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HILLIES V MERRYLANDS @ HOLROYD SPORTS GROUND: ROUND FOUR REVIEW
Fourth grade again left it late but once again confirmed that you should never doubt a champion, scoring off the final play to take it out 15-12. With prodigal nephew Scott Keenan returning to the fold after a two-year absence, the 4’s backline matched it with their elusive opposition with Pat Feige particularly effective running the ball back. The match-turning two try performance of Akariva Satavu was exactly what Dr Colley ordered in the light of Dan Casa’s defection.
The Second’s nailed a cracker of a match 18-17 with Brucey Purcell fresh from his first-grade debut slotting a sideline kick to take the lead and the match for the black and whites. Nathan Peters added a freakish chip and chase try to what was another strong performance. One senses his climb up the grades will not stop at level 2. First Grade encountered a Merrylands side who were undefeated, tough and whose style of play was amazingly effective in upsetting the Hunter’s game-plan. Hillies were not helped by the yellowing then redding of lock Jordan Butler but stayed in touch for long enough to snare a four-try bonus point, thus increasing a slender club championship lead by 22 points. Sam Henry was again one to watch in attack, while Weston lead from the front in a match that contained many lessons for the return fixture. Overall the 3 from 4 result was a good one and again it is a result which we can reasonably hope to improve on. We travelled to Merrylands and left with our club championship position intact. Of that the club can be justifiably proud. Hunters Hill 5th Grade 7 lost to Mosman 34. Hunters Hill 4th Grade 15 (Akariva Satavu 2, Julian Hill tries) beat Merrylands 12. Best and Fairest: 3- Pat Feige, 2- Chris Groves, 1- Luke McLennan Hunters Hill 3rd Grade 22 (Brian Walker, Adrian Harvey, Andy Harvey, Michael Kellaway tries, Kellaway goal) beat Merrylands 7. Best and Fairest: 3- Tim Dodds, 2- Shannon Thomas, 1- Michael Kellaway Hunters Hill 2nd Grade 18 (Nathan Peters, Dan Casa tries, Bruce Purcell goal and two penalties) beat Merrylands 17. Best and Fairest: 3- Nathan Peters, 2- "Killer" Cuniowski, 1- Rob Carter Hunters Hill 1st Grade 26 (Dave Weston, Dave Marshall, Will Carew, Alex Vertoudakis tries, Sam Henry 3 goals) lost to Merrylands 38. Best and Fairest: 3- Sam Henry, 2- Dave Weston, 1- Dave Marshall * A big thank you to the men who hung around to appreciate Merryland's hospitality on Saturday night at the Coolibah Hotel. A little effort goes a long way in the PR stakes. LADIES DAY: SATURDAY 9TH MAY
As a perfect contrast to the onfield aesthetic, Hunters Hill Rugby’s Ladies Day is sure to provide a wonderful atmosphere and will rightly take its place as the most important event in the Hunters Hill rugby social calendar. Ladies Day is the best opportunity each year to express a sense of appreciation to the women who drive all over Sydney to watch games, the women who listen to our squeals (insert swine flu reference) of discomfort over our injuries and the women who often drive us home. It is their permission, support and assistance that allows the spectacle of grown men to run around bashing each other every Saturday, a spectacle that we love so much. It is up to each and every member of the club to get the word out and make it the biggest and best Hunters Hill Ladies day ever. So be a man and invite a girl. The Saturday will also mark the Boronia Park acknowledgement of a number of player milestones. Zane Thomas celebrated 50 Games against Balmain Congrats Boys!
