hanging up his boots after the game. “Eastwood has been a great side and we haven’t beaten them in three years. To play like that and to come out here on the biggest stage and take the win is really pleasing,” said Carter.
The victory capped off a successful day’s action for the 2013 Club Champions, who secured two further premiership titles in fourth and second grade.
Uni kicked off proceedings with a convincing 31-10 victory in fourth grade, before the Woods levelled proceedings with a nailbiting 23-22 third grade win to take the J.R. Henderson Shield back to T.G. Millner. In second grade, the Students put in a dominant performance to lift the Colin Caird Shield with an entertaining 41-22 victory over the Woods.
It is the first time two clubs have contested all four grade finals since the finals system was introduced back in 1932.
Sydney University 51 (Tom English 2, Greg Jeloudev, Tom Kingston 2, Tolu Latu, Lachlan Mitchell tries; Bernard Foley 5 cons, 2 pens) d Eastwood 6 (Ben Batger 2 pens).
| EASTWOOD McCaffrey, Locky tackled |
| EASTWOOD Robinson, Benn tackled |
| UNI celebrates |
| UNI Kingston, Tom scores |
Sydney Rugby Union Media Release
Friday September 13, 2013
Hugh Perrett voted Shute Shield Player of the Year
Influential Eastwood captain Hugh Perrett has been voted Shute Shield Player of the Year for 2013, with his Woodies’ team mate Hugh Roach taking Rookie of the Year award. Coach John Manenti received the David Brockhoff Medal for Coach of the Year and, for the fourth year running, the club took home the ES Marks Shield for Shute Shield Minor Premiers.
Perrett (31) was awarded with club rugby’s top individual prize, the Ken Catchpole Medal, at the Sydney Rugby Union Awards lunch held this afternoon at the Sydney Boulevard Hotel. A former NSW Waratah and Australian Sevens player, the backrower became the 32nd player to claim the title since its inception in 1981. Recent winners have included Warringah’s Hamish Angus (2012), David Harvey (with Norths in 2011 and Gordon in 2008 - tied with Scott Fardy) and Brendan McKibbin (2010).
In claiming the prestigious title, Perrett polled consistently throughout the season, maintaining his top five position going into the closing rounds. Maximum points in the team’s three back to back victories against West Harbour, Parramatta and Gordon in rounds 14-16 saw him top the final table, just two points clear of Sydney University skipper Tim Davidson. Davidson came home in second, and four points ahead of Warringah’s Josh Holmes and Northern Suburbs’ Bill Meakes, who finished joint-third.
Voting for the Ken Catchpole medal was conducted by referees on a 3-2-1 basis for the players who most impressed them in each of the 18 matches of the regular season, giving a maximum possible individual total of 54.
Perrett polled in seven of a possible 18 matches, earning the maximum three points on four occasions, an achievement matched only by second-placed Davidson, whose 16-point tally came from five maximum-points scores, on top of a single point from round three. Once again, seven of the 12 Shute Shield clubs were represented by the top 12 players.
Among the contenders was Southern Districts’ flyhalf Rohan Saifoloi, who today received the Roscoe Fay Trophy, awarded to the tournament’s highest try scorer. Runner-up in 2012, his 2013 tally of 242 regular season points from six tries, 46 conversions and 40 penalties saw him finish on top this season, 42 points clear of second-placed Ben Batger of Eastwood and 70 points clear of Easts’ Henry Hudson.
Also recognised at the annual Ken Catchpole Awards Lunch was referee James Leckie who, for the second year running, picked up the Dick Byres Medal for Shute Shield Referee of the Year, and Illawarra’s Paul Taula, who received the Will Tanner Award after being voted the NSW Country Player of the Year.
For the third year running, Sydney University was presented with the Gregor George Trophy for the 2013 Club Championship and the Eric Spilsted Shield for the Colts’ Club Championship. This season also saw University collect the Sir Roden Cutler Shield, a club challenge trophy that is held by a first grade side until it loses at home. After starting the 2013 season with Northern Suburbs, following their round five loss the trophy was handed over to Southern Districts, who hung on to it until round seven, when it was won by Sydney Uni and retained by the club for the rest of the season.
