Eastern Suburbs v Gordon

Colin Caird Shield Champions - Eastern Suburbs - www.seiserphotography.comEastern Suburbs finally broke the club’s Premiership drought by outgunning a valiant Gordon side 32-29 to take the Colin Caird Shield back to Woollahra. The final score flattered the Highlanders somewhat as the Beasts put them to the sword after the break following an even first half, building up a 32-15 lead before Gordon crossed with two late tries to restore some pride. It was a magnificent achievement by Easts considering they only finished 4th on the ladder after the regular season, adding the scalp of 2nd placed Gordon to last week’s upset over minor premiers Sydney University.

The game started at a frenetic pace with both sides looking to move the ball wide and attack at every opportunity. Two penalties were converted in the first five minutes, Easts’ Warwick Percival cancelling out the opener from Gordon’s Donny Nepia before the Highlanders crossed for the first 5 pointer of the match. A good line and some ineffective tackling saw Luke Duncan break through and give Nepia the easy extras and Gordon a 10-3 lead.

Dan Robinson - Gordon - www.seiserphotography.comThat was how it stayed for the next 15 minutes before the Beast’s scored slightly against the run of play to draw level. A great bust from fly-half Sam Windsor found the flying Joe Azar with an overlap and a run to the line with Percival adding the 2pts. However, their joy was to be short-lived, as only 2 minutes later an attempted clearing kick from inside their own twenty-two went awry and as the ball sat up, flying Gordon winger Greg Wade showed extraordinary awareness and handling skills to scoop up the errant kick and dive for the line, restoring his side’s lead in the process. The angle proved too much for Nepia and it was a 5pt ball game with just under 10 minutes to go before the break.

Sam Windsor - Easts - www.seiserphotography.comIronically, the try seemed to spur Easts onto greater efforts as their more structured game started to give them control with Gordon playing somewhat off-the-cuff but always looking dangerous from the counter-attack. Just as the siren sounded, the parity between the teams across the 1st half was reflected in the scoreboard as the Highlanders switched off and with their defence napping, the Beast’s took advantage to streak down the left flank with Ben Hopkins eventually crossing in the corner. The angle was too much for Percival this time round and they went to the sheds after an entertaining 35 minutes all tied up at 15-15.

Whatever was said by ex-Waratah backrower and now Eastern Suburbs coach Steve Talbot at half-time to his charges, certainly had the right effect as they came out in the 2nd half and took charge of the game, scoring an unanswered 17pts in the next 25 minutes. Joe Azar – who was having a terrific match – got the ball rolling after 42 minutes with another great break and a perfect offload giving winger James Rowles a run to the line. Percival executed an exemplorary conversion from out wide to open up a 7pt gap.

Three minutes later and a dust-up near the touchline gave Percival a shot from 40 metres but into a swirling breeze. Not many people in the ground would have backed him but not only did his mammoth kick have the legs to reach the posts, it cleared the in-goal area as well. 25-15

With the game now being played for the most part inside the Gordon twenty-two, the Highlanders simply couldn’t get enough ball in hand to make any inroads into an increasingly confident Easts team and with an hour showing on the clock, their position worsened. Sam Windsor – another standout performer on the day – made a break off the back of a scrum, put in a textbook step off the right foot and gassed it to the posts. Percival added the extras and the boys in red, white and blue had at least one hand on the trophy.

With 7 minutes left, Gordon finally seemed to grasp the brevity of the situation, threw off the shackles and played with the attacking verve and dynamism seen throughout the grades at Chatswood Oval this season. Unfortunately, it was to be too little, too late.

Awarded a penalty, skipper Nepia opted for a kick to touch and his forwards vilified his decision with an impressive example of the catch and drive before hooker Dustin McGregor stretched for the line. Nepia hardly had time to think before knocking over the conversion and sprinting back for the restart and even with a 10pt advantage still in their grasp, you could sense a few corks hovering over prematurely opened bottles for the Easts’ supporters.

Matt McGann - Easts - www.seiserphotography.comA nervous closing period of play ensued with Easts seemingly content to hold what they had and Gordon chancing their arm to pull off a miracle. If the rolling maul they got going in the 67th minute had proceeded with the same success as the previous attempt, things would have been very interesting indeed but when it was disrupted 10 metres short of the line, they were too flat in attack to make any impression.

The siren finally sounded with the Highlanders on the attack once more and with Easts’ players minds evidently already on the post-match celebrations, Gordon broke through for what amounted to no more than a consolation try for Josh Whittaker. It was an unusual sight watching the jubilant scenes behind the posts from a team that had just conceded a try compared to the deflation and disappointment now surrounding Nepia as he somehow kept his concentration to convert the kick.

A thrilling curtain raiser to the main event had finished four tries apiece but Easts had done more than enough in the opening 25 minutes of that 2nd half to rightfully claim victory and instigate a night of celebration to remember for both the team and the club’s long suffering supporters.

Eastern Suburbs coach Steve Talbot:

“The boys have put in a lot of work during the year and been fantastic. We’ve been on a bit of a roll the last month or so and this is a huge effort. The club hasn’t had a Premiership for a while now so this is great. The win against Manly (Qualifying Final) was a huge one for us, the boys really dug deep and then to knock over Uni last week was terrific. We’ve had a few eligibility issues, we lost three of our good players so the boys really came together and put in a team effort.”

Gordon lock Jared Barry:

“We stuck it until the end but we just didn’t have it in us and we didn’t have enough passion. We probably played the game in the sheds and Easts blew us off the field with their long kicks and we just didn’t have it on the day. We thought if we came out and played how we did last week against Randwick where we scored 24pts in the first ten minutes we’d be a good chance but we just couldn’t do it today.”

Eastern Suburbs captain Nathan Lowe:

“It’s unbelievable, it’s been a long time between drinks so we’re really going to savour this one. It didn’t start the way we wanted but we really came home in the second half and field position was key – we just kept it down their end and forced errors. I’m sure we’re in for a big couple of days and we’ll have more than a few drinks out of that cup.”

All interviews by Sean Maloney

Eastern Suburbs 32 (Joe Azar, Ben Hopkins, James Rowles, Sam Windsor tries; Warwick Percival 3 cons, 2 pens) d Gordon 29 (Luke Duncan, Greg Wade, Dustin McGregor, Josh Whittaker tries; Donny Nepia 3 cons, pen) at Sydney Football Stadium. Referee: James Leckie. HT: 15-15.

Eastern Suburbs: 1. Rhys Ward, 2. Daniel Aaron, 3. Adam Hill; 4. Matt McGann, 5. Ed Slater; 6. Ben Hopkins, 7. Will Brock, 8. Alex Munro; 9. James Burroughs, 10. Sam Windsor; 11. Warwick Percival, 12. Nathan Lowe [c], 13. Joe Azar, 14. James Rowles; 15. Lloyd Jones.

Gordon: 1. Tobias Gukibau, 2. Dustin McGregor, 3. Lamarn Ma’a; 4. Mark Johnson, 5. Jared Barry; 6. Vili Napa’a, 7. Lex Fairley, 8. Chris Alcock; 9. Dan Robinson, 10. Donny Nepia; 11. Greg Wade, 12. Luke Duncan, 13. Josh Whittaker, 14. Lachie Mitchell; 15. Joe Metuisela.

 

Gordon v Sydney University

www.seiserphotography.com - Gordon Third Grade Champions 
Gordon have made it back to back wins in 3rd Grade by seeing off Sydney University in a tense low-scoring affair at the SFS. In stark contrast to the open and free-flowing 4th Grade final that preceded it, defence was the name of the game in this match as both sides failed to unlock the door to the tryline. That’s not to say it was any less absorbing however, as a game packed with colossal hits and ferocity at the breakdown turned into a war of attrition that was tight on the scoreboard for the full 60 minutes.
 
It was Gordon that started on the front foot, applying plenty of pressure at the contest, earning them plenty of ball with which to attack the channels. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that the Students outside centre, Dave Burnett, is usually found in the backrow and the Highlanders tried to punish this possible weakness early with their aggressive attack giving them a distinct advantage on the penalty count.
 
However, two shots at goal from skipper and fullback Dan Nieass failed to find their target and Uni – who had barely made it into the opposition twenty-two – somehow still found themselves level on the scoreboard after 20 minutes. They also had an increasingly relevant wind behind them so they would have hoped to use that to press home an advantage before the turnaround but it was their opponents that continued to look the more likely.
 
www.seiserphotography.com - Hayden BushellThe deadlock was finally broken 5 minutes before the interval and it was no surprise that it was the boot of Nieass that did the damage. Another infringement from the Students gave him a relatively straightforward kick, albeit into the breeze and he struck the ball home third time lucky to give the Highlanders the smallest of leads when the half-time siren sounded.
 
The first 10 minutes of the 2nd half were as brutal, if not more so, than we’d seen before the break. Gordon’s impressive scrambling defence was limiting the Students’ options out wide and they resorted to playing for field position and a chance to get their rolling maul going. This tactic started to reap some rewards as they pushed close to the line on a couple of occasions before earning a penalty about 35 metres out.
 
Backing themselves – and we shouldn’t bemoan any side that adopts a positive, attacking mindset - they kicked to touch but in the context of the game and the paucity of gilt edged opportunities, spurning a shot at goal was a surprise. It didn’t pay off as they turned over possession from the ensuing line-out and their profligacy was punished a few minutes later when Nieass stroked a second penalty home to increase the lead to 6-0.
 
www.seiserphotography.com - Beau WilsonThe fullback was having a good game, creating pressure and asking questions with a varied selection of kicks throughout the half. His opposite number, Hayden Bushell, also came into the match later on, returning serve with his own position finders but neither player could find a way to break through the other side’s stubborn resistance.
 
A key decision with 15 minutes to go threatened to change the outlook of the game when referee Callan O’Neill issued a contentious yellow card to Gordon no.8 Brian Perry for a late tackle. On second viewing, a penalty certainly seemed to be a sufficient enough punishment. Bushell gleefully accepted the 3pt gift and momentum seemed to switch to the Students.
 
They persisted with their effective maul but with a one man advantage, were also able to create more space out wide. It was probably this period of play that won the game for the Highlanders as their dogged defence kept out a Uni side that could sniff blood. However, the Students didn’t help themselves with poor ball retention, too much sideways play and not enough straight running.
 
With 3 minutes left on the clock, it looked to be game over when a high-shot from an increasingly frustrated Uni gave Nieass another sight of the posts. Perhaps sensing the importance of the kick a bit too much, he hooked it wide of the uprights leaving the Students with just enough time to steal their thunder.
 
Thankfully for Nieass, his team mates’ bloody minded refusal to concede a 5 pointer remained true to the end and as the siren sounded, it was Gordon who had edged it 6-3 to take the JR Henderson Shield back to Chatswood for the second year in a row.
 
Gordon coach Mark Fargas:
“It’s a great reward for the guys who’ve tried really hard all year. I think we had to really focus, Uni are a very good side and we knew where we wanted to attack them and we just wanted to get it there. It didn’t quite work out that way but in the end we toughed it out.”
 
Gordon captain Dan Nieass:
“In Grand Final’s, a win’s a win and 6 points are as good as 20 – we’ll take that. We were pretty disappointed to only be up by three at half-time, it should have been twelve. We had plenty of opportunities and just didn’t take advantage. You’ve got to muscle up in the forwards against Uni, take their space away and hope they fall apart so 6-3 is a good score against them.”
 
Sydney University flanker Dan Lewinski:
“It just wasn’t to be today. Gordon played very well and they simply played us right out of the game. We’ve had a few tough contests with them during the year and well done to them, they knew our gameplan and we just couldn’t get into the match today. Hindsight is a great thing and we did push a few passes out there but it was probably more down to the way Gordon approached the game, they really put pressure on us and we felt like we had to do something at every play which is difficult to do in a grand final.”
 
