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| Monday 12 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
STATE SPOTS FOR PENINSULA BOYS FOUR Peninsula players were named in state teams yesterday after the side's outstanding efforts at the Queensland School Sport 15 years rugby league championships at Redcliffe. Peninsula captain Jack Svendsen, a Gordonvale High School second-rower, and Trinity Bay High centre Kelvin Lowe were named in the Queensland Maroons, the state’s top side. Vice-captain Jessie DiMaggio, a lock from Good Counsel College, was named in the Queensland White side, along with Tully interchange player William Inu. All four will play at the national 15 years titles in Brisbane in June-July. Peninsula lost its final two games of the tournament at the weekend to finish fourth overall. After winning its opening two rounds, the boys made the semi-finals but faced tournament favourite and eventual champion South Coast on Saturday. Peninsula lost 50-8 with winger John Sesar and second-rower E-J Fa’aofo crossing for tries. Manager Mario Mlikota said the result was slightly disappointing given the level Peninsula had reached in its 20-4 win against Capricornia on Friday. "We were pretty flat. They came out of the gates well and we were 16-0 down after eight minutes," Mlikota said. "We had very little ball in the first half and errors crept into their game.".. LEARN MORE |
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Story & Photo's By :  Captain Cook oval was again the center of attention with a coupe of fantantic games of under 15's rugby league. De La Salle u 15'b (2) have been a team on the move, saturday they faced Gymea who put a bit of a scare into the competition leaders De La side last week missing taking home the game by only 1 point, was it that little sneak Ellis that popped a filed goal, De La (2) bravely fought back from a 2 tries down with 2 great team tries to level the scores at the later stages of the game. Gymea however were good enough to control the game and put on the winning tries, well done to both of these team. The much vaunted De La Salle U15a's played the much improved Engadine Dragons. The Dragons turned up to Capt Cook oval with the eye of the tiger in them, wow, what a display we saw from the Engadine boys. Engadine play very well against De La & combined well with a simple game plan that is deadly, close down the De La halves, restrict the ball getting to the De La forwards, then their speedy backs don't come into the equation at all. This doesn't allow the De La backs into the game.. LEARN MORE |
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The Canberra Raiders SG Ball side have been bundled out of the finals, with a disappointing 35-10 loss to the Parramatta Eels at the Western Weekender Stadium on Saturday. The six tries to two loss brings an end to an otherwise successful season for the Canberra side who finished third on the ladder after only two defeats throughout the regular season. Coach Dave Hamilton says that although it was a disheartening result, a number of the players will be able to take the experience into next season. “Yeah very disappointed,” a dejected Hamilton said after the match. “Not just me but the players, I think they’ll sit back and realise that today they didn’t turn up. I’m not saying they didn’t try but we definitely could have played at another level of intensity, for sure. “In saying that, it was still a pretty successful season for us. Nine of those guys are a year young, so next year they’ll have the experience of two semi finals under their belt.” Hamilton also lamented the early injury to hooker Matt McIlwrick. McIlwrick has been one of the Raiders best this season, and his knock to the sternum was a blow to their chances. “Matty McIlwrick copped a bit of an injury early and we missed his running game because when he goes forward out of dummy half, then we go forward and we play the edges but that didn’t happen today for us. “It’s disappointing we didn’t get there, but we’ll move on.” The Raiders didn’t get off to the start they were looking for and Parramatta was over after only four minutes. Eels five eighth Albert Kelly made the most of a staggered defensive line to step through and score next to the posts. Nathan Gardiner converted and the Eels lead 6-0 after only four minutes. The Raiders hit back though when Daniel Vidot pounced on a good grubber from Raiders five eighth Cameron Breust. Brendan Harper missed the conversion, but the Raiders had narrowed the gap to 6-4 after eight minutes. Parramatta captain Tim Auremi was next to score when he ran on to a good short ball to score out wide. Gardiner’s conversion was unsuccessful, but the Eels were back out to a six point lead. Things weren’t looking too good for the Raiders when second rower Mitchell Johnson strolled over under the posts and make the score 16-4 after fifteen minutes. But five minutes later a 90 metre special from Drury Low kept the Raiders in it. With Parramatta attacking the Raiders line, Low collected the high kick, danced around Gardiner and raced almost the length of the field to score under the posts. Breust converted the try to make it 16-10 and give the Raiders a sniff. That’s how it stayed until half time, but unfortunately for the Raiders, the second half was all Parramatta. With the Eels attacking the Raiders line, Vidot pulled off a magnificent try saving tackle, but in the very next play Pita Maile powered his way over under the posts and make the score 22-10 eleven minutes into the second half. Parramatta scored again off a well placed grubber kick and Gardiner converted to make it 28-10, and with five minutes to go TK Amosa made sure of the result with a field goal to push the margin out beyond three converted tries. Another weaving run and good offload from Kelly allowed Amosa to score under the posts and wrap up a comprehensive 35-10 win. Despite the disappointing result Hamilton was looking to the future, many of the Raiders side with plenty of footy still to play this season. “Some of them will move up to the National 20s and the other boys we are selecting an academy squad and they’ll continue to train. “We’ll give them a couple of weeks off, that’s the first priority is to give them some rest. A lot of them have got school football, believe it or not, some of these guys will play up to 46-52 games this season so it’s a big year at this age group. “So there’s still a future, I know today’s disappointing, but we get over that and move on. There’s a reason why they’re here and we still believe they’re capable of going to the next level.” Hamilton will oversee the academy and help out with the National under 20s side where possible. Congratulations also to Daniel Vidot who was selected in the Under 18 Queensland team last week after a fantastic season in which he was the leading try scorer in the SG Ball competition. Parramatta Eels 35 (TK Amosa, Albert Kelly, Tim Auremi, Mitchell Johnson, Fred Latulipe, Pita Maile, Nathan Gardiner tries; Nathan Gardiner 5 goals; TK Amosa field goal) defeated Canberra Raiders 10 (Daniel Vidot, Drury Low tries; Cameron Breust goal) at Western Weekender Stadium |