2013 SYDNEY RUGBY UNION AWARDS
Friday September 13, 2013
Sydney Boulevard Hotel
KEN CATCHPOLE MEDAL
Shute Shield Player of the Year
| Hugh Perrett with Ken Catchpole |
18 Hugh Perrett (Eastwood)
16 Tim Davidson (Sydney University)
14 Josh Holmes (Warringah)
14 Bill Meakes (Northern Suburbs)
13 Kotoni Ale (Manly)
13 Dave Harvey (Warringah)
13 Lopeti Timani (Southern Districts)
12 Ben Batger (Eastwood)
12 Greg Jeloudev (Sydney University)
12 Tom Kingston (Sydney University)
12 Rohan Saifoloi (Southern Districts)
12 Andrew Shaw (Eastern Suburbs)
Shute Shield Rookie of the Year
Hugh Roach (Eastwood)
ROSCOE FAY TROPHY
Shute Shield Highest Points Scorer
Rohan Saifoloi (Southern Districts)
| Rohan Saifoloi |
DAVID BROCKHOFF MEDAL
Shute Shield Coach of the Year
John Manenti (Eastwood)
| Hugh Perrett, John Manenti and Hugh Roach from Eastwood |
DICK BYRES MEDAL
Shute Shield Referee of the Year
James Leckie
GREGOR GEORGE TROPHY
Shute Shield Club Champions
Sydney University
ERIC SPILSTED TROPHY
Colts’ Club Champions
Sydney University
ES MARKS SHIELD
Shute Shield Minor Premiers
Eastwood
WILL TANNER AWARD
NSW Country Player of the Year
Paul Taula (Illawarra)
SIR RODEN CUTLER SHIELD
Club Challenge
Sydney University
Ken Catchpole Medal Honour Roll
1981 Neale Murphy (Western Suburbs)
1982 Geoff Richards (Eastern Suburbs)
1983 Peter Lucas (St George)
1984 Richard Moriarty (Western Suburbs)
1985 Phillip Cox (Manly)
1986 Peter Lucas (St George), David Niu (St George) and Sione Tahaafe (Eastwood)
1987 Steve Lidbury (Warringah)
1988 Jim Fewtrell (Warringah)
1989 Simon Poidevin (Randwick)
1990 Matt Foldi (Warringah)
1991 Marty Roebuck (Eastwood)
1992 Ross Reynolds (Gordon)
1993 Phil Kearns (Randwick)
1994 Mark Catchpole (Warringah)
1995 Nick Harvey (Northern Suburbs)
1996 Dirk Williams (Eastern Suburbs)
1997 Adam Leach (Eastwood)
1998 Mark Catchpole (Sydney University)
1999 Peter Besseling (Penrith) and Keith Gleeson (Northern Suburbs)
2000 Sam Harris (Warringah)
2001 Des Tuiavi’i (West Harbour)
2002 Scott Fava (Eastwood)
2003 Scott Fava (Eastwood)
2004 Scott Fava (Eastwood)
2005 Tim Donnelly (Eastwood)
2006 Peter Hewat (Manly)
2007 Gavin Debartolo (Eastern Suburbs)
2008 Scott Fardy (Warringah) and Dave Harvey (Gordon)
2009 Andrew Smith (Norths)
2010 Brendan McKibbin (Eastern Suburbs)
2011 Dave Harvey (Norths)
2012 Hamish Angus (Warringah)
2013 Hugh Perrett (Eastwood)
Brother-in-law coaches look forward to historical finals day
Grand final preview by Nathan Roye
Brother-in-law coaches Chris Malone (Sydney Uni) and John Manenti (Eastwood) will this Saturday go head to head as their clubs contest grand finals in all four grades, culminating with the first grade Shute Shield Grand Final.
After comfortable victories over Southern Districts (47-19) and Manly (55-25) last weekend, both coaches have today named unchanged sides for this Saturday’s Shute Shield Grand Final at Concord Oval (3pm), shown live on ABC TV. Tickets are available online from Ticketek, priced from $2.50 for juniors, $22.50 for adults and $45 for a family of four.
Manenti has this year led Eastwood to an outstanding 17 wins from 19 Shute Shield matches and is thrilled at the club’s remarkable clean sweep of the four senior grades.
“It’s very rewarding to be part of the coaching panel of such an extraordinary club, it really is a great achievement to see all four grades reach the grand final and I look forward to what Saturday will bring,” said Manenti.
Eastwood’s maiden first grade title was won in 1999, when it overcame University by 34-17, kicking off a close rivalry between the two teams. They have since contested a further four first grade grand finals, with the honours even at two-apiece (2001 - Uni 27-20 Eastwood, 2002 - Eastwood 19-15 Uni, 2005 - Uni 41-5 Eastwood, 2011 - Eastwood 19-16 Uni).
Married to sisters, the two are close but family loyalties will be put aside this weekend, when the focus will be all about winning.