Sydney University scrum-half Simon Mieklejohn:
“It was disappointing, I think we saved our best for last week but Gordon really dominated through their kicking game today and we found it hard to get a roll on. We wanted to run with it and take it to them a bit because that’s what their tactic seemed to be but it didn’t work out and they simply outplayed us off the boot.”
 
Gordon prop James Atwill aka ‘the Gordon Jesus’:
“That was bloody hard work from start to finish but we made it in the end and I’m happy for the boys and you can’t do better than that. We tried to take them on through the centre because we knew Uni would try to use their wingers so we drew them in and got it wide ourselves. There was a lot of team work, especially in the rucks and mauls and I think that’s where we won it.”
 
On his ‘Jesus’ impersonation:
“I was on the wrong end of a losing bet. I came back from a stint overseas where some mates bet me $800 to keep the hair uncut until the end of this year - the beard is my own creation!”
 
All interviews by Sean Maloney and Mark Cashman
 
Gordon 6 (Dan Nieass 2 pens) d Sydney University 3 (Hayden Bushell pen) at Sydney Football Stadium. Referee: Callan O’Neill. HT:  Gordon 6-0
 
Gordon: 1.James Atwill, 2. Blake Williams, 3. Michael Schmidt; 4. Pierre Durrand, 5. Andrew McCarthy; 6. Mark Williams, 7. Jayden Nisbett, 8. Brian Perry; 9. Sikuti Vunipola, 10. Pete Smith; 11. Tim Bowen, 12. Kimon Tellidas, 13. Beau Wilson, 14. Andrew Niles; 15. Dan Nieass.

Sydney University: 1. Alastair King, 2. Tom Coolican, 3. Duncan Hardy; 4. Michael Woodward, 5. Dane Cole-Clarke; 6. Josh Ellice-Flint, 7. Dan Lewinski, 8. Sam Hosking [c]; 9. Simon Mieklejohn, 10. Josh Dillon; 11. Matthew Stewart, 12. James McMahon, 13. Dave Burnett, 14. Tim Broomham; 15. Hayden Bushell.
 

Randwick v West Harbour

www.seiserphotography.com - Fourth Grade Champions RandwickThe Henderson Cup will remain at Coogee as Randwick’s triumphant 4th grade side – who’ve only lost one match in the last 2 years – finally saw off the brave resistance of a fired up West Harbour to retain the trophy for the second year in a row. They certainly didn’t have it all their own way as the Pirates put up a terrific performance and led until 2 minutes from time before the Galloping Greens came home with a wet sail to snatch it by a point.

It was to be an emotional occasion with both sides having experienced tragedy in different circumstances in the last couple of years and both desperate to honour their ex-team mates with a victory. Tom Carr-Boyd and Adam Allcroft had been a part of this successful Randwick side before both passed away in separate tragic circumstances whilst West Harbour were playing for their ex-captain, Mark Tonga, who suffered a severe spinal injury at training and is now confined to a wheelchair.

Mark was actually at the game and his presence in the dressing rooms prior to kick-off certainly spurred on his friends as the Pirates put up a stirring 1st half effort to go in at half-time with a commanding 19-8 lead. Randwick had actually opened the scoring after five minutes when their giant centre Iosua Leasusu burst through to cross for an unconverted try but for the next 25 minutes it was pretty much all Wests.

They controlled field position and forced a lot of turnovers through their aggression at the breakdown and it was only a matter of time before scrum-half Luke Schafer went over in the corner. Dale Lindsay kicked the Wicks ahead again through a penalty before a rolling maul saw backrower Mana Vi across the white line, Schafer added the extras and the Pirates led 12-8.

That looked like being the end of the scoring in the first 30 minutes but Wests blew the game wide open with their third try after the siren. Winger Taani Kaliti profiting from an ill advised grubber within their own half from the Wicks to kick ahead and touch down giving Schafer an easy kick in the process.

www.seiserphotography.com - Sean Little passing for the PiratesRandwick coach Danny Grant – himself a former 1st grader and club captain - ripped into his troops at half-time with the emphasis on improving their ball retention and his side came out looking to redeem themselves in the second stanza. With Wests still content to throw the ball around and chance their arm, it was the Wicks greater discipline that started to pay dividends as the half wore on.

A stalemate on the scoreboard was finally broken when a couple of pick and drives 5 metres out from the Pirates line eventually saw bustling prop Maraki Toa smash through the defence and stretch for the line. Lindsay’s conversion gave us a 5pt ball game with a little more than 5 minutes to play.

The Pirates were visibly wilting in the mid-morning sun and were possibly paying the price for their high-octane start. Randwick had all the ball and continually forced handling errors from their opponents who were trying desperately to hold onto their advantage but with a mere 2 minutes left, their hearts were broken by the crucial score.

www.sesierphotography.com - Iosua Leasusa scores for RandwickA quick bust up the left wing and some good support play saw lock Tim Satiu go over to give the Wicks the lead much to the delight of his team mates who started to prematurely celebrate their come from behind victory. However, there were still to be some heart stopping moments as Lindsay’s conversion attempt fell off the tee and was snaffled by some rampaging Pirates before he could reset the ball. Possession was moved downfield and as the siren sounded, there was still a chance of a famous victory but the Wests’ forwards just didn’t have the legs left to maintain the rage. They gave away a penalty at the next breakdown that was unceremoniously booted into the grandstand and Randwick had pulled off the greatest of comebacks to reclaim their throne from a valiant opponent and honour their fallen comrades in the process.

A tearful try-scorer, Iosua Leasusu, summed up the brevity of the occasion for his side. “It means a lot to the club and for the guys we’ve lost over the last couple of years, this is dedicated to them.”

Darren O’Shea – Randwick prop:

“I can’t really describe it. All the boys just worked so hard for it and to leave it to the last minute was a bit worrying for the crowd and for us but when you get this feeling – there’s nothing better. We always knew they were going to come out strong and they’re a team that’s big on motivation. They get a try, they love it, they keep going so it was very important for us to try and stop that momentum. In the end we knew our fitness was going to hold us in good stead and it did. I’m not sure where we’ll be celebrating, I don’t plan on remembering too much!”

Steve Page – West Harbour fullback:

“It’s shattering because we played such a great 1st half but then we just couldn’t keep the ball.  It came down to the last minute and Randwick have only lost one game in sixty so to take them that close it shows how good we’ve played all year. It’s unfortunate but the boys did their very best and we just fell short on the day.

“We’ve got some talent that could really move up the grades but there’s a core group here who’ve played together all year and I really hope that everyone stays at the club and sticks together because there’s such a great culture at West Harbour. It’s just a great place to be around and I think that showed out on the field in the way that everyone works for each other.”

Danny Grant – Randwick coach:

“The game had everything. It had patience, it had skill, it had creativity and some really hard stuff for us to nut out in terms of organization but it’s just unbelievable how the boys got themselves back to win by the 1pt. They (West Harbour) had a really good run into this game while we obviously didn’t and our preparation was short. They traditionally have a bigger set of blokes and the way they work off the fringes of the ruck was going to be instrumental today. We all focused on that and trying to stop their momentum, shut that down as soon as we could and get it out wide.”

“The guys responded well, particularly in the 2nd half after we’d identified some key areas. They all come together and really pick up on it and it’s just fabulous to see a team do that - it’s quite unique to be honest with you. Our run this year has been with a lot of sadness and as a club we’ve suffered quite a lot losing a number of mates. We haven’t really focused on that but we’ve kept it at the back of our mind and used that throughout the whole year as a goal. This is what we wanted to achieve and we’ve done that and I’m so proud of the boys.”

All interviews by Sean Maloney

Randwick 20 (Iosua Leasusa, Maraki Toa, Tim Satiu tries; Dale Lindsay con, pen) d West Harbour 19 (Luke Schafer, Mana Vi, Taani Kaliti tries; Luke Schafer 2 cons) at Sydney Football Stadium. Referee: Guy Grinham. HT: West Harbour 19-8.

Randwick: 1. Sam Lolo, 2. Jeff Ivory, 3. Maraki Toa; 4. Dave Armstrong, 5. Tim Satiu; 6. Ewan Wylie, 7. Gareth Williams, 8. Tom Jenkins; 9. Ricky Dumigan [c], 10. Dale Lindsay; 11. Andrew Paine, 12. Iosua Leasusu, 13. Finau Makamaka, 14. Andrew Wing Kee; 15. Marty Kiernan.

West Harbour: 1. George Fifita, 2. Clint Borle, 3. Sim Tooala; 4. Luke Stewart, 5. Sean Little; 6. Terry Langi [c], 7. Luke Phillips, 8. Mana Vi; 9. Luke Schafer, 10. Se Yeon Lee; 11. Taani Kaliti, 12. John Lemoto, 13. Fatani Finefeuiaki, 14. Vesi Tokakaulevu; 15. Steve Page.
 

And then there were three… With Sydney University grabbing the first Grand Final place the day before, it was left to Randwick and Gordon to fight out for the right to join them in next week’s showcase. In a repeat of last year’s semi-final pairing, both sides had redemption on their minds. The Highlanders were keen to avenge that heartbreaking loss from 2008 and take that one step further that they were only 9 minutes away from last September while the Wicks had Sydney Uni in their sights and a shot at payback for last year’s one-sided final. With both teams keen to throw the ball around given the chance, an exciting, attacking game beckoned and there was plenty of ammunition to be found in both backlines. Who would be left standing after this gunfight?
 
Gordon got the start they wanted with a Dave Harvey penalty putting them ahead in the first 3 minutes. However, their defence - which had performed admirably to keep Warringah out up at Rat Park the previous week – was breached rather too easily a couple of minutes later as Frankie Fainifo came in off his wing, found some space through the middle, and a couple of body-swerves opened up an untouched path to the posts. It was to be a battle of two of the competition’s most prolific kickers and Marshall Milroy matched Harvey’s attempt with a successful conversion to give the Wicks a 7-3 lead.
 
The Galloping Greens were applying a lot of pressure early on, forcing their opposition to rush their decision making and causing them to force passes and cough up turnovers. The Wicks also turned up the heat with good field position giving them a chance to test the Highlanders line-out and the accuracy of prop/cum hooker Tobias Gukibau’s throws.
 
It was a line-out on Gordon’s 10 metre line that led to the next points in the match but not in the way that everyone expected. With the Wicks in possession, Gordon’s defensive line spread themselves across the park in preparation for the imminent assault via Milroy, Ratu Nasiganiyavi or Bernie Orbell but when the ball found the hands of Tim Walsh in front of the posts, he simply straightened up and popped over a field-goal. There were a few mutterings of discontent amongst the watching faithful but it was of little concern to Walsh or his team mates as they jogged back for the restart with a 7pt lead.
 
That was soon reduced to a 3pt lead moments later after a swift counter-attack from Viliame Ratu and Matt McDougall eventually earned a penalty for offside. Harvey swung his magical left foot once more to make it 10-6.
 
Back came the Wicks as they attacked with real intent. Looking very threatening from open play, they threw the ball from one side to the other looking for a gap but Gordon were manning up forcefully. After an impressive set of phases had manoeuvred them to within 15 metres, it looked like it was only a matter of time before they broke through but when the ball found Walsh in front of the posts again – bop – over went another field-goal. The mutterings now turned into a chorus of ironic boos from neutrals, Highlander supporters and, dare I say it, even Randwick fans with one irked enough to shout ‘You’re supposed to play running rugby Randwick!’. 13-6.
 
The game was in danger of developing a rather monotonous pattern of field-goal at one end, penalty at the other when Dave Harvey took another shot at the posts after 20 minutes. It was  from quite a way out and as deadly accurate as the no.12 usually is, distance is not his forte and he came up frustratingly short for those cheering on the boys from Chatswood. They didn’t have to wait long for a lift in their spirits however.
 
