10/07/2010 Hunters vs hornsby

Hillies thump Hornsby

Hunters Hill will go into the final six games of the season full of confidence after a high points victory over Hornsby.

The 1st Grade result looked impressive, but it would only be in the final half hour that Hillies would dominate a tiring Hornsby side.

The first hour was closer, and Hillies did not always look comfortable defending their hard worked lead with defensive lapses letting Hornsby back into the game. The forward play over the past few weeks has been very impressive, and once again on Saturday, Hillies dominated the set piece. The work in the line outs and the scrum has improved week by week, and this provided the service for the speed in the back-line. With injuries from the hard fought Barker game saw a re-shuffle with Bruce Purcell move to No. 10, and Burzin Mehta running from full back. Matt Lane made a return to the side on the wing, and the new combination played dividends. Purcell controlled the ball well in phases and his boot was always reliable. Mehta was dangerous running from the back and it gives coach Peter Allen options with the talented squad assembled at Boronia.

We have a good mix with some great potential in this squad. For every player who has had to miss games due to injury, we have had other players step in and look solid. The passion at times has been great and I¹m happy to have the selection headache with Benny Smith, Duncan Taylor and our Captain Dave Weston returning from injury this week. ¹ said Allen at full time.

There have been some stand out performers in the squad, from the likes of Nick Giacomini, Alex Light, David Marshall, Chris Groves and Cam Van Oirschot. Nick Roach as worked hard for his spot at Hooker, the same for Burzin and Bruce who have really added to the side. Let's hope we can continue to improve and our attitude remains focused for the rest of the season

The final score was 53-17 with Mehta, Ben Bates and Bruce Purcell all being highlights in a great win for Hillies

2nd Grade - Huntershill 46 Hornsby 12

On a heavy Boronia track, the boy's in black and white were out for redemption after a nil all draw the first time we played Hornsby. It was a disrupted preparation with some forces changes due to injury which saw Kava Samisoni make his 2nd grade starting debut and some positional changes in the back line. Co Coach Mark French took a mid season holiday to get over the panic attacks the 2nd grade team had given him over the past 12 games.

The first half turned into a struggle with Hornsby utilising they're large forward pack sending them into a committed Huntershill defensive line with the intent to bend us backwards and taking advantage later on with they're quick backs. Hunters opened the scoring with the first of 2 meat pies to Colman Taylor off the back of a scrum. 10 minutes later Hornsby scored off some feeble defence to take the lead but from there it was all black and white. The lads finished off the half with another 4 tries to take a 27-7 lead into oranges.

The second half was more of the same with some dominant play through the forwards laying a good platform for the backs to run wild. The set piece was again solid, winning our lineout against a taller Hornsby outfit. Scrum was as always solid, again making it difficult for Hornsby to gain any momentum.

Only blight on the half was a soft try to Hornsby. But all in all a tidy performance to keep us at the top of the table. Final score HH 46 Hornsby 12.

There were good performances put in by all 15 players on the park but standout performances for the day were Jesse Croucher who played his usual pest at the breakdown game. His work around the park and in the lineout was superb. James Hammond chased down kicks all day, made good yards with the ball in traffic, made his fair share of tackles and got on the scoreboard with a meat pie. And finally, new captain Jules Arndt was the pick of the bunch, leading the team well all day, consolidating possession with some timely pick and drives and was also instrumental in making sure that our set piece was solid.

3rd grade

3rd grade went down to a committed Hornsby side. With a number of changes, once again the final makeup of the side wasn't confirmed till late Saturday morning.

Despite this, the side got off to another good start. Flankers Kit Baigent and Luke McLennan were busy as always around the rucks, along with Second Rowers Jarred Thatcher and Jonathon Shingler and Hooker Tim Dodds.

Some clever kicking options from Halfback Laurie Mullan saw Hillies secure good field position early on. Scott Keenan and Pat Feige were solid as always in defence.

The side went into halftime leading 5-0 and looking like they would go on with the job.

It was Hornsby however, that proved the better side after the break,  capitalising on some poor options and some lack of structure from the Hillies side to secure good field position.

The Hillies defence showed a lot of courage, but Hornsby kept up the pressure and a couple of lapses in concentration led to 2 Hornsby tries in the 2nd half.

Final score: Hornsby 12-5 winners.

Player points:
Luke McLennan - 3
Max Pisu - 2
Jonathon Shingler - 1

4th Grade v Hornsby

Hunters Hill 10 Hornsby 7

A very difficult match for us, but we were ultimately rewarded for our consistency and persistence. It’s pleasing when the skills repeatedly practiced at training transfer to the playing field with great effect.

Our forwards were again relentless with their work rate and phase play a feature. At one stage in the first half the boys recycled through at least 10-12 phases. That sort of ball retention only happens when technique is sound. While the ground conditions were difficult for both teams, it creates more problems when the offside lines are not policed effectively. After an early try we found ourselves under pressure through a lack of clean ball.

Hornsby were particularly good at spoiling, having sensed the referee’s liberal attitude in this area.

The Hornsby boys have been having some good recent results and were a much more competent outfit we had faced in Round one. Poor communication and a failure to orient ourselves in defence saw the Lions score under the posts and convert for a 7-5 lead. To our credit, the heads on the field remained calmer than those behind the ropes and the boys intelligently worked themselves towards Hornsby’s line. Captain Colley worked some magic, created some space out of nothing and scored the match winning try, with time all but up. ‘Out of Gaol’ doesn’t quite seem to describe our win, but we’ll accept it and remain in 2nd place on the Richardson Cup table.

PS Hats off the Hornsby prop who was playing his 682nd game !

Colts

Score W 17 – 7

After a top effort the previous week against Barker OB the Colts had once again to rise to the occasion against the leading team, Hornsby. And once again rise they did.

In a hard fought close encounter the first half saw Hunters Hill opening the scoring with a penalty goal by Paul Ah Lam. Hornsby hit back with a converted try to throw down the gauntlet to Hunters Hill. Hunters responded brilliantly with a converted try of their own.

In the second half, the Hunters Hill scrum, which had been under pressure improved markedly and together with the usual solid line out put us on the front foot. After good lead up work by both the backs and the forwards a good kick and chase saw Mike Kellaway win the race for the ball to score a converted try.

The defence on the day was particularly pleasing as the Hornsby Colts are the leading point scorers in the competition. The win puts us in third place on the table. If we can maintain form over the next few weeks we are certainly semi final bound.

Go the Colts

The results mean Hillies are in touching distance of Barkers in the club championship and are serious contenders to make history and gain promotion two years running. This weekend sees them play away against Waverley. Come on Hillies