Said Manenti, “Chris is definitely a good mate of mine but we have agreed that our focus will be with our boys, it’s their final not ours. In saying that however, someone has got to come up with the biscuits and maybe next week over a beer we may stir each other up!”
After a relaxed week of preparation, the Woodies coach will be looking to several experienced members of his team to lead the boys against Uni this weekend, as they have done all season.
“We are lucky to have a team full of leaders. Great organizers like Batger from the back, combined with Hilgendorf at 10 only complement our forwards, who are motivated largely by players like Locky McCaffrey at No. 8 and Jarred Barry in the second row,” said Manenti.
Eastwood has claimed the Minor Premiership for the last four years, however Uni has passed the test of time, winning 81 of the two teams’ 131 encounters since 1947 and securing a total of 25 first grade premiership titles.
Like Manenti, Malone is extremely proud to see his club reach the grand final in every grade, especially in such a competitive Sydney rugby environment.
“We have had 200 players working their backsides off this year and it has been a combination of their great attitude and the commitment from our coaching staff that has got us over the line.
“We have been mates for a very long time now and I’m sure we will have a beer after the game irrespective of the result. Our parents-in-law on the other hand will be struggling with who to support, having a foot in both camps now,” finished Malone.
Uni has trained with commitment and intensity all year and Malone says nothing changes going into the grand final. Having himself played for the Students in two grand finals against Eastwood in 1999 and 2001, when he captaining them to a win, he is proud to be a part of such a momentous occasion for the club.
“Both sides have built a strong club and both sides deserve to be where they are this Saturday.
“It will be a fascinating day of rugby and all I can ask of my boys is that they play the game the same way we have all year. With intensity,” said Malone.
The 2013 Shute Shield Grand Final at Concord Oval will be shown live on ABCTV this Saturday (September 14) at 3.10pm. A full fixtures list, together with round by round previews and reviews of all the results can be found at www.nswrugby.com.au. Tickets are available to purchase on the gate or discounted if purchased in advance from Ticketek, priced at $2.50 for juniors, $17.50 for concessions, $22.50 for adults and $45 for a family of four.
Rugby fans across NSW can tune in to ABC Local Radio’s new rugby show, settling the score with Niav Owens between 2pm and 5pm every Saturday, for all of your country rugby and Shute Shield news. You can TEXT the program with score updates from whichever game you're at on 0467 920 222 every Saturdayafternoon. Make sure your team gets a mention each week and keep Niav up to date with the latest scores from your competition.
Rugby fans can also follow the Shute Shield on Facebook where you can catch game highlights and a preview of the upcoming ABC TV match and on Twitter via @shuteshield where you can send your thoughts through the week and receive live updates during selected games. You can also catch highlights of every round on the Shute Shield YouTube TV channel.
Shute Shield Grand Final – Saturday September 14
Eastwood v Sydney University @ Concord Oval, 3.10pm (ABC TV)
Eastwood: 1 Benn Robinson, 2 Todd Pearce, 3 Marty Plokstys, 4 Jared Barry, 5 Andrew Clyne, 6 Hugh Perrett (c), 7 Hugh Roach, 8 Locky McCaffrey, 9 James Stannard, 10 Jimmy Hilgendorf, 11 Nick Batger, 12 Michael McDougall, 13 Cam Mitchell, 14 Tom Hill, 15 Ben Batger
Sydney University: 1 Jeremy Tilse, 2 Tolu Latu, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Tom Boidin, 5 Liam Winton, 6 Dave Dennis, 7 David Hickey, 8 Tim Davidson (c), 9 Nick Phipps, 10 Bernard Foley, 11 Greg Jeloudev, 12 Tom Carter, 13 Tom English, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 15 Tom Kingston
Referee: Angus Gardner
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Sydney University to meet Eastwood in Grand Final
Shute Shield Finals Week 3 Review by Brittany Mitchell
Eastwood and Sydney University have underlined their positions as the dominant club rugby forces in Sydney, with both sides sweeping the board this weekend to reach the Grand Finals in all four grades.
The clubs’ fourth grades will open the action on next Saturday’s Grand Finals day at Concord Oval at 9.05am, with third then second grade following, before the Shute Shield Grand Final kicks off at 3.10pm.
Eastwood v Manly
After seeing last year’s premiers the Students book their place in another Shute Shield Grand Final, Eastwood today went on to join them, posting a dominant 55-24 victory over Manly in the second preliminary final. The Woodies were just too good for the Marlins, running in eight tries to three at TG Millner Field.
Watch the match highlights on Shute Shield TV.
Both sides brought intensity to the opening 10 minutes, with the crowd enjoying plenty of hard tackles and a great physical contest at every breakdown.