With 24 minutes on the clock and the Highlander line under pressure once more, full-back Dane Haylett-Petty put up a clearing kick that didn’t get the length he was hoping for as it looped it’s way towards a waiting Nasiganiyavi on the left flank. If he’d caught it, he only had two men to beat and I wouldn’t have backed against him finding the line but whether he lost it’s flight in the sun or somehow misjudged it, it fell 5 metres behind him and straight into the hands of a charging McDougall who read it perfectly and sprinted away down the open field for Gordon’s first five-pointer. Harvey couldn’t add the extras from the angle but the Highlanders had signalled their intent and weren’t going to go away easily. 13-11
 
Straight from the restart, a high shot on Stephen Hoiles gave Milroy the opportunity to make it 16-11 which he duly did. The pace of the game was high and we were rattling along at a point a minute so far.
 
Just after the half-hour, Randwick showed their far more appealing expansive, attacking football to stretch their lead. Patient play from their forwards kept the ball moving goalwards down the left channel as Sekope Kepu and skipper Atonio Halangahu repeatedly smashed the Gordon defence. After making plenty of metres, the ball was flashed wide right to Walsh who executed a perfect wrap-around return pass to Kepu, onto Orbell and finally the unmarked Fainifo who was able to cross the line and run around to the posts for a better angle for Milroy’s conversion.
 
It didn’t work as the prolific full-back dragged his shot wide and with no more scores before the break, the Wicks went in at half-time with a 10pt lead.
 
HT 21-11
 
If Gordon were hoping to strike back early in the 2nd half and get back into the game, the first 10 minutes definitely didn’t go the way they intended. Five minutes in, a garryowen into the Highlanders half wasn’t fielded and Hoiles capitalised on the mistake to snatch the loose ball and carry it 15 metres further into enemy territory. With plenty of support helping out at the next breakdown, Shaun Foley recycled it wide where quick hands created an overlap for Milroy to cross in the corner. He converted his own good work to take it to 28-11.
 
There was a constant stream of replacements to bolster both sides chances going into the final half hour. Drew Mitchell – who’d only arrived back in Sydney that morning following his part in the Wellington capitulation against the All Blacks the previous night -  replaced an out of sorts Ratu, with the big man looking like he’s yet to fully recover from the knee injury that’s kept him out for the last month.
 
It was also great to see Waratah and Wallaby hooker Adam Freier make his come back in 1st grade after a lengthy injury spell. The only surprise was that he replaced Seilala Lam at no.7 leaving Halangahu in the front row. Gordon also made their usual change of the last few weeks, taking off the industrious Paulie Toala and bringing on young gun and potential future star Chris Alcock in the backrow.
 
The changes didn’t affect the flow on the scoreboard and with Gordon really needing to score next, coach Lachlan Fear must have been tearing his hair out as indiscipline cost them a further 3pts from a Milroy penalty. 31-11
 
However, with the game starting to look lost, the Highlanders finally clicked in the final third and constructed an atypical try to keep them in the contest. Haylett-Petty attacked the right flank at speed before a series of phases saw Terry Preston go close. Possession then changed hands a couple of times before Gordon took control once more and the ball was recycled to newcomer Alcock. He attacked straight down the middle before finding Mark Preston who exchanged passes with prop Marty Plokstys, burst through a gap and dived for the line, carrying a valiant effort from Freier with him. Harvey took the easy extras but there was still a lot of work to do. 31-18
 
More replacements on the hour saw Frankie Fainifo come off to rapturous applause for his two try effort with Western Force recruit Nick Cummins taking his place. The substitution coincided with another Milroy penalty but thankfully for those in tartan colours, it fell short.
 
Five minutes later and it really did look all over for Gordon. With a Randwick attack looking stymied, Henry Vanderglas suddenly emerged from a ruck with the pill and broke through two or three very half-hearted tackles to find the line. Milroy was successful and that unusually porous defence was costing the Highlanders the game. 38-18
 
In yet another indication of the uneven balance of power between the two teams, Randwick took off Brumby half-back Patrick Phibbs and brought on Brumby and Wallaby half-back Josh Valentine to see out the last 10 minutes. It was at this point that things went a little crazy, the idea of defending went out the window and those last 10 minutes heralded 29 points. Strap yourself in for the thrilling denouement…
 
Gordon had now decided to chance their arm and they certainly weren't going to die wondering. They peppered the Randwick line looking for a way back into the match but when the imperious Kepu forced a turnover, a potential lifeline looked to have been lost. However, with an 18pt lead the Wicks started to throw the ball around with some ‘off-the-cuff’ rugby and paid the penalty for their relaxed approach when Halangahu inexplicably coughed the ball up into the arms of Haylett-Petty who said thankyou very much and streaked away for the 5pts. Harvey stepped up to the challenge once more but it still looked too little too late for his side. 38-25
 
The Wicks did themselves no favours with the crowd by taking the opportunity to try and kill the game with Walsh’s third drop goal from the next attack. Certainly, anyone who didn’t have myrtle green associations were now rooting for Gordon as – flying in the face of Randwick’s proud tradition - they looked to be the one side attempting to run the ball and use width. 41-25
 
That feeling was compounded when Gordon crossed again within a minute. Hooker Gukibau, who put in a sterling effort across the park all game, hammered the line once more before a quick-tap and short pass found Alcock. The impressive youngster shuffled, stepped, dropped a shoulder and somehow ghosted through some ineffectual defending to make it four tries all with a kick to come. Harvey did the business, it was now 41-32 and most definitely game on!
 
Thoughts drifted back to last year’s semi between these two teams when Gordon led by 13pts with 9 minutes remaining only to lose at the death. Now 9pts behind with 7 minutes remaining, were they about to execute the sweetest of all revenge missions?
 
The Highlanders were now carving up out wide and as has been the case so often in their run to the finals, their superior fitness was showing through but with a mere 5 minutes left on the clock, the telling play was made that finally sealed their fate. Moving the ball through the hands again they fashioned another chance on the flank but with McDougall lying in wait on the touchline the final pass went astray and Mitchell swooped to intercept and ran 50 metres before being dragged down. Three phases later and with Gordon back-pedalling, Walsh put up a clever chip-kick into the corner and Foley emerged from nowhere to pluck it out of the air and touch down to break opposition hearts. Milroy couldn’t add the extras but Gordon shoulders had notably drooped. 46-32
 
Two minutes later and with the game already safe, Randwick effectively landed a knockout punch after the bell to put a slightly uneven look on the scoreboard. With their tails suitably up, the Galloping Green forwards muscled up in the ruck, Kepu blasted through a hole, sidestepped a tackle and fed Hoiles who had 10 metres to make before he added try number six to his teams tally. Milroy piled on the misery and it was the Wicks who had earned their shot at redemption the following weekend with a place in the grand final.
 
FT 53-32
 
A terrific spectacle for both sets of supporters and particularly the neutrals, Randwick deserved their victory and were never headed after their first try. They controlled large parts of the game, had the power in their forwards to lay a platform, the quality strike players to punish mistakes but probably more significantly, the experience to see out a match of such importance when under extreme pressure. They certainly look capable of  putting up some much stiffer resistance against Uni this time around.
 
Gordon can hold their heads up high after yet another season where they’ve punched significantly above their weight. Can they make it third time lucky next year? If they can keep this squad together under the tutelage of Lachlan Fear, there’s no reason why they can’t go close but without the added talent and experience of two or three quality rep players, they’re going to find it hard to cross that final hurdle.
 
Let’s take nothing away from a fantastic Randwick side that I thoroughly enjoy watching but as good as they were, the ability to bring on four Super 14 players off the bench - including three Wallabies – is undeniably a significant advantage and something that I hope NSWRU or the ARU can look at in the future for the good of the Australian game. There’s more than enough talented players out there, wouldn’t it be great to see them evenly spread throughout the competition?
 
Randwick captain Atonio Halangahu:
“Gordon are a great team at kicking the footy and putting the pressure on you so to beat them at the breakdown is probably the key and I think we were at least equal with them there which took us a long way towards beating them. They’re a really well drilled side so if you can stop their counter-attack and their defensive effort from being so good then I think you’re a real chance against them.
 
“You do start to get a bit nervous when they get a bit of momentum because they’re playing for their season but we stuck at what we had and we’ve got some really good, experienced players which can help you out in a clinch. When you’ve got Drew Mitchell, Josh Valentine and Adam Freier out there guiding you around to finish the game, it always helps. They’ve played footy at the highest level and they understand what it takes to win those tight ones so it’s a big advantage for us.”
 
On the crowd’s negative response to the field-goals:
“We’re not playing for bonus points here anymore. Yes, there was a bit of stick from the crowd but that’s fine, we’ll take the game and win it by a point if we have to, I don’t care how we win at this time of year.”
 
Gordon captain Ed Gower:
“It’s never easy to lose a semi-final and the fact that they’ve got us two years in a row doesn’t make it any easier. We were really hoping to make up for last year but it wasn’t the way it went unfortunately. We didn’t die wondering, we gave it our all but we made a few mistakes at crucial times and they’re a good side. We tried to smash them in defence, we tried to smash them at the breakdown, we just couldn’t do any better than we were doing.
 
“We’ve just got to keep building, every time we lose like this it’s an experience, the team gets a year older and each loss makes you drive a bit harder next time. We always focus on our game and we just go out as hard as we can and if we can keep hold of the same players again, you never know what can happen next year.”
 
Gordon coach Lachlan Fear:
“Their (Randwick’s) last three weeks hasn’t been very productive in terms of game time so we definitely thought that if we started hard, it would be tough for them to hit the required intensity level early enough and we could blow them away. Unfortunately that didn’t come around and a couple of intelligent field-goals actually put them on the front foot, kept the points ticking over and made us drop our heads when we didn’t need to.
 
“We just didn’t get in to any rhythm in the 1st half. We made some fundamental errors and it came down to the line-out being a really telling area and it hurt us. We’re down three hookers in the club so we had to manufacture one out of a prop. He’s a wonderful player whose game around the field is awesome but it’s not a natural skill for him to throw yet and that didn’t help.
 
“We had the right plan but we just couldn’t execute it today unfortunately and that’s the way it goes. Even deep into that 2nd half, we isolated ourselves by going individually rather than playing footy as a group. When we did play as a group we scored easily. We knew that we could create numbers on the flanks, we knew that we would get opportunities on either side, we just needed to make sure we could get there and we didn’t do it well enough.
 
“I don’t think the final score is a true indication of the game, it wasn’t a 19pt ball game but having said that we gifted some bad tries. I guess they could say that we got an intercept try and a lucky bounce for a runaway try as well so that’s the way it goes – they got some, we got some, they got more.”
 
Randwick coach Gary Ella:
“It was a mixed sort of game but I think overall we played pretty well. They’re a very good side Gordon and you can’t take your eye off the game. In the end, we probably went a little bit too conservative midway through the 2nd half and then we decided to attack and open up the game again. It called for tactical changes and I think both teams were adapting to different conditions and trying different things as the game went on.
 
"We brought Adam Freier on at no.7 at half-time and he’s a class player. He needs game time and we want to use him next week - the more game time he gets, the better he’s going to be for us. He’s been on at me constantly trying to get out onto the pitch. The last time I spoke to him, he just said ’80, 60, 40, 20, 10 – I don’t care, just get me out there!’."
 
On next week’s Grand Final:
“Sydney Uni are tough but I don’t think we need to change our plan too much. We’ve got to cut-out errors, we can’t afford to make too many against them. We had a few today where we gave away quite a few penalties and free-kicks at the breakdown and we’ve got to have a look at that and find out why that was the case. We’ve got to win our ball at the breakdown, if you don’t do that against Uni, you’re in trouble. It’s all about your set plays and getting your hands on the pill and holding it. We’ll just attack because that’s the way we play and see what happens.”
 
