Weekly Newsletter May 7th

Vs Hornsby

If Hunters Hill had any doubts about what the step up to Division 2 would entail, they will surely realize now what it will take to win games this season. After 4 games, Hillies 1st Grade sit at 4th in the division after a gritty win against Hornsby on Saturday.

Hunters Hill could not have made a better start to the game and dominated early on. Alex Light crossed the line after good work by No. 9 Canaan Tuhura. David Marshall scored his first points of the season converting from the touch line. Tuhura was involved again for the 2nd try, this time scoring himself, running onto an offload from prop David Weston. Marshall once again converted to put Hillies up 14-0 and looking ruthless. Matt Lane finished off a great passage of play, scoring on his 1st Grade re-call, and Marhsall slotted home a penalty to give Hunters Hill a healthy 22-0 lead at half time.

The opening half an hour of the 2nd half saw Hillies put under pressure by a determined Hornsby come back. 3 tries in quick succession got Hornsby back into the game and gave Hunters Hill plenty to do to hold onto a win. A penalty and a drop kick from No. 10 Marshall kept Hornsby at bay, and winger Dan Casa crossed the line in the final minutes to put the victory beyond a doubt and hand Hillies a deserved and hard fought bonus point win, going up 33-19.

The 2nd Grade kept their unbeaten run to the season going, all be at the expense of a 0-0 draw. The game struggled to flow, with mistakes from both sides. Hillies had plenty of opportunities to cross the line, but it just was not their day. Hooker Nick Roach had a great game, leading from the front of the pack.

3rd Grade were unlucky to go down 15-7 in a game which could have gone either way. 4th Grade put in a solid performance, winning 17-0. Alex Ronzel and James Wookey (Ralf) were stand outs.

The colts came very close against the a solid Hornsby side, losing in a thrilling game. Hornsby got up 26-22, but once again, it could have gone either way. Tristan Reid and Jon Ah Lam had strong games.

The Hunters Hill 5th grade gave a great performance and won 22 - 7. Viren Fernando (Drums), Jeremy Caulfield, Dan Cummings, James Edwards (Tourettes) all had great games against  Macquarie University.

Special mention to big Andy Johnson, making his return to playing. Andy has been coaching 3rd Grade this year but Saturday saw him take to the field for 4ths, 3rds and 2nds. There is no truth in the rumour that Andy would not play until Hunters organised a homage to his nickname. See photo of Andy 'Uluru' Johnson.

This week see's Hunters Hill entertain Waverley at Boronia Park. Hillies will be hosting their annual ladies day. 1st Grade kick is at 3.15pm.

Training

The times for training have been put back to 7pm this season to assist players in getting there on time after work. Can we please all make sure that we are down the Oval by 6.45pm, boots on, ready to run. It’s hard for the coaches to get drills going with numbers still showing up late for training.

Also, if you can’t make training or are unavailable for a game, let your respective coaches know as early as possible. Training sessions are planned in advance and the more the coaches are aware of the numbers the better. When the season starts, you will need to contact the various Grade managers to make them aware of availability. A simple phone call, txt, or email is all that needs to be done. Contact numbers below:

1st Grade Manager Jim Bone. 0410439901
2nd Grade Manager Tim Dodds: 0416287989
3rd Grade Manager Don Ramsay: 0439408345
4th Grade Coach Richie Colley: 0402430472
4th Grade Manager Lindsay Mccormack: 0409602049
5th Grade Contact: Jordan Butler: 0438475010
Colts: Bruce Lycett (Angry): 0421530844
U85kg Managers: John Hibbert: 0403 242 551
Malcolm Baird: 0424 578 042

NEXT GAME

vs

ROUND 5 Saturday May 8 - Hunters Hill vs Waverley @ Boronia Park
Colts – 10.45 am
4ths - 12.00 pm
3rds - 12.55 pm
5ths - 1:20 pm
2nds - 2.00 pm
1sts - 3.15pm

UPCOMING SOCIALS

Ladies Day
When: Saturday 8th May (Mother’s Day weekend)
Where: Boronia Park
Price: $25
Time: From the first game until the last
With champagne flowing and rugby going, you'll have the best seats in the house as Hunters Hill take on Waverley at Boronia Park. It's guaranteed to be a great day. All are welcome (friends, family and supporters).
Here's what you'll get:
- Exclusive marquee
- Unlimited champagne and drinks
- Delicious food
- Relaxing massages
- Great music
- Raffles and lucky door prizes
- After party and function at the Hunters Hill Hotel

And to top it all of ladies, you get the best seat in the house to watch fit, good looking, eligible bachelors play rugby!
To RSVP, email Elise at elisewhiley@gmail.com

Rego Fees

Fees will stay the same as last year. $200 for Seniors, $150 for Students and $100 for Under 85kgs. We will start taking payments on Tuesday night or you can pay via direct deposit. If you don’t have the whole lot up front, then we have payment plan options, pay a deposit now and pay the rest off before game 4.
Bank Account Details:
Commonwealth Bank
BSB: 062182
Acct# 00903188
Please put your name against your payment so we know who it is from.
Another way to pay your fees is through individual sponsorships i.e. Get someone like your boss or company to sponsor you for the amount of your rego and we will list them as club sponsors on game day brochures and the website.

Byron Tour 2010

We shall be touring this year as the Dalmatians. It’s a great weekend in our calendar and you’ll be sorry if you miss it. The tour dates are 15-18 October 2010. Talk to Schapelle or Ralf for further details.