After building up pressure, the Woodies were rewarded with a penalty in front, which Ben Batger easily converted to earn the first points of the game. A Manly mistake at the lineout soon after gifted Eastwood possession and a quick counter-attack resulted in Ben Batger crossing in the corner to extend his side’s lead to 10-0.
Moments later, Eastwood captain Hugh Perrett handed out more misery when he pounced on a loose ball at the back of a ruck near the Manly line and found a gap to run over and stretch the lead to 15-0.
There was more one-way traffic to come after when the home side quickly returned to the Marlins’ 22 and Ben Batger crossed for his second after some scrappy play, promptly converting to take the score to 22-0 after just 20 minutes.
The Marlins got on the board soon after with a Marshall Milroy penalty. Moments later, they added to their tally with a Luke Jones try after the Melbourne Rebels No. 8 pushed his way over following tireless work from the pack, bringing the scores to 22-10.
A try from Hugh Roach restored the Woodies’ lead, as they went into the sheds leading 29-10.
Only minutes after the restart, Manly looked to have bagged a certain try until Woodies winger Tom Hill snatched the intercept and ran 80 metres for the score. With Eastwood going a man down when flanker Hugh Roach was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements at the ruck, Manly worked their way into the attacking zone and created an overlap that saw No. 8 Luke Jones make a break and set up wing Jacob Woodhouse to dive over and bring the score to 36-17.
Another intercept try, this time from Locky McCaffrey, put the home side further ahead before intercept number three, scored by James Stannard, took the lead to 48-17 with less than 20 minutes left to play.
The Woodies passed the half century when Jimmy Hilgendorf crashed over to extend the scoreline to 55-17. With only minutes left in the match, Marlin Jacob Woodhouse found the line for his second but the match ended with a comfortable 55-24 win for the Woods.
Images courtesy www.seiserphotography.com
| EASTWOOD players celebrate |
| MANLY Luke Jones breaks the line |
Eastwood 55 (Ben Batger 2, Jimmy Hilgendorf, Tom Hill, Locky McCaffrey, Hugh Perrett, Hugh Roach, James Stannard tries; Ben Batger 5cons, pen; Pierre Hola con) d Manly 24 (Luke Jones, Jacob Woodhouse 2 tries; Marshall Milroy 3 cons, pen)
Sydney University v Southern Districts
Sydney University yesterday booked the first spot in the 2013 Shute Shield Grand Final with the Students running in seven tries to three to record a 47-19 victory over Southern Districts.
Said Students’ flanker David Hickey, “Souths have a big physical pack, we thought they’d come out all guns blazing in the first 20 and we figured if we could hold them or go at them just as hard, we could open them up at the back end of each of the halves.”
The Students knew they would have to wait until the following day to find out who they will face, with Eastwood taking on Manly in the second preliminary final at TG Millner 24 hours later.
“They’re both very good teams,” added Hickey. “Manly almost knocked us off in the first semi and Eastwood are the best team in the comp at the moment. It’s a big ask next week, but it’s grand final footy so we’re looking forward to it.”
Although Souths were first to get on the board with a try from Rohan Saifoloi, they were unable to keep the momentum going and Sydney Uni hit back with four tries from Waratahs-bound halfback Nick Phipps, winger Tom Kingston, centre Tom English and prop Paddy Ryan all before the half-time bell to make the score 26-5 at the break.
Ready to fight for their place in a second successive Grand Final, the Rebels came out hard and soon crossed through wing Alex Gibbon on the 50-minute mark.
But tries to replacement winger Peter Betham, Dave Dennis and a second from Tom Kingston pushed the lead to 47-12. Although Rohan Saifoloi managed a second in the last 10 minutes, it was too little too late and the Students sailed through with a convincing 47 to 19 win.
Said a disappointed Souths’ halfback Dewet Roos afterwards, “It’s always tough coming to play Sydney Uni at Uni, they’re pretty much a Super 15 side and they were just perfect in their attack in defence. At the end of the day, we were just outclassed.
“If we’d minimised our mistakes and made our one up tackles we would have definitely been a better chance.”
Images courtesy www.seiserphotography.com
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SOUTHS Lopeti Timani fends off Tom Carter
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| UNI Tom Kingston celebration |
Sydney University 47 (Peter Betham, Dave Dennis, Tom English, Tom Kingston 2, Nick Phipps, Paddy Ryan tries; Bernard Foley 5 cons, Nick Phipps con) d Southern Districts 19 (Alex Gibbon, Rohan Saifoloi 2 tries; Rohan Saifoloi con)