Randwick 53 (Francis Fainifo 2, Marshall Milroy, Henry Vanderglas, Shaun Foley, Stephen Hoiles tries; Marshall Milroy 3 cons, 2 pens, Tim Walsh 3 drop, con) d Gordon 32 (Matt McDougall, Mark Preston, Dane Haylett-Petty, Chris Alcock tries; Dave Harvey 3 cons, 2 pens) at Woollahra Oval. Referee: Stuart Dickinson. HT: Randwick 21-11.
 
Randwick: 1. Sekope Kepu, 2. Atonio Halangahu [c], 3. Lotu Taukeiaho; 4. Tim Maxwell, 5. Steve Brennan; 6. Henry Vanderglas, 7. Seilala Lam, 8. Stephen Hoiles; 9. Patrick Phibbs, 10. Tim Walsh; 11. Ratu Nasiganiyavi, 12. Shaun Foley, 13. Bernie Orbell, 14. Francis Fainifo; 15. Marshall Milroy.

Gordon: 1.Ofa Fainga’anuku, 2. Tobias Gukibau, 3. Marty Plokstys; 4. Nifo Nifo, 5. Ed Gower [c]; 6. Paulie Tuala, 7. Craig Thomas, 8. Viliame Ratu; 9. Vinnie Byrne, 10. Josh Kiel; 11. Terry Preston, 12. Dave Harvey, 13. Mark Preston, 14. Matt McDougall; 15. Dane Haylett-Petty.

Yesterday we looked at the coaching life of Lachlan Fear, the youngest coach in the competition. Today we look at a guy on the opposite side of the ledger, not necessarily in terms of physical years (although there is a 17 year gap) but more so in terms of playing and coaching experience and the levels of the game to which they have been exposed to so far.

The Ella surname is synonymous with Australian rugby and one which is held in the highest regard. Twins Mark and Glen and younger brother Gary all represented Randwick, NSW and the Wallabies with distinction in the early 80’s and were responsible for a sea-change in the possibilities and execution of attacking rugby in this country.

Revered worldwide for their game breaking talents and ability to catch and pass at speed effortlessly while re-inventing the art of support play through the pioneering ‘flat attack’, they played a large part in the domination of Randwick in Sydney club rugby for over a decade.

All three brothers have dabbled in the coaching realm but it is Gary who has been the most consistent in terms of longevity and arguably the most consistent achiever as well. As astute a thinker of the game now as he was on the field in his playing days, Gary returned ‘home’ to Coogee Oval at the start of this season with a mission to turn the Galloping Greens back into a title-winning side and to attempt to wrest the dominance of the club scene back from arch-rivals Sydney University who have had it pretty much their own way for the last 5 years.
 
Ella’s playing career spanned 134 1st grade games for the Wicks, 25 appearances for the Waratahs and 6 Wallaby caps. Since his retirement in the late 90’s he’s held a variety of coaching positions at different levels in the national and international game including two spells as an assistant coach (backs) at NSW alongside Chris Hawkins in the initial Super 12 competition in 1996 and later under the great Bob Dwyer in the 2001 Super 14. He took charge of the Australian Under-19’s for four years culminating in a loss to France in the 2000 World Cup Final, led Australia A through the 2002-03 season before heading offshore for a year’s experience as a foreign coach at Leinster in Ireland. He returned to the Sydney club rugby scene in 2004 taking up the challenge of restoring the reputation of a once great Parramatta before the lure of his famous old stomping ground proved too hard to resist.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been afforded some time with Gary recently to talk about his club rugby coaching history, some of the changes we’ve seen in the game since his playing days and his thoughts on his future…
 
Clubrugby.com.au: Was it always your intention to go on and become a coach after your playing career ended?

Gary Ella: “No, with playing it’s funny, you just get on the field and play but I guess towards the end of my career and being a senior player, I was doing as much coaching on the field as I probably would have off of it and I think because we had some success at that time, I began to think about coaching. Kevin Phibbs – who’s now the General Manager of the Randwick club – wanted me to assist him with 2nd grade which I did and we went onto win the comp the following year. I then coached with Jeff Sayle and we won the 1st grade Premiership and I guess, without it ever actually being a plan, I got into coaching on a fairly continuous basis and in 2000, Bob Dwyer called and asked if I would like to coach on a full-time basis and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

CR: You played in the centres, along with brothers Mark (fly-half) and Glen (full-back) you were revered for the ‘Ella’ tradition of attacking with speed and flair. Now that you are on the other side of the white line, do you feel pressured to try and replicate that style as a coach?
 
GE: “Not necessarily, I’m happy to win a game with a good score but I’m just as happy to win a game 3-0. My philosophy is, you’ve got to win the battle in the midfield first and if you win that then you can go wide. You’ve almost got to win the right to play attractive football so you’ve got to do the hard work up the middle. I guess what I’m saying is that the forwards have to give you good possession before you can actually take on the opposition.”

CR: But, do the ideals of attacking play exhibited by you and your brothers influence the way that you coach your backline or has the evolution of the game since then made that difficult to reproduce?

GE: “No, it hasn’t, we still like to play touch footy, we still like to be creative and we still like the players to have input into training and put in their two-bob’s worth because I think that if you’re going to be successful as a team, you’ve got to have input from your players. You can’t just dictate to them, if they’ve got ideas you’ve got to listen to them and incorporate them into your game plan. I think that’s extremely important in that sense. We were always encouraged when we were playing under Bob Dwyer and Jeff Sayle to offer our own input so it’s the way I played the game. I had some great coaches and I tend to take a little bit of their philosophies along with me.”

CR: Has the era of professionalism suppressed some of that ‘gung ho’ style of footy? Teams are a lot more pragmatic and defence orientated these days.

GE: “Yes, teams are a lot more professional these days and defences are very well organised. When I played, we spent very little time on defence compared to today’s game. The opposition analyse the way you play and they analyse your moves so you’ve got to keep changing, you can’t stay static and you can’t keep playing the same style of football. For example, at the start of the year we were playing expansive football, then we changed it a bit and started using the short side more and if you have a look at the games we played against Easts and Gordon, we kicked a little bit more than we have in the past. Who knows, against a Sydney Uni we might keep ball in hand. You play to the opposition and you study them. I’d love to throw the ball around week in, week out but No.1 - You’ve got to have the personnel to do it and No.2 - You’ve got to play the most effective way that you can to beat the team you’re up against on the day.”

CR: What made you decide to go to Parramatta – was it a chance to challenge yourself in a different way?

GE: “It was probably a case of a few different things. Back in 2004, I actually coached for 5 games at Penrith. I’d just come back from Europe and they had just lost their two coaches. I was doing nothing so I just suggested if you need a hand, give us a yell, and they did so I went over and did the last 5 games for them. I felt that the West weren’t as strong as they could be and I don’t think they were getting as much support as was required because there’s certainly a lot of talent out there. There’s always going to be a lot of talent in Western Sydney, it’s just that we’ve got to get some good coaches out there and we’ve got to get a few more experienced players playing in the area and if we can do that then I think both of those teams can be very strong.

“The opportunity came up via Greg Mitchell, who was actually the operations manager for the Parramatta Eels back then. They were sponsoring the Two Blues at that stage and he contacted me and just said ‘Look. We need a coach, are you interested?’ I said yes, but if I’m going to do it, I want to do it full-time because we really have to invest a lot of hours in bringing those guys forward and I don’t think it’s a part-time job anymore and that was the opportunity that was presented to me.”

CR: Looking back, do you feel like you did a good job? You certainly improved their win/loss ratio and got them a few places up the ladder.

GE: “Yes, I do. We got to mid-table a few times and the only team that ever beat us convincingly or got to 50pts against us was Sydney Uni at Uni Oval and we picked up a bonus point on that day because we scored 4 tries against them. That was the only time that we were ever beaten what I would call badly.”

CR: Were you always going to leave at the end of last year – did you have any idea of you what was going to happen regarding the collapse of the Leagues club?

GE: “For me, I think that four years is probably enough for anyone at any one club. I was looking to move on anyway and the fact is that when I made up my mind to leave, I was still under the impression that the Leagues club was going to run for another two years. I was already talking to a lot of the officials at that stage about who was going to be brought in the following year to replace me.”

CR: With the unfortunate problems they’ve experienced on and off the field, do you see a positive future for Parramatta?

GE: “It’s always going to be difficult for them isn’t it as they struggle to get people through the gates. They’re out there looking for strong sponsors and when a club pulls out half a million dollars a year in sponsorship, it does leave you in a bit of a hole and it’s not something that you’re going to replace immediately. It’s particularly tough with the economic environment that we have at the moment but if they receive some assistance just to keep them afloat and get through this hard period, they’ll come back. They’ve had too many good players and they’ve got too many strong supporters who will come in and help for them not to succeed. If you actually look at it their junior numbers are still very good, they just need a little bit of help over this bump. It’s a really strong Sydney competition and it’s not going to be as strong if we start losing clubs and particularly out West because that area is simply exploding population wise.”

CR: What about the Super 15 franchise that Brett Papworth was trying to get over there – were you behind that idea?

GE: “Yes, I thought it would have been fantastic and I certainly supported a Western Sydney bid. There’s so many untapped resources out there at the moment, basing a Super 15 rugby side out there would have been good for the game.”

CR: You’re now back ‘home’ at Randwick where, in comparison to your time at Parramatta, you have access to a host of rep players and in some cases – Wallabies. As a coach, do you prefer the challenge of working with a team of lesser ability that you can try to improve upon or the chance to work with a group of top class players that are able to grasp your ideas immediately and implement them accordingly out on the field?

GE: “I think it presents two different sets of challenges. At Parramatta we did reasonably well with the talent that we had and it’s funny – my record against Randwick when I was coaching the Two Blues was excellent, I had more wins than losses and I’m pretty chuffed about that. At Parramatta I felt that I was really coaching and we worked pretty hard to improve things. Here, I still feel that I’m coaching but there’s a lot more management involved as well as purely management of the resources. Both roles presented a different set of challenges and I had great support in both positions. There’s maybe a little bit more experience here than we had at Parramatta but that’s certainly not saying anything about the coaching potential at either club.”

CR: Which one’s more difficult because there’s obviously different levels of expectation involved? To lift Parramatta out of the bottom reaches of the ladder to a mid-table position was a success whereas here at Randwick, with their history of achievement - they expect trophies?

GE: “The expectations at this club are very high and you’re always on edge. There’s no such thing as a close loss, every defeat is a disaster and every time you don’t play well it’s a disaster. There are different expectations, we had some great wins at Parramatta and they were well celebrated whereas here they’re perhaps taken a little bit for granted.”

CR: Let’s talk about a couple of my favourite players here at Randwick. Firstly Ratu Nasiganiyavi; There are not many more exhilarating sights in Australian rugby than seeing this guy with ball in hand, at pace and with the line in sight. He’s got so much potential and he’s still only 21 but there’s undoubtedly a few rough edges that need smoothing out. Do you think you can get the best out of him and help to push him to the levels that have been anticipated since he burst onto the Sydney club scene last year?

GE: “Ratu’s got an awful lot of expectations surrounding him and sometimes that weighs him down. He’s a guy that you’ve just got to encourage along and you’ve got to look after him physically and manage his training load as well as you can. You’ve got to keep him on a mental high as often as you can as well. When he’s coming to the game feeling good and enjoying himself, he is unstoppable but if he comes to the game and he’s down a little bit and he’s worried about what’s happening with his game it tends to affect him a little bit and we’re working really hard to keep him on a high and keep him confident.”

CR: So, there’s an important degree of man-management on your part involved?

GE: “For sure. And that’s part of the role of a professional coach. We have 15 guys who present themselves differently each week and as coaching staff, we need to be aware of that. We talk to each other on a fairly regular basis and we work as a team to get 15 players up and ready each week.”

CR: I’m also a big fan of ‘Keps’, Sekope Kepu. He’s been in outstanding form of late and really seems to be back to his best, if not even better than he was pre-injury. Do you think he’s getting closer to that Wallaby recall?

