Hunters Eat Oatley for Breakfast

A great day for the Hillies with wins in all Grades and a draw in 3’s, which sees us well clear on the Club Championship (although Briars and Forest have a game in hand).

 The Club is well positioned at this early stage to be giving the Club Championship a real shake this year. There is real passion amongst the players to make this year a truly memorable year and to go into Division 1 next year.

Oatley proved formidable opposition in 1’s and led at varying stages in the match and did not let up the pressure on 1’s and it took real resolve by the Hillies boys to tough it out and come away winners 41-26.Oatley had some big hard running back rowers and inside backs that were always keeping the ball alive and proving hard to contain, giving them momentum and keeping the Hillies on the back foot, once the Hillies got some rhythm and field position they were able to score some good tries. A great effort by winger Luke Mattar to score 4 tries on the day.

 2’s were once again too strong for the opposition , but let in their first try against Hillies for the season, a really good team effort with good contributions by James Hammond, Bruce Purcell , Andy Light and Will Carew.

 3’s secured a late try to draw the match and will need to improve on that effort for next week, but the draw keeps them well in contention in the top bracket and with a few players filtering back they will be a force in the competition.

 4’s keep on winning with a very classy display by the backs that scored some scintillating tries to run out winners 29-10
 Colts remain undefeated after a 67-0 thrashing of Oatley, a great effort considering the boys had a few players missing, so good to the strength in Colts.

We play Forest this week at Boronia Park, we would love a big crowd down there to welcome Forest back to Division 2 and to give them a whitewash to go back to Forestville with. It’s not too late to come down and join the boys in some fun and rugby at Boronia Park
 See you all there next   Saturday


 Bruce “Robbo “ Robinson
 Club Coach

 Hunters Hill 1st Grade   got back to winning ways on Saturday against a very stubborn and unpredictable   Oatley side.
 
Hillies displayed both sides of their game so far this season. For every nice piece of play, a mistake or forced error would follow, constantly putting themselves under pressure.
 
In the end the score line flattered Hunters, with the home side running over 7 tries, four from Luke Mattar. Hillies were losing with 20 minutes to go before a late flurry pushed them beyond a brave Oatleys reach. Dean Thomson, James Hannam and Lani Kaiwai all added to the score board, with John Apulu converting one conversion. Bruce Purcell made a welcome return to the first grade from the bench, kicking two conversions and making his mark, showing the form he was in last season.
 
If Hunters Hill can play with the conviction and passion they have shown in patches so far this year they will be a force to be reckoned with. But silly errors, and concentration lapses, particularly in defense are seeing them making harder work then needs be. However, after five games, 1st Grade see themselves on top of the ladder. Forest, who were in Division one last season, will provide a more experienced and tougher opposition this Saturday,.
 
This what coach   Peter Allen had to say:

Another week another new back line, with representative and other commitments we are still struggling to get consistency within the team. Oatley playing their typical style which we struggled to adapt to and were stuck in our own half for long periods of time yet when we got into their half seemed to score with relative ease with Luke Mattar scoring four tries. We continued to let them back into the game with silly errors and penalties and it was not until the last ten minutes that we took a convincing lead and finished them off. Much work is still needed with our breakdown play and building combinations so taking five points away from a five out of ten performance is encouraging and with Forest this week the challenge with be much greater as they have been performing well so far this year.

2nd Grade

2nd Grade kept up their unbeaten run, winning 40-5

3rd Grade

A frustrating afternoon, where we managed to somehow scramble a 15-15 draw. We again failed to utilise our kicking game, with the result that we were often under unnecessary pressure in our own half. We attempted impossible passes in traffic, neglected the basics of clean ball and failed to find touch with four penalty kicks.  In other words we sacrificed field position because of our own bad choices, not because the opposition were of a high quality.  
 

On the two occasions we kicked  with purpose we made 30 metres plus and forced a set piece. We spend  some time discussing our game plan weekly and we are failing to  implement it.  The one thing we did demonstrate in this game was persistence and great  competitiveness. To come back from being 10 points down against a  bigger, more experienced team, suggested that we have some real heart,   particularly as 8 minutes of the second half were lost through various  stoppages.    
 