Video Page

The youtube video page is starting to get some highlights/full games up. 1st grade against BOB’s is up now. There would be more if we had some volunteers to film the other grades. Check out the page: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHuntershill

Christopher David Groves reaches 100 games

A few years back when club numbers were on the decline, club stalwart Michael convinced a then young and robust Christopher David Groves to stop hanging around the beach all day body boarding and getting drunk and to come and play for the black and whites, a club that treats front rowers with honour and respect.

After playing throughout the grades for a few years, Chris finally found his niche on his first trip to Byron Bay, where he realised that the tour organiser gets his own bed. What he doesn’t realise is that his snoring and cuddling habits have actually stopped anyone else from going near him anyway. After the first trip where he earned his nickname Schapelle in another body boarding incident, he has taken control of organising the tour and does a good job getting a team on the paddock that is actually starting to win a few games.

On the field, Chris is a hard uncompromising player who loves a good scrum and a bit of verbal jousting. However he does spend an awful lot of time off the field, due to the vast numbers of yellow and red cards he has received. It is believed Chris personally knows the ground marshalls of 14 different venues and Hallmark are chasing him for royalties. His yellow card and subsequent rebuttal at ladies day last year is a fine indication of the passion in which he plays the game. Following the 2008 grand final, Chris decided a tattoo was in order. Be sure to look on his arm for the immortal words ‘Facta Non Versa” – Deeds Not Songs.

His absolute disregard of touch football – it’s a backs game designed for people afraid of getting hurt is legendary, as is his pregame ritual of finding the biggest, greasiest steak sandwich, just to keep the nerves happy.  In recent years in order to raise money for tour funds, Chris had taken on the role of chocolate salesman, a debacle that is still haunting him, however, it has finally had a silver lining, when the extra energy provided by the chocolate bars has assisted in the war of attrition allowing him to play his way back into first grade in time for his 100th game.

And all of this before his 26th birthday.

The Importance of Ladies at Rugby

This weekend is all about giving back to our loved ones, the ladies. The Hunters Hills WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends) have been a solid presence throughout the archives of time, old Mable used to make scones for the boys in 1901. Team WAG has been there rain, hail and shine, seeing many wins and many defeats. We've seen countless children grow from the womb to birth, walking and then later kicking a footy. Sometimes we forget about our beloved supporters and don't thank them enough. The WAGS are the backbone of this club, let's not forget who washes our dirty gear. Thanks Mum!! This group is as much a part of this club as we are, giving up their Saturdays to watch a bunch of blokes conquer the park and the least we can do this weekend is give something back. So call your mum and buy her a ticket this Saturday as we take on Waverly, or buy your special misses one and invite her friends along without her knowing to surprise her! The day isn't about a profit, it's about saying thanks.

CCTV. 

Bally Bar Report - Hawaiian Night

Last night in typically balmy conditions, Bally Bar presented Hawaiian night. Players presented themselves dressed impeccably in tropically themed garb, other players didn't and suffered the ignominy of inflated Bally Bar prices. Bally was resplendently dressed in authentic Hawaiian shirt (from Fiji) and Hawaiian Chinese sombrero, which really set the mood. This was topped with no expense spent decorations consisting of a blow up palm tree and two (count them) two tins of pineapple chunks placed either side. Note that the tins remained unopened and that they were of the unsweetened natural juice variety (nothing artificial here). The whole scene was topped off with the relaxing tones of Hawaii's favourite radio station, all lei FM Triple J.

At 8:30, players streamed off the training ground towards the Bally Bar set up, to be greeted by ice cold cocktails and piping hot Hawaiian pizzas. Except that there were no pizzas. As everyone knows it's polite for a bride to be a little late for the big day, well no exception here. The marrying of Bally Bar to a new food source from Crust Pizzas (4th grade sponsor) was to be in the traditional way. As the minutes ticked by the grumbling players became louder and louder until an abrupt hush swept over as all eyes focused upon a seemingly glittering angel carrying a fat satchel. 10 awesome pizzas were placed strategically around the ground and disappeared as soon as each cardboard container was unwrapped. Soon after another 10 pizzas arrived and again disappeared quickly. Would this wonderful feast ever end? well yes.

Bally Bar promised prizes for the best dressed. This was a typo. There was prize for best dressed. A hawaiian bottle of Shiraz. Made Hawaiian by means of a palm tree and pineapple drawn on the label. There were a number of candidates that came close. Geeves came dressed in a grass skirt, however this was cancelled out by Chippy's own grass skirt. Steve Turner sported some spray on okanuis (too much information Steve). Linz wore an enormous hawaiian shirt, Mr Movies wore another hawaiian shirt and beanie. but the winner on the night with ensemble of technicolor shorts and monochrome shirt was Ryde Natural Health Clinic's, Steve Ross-Bryant.

Club Captain

Aim for the stars or else you'll hit a mountain.

A couple of weeks back I received a letter from Angry after my CCC. In fact it wasn't angry it was very inspirational. Angry noted that it's b.s to aim anywhere else but the top. Look at what we accomplished last season. We had all four grades in the grand finals after a strong season where we had aimed for the club championships. We've got the potential to take on Div one teams as we did in the pre season. It's going to take commitment from everyone. It's going to mean coming to training.

Stay tuned for a mix up of training on Tuesdays, we've got a couple of tricks up our sleeve. Stay classy Hunters Hill, this weekend is going to be another tough game against Waverley. They were in our comp a couple of years back and were strong in all grades. Watch out for a league style game, they are very fit and recycle the ball well. 

CCTV

 

Signed by a Bogan
Dave Westie