GE: “Well, I hope so. He struggled for a while physically because of the injuries that he’s had and it took him some time to recover his fitness levels but he’s certainly playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and I’m sure that he’s only going to get a lot better than where he is currently at. He’s got bags of potential and I don’t think we’ve seen anywhere near the best of him yet.”

CR: Finally, what are you hoping to achieve here at Randwick - are you going to be here for another 2-3 years or would you like the time to try to build another dynasty to rival the club’s domination in the late 70’s-early 80’s when they won 14 Premierships in 18 years?

GE: “Mate, if you would have asked me who we’re playing in 2 weeks time I’d have trouble answering! I know that people hate it but I don’t even look at tables, I just look at who we’re playing the following week and start preparing the side. We look at dvd’s from our last game, not necessarily to watch what we did well but to focus on areas that we can improve on and that’s vitally important to us. If we can get better each week, we’ll be harder to beat. As I said before, I thought four years was long enough at Parramatta, I don’t think I’ll be going much further than that here.”

CR: Beyond that then, do you have aspirations to coach at a higher level again?

GE: “If you’re having a look at professional coaches, you want to do well. You want to do well for your team and for your club but you also want to do well for yourself. You’ve got to look at the opportunities. It’s a very pointy end coaching and if good opportunities present themselves then you’ve got to take them, you can’t just let them go past and not grab hold of them. If I do well here, those opportunities may present themselves again, they may not, so we’ll just have to wait and see. If an opportunity came up to coach at a higher level or overseas somewhere, you’d be mad not to look at it.”


So there you have it, Lachlan Fear and Gary Ella. Two very different guys, two different coaching styles and two different ways of approaching their professions. The one thing they do have in common is a desire to succeed and, wherever possible, in a manner that’s pleasing to the eye of all purist rugby fans. Last year’s semi-final between their two sides was a classic. With Randwick narrowly up 6-3 at half-time, Gordon turned on the flair in the 2nd half with three quick tries leaving them with a 22-13 lead and only 9 minutes on the clock. Alas, for the Highlanders, you can’t keep a good man down and two late tries to the Wicks saw them through to the Grand Final 25-22.

Can the boys from Chatswood Oval gain their revenge and go one better this year or will the Galloping Greens triumph once more and possibly set-up their own chance at redemption for last year’s final if they get another shot at Sydney University? clubrugby.com.au will be there to bring you a comprehensive match report and all the post-match interviews from the winners and sinners. May the best team win.

www.seiserphotography.com - Lachlan Fear This weekend sees the semi-finals in this year’s Shute Shield competition. The top 6 were stripped down to 4 last week as Gordon and Eastwood accounted for Warringah and Manly respectively to set up two intriguing clashes for the right to contest the Grand Final a week later. On Saturday at Concord Oval, Eastwood take on the might of Sydney University a mere 2 weeks after shipping 81 points against them in the final round of the regular season while Sunday sees a repeat of last year’s semi-final as Gordon take on Randwick at Woollahra Oval.
 
With Saturday’s game brought to you live on the ABC thanks to the outstanding Grandstand team, I’ve taken the chance to focus on the clash at Woollahra through some insight into the coaching minds responsible for getting them there. The youngest coach in the competition, Lachlan Fear at Gordon, up against the experience and legacy of a member of probably the most famous family in Australian sporting history – Gary Ella. I had both the pleasure and good fortune of interviewing both coaches recently for a look at their coaching backgrounds and their different experiences from their time in club rugby. Today, it’s Lachie Fear’s turn to go under the spotlight; Part 2 with Gary Ella follows tomorrow.

Looking at this year’s top six teams, you can make a pretty decent list of rep players and Wallabies in particular that have featured for them across the season, helping them to their finals achievement and lighting up the competition along the way. From the current Wallaby squad, the names of Waugh, Mumm, Burgess, Mitchell, Chisholm, Smith, Palu, Alexander, Robinson, Turner and Cowan have all turned out for their respective clubs. Add to that list the names of Kepu, Hoiles, Valentine, Dunning and Sheehan, all Wallaby representatives as well and you can appreciate the difference that guys with that much talent and experience bring to the table.
 
www.seiserphotography.comAll of which makes the achievements of Gordon and head coach Lachlan Fear all the more remarkable for though the other 5 finalists were well represented on those lists, the boys from Chatswood are the anomaly. A 3rd place finish this time round comes close on the heels of last year’s hugely impressive 2nd and indeed it was only a very late rally from a formidable Randwick side in the semi-final that prevented them from a day at Concord and a place in the Grand Final. All of this achieved with not one Wallaby wearing the Highlander shirt.
 
Given the depth of quality that their fellow finalists have been able to call on at various times this year, I find their success to be not only unheralded but really rather refreshing. What’s more, like West Harbour throughout last year and again at times during this season, not only are they punching above their weight, they’ve been doing it with some panache. At times Gordon can be frustrating, ill disciplined and prone to lapses of concentration. But when they’re switched on, boy are they on and they produce some of the most entertaining and attacking rugby seen in the Shute Shield. For anyone who was lucky enough to see their match-winning try at TG Millner a few weeks ago, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

www.seiserphotography.comFear is an interesting character. Talk to him and his enthusiasm for the game of rugby, his knowledge, his vision for the future and his sheer passion can you lead you into many a fruitful and comprehensive discussion on a multitude of topics. A product of GPS school and then Newington College, he took his first steps towards a promising career in the front-row at Eastern Suburbs with 2 years each with the Australian under 19’s and then 21’s an indication of his talent.  After 3 years at Woollahra, he moved to Northern Suburbs where he played alongside Ben Darwin and a certain Al Baxter was also packing down in the colts. Unfortunately, injuries wreaked havoc with his progress and after managing a mere three appearances in 2 years, he made the tough decision to hang up his boots at just 20 years of age. All he’d ever wanted to do was play for the Wallabies and, as he admits himself, after putting his heart and soul into rugby and having it taken away from him, he went a bit off the rails and lost himself for a while.

www.seiserphotography.com - The old days Lachlan Fear front row repEventually, he channelled himself back into sport through surfboat rowing and he acknowledges that the level of trust involved in this dangerous sport helped shape some of his ideals in rugby. “It’s the classic example of team work.  You can’t do anything unless anyone else does it, you can’t function by yourself, you’ve got to work together.” Fear also flirted for a year with boxing “just to test myself” and ended up walking off with NSW State titles in the super-heavyweight division. This achievement was made a whole lot easier by the fact that nobody would actually fight him which may go some way to explaining his ‘off the rails” comment!
 
During that time, he made the decision to go to University and study sports science and as a result of that the lure of the game he loves proved too strong and he decided to try his hand at coaching.  Going back to Eastern Suburbs, a place where he says his heart will always be, he coached the 1sts colts for 3 years, impressing enough to get an invitation to join the coaching staff at Warringah. Working for 2 years as assistant to John Briggs and Mark Holmes, he got his first taste of success when the Rats lifted the Shute Shield in 2005.
 
Then the opportunity he had been waiting for, to test himself as a head coach, arrived on his doorstep and he just couldn’t say no. “I was lucky enough to be selected to come to Gordon. They took a real chance on me and it was a great opportunity to see if I could hack it at this level as a full time head coach.  Four years down the track, I’m really glad that I made that decision and that Gordon gave me that opportunity as well.”
 
I caught up with Lachlan prior to the finals series in the impressive surroundings of the Gordon club in Chatswood to talk about his time with the Highlanders, their progress under his tutelage and his coaching mantra. As always with Lachie, it was an illuminating chat …
 
www.seiserphotography.comClubrugby.com.au: You’re the youngest coach in the Shute Shield but you’ve had a fair amount of success in a relatively short period of time. Can you give us a brief resume of your achievements so far?

Lachlan Fear: “In 2005 while I was at Warringah, the club competition was in two parts and the Shute Shield was just 11 games straight out. We won all 11 and then beat Sydney Uni in the final to lift the trophy. In 2007 I was assistant coach at the Central Coast Rays with John McKee as the head coach and Darren Coleman (now the Academy coach at the Brumbies) as the other assistant. I learned a lot from John, he was very good at delegating and giving guys responsibilities.  It wasn’t one bloke doing everything, there were three guys really contributing to that campaign and we also had a senior playing group that was very strong as well.  I honestly believe that that will still be regarded as the best rugby this country has ever seen at that level.”
 
CR: And that success has continued at the Highlanders?

LF: “Yes, in 2007 we had our first taste of victory at the Kiama Sevens and it was really that triumph that gave us some momentum and left everyone at the club feeling ‘We can actually win something’.  We won that tournament at Warringah when I was there as well so I’m happy to say I’ve now won it at two different clubs. It’s a great tournament and it’s a perfect pre-season workout.  Also that year, we won the Toohey’s New / Shute Shield plate which was a play off for seventh spot, so effectively we were the best of the rest.  We beat Manly who were favourites to win and they had some very good players including Peter Hewat. Although it wasn’t a grand final, it was a great achievement and we were very happy to celebrate that win.
 
“We then won the Trevor Allan Cup, which was created after the short-lived ARC was instigated. Trevor Allan was a Gordon legend, a dual international who captained and coached the Wallabies and had an outstanding record as a player so for NSWRU to name the trophy the Trevor Allan Cup and then for Gordon to win it and for it to never be played ever again is fantastic!
 
“The year before I joined the club, we were 2nd last in the competition. We progressed ever so slightly in my first year and again in the second year and in the last two years we’ve come second in the club championship and made the finals. That’s a big turnaround and both the club and myself are very proud of that achievement.  It’s been great to be involved in developing a club rather than just coming in when it was already at the top.”
 
CR: While the success you’ve had in terms of trophies and your improved position on the ladder are great signs of progress, you can’t always measure purely by results.  What improvements specifically do you think you’ve achieved in your time at Gordon?

LF: “In my first year here I had 142 players across the 4 grades but during that season we forfeited two 4th grade games which had never happened before at the club. We had too many players but none that wanted to stick around.  We didn’t win a game in 3rd or 4th grade, won once in 2nd grade and something like six in 1st grade.  To progress from there, we learnt that you’ve got to recruit well and you’ve got to communicate with your players. You’ve got to target the needs of your club rather than simply getting players in and I believe we still need to look at that.  We try and get players sometimes rather than get the key positions that we need. 
 
“One of the keys to getting those specific players is looking after your current crop.  The big statement that I made early on was that I wanted to knock off the top and deepen the bottom, meaning let’s get guys in that we can bring through the grades and eventually overtake those at the top.  Having made that comment the guys who were at the top all left the club, which really hurt our lower grades, you really need them to put back in at the bottom and nurse some of the players coming through.  Looking after those guys and integrating them back into the club in some way is probably the big success that we’ve had the over last 2 years.  People are sticking around a little longer than they used to or people are coming back.”
 
www.seiserphotography.comCR: You’ve had to blood a lot of young players early because of the loss of those old heads and while that was difficult to begin with, you are now starting to see some benefits with guys like Dave Harvey and Mark Preston etc who’ve played 100 club games and are still in their early 20’s. That’s got to be a positive looking ahead?

LF: “Well, they haven’t reached their peak yet for sure. We have brought guys in really early and it would’ve been great for them to have been guided a bit more in those early stages. Having said that, all of them that have come in have deserved to. Mark Preston had played 40 1st grade games before I came here and he was 20 when I arrived so he’d already had 2 and half seasons in 1st grade.  We’re now 2-3 years down the track and we’re still not as experienced as we’d like to be which is no fault of anyone’s, it’s just the lack of opportunity for them to rub shoulders with any high profile players in their own team – not against them. They need to spend quality time playing alongside top players.
 
“If you put top players around guys that are good club rugby players, it makes a team pretty strong and Gordon just hasn’t had that over the last 5 or 6 years and that’s been a big issue.  We’ve put a structure in place where we can maintain good players and also add good players to enable us to keep doing what we’ve been doing but for us to kick on to the next level, we need some of those top level players here.  You can’t just develop those players all the time, you do need to get them in from somewhere sometimes.  The reality is we’ve got a lot of good players but we need a couple of those exceptional ones.”
 