LADIES DAY HELP NEEDEDWith great social events come great responsibilities. This weekend in a prime time to give back to your club while at the same time giving back to the Ladies. The time is now to impress! We need a few people from each grade to assist with the running of the day as well as the usual suspects to organise the usual home game duties. Everyone in any event should be keen to get down early for Ladies Day. It's a great day for a family club and we should all enjoy it. Feel that no-one is listening? It's time to grab the mic! We are recruiting ground announcers for this Saturday to announce the teams and provide score updates throughout the matches. It is a prime opportunity for your moment in the sun. HUNTERS HILL LITE REPORT
Further details to come
CLUB CAPTAIN COLUMN: CARDS IN RUGBY
Refreshingly, the debated rule was not an “ELV”, it was not an interpretation of when the ball is “out” and it was not the ridiculousness of a rugby penalty shoot- out. It was a simple and small piece of cardboard and that piece of cardboard was coloured red. The decision to give a red card to our lanky second-rower for his second yellow in the match is not in question. I only have admiration for the referees who take their time each Saturday to allow us to play the game we love. Given Jordan very rarely makes it to rucks; it stands to reason he was probably committing an offence of some sort. My problem is with a rule that seems to produce patently unfair outcomes without the requisite logic that should underpin the rules of our game. Ironically enough, the sin-bin seems to be a South African invention (talk about cooking your own goose.) A provision for the sin-bin entered the official rules of international rugby following the World Cup in 1999. Yellow cards had been used in that World Cup but only as warning as opposed to a sentence of ten minutes on the sideline. Obviously cards in Rugby mirror their use in Football. Two Yellows = a Red. Three yellows or a red in a season may mean a suspension. But the situation of the cards in the two codes differs in one fundamental respect. A yellow in football does not mean time off the field. A football team may receive 11 yellows in a game and be no worse for wear. A rugby team suffering 15 yellow cards will struggle to keep the opposition out of the record books. The obvious severity of a yellow in rugby should in some way translate to a difference in how they relate to red cards but it seems it does not. An argument for the current rule may be that if a player does not learn from his first stint in the sin-bin, he should sit out the rest of the match. Such an argument works well in the context of foul play but does not apply so neatly in the context of so called “professional fouls.” Yellow card offences may be accidental and particularly in the context when warnings have been issued to other players, a player may be sin-binned in the “red-zone” for what in any other context would be a line-ball or otherwise trivial offence. To receive ten in the bin followed by a red card and a possible suspension for two such offences, as we saw on Saturday, seems a very harsh result indeed. Consider then the situation of rugby’s show-off son, a sport named Rugby League. The sin-bin in League is almost identical to a Rugby yellow card in terms of its use for both less than severe foul play and professional fouls, as is a send off offence almost identical to a straight red in rugby for foul play. Rugby and football’s equation of two yellows = a red does not however flow across the rugby codes. In League, it remains the discretion of the referee to send someone off and they usually do so in extreme Hopoate-style circumstances. Are not the ELV’s designed to speed the game up by ensuring that many infringements are not severely penalised by penalty kicks but are rather taken quickly? Are they not also designed to ensure a contest? Does rugby have a better reason for two yellows = a red other than because football does it? Yellow and red cards are good for rugby, make no bones about it, but two of the former should not invariably equal the latter. Wondering why I am ranting on about cards? Firstly it’s because I don’t want anyone to get any more. It causes trouble for the club and whatever the circumstances, it is not a good look. Secondly it’s because I have nothing else to talk about in this column. And it’s only Round Five. Things should be pretty interesting by Round 15. The Hunt continues. REGO FEES Round four has now been completed. If you have not attended to your fee situation you are in danger of not being able to play. This is disaster for all concerned particularly given how well the club is traveling. If you have not attended to your fee situation you must talk to a club official immediately to make a plan regarding payment. Bank Account Details:
I've tried cryptic, I've tried enthusiastic. This week I will be blunt. Pay your $50 deposit to Chris Groves to ensure a spot in Byron. You won't regret it. signed back to Index |
This week's game Social
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It was a top of the table clash in the Wild West on Saturday with three grades getting over the top of the Merrylands Wolves and First Grade falling to their first loss of the season.
Tim Verto’s men in the Threes continue to get it done. Last weekend it was to the tune of a 22-7 victory, with Tim Dodds completely disregarding his own safety in a warrior-like performance. Shannon kept the Thomas name in lights with his own tough performance while Mike Kellaway had a stormer on the wing.
This weekend sees the Hunters back on the Hill seeking to defend their club championship lead against Hawkesbury Valley. They breed them tough in the valley and the Hawkesbury boys always love a scrum so this weekend promises to be another arm-wrestle.
Round 3 Tuesday 5 May
Like most weekends, last weekend’s skirmish in Merrylands had many people including the writer scratching the heads at the end result of the enforcement of one of rugby’s many rules.
BYRON TOUR