Regrettably, we incurred a red card by reacting to an Oatley player's  striking. While it's easy to say, we have to allow the referee and his  assistants to manage these situations. A visit to the Judiciary is time  consuming and inconvenient for all concerned. Of more importance is the  prospect of being fined and /or losing a full round of competition  points if we continue to have players sent off  

4th Grade

 4th Grade got up 29-10    
 

In what must have been a dream come true, after an early season break to visit the swim up bar, Chris Collins was promoted to 4th grade behind the clubs most menacing and at times completely devastating pack.

From his viewpoint of somewhere in the backs he would have revelled in the joy of the fiercely contested scrums, which with the experience and strength provided by the opposition were very even until the home teams fitness and tactical substitutions finally gained the dominance.

Lineouts again proved competitive with the homeside winning most of their throws, whilst the general ruck and maul work around the park resulted in continued phase play and some good turn over ball. If I was a statistics type of guy I would award the forwards a 9/10 for their performance, and because I am that type of guy, here’s your 9/10 mark and a “well done guys”.

The biggest disappointment of the day, other than watching Petticoat score, was the general defence of the backs, who let in 2 soft tries. In future, we might consider placing forwards out in these positions so these sort of errors are not repeated. To their credit, the backs did attempt to make up for these errors by scoring 3 tries, but they will need to maintain this level of commitment before any forgiveness will be given.

Points the week:
 
Fat Pat – 3 – For Looking like a prop whilst wearing the   15
JD – 2 – For playing at about 50% of how good he rates   himself
Life Of – 1 – For scrummaging, lineout, defence and the post   match interview

Colts

Colts kept their unbeaten run going, winning 67-0.
Socials

Next Game

30/04/2011 Round 6

Hunters Hill vs Forest

Colts:              10:45  35 mins each way
4th Grade       12:00  25 mins each way
3rd Grade       12:55  30 mins each way
2nd Grade      14:00  35 mins each way
1st Grade       15:15  40 mins each way

Upcoming Social Events

Ladies Day 14/5/2011

Ladies day has come around fast this year and this year is promising to be bigger and better than ever.  It's a chance for all the ladies who support us throughout the year to let their hair down, relax and enjoy the top level of rugby on display throughout the day.  Entry is only $25.  There will be a lucky door prize and ladies will enjoy a glass of Moet on arrival, food, drinks and much more all while watching the rugby from the comfort of the hospitality marquee.  The rumour going around is a band has almost been confirmed and the 3 Minute Angels may be making an appearance.  Ladies day in recent years have been some of the biggest social events on the rugby calendar so make sure you bring your girlfriends, mums, wives and sisters along as this year wont disappoint.

Date: Saturday 14th May 2011
Event: Hunters Hill Rugby Ladies Day
Area: Function Rooms
Time: 7:00pm

End of Season Party

Date: Saturday 13th August 2011
Event: Hunters Hill Rugby end of season party
Area: Black and White Pool Rooms and the Rear Deck
Time: 7:00pm

The Rooster Report

Boronia Park is quickly becoming known as the graveyard among the division. Playing on our main pitch with the sun out and the crowd strong leaves no team feeling confident about trading blows with the hillies and this past Saturday proved to be no different with a near perfect round.  That being said we didn’t post a single “L” in the tables.

5th grade stood up to be counted this week with a dominant performance and gave us a taste of what we can expect and I look forward to cheering them to victory each week.

Colts, AGAIN, blew the opposition away with powerful patterns of play and a sleek game plan that took control of territory and then executed when the time was right.  Hats of to Milo who took centre stage in this whipping of the Oatley boys and helped lead his team to a 5th consecutive bonus point victory.