CR: Especially when it comes to sudden death finals footy, you need those experienced heads on talented shoulders to lead the way when the going gets tough.

LF: “That is the difference. We’ve got the underdog status here at this club and that’s a good thing to have but it’s the status that we’re forced into.  I’d say around 85-90% of our players are under the age of 25 and most of those guys would’ve played 60 to 70 1st grade games. If you make the competition that they play in the absolute best quality it can be, that’d be 60-70 top class 1st grade games that guys who aren’t professional rugby players are playing and that increases the depth of Australian rugby instantly.  At the moment, if you play 20 games a year I guess there’s a few of them that aren’t of the quality that you would want.”
 
CR: I enjoy watching Gordon play – is that your mantra as a coach or have you adapted the style of play to suit the players at your disposal?

LF: “Definitely a bit of both.  We’ve tried to create a philosophy of play that gives us options for both styles of rugby, whether we want to play hard and direct or move it wide and let the ball fly a bit. Our mantra is not ‘We must go wide!’ it’s that we want to create opportunities to exploit holes in the opposition and at any one time we want to have both the wide and narrow options available.  Our tendency was to go wide so we’ve worked hard this year to try and achieve both and myself and assistant coaches Dave Dinning and Ross Hopkins will look back and say that we’re really happy with the results we’ve got in trying to combine the two styles of football.  I’ve got a way that I want to play but I’m not strict on it because you can’t make apples into oranges.  We’ve got somebody like Billy Ratu who is far better out wide than he is in close so the way I want to play is adapted to the players within that framework.
 
“I guess the evolution of Gordon rugby while I’ve been here is to feel that we’ve enjoyed the game. To get some success out of it early on, we had to score points and we had to score tries. Even if we lost 40-20 but scored 3 or 4 tries at least there was some kind of enjoyment from the game. After that, we could focus on our defence but we still had to keep the attack organized.  Now, because teams had worked us out a bit, we have to work harder on attack to make sure that we still score points. Tries are more important to us than goals but in saying that we’ve got someone like Dave Harvey that consistently kicks goals and penalties as well as being a vital cog in us being able to play wide, attacking football.  He provides us the option that when it’s not working we can go back to another style and play a kicking game.
 
“There needs to be a balance because you do need to back yourself sometimes to score points by crossing the line rather than just kicking goals. We want to win games so let’s make sure we do that first but I still believe that to beat Sydney Uni or Randwick who score at least 2 or 3 tries in a game, you’re going to have to score them too.”
 
CR: How important a role do your assistant coaches play - who has the final say regarding the game plan and how it is implemented?

LF: “I’ve gone through a few stages in how I coach but the way I approach it now is that my opinion is the right one until someone convinces me otherwise and I’m very flexible with that. If one of my assistant coaches comes up and says ‘I really think we should be doing this’ and he does a good job of explaining how and why and convinces me that it’s an improvement then I’m up for that and I’m happy to be wrong because it means that we’re getting better. For the last 3 years, I’ve had Dave Dinning as my assistant coach and he and I work extremely well together. We’re a very good combination and I wouldn’t want to be doing this job without him around for sure. He’s got a good work ethic, he’s a good communicator and he deals with the players in a different way to me, which is critical. He gets a lot of leeway in how the backs play but I might advise that I’d like to see this or that happen more. I set the game plan and he sets the starter plays in the way in which the backs play around that game plan. That’s been my biggest learning process this year, knowing when to step back sometimes.”
 
CR: Delegation?

LF: “Exactly, it’s such a critical thing. I believe that I’m a head coach so I don’t want to be seen as a units or a skills or a positional coach, I’m the guy dealing with the ups and downs of a season, how to get us out of troughs or how to proceed when we’re going well. I focus in on those areas and it’s a good balanced structure at the moment. At the end of last year, I was talking to a lot of the players about keeping them at the club which included showing them the reduced pay structure and I was really honoured to hear them say that the reason they’re here is because of the coaching structure. I have to say that is the best group I’ve worked with in terms of how we interact and that’s not just 1st or 2nd grade, that’s all of the grades. We have a meeting every Monday and every Friday and everyone’s there - not for their own particular team  - but for the benefit of the other players and the club, which is terrific. I’ve been at Easts, Norths, Warringah and now Gordon and this is the best that it’s ever been.”
 
CR: Are you currently undertaking a 3-5 year plan to take this club to where you think it should be or as far as you think you can take it?

LF: “Good question - no we’re not, we’ve had a plan throughout my time here but my position at this club has always been on a yearly contract basis so it’s very difficult to look too far.  I’d love to be in a situation where I can say ‘This is where we want to be, this is the path we are going to take, this is the time we’re going to take to do it and this is how we’re going to do it.’ but it’s just the circumstances we are in.  We do have an holistic approach however, we recently put three guys in 1st grade against Penrith who were straight out of colts and for no other reason than to give them some experience for next year so that’s an example of looking at the big picture. I do believe that the region that Gordon is in – the upper North Shore – is the heartland of Australian rugby.  I know that Sydney Uni’s the birth place, I know that the Western Suburbs and Hills District is the growth area but I have to say that the people that play rugby union, that go and support the Waratahs or Brumbies, that go to test matches – the high majority of them come from the upper North Shore.  If we had the ability to get a 4-5 year plan on a bigger scale, getting this club to be a major attraction for all the young kids to want to play 1st grade rugby at Gordon, progress to the Waratahs and then on to the Wallabies it would be awesome.  It would be the ideal situation.”
 
CR: Is that a possibility or merely a pipe dream and would that be a factor in you staying here for longer?

LF: “I think it’s possible and I know the club thinks that too, it just comes down to the economics.  It’s also very hard to plan 5 years ahead when you don’t know how the competition is going to run year in, year out.  You don’t know who’s going to be in it and you don’t know how it’s going to be structured.  We’ve got a pretty clear understanding of what the Super 15 is going to be in 2011 so what are we going to do at the next level below that?  Let’s start planning for it and structuring ourselves to be moving forward rather than standing still which, in essence, is going backwards.”
 
To be continued at a later date…
 

Photo: Paul Cook - The Rebels win lineout ball at homeThe last day of the regular season and what a potentially dramatic scenario lay ahead. With 5 of the 6 finals’ spots decided it was down to Warringah and Easts to fight it out for that last vital place. The Rats were in the box seat after their impressive demolition of their rivals in Round 21 but they had a tricky fixture down at Forshaw Park to negotiate first to make sure. Any slip-ups and a bonus point victory for Easts at home to Manly could see them edged out of contention. With skipper Beau Robinson out injured, Pek Cowan on Wallaby duty and Waratah flyer Robbie Horne back for the Rebels, I spent an afternoon under the power lines to watch the drama unfold.
 
The Rats started in determined fashion and controlled the early exchanges, eventually forcing a 3rd minute penalty to settle the nerves and take the sting out of the Rebels’ eager tacklers. Brett Sheehan has had a terrific season with the boot and he started as he meant to carry on with a simple conversion. 0-3
 
It was a battle royale at the breakdown with both sides trying to earn some extended ball time. The Rats were looking to spread play to the flanks early and stretch the Southos defence but were too impatient in their execution to make it count. The home side are a team that blossoms with the confidence of ascendancy or at the very least, parity on the scoreboard and it seemed clear that Warringah wanted to put them away early and prevent that head of steam from building up.
 
After quarter of an hour, the Rats blew a chance to open their try count for the day. Sheehan made a feisty bust up the middle and found Brent Murphy who drew the line well and flashed a pass wide to Jordan Macey who had one to beat for the corner. He never got the chance to try as referee Steve Walsh called him back for Murphy’s pass being forward. A wasted opportunity.
 
Southos were holding their own in the tackle department and it was great to see Robbie Horne back in action and back smashing guys at will. He put two massive hits on in the space of a minute and the quality of his defensive work through the no.13 channel was a stark reminder of exactly what the Waratahs had missed through the back end of last season’s Super 14.
 
The Rats were edging the game but unable to find that 5 point breakthrough. They paid Southos respect for their efforts by choosing to take the kick option from another penalty and seemed content to do a professional job and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Sheehan was successful again and the gap was 6pts.
 
As in the first game between these sides up at Rat Park, the Rebels were struggling to contain Warringah’s tall timber at the line-out. Consequently, they were under the pump for long periods of time as they were unable to control their own ball and release the pressure valve by clearing upfield. They were also giving away too many penalties and were in danger of gifting the game to their opponents who were happy to kick at goal all day if it got them the required result. One more blemish on their copybook and Sheehan punished them again. 0-9
 
After half an hour, the resistance finally broke and ironically it came from a period of play where Southos were looking dangerous on the attack. With good field position and numbers out wide, they didn’t throw enough bodies into the breakdown, were turned over and suddenly found themselves backtracking at a rapid rate as the Rats went on the counter. Josh Holmes, who’s impressed many with his efforts from inside centre this year, once again showed a great turn of speed to go outside his man, lure in a tackler or two and release Dylan Smouha on the halfway line giving him an open field to cruise into and score. All too easy and the writing appeared to be on the wall as Sheehan added the extras to increase the pain. 0-16

Well, they were either going to go one way or the other. Thankfully for their supporters and the neutral rugby fans watching, the Rebels opted not to lay down and die in the face of adversity but instead roll up their sleeves and ‘have a go’. And did they ever. Two minutes after their line had been breached, the Rebels returned serve in style. A sudden break from Ben Connelly caught the Rats defence unusually flatfooted as he ghosted over halfway and found his support runners. They patiently held their passes down the line to the optimum moment of release before Daniel Bray notched one up for the locks’ union and powered over from 5 metres. Nathan Sievert connected perfectly and the Rebels had a foothold back in the match. 7-16
 
Hold the phone! With a mere 2 minutes left before oranges, Southos turned up the heat and riding on the crest of their first score gave a lesson in the art of counter-attacking again. The Rats were in enemy territory but some aggressive counter-rucking turned the ball over to full-back Zac Mullane. Backing himself, he ignored the standard clearing kick and ran across his line before firing a long shot across Robbie Horne’s bow. The Wallaby hopeful held his run, drew the tackle and fed Josh Tatupu on his outside. Seeing some space in behind, he kicked ahead and chased his option hard. The ball bounced kindly and as they broke over halfway en masse, it was Tatupu again who made good yards before finding Brackin Henry with the crucial pass. Sievert matched his previous attempt and all of a sudden, we had a ball game.
 
The Rebels had turned up the physicality a notch and thrown down the gauntlet and a stunned and frustrated Rats side reacted. Sheehan and Southos skipper Tim McGann renewed ancient hostilities as they squared up and threw a few at each other on the floor while team mates and ref Walsh tried to intervene. I think they would have been quite happy to have been left alone to carry on for a while!
 
The siren sounded for an abatement in hostilities (literally) and the crowd joined the beer and sausage sizzle queues with renewed fervour and heightened anticipation for the 2nd half. News filtered through that Easts were 15-14 down to Manly but the Marlins had been reduced to 14 men. As things stood, Warringah were still in pole position but the possibilities that lay ahead were endless.
 
HT 14-16
 
If the local fans were wondering if their side could maintain the rage in the 2nd half, they only had to wait a little under 5 minutes for confirmation. Brackin Henry, showing some good pace and elusive ball-running skills throughout the game, received the ball near his own twenty-two and set off on a run. With the visitors’ defence backing away, he kept going as he arced his route across field, making a good 40 metres before finding the reliably well-positioned Horne. With some space to show his wares, Horne accelerated before stepping off his right and leaving two Rats clutching at thin air. He attracted a couple more before offloading to Kane Douglas who did well to hold onto the bobbling ball and carry it close to the line. Stopped short, he held on until the cavalry arrived and hooker John Ulugia emerged from the melee to score his teams 3rd five pointer.
 
It was a great try and a great team effort but unfortunately the cake remained un-iced as Sievert failed with the easiest kick of his afternoon. However, the famous Southos hill containing a vociferous crowd of both supporters and lower grade players were sufficiently enthused to raise the decibel levels even higher, ably assisted this week by some spontaneous post-try rock tunes which helped to create that end of season party atmosphere. That and the umpteen crates of beer going down at the same time! 19-16
 
We now had a pretty even contest with the Rebels having visibly lifted their game as a result of their three try salvo. The Rats weren’t panicking – yet – and still had the majority of territory and possession but they were failing to make any inroads into the hosts defence, being met with some stiff and determined resistance with every attack.
 
Meanwhile at Woollahra Oval, Easts had taken advantage of the extra man and turned things around in the 2nd half and were now heading towards a bonus point victory. As it stood, Warringah’s season was over.
 
With 15 minutes left on the clock, they were awarded a penalty and Sheehan kicked to touch - a logical option given their ascendancy at the line-out. As the Rebels had possibly feared, they went for the classic catch and drive with a superb effort from the forwards, rotating the point of pressure until they gained enough momentum to force their way over the line through Luke Holmes. Sheehan continued his fine form with the boot and the scales had swung back in Warringah’s favour. 19-23
 
A grandstand finish was ensured when Haig Sare found himself on the wrong side of ref Walsh and sitting out what could have been the last 10 minutes of his side’s season. This was all the encouragement Southos needed as they increased the pace once more and looked to hit the channels. The Rats were possibly guilty of shrinking into themselves and trying to protect their lead but all they achieved was sending an open invitation to their opponents to attack.
 
Five minutes were left when a great break down the right flank saw Ben Connelly sear down the line, cut inside and feed Douglas who was wrapped up by three Rats as he tried to ground the ball. The crowd took a sharp intake of breath but to their dismay he was deemed to have been held up. However, they did have the consolation of the put in at the next scrum and from right in front of the posts. It was now or never.
 
With a solid shove from their impressive pack, Sievert was given quick, clean ball to work with and he didn’t waste it. Shifting his weight to the left, he fired a pass out to Horne who carried it 5 metres, drew the defence and fed the killer pass to Henry who had enough space to run around the last man and raise his arms in celebration before making it all the way to the posts to give Sievert a simple conversion. It’s fair to say that the crowd went wild! 26-23
 
The atmosphere was now at fever pitch as the Rats season hung by a thread. Knowing a draw was good enough, they threw everything they had left looking for that one mistake that would give them a shot at goal. They set up camp in the Rebels’ half and applied constant pressure and as the siren neared, Sam Harris took a snap shot for a field goal but couldn’t clear the traffic ranged in front of him. Was that their last chance?
 
The bell rang for time, Souths finally turned over the ball and kicked into touch for a famous victory sending the crowd into raptures. But, hang-on a moment – in one final twist of this absorbing contest, Steve Walsh had called it back for a penalty! It was left to club talisman Brett Sheehan to decide their fate and without showing a hint of nerves, he steered the ball through the uprights to make it 26-26 and earn the 2pts that saw them scrape into the finals. What drama!
 
FT 26-26
 
The anguish on the faces of the Rebels as they saw their gallant efforts fall just short was matched only by the relief and jubilation on the faces of everyone connected with Warringah. They didn’t play poorly - although they hadn’t come within light years of the previous week’s masterclass – and they came up against a talented and fiercely determined opponent on the day but make no mistake, this was a get out of jail card and then some. Perversely, the draw may suit them better than the victory as it meant they avoid a peninsular showdown against arch-rivals Manly. This in no way denigrades Gordon as an opponent - they did finish 3rd after all - but I don’t think either bitter rival would relish going into a semi-final against Sydney Uni or Randwick a mere week after such a physically and emotionally draining encounter as the local derby imbues.
 
The Rebels can hold their heads high after a terrific performance and a much improved season compared to recent years. They did end up with the seven victories I predicted back in July and with a bit of luck and a different bounce of the ball they could well have made it nine. The pressure is on now to not only consolidate their improved status next year but to go up another level and start to challenge for a finals spot themselves. One thing’s for sure, if they could call on the talents of Robbie Horne every week, they’d be a shoe-in. I’d have to say his was one of the finest individual displays I’ve witnessed all season, he was quite simply awesome. On behalf of all NSW fans, welcome back Robbie – you’ve been missed.
 
Warringah coach John McKee:
“Souths had a really great attitude for their last home game of the season and they really took it to us. They didn’t do much off of set-play but their counter-attack was very dangerous and I thought Rob Horne was pretty outstanding for them. Last week, every bounce of the ball went our way, today it didn’t and credit to Souths, they showed what a gritty, hard, determined side they are. They’ve got a lot of good players out there, they’ve probably had some unlucky results this year in terms of where they’ve ended up on the table but they showed today that they’re a good side.
 
“The first half was into a tricky breeze and I thought we were controlling it.  We got that try but then we gave them a bit of a tail lift when they scored 2 tries at the back end. We’d probably played 35 minutes pretty well and 5 minutes poorly and that was enough to get them back in the game and that’s the way footy goes. I thought in the 2nd half we should have controlled field position a little bit better. We talked about it at half-time but we didn’t really execute it. At times we tried to play a little bit too much football and that led to too many turnovers. We’ve got to park that behind us now, we know we’re a good side and we’ve got to make sure we get our act together next week.
 
“Our focus now is the finals and you’ve got to think of it as a new comp. We know the bar rises and we’ve got to rise to the occasion. At this time of the year, it’s not about the intensity of our training, it’s about being accurate in what we do and working on a really specific gameplan for next week.”
 
Warringah flyhalf Sam Harris:
“We came up short all day and we didn’t have the application we needed but thankfully we got that penalty near the end. We knew we only needed the 2pts to go through and that’s what we got and we’ll take it. We had it all our own way last week, we knew we weren’t going to get that this week but we didn’t do enough hard work to lay the platform. We’d have to play really well to get to that standard again, especially coming down here and with Souths wanting to do everything to upset our preparation for the semis so yes, it wasn’t the best performance but we’ve got out of the Shire with 2pts.
 
“We’ve put teams away in the last 4-5 weeks by just building pressure. We haven’t scored points early but we’ve won the game early and then scored points late on. Today, we thought we were doing what we had to and then we had 5 minutes with a couple of brain snaps, didn’t make the tackles and let them get close.
 
“We’re looking forward to the finals, it’s what we’ve been aiming towards for the last 6 weeks and we’ve had a really good record throughout that time and now it all starts again. Gordon are a good team but they have deficiencies and if we’re good enough we can exploit them.”
 
Southern Districts’ coach Tim Rapp:
“We were a minute and a half away from upsetting them which is a good thing for us but it also shows our season to a point. If you speak to a few of the senior players – Nic Henderson said it and he’s pretty smart when it comes to talking footy – we don’t have enough self-belief before we start the game, we build it. We see a try or an opportunity, get the points and only then do we get our self-belief and get into the game which is obviously something we’ve got to work on, getting an experienced team together and backing yourself before you can even get on the field.
 
“I think if we’d have got over both West Harbour before and Warringah today as well, that would have been a fantastic year. I said to the boys during the week, 7 wins isn’t that bad from where we’ve come from, the issue I have a problem with is the difference in our scorelines when we do lose. You’re going to lose games at times, I’ve no problem with that but it’s how we lose games and the difference between us and the other team, that’s my problem. It’s probably an indication of the culture that’s been down here of late, Souths haven’t had a good few years and whether it be good or bad, some players fall into the rut of ‘Here we go again’. Everyone’s fit, everyone’s strong, it’s just a matter of blokes actually getting their head into a game and not giving in mentally more than anything.”
 
On the return of Robbie Horne:
“Robbie Horne was absolutely sensational and thank God the young blokes fit again. The bigger picture we have to look at is this is only his second year out of school and he’s had off seasons which have involved either an operation or rehabilitation. Hopefully he can get the time to look after his injuries and look after his body because for Rob I think it’s going to be a very good and very prosperous career if he’s allowed to look after himself. Having said that, I do believe he’ll be on the Wallaby Spring tour.”
 
On whether anyone can beat Sydney Uni:
“I hope I don’t eat my words but I think if you play a style of football where you’re questioning the referee to make the tough decisions against Sydney Uni, whether it be pushing the borders or the referee’s knowledge of the game physically, they can be vulnerable. If you get a big team like Manly up against them, I’m backing Manly. Put it on record, if they can stay fit and George Smith and Cliffy Palu come back, holy dooley – look out for Manly!
 
Southern Districts 26 (Brackin Henry 2, Daniel Bray, John Ulugia tries; Nathan Sievert 3 cons) drew with Warringah 26 (Luke Holmes, Dylan Smouha tries; Brett Sheehan 4 pens, 2 cons) at Forshaw Rugby Park. Referee: Steve Walsh. HT: Warringah 16-14.
 
Southern Districts: 1. Nic Henderson, 2. John Ulugia, 3. Guy Shepherdson; 4. Daniel Bray, 5. Kane Douglas; 6. Matt Trouville, 7. Tim McGann, 8. Mick Kauter; 9. Nathan Sievert, 10. Darren Kapene; 11. Brackin Henry, 12. Josh Tatupu, 13. Rob Horne, 14. Ben Connolly; 15. Zac Mullane.

Warringah: 1. Dan Raymond, 2. Luke Holmes, 3. Dan Barnard; 4. Hugh Pyle, 5. Chris Thomson; 6. Brent Murphy, 7. Paul MacGugan, 8. Trevor Richardson; 9. Brett Sheehan, 10. Sam Harris; 11. Dylan Smouha, 12. Josh Holmes, 13. Haig Sare, 14. Jordon Macey; 15. Pat McCabe.

Photo: www.seiserphotography.com - Manly's Wycliff PaluThe Marlins came out of the blocks firing and desperate to impose themselves early on against their revered opposition. They played with pace and used the full width of Manly Oval to stretch the Students and with Josh Gamgee back in the starting role at no.10, they added some composure and control to the tempo of their attacks. Brian Sefanaia was proving a handful and Tyrone Smith was at his bustling best in the centres.
 
With a healthy crowd urging them on, the Marlins domination in the early exchanges finally bore fruit and they were able to open up a bit of a gap. Hardworking winger Luke Johnson grabbed the first 5 pointer of the day after good work from Smith & Sefanaia put him over and pointscoring sensation Adam D’Arcy maintained his kicking prowess by slotting the conversion and adding a penalty for good measure. 10 minutes gone and the scoreboard read 10-0 to the home side. So far, so good.
 
The Students were a little shellshocked and had been knocked out of their rhythm a bit by the Manly assault. It was key that they got a foothold on the match to steady the ship and from their next attack they were given the chance at 3pts to set the ball rolling. Calmness personified, Daniel Halangahu struck it well on a day when a swirling sea breeze would punish any complacency from the kickers. 10-3
 
The home side were not about to shrink into their shell and from the restart they continued to lay siege to the Uni twenty-two. A terrific move down the right flank saw a superb tackle from the diminutive Jacob Taylor as D’Arcy tried to step and take him on his outside but it was only a matter of minutes before the visitors defence was breached once more.
 
Quick ball along the line found Sefanaia who set off at a right angle with his run before splicing the line and cutting inside. He made good metres before being outnumbered by tacklers but managed to turn and pop up a pass to the ever available D’Arcy who said thankyou very much and scooted over for his 22nd try of the season. With a bit of help from the omnipresent gusts, he pulled his conversion wide but a lead of 15-3 was still nothing to sniff at with a quarter of the match gone.
 
Uni had to stop the rot and it was the experienced head of Halangahu that settled the situation as he began probing the corners of Manly’s half, turning them around and taking the sting out of their attack. He also adopted a ‘bombs away’ policy for D’Arcy, applying pressure and testing his handling skills through a series of high kicks.
 