4th Grade posted what can only be named as the game of the day with a 29 – 10 victory that was hard fought every inch of the way until the Oatley boys finally crumbled under the sheer force of the opposition.  The Fridge man led his team valiantly, showing off his versatility in between speedy runs with hard hitting tackles that struck with force.  JD, following this example, promptly sought about knocking some heads of his own, which we can only cheer on as we watched the boys collectively take note and stand up in their own shoes.

3rd Grade posted a tie with a 15 – 15 score line, which, if truth be told, only needed about 2 minutes more for them to cross the line for the win.  Unfortunate but a true showing of the ‘never-say-die’ attitude we have come to know these boys for.  Rob Grey punished for metres at every opportunity while “the racing car” Rory played fantastic support lines.

I never tire of singing 2nd Grade praises, but at this point, it really seems like they know how untouchable they are.  40 – 5 over the Oats doesn’t lie, although, conceding their first try of the season I have no doubt Chief will be coming up with some creative and gut wrenching punishments right at this very second.  “Sunset” Lighty ran some incredible lines which resulted with a try for the later of the lights and Dave Manatua showed that he is her to be see with some crunching hitups.  The game, though, can really only be summed up one way.  Stop.  Its Hammo Time.  Returning to the forwards for the first time since he grew a pair, Hammo busted up the guts more times than we have seen him successfully carry in 2 full seasons!  Hats off.  (As a side note, make sure we are all getting behind the Hammer for his charity run through the Blue Mountains.)

1st Grade had a rollercoaster of a game this Saturday.  Taking an early lead, it looked as though it was going to time for the Rooster to crow early for the Oats.  This was not to be, however, as 2 quick tries put the opposition ahead, and the hillies fell by the wayside under mounting pressure.  From there it was give and take for nearly 30 minutes as the hillies responded in kind only to be set back with another Oatley crossing.  Kudos to the boys for never loosing heart because once the gloves came off, the crowd understood where our hard fought reputation comes from.  Running away with the game, eventually, the hillies ran it home for a 41 – 26 victory.  Dean-osuarous T again led with brilliant support play and broke the advantage line on many occasions while “Good Verto” Al V, made short work of the Oatley loosies.  The real show, however, came in our smallest package, as winger Luke Mattar crossed the line an astonishing 4 times, equalling the club record for tries in a single game.  I’m sure all of the other forwards are with me in saying that 4 tries, is entirely too many for one person to have in a season, let alone a single game.

Ladies day is coming up this week so, as is the usual, I expect training to boast massive numbers this week as we prepare for the first of many public spectacles on the Boronia Park Graveyard.

To the Ladies,
Nik Roach, (Rooster)


The Hen House
This weeks best moment from the Hen House goes to Quinny, who managed to educate a select few of us on how to clean the toilet, mere moments before the missus gets home, earning himself special privileges elsewhere.  Hats off to you Quinny, you are a true visionary.

Fees

Senior Grade Player membership	$225	includes membership, shorts, socks, t shirt, bag*, stubby holder*, cap*, mini towel*.(* while stocks last, first in gets this as an incentive)
Colts (U/21’s) membership	$125	includes membership, shorts, socks, t shirt, bag*, stubby holder*, cap*, mini towel*. (* while stocks last)
U85kg team only membership	$125	includes membership, shorts, socks, t shirt, bag*, stubby holder*, cap*, mini towel*. (* while stocks last)
Student Senior Grade membership	$160	includes membership, shorts, socks, t shirt, bag*, stubby holder*, cap*, mini towel*. (* while stocks last)
Student Colt or Student U85kg team only	$100	includes membership, shorts, socks, t shirt, bag*, stubby holder*, cap*, mini towel*. (* while stocks last)
Chairman’s Club	$250	include a player sponsored membership for the club plus kit and for the sponsor, membership, and the extras in Chairman’s Club.
Social Non Playing Membership	$25	includes the right to not play.
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. Remember the quicker you  pay your fees, the quicker you get some kit. They are being snapped up quick so pay up!

Signed
Dave, Roachy Chris 'I'm Back' Collins fresh from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, who managed action at both ends for a net weight gain of 0. Yeah that's right I just said that.

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