A good positional kick off the back of a penalty got Uni down in the red zone and a chance to strike back. A set-play from the back of a scrum saw Scott Stumbles feed quick ball to his supports who carved through the defensive line and into the hands of Mitch Inman who sped to the line. A successful kick from Halangahu brought us back to 15-10 and left Manly looking over their shoulder.
 
The peppering of D’Arcy continued with an aggressive kick-chase backing it up. He tried to meet fire with fire by putting up his own bomb but came off 2nd best in attempting to regather and the game was halted for a couple of minutes to allow treatment following a hefty collision. Much to the crowd’s relief, he rose to his feet and gingerly made his way back into position but was his head clear?
 
The sign of a clinical killer is to punish the weak and it was no surprise that with Halangahu’s next possession, the ball was sent hurtling skyward once more. Whether he was still feeling the effects of the recent challenge or whether he had one eye on Tom Carter who was bearing down on him like a leopard that’s just spotted a lone antelope, D’Arcy spilled the ball forward off his chest and straight into the arms of his opposite number, Nathan Trist. One full-back passed another as he gleefully sidestepped the hapless D’Arcy and accelerated into the clean air behind him. His dive under the posts and the subsequent conversion from Halangahu gave Uni the lead for the first time and having weathered the early storm they were right back in the match. 15-17
 
Both sides went at each other with renewed ferocity as they tried to wrestle control of the game from each other. Wallaby discard Wycliff Palu was doing his utmost to make a mockery of that decision as he brought his best ‘wrecking ball’ technique to the party. Uni applied some territorial pressure with no end product before Manly took their opportunity at the other end from a penalty. D’Arcy’s condition had recovered enough for the simple task of knocking it over in front of the posts and they had their noses in front once more. 18-17
 
It was an action-packed last 3 minutes before half-time started by Leon Bott’s yellow card for deliberately impeding a rampaging Trist who’d spotted some useful space behind his would-be tackler. Tempers boiled over briefly in the aftermath as Gamgee and Carter were pulled apart and spoken to at length alongside their captains by referee Stuart Dickinson. The home crowd were on edge with the enforced delay but there was still enough humour around for one wag to suggest that for the time he was taking, Dickinson might as well take everybody for a board meeting to continue the discussion!
 
With the option of a fairly straightforward kick at the posts by his standards, Halangahu was instead instructed to play for the line-out with Uni skipper Tim Davidson keen to take the mental high ground and strike a decisive blow ahead of the break. A nasty looking head injury to Manly prop Elvis Taione at the next scrum caused him a visit to the  blood bin to be replaced by Eddie Aholelei and Uni targeted the new man as they drove for the line before spreading play infield. A dangerous looking grubber from Halangahu was fielded by D’Arcy in goal before any Student could get the touch down and both teams went to the sheds still only a point apart.
 
HT 18-17
 
It’s hard enough sending a team out after the break against the reigning champions knowing their historical success rate in the second stanza without seeing the current Waratah captain and 78 test veteran Phil Waugh take the field as well to replace Jono Jenkins. The battle hardened flanker loves his club rugby, wearing that Uni jumper with pride and he only knows one way to play no matter what the occasion or level of opposition.
 
His arrival coincided with a lift in intensity from the Students as they set about laying down a marker for the rest of the game. Good early pressure drew a penalty, competently despatched by their reliable no.10 and the lead had changed hands once more. 18-20
 
They should have increased that lead when Davidson found a gap, exploited it and drew the last man before the offload to his inside runner was knocked on with the line begging. It was a let-off for Manly whose defensive line was looking increasingly fragile with each attack. Uni still came away with points from the foray as the Marlins failed to clear their lines and gave away yet another penalty as the Students ran the ball back at them with interest. 18-23
 
The game reached the hour mark with no further score but there was no let-up on the big hits in the battle for possession and watching Palu and Waugh go head to head at the breakdown was a feast for the senses in itself. Replacements became a factor for Manly as firstly James Lakepa – a tower of strength as always in the front row – made a hobbling departure from the fray and then half-back Chris Cottee was given an early bath by coach Phil Blake as he reshuffled his deck for a final assault. Josh Gamgee moved into the vacant no.9 spot with Tyrone Smith replacing him at 10.
 
The changes didn’t have the immediate effect required as Manly seemed to lose their way for 10 minutes and allow Uni to hit the accelerator and seemingly make the game safe. Halangahu waltzed through some static defending before feeding his fellow Waratah Tom Carter on his inside for an all too easy 5pts. The ensuing conversion created a 12pt gap that you couldn’t conceivably see being bridged given the evidence of the previous 20 minutes. 18-30
 
Having watched Uni quite a few times this season and witnessed their uncanny ability to bounce back from a position of adversity in a match and turn it around in the 2nd half, there didn’t seem much hope for Manly. Once the Students are on a roll, they’re like a runaway train and they steamroller the opposition into submission. However, I was to be pleasantly surprised as the Marlins - in a display of mental as well physical strength – clawed their way back into contention and showed reserves of sheer bloody mindedness that would have left Phil Blake and co. very upbeat about their resolve going into finals football.
 
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Manly pushed the ball down inside the Uni twenty-two and set about disrupting their scrum and pushing them back towards their line. The front row of Taione (back from the blood-bin), Aholelei (on for Lakepa) and recent acquisition and new Western Force recruit Tim Fairbrother, really stepped up to the mark and applied intense pressure on their counterparts.
 
Uni prop Jerry Yanuyanutawa seemed to be carrying an injury and was having problems with his bind as they packed down. Sensing a possible weakness, the Manly pack drove relentlessly causing the Students to buckle repeatedly. Referee Dickinson reminded Yanuyanutawa and his captain of their responsibilities at the engagement and threatened cards before one almighty shove saw Palu break from the pack and drive for the line. Some spirited resistance saw him held out before Gamgee finally moved the ball into some space and Manly had the extra man to create a gap for another replacement John Payne to scamper through and touch down near the posts. The parochial crowd were still abuzz as D’Arcy slotted the extras to bring it back to 25-30.
 
The last 5 minutes were all Manly as they rumbled the ball up through their now dominant forwards looking for a possible winner. As the siren neared, they set up camp in the Uni twenty-two and with shouts of encouragement ringing around the Village Green it seemed as though they might just get there. They finally worked themselves a golden opportunity but the tireless Palu spilt the ball as they neared the line and the chance was lost. Uni’s nous and experience held sway and Manly’s proud unbroken home run fell at the final hurdle although they should take plenty of heart from the fact that they pushed the new minor premiers all the way.
 
FT 25-30
 
What a fantastic game and yet another fantastic advert for club rugby. Two sides going at each other hammer and tongs with brutality and determination but plenty of skill, finesse and high quality execution sprinkled into the mix.
 
The Uni juggernaut rolls on but they certainly aren’t going to have it all their own way en route to the Grand Final. There’s going to be 5 top class sides alongside them in the play-offs and all will fancy their chances of taking down the favourites. The one thing this team has over their rivals is the experience of having been there and done it before and when the going gets tough they simply don’t know the meaning of the word defeat.
 
There were some fine performances across the park for the Marlins with Palu, Fairbrother and Gamgee notable standouts. Gamgee had been a key figure in Manly’s fine start to the season before a poor run of form saw him relegated to the bench. It just might have been the spark he needed to recapture his best and on this evidence he could yet prove to be an invaluable figure as they head into the play-offs.
 
Sydney University Damien Hill:
“It was a fantastic game, I don’t think Manly have lost here all year and they aimed right up. We’re lucky that we’ve had Easts last week, Manly today and Eastwood next – we couldn’t ask for a better run in terms of the toughness of our games going into the finals.
 
“We’re still building, our line-out wasn’t as sharp as it should have been, our scrum was a little bit inconsistent and our phase play could have been a lot better. We’re never really satisfied with what we’re doing and we know we’ve got to keep improving because other teams are always catching us up.
 
“The ability to play for 80 minutes reflects the hard work that these guys put in. if you can stay within reach of the other top teams for the first 20 minutes then we know we’re in with a real good chance. But, I think it’s a good reflection on our strength and conditioning and how hard these guys actually work.
 
“Eastwood haven’t got much to lose so they’ll be throwing everything at us next week. I don’t think it particularly matters if we played them at Eastwood or at home, they’ll be coming with all guns blazing so we expect another hard battle.”
 
Manly assistant coach Matt McGoldrick:
“They (Uni) somehow just keep finding a way to win don’t they? Halangahu carved us up in the first round but I thought we did an ok job on him today, although he set up a try which is par for the course. D’Arcy got caught just being a little bit deep at times and Halangahu’s so smart he just kept throwing it up there but the little fella showed plenty of courage, he was good for us today.
 
 “We were really our own worst enemy at times, we played great footy for probably 70 minutes but as everyone keeps saying, 70’s not going to do it. It was a great game of footy, they got up but our guys are all sitting there going ‘You know what, we can give this thing a shake’.
 
“I don’t reckon any other team in the comp would have beaten us today. We’re probably close to where we were and we’ve still got a long way to go but I think we’re going to take some beating moving forward. If we win next week at Easts, we’ll be fine. We’re in the six and that bonus point could be important.”
 
Sydney University captain Tim Davidson:
“Full credit to Manly, they really stuck it to us, especially in that 1st half. We were really run off our feet and they were coming at us with speed and it was hard to defend against. Fortunately, we were pretty patient and we’ve got quite a bit of experience in this Uni side which has held us in good stead and we knew if we just kept chipping away that we’d find the holes out wide. It could have gone either way, they got a pretty good sniff at the end there and there was only a few points in it but I think that’s the closest game to finals type footy that you’ll see.
 
They’ve been undefeated here all year which is a really hard task and they weren’t going to lie down for us. The crowd support here’s fantastic and it’s like having 16 players on the field. We know that if we’re in the game at half-time we’ve just got to tweak a couple of things and maybe lift the intensity that extra 5% that we’re finding teams are struggling to keep up with. But, having said that, if Manly had got the bounce of the ball in that 2nd half and especially towards the end, it could have gone the other way.
 
On Uni’s return to top form after an indifferent start to the season:
“We weren’t getting smashed by teams, we just weren’t winning the crucial moments in games and that comes down to a lack of experience - a few words here and there to new players to give them their confidence back. I think you can put it down to the fact that a lot of our experienced players who’ve played a lot of footy with the club were away and when they come back they instil confidence in the younger players to back themselves, maintain their composure, trust their drill and trust what they’ve done. You’ve got to give direction to the younger kids, if they go quiet, they just don’t have the same impact as when they know what they’re doing. If they go into games knowing what they have to do and knowing their role then they can carry that out confidently. They’ve done the hard work, they just have to back themselves.”
 
Sydney University 30 (Tom Carter, Mitch Inman, Nathan Trist tries; Daniel Halangahu 3 cons, 3 pens) d Manly 25 (Luke Johnson, John Payne, Adam D’Arcy tries; Adam D’Arcy 2 cons, 2 pens) at Manly Oval. Referee: Stuart Dickinson. HT: Manly 18-17.
 
Manly: 1. James Lakepa, 2. Elvis Taione, 3. Tim Fairbrother; 4. Will Munsie, 5. Ryan Melrose; 6. Daniel Collins, 7. Cristobal Westernenk, 8. Will Brame; 9. Chris Cottee, 10. Josh Gamgee; 11. Leon Bott, 12. Brian Sefanaia, 13. Tyrone Smith, 14. Luke Johnson; 15. Adam D’Arcy.

Sydney University: 1. Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 2. Ben Roberts, 3. Pat Ryan; 4. Dave Dennis, 5. Ben McCalman; 6. Pat McCutcheon, 7. Jono Jenkins, 8. Tim Davidson [c]; 9. Scott Stumbles, 10. Daniel Halangahu; 11. Jacob Taylor, 12. Tom Carter, 13. Mitch Inman, 14. Nick Edwards; 15. Nathan Trist.