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Story & Photo : Graham Callaghan  TWEED Heads lived up to their defending premiers status to trounce Wynnum 64-14 at BMD Kougari Oval yesterday. Shannon Walker starred in his return from injury. The 19-year-old was playing his first game for Tweed Heads this season after injuring a hip and wrist playing for the Gold Coast Titans in the Toyota Cup. "It's great to be back -- especially with the Seagulls," said the Australian Schoolboys' representative. Tweed led 16-8 at the break. Three minutes after play resumed, Wynnum Manly five-eighth Dallas McIlwain kicked a high bomb to winger Walker, who showed his class from a standing start, weaving and outsprinting the defence to race 60m to score. McIlwain continued to target Walker with high bombs, which allowed the speedster to make repeated breaks, feeding supports for three more tries. Tweed Heads racked up 11 tries to two, with coach Michael Woods impressed by how his charges had 'played hard' for each other. "I was exceptionally pleased with how safe Walker was under the high ball -- they tested him all day and he never failed," said Woods. "He had been playing fullback in the Toyota Cup, but he proved himself on the flank today." The Seagulls had seven Titans on show yesterday, with forwards Matthew Cross, Ian Donnelly, Chris Enahoro and Michael Henderson continually making valuable metres in attack. Woods called for more support next Sunday when Tweed hosts top team Ipswich at Cudgen. The Burleigh Bears held on in the dying stages to beat the determined Norths Devils 22-14 at Pizzey Park on Saturday, with the Devils scoring 10 points in the final eight minutes. The Bears had lost their previous three matches, conceding a huge 122 points and forcing coach Jim Lenihan to drop three players for attitude problems. "We can still improve. We have the bye next weekend so really it was a four-point win," said Lenihan. "When they scored their 10 points in the last eight minutes, we had some interchange problems, so I was pleased we hung on." Midway through the first stanza, Bears halfback Brent McConnelly, who was replaced in the 48th minute after a head clash, sent an inside ball to evergreen five-eighth Tommy O'Reilly, who scored near the posts. Within three minutes Burleigh second rower John Blatch charged on a pass from dummy-half Scott Smith and twisted his way over for another try, with fullback Nick Parfitt again adding the extras. Two minutes before the break, five-eighth Jacob Samoa made a 30m break before being stopped short of the tryline. His brother Luke stepped into dummy-half and after a quick play-the-ball, the centre scooted down the blind side to send Burleigh to the sheds leading 12-4. IN THE Gold Coast Bycroft Cup, Southport Tigers remain undefeated after beating Burleigh Heads 30-24 in the top-of-the-ladder clash at Pizzey Park yesterday. But the Bears threatened to score after the final siren, when Southport fullback Jay McDermott cleaned up a grubber kick in his own in-goal area to seal the win. Southport coach Steve Dowd said Burleigh dominated the ruck area early in the second half forcing his Tigers to lift a gear or two. Southport led 24-4 but Burleigh hit back with a converted try just before the break. ``We were too complacent in the second half and it was almost costly,'' said Dowd. ``Burleigh did play some good football but we managed to get across the line. It was good to come away with the two competition points that is always hard at Burleigh.'' Props Tony Kelly and Ryan Pearson, lock Jay Hurlock, five-eighth Dean Allen and fullback McDermott were Southport's best, while centre Steve Farrelly, backrower Jason Bradfield and prop Boyd Towley stood out for the Bears. On Saturday, Runaway Bay completed their sets in the second half to beat an enthusiastic Nerang Roosters side 56-12 at Bycroft Field. It was only 16-12 at half-time. ``Once we completed our sets we took control in the second half,'' said Baysiders coach Russell Bartlett. Halfback Jeffrey Pollard crossed for a hat-trick for Runaway Bay, while tireless prop Campbell Curio led from the front. Bilambil coach Jamie Mathiou was pleased with the Jets' improvement when they beat Mudgeeraba 24-10 at Firth Oval, with prop Greg Zimmerman and half Steve O'Keefe voted their best. ``It was a really pleasing effort after the touch-up we received off Southport the previous weekend.'' Elsewhere, Currumbin beat Parkwood 46-16 and Tugun downed Ormeau 36-10 in the grand final rematch. |
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| Sunday 11 MAy '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOW THERE ARE FOUR The strength of the Parramatta Eels’ junior stocks was showcased today with the Western Sydney club winning through to both Junior Representative grand finals next weekend. The Eels downed the Canberra Raiders 35-10 in the SG Ball Cup semi-final today at Western Weekender Stadium shortly after their Harold Matthews team pulled off a stunning 34-28 victory against Newcastle. Parramatta will meet fellow Western Sydney powerhouse Penrith in the Harold Matthews Cup grand final next week after the Panthers smashed the Bulldogs 48-12 today. In the SG Ball Cup grand final, the Eels will face the Roosters following the tri-colours’ 38-30 defeat of the Bulldogs today.. | MATTY'S CUP RESULTS | SG BALL RESULTS | PANTHERS INTO MATTY'S CUP GRAND FINALUndefeated Minor Premiers the Penrith Panthers are the 1st team into this years Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final after flogging the Bulldogs 48 - 12 |
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Story & Photo's By : Captain Cook oval was again the center of attention with a coupe of fantantic games of under 15's rugby league. De La Salle u 15'b (2) have been a team on the move, saturday they faced Gymea who put a bit of a scare into the competition leaders De La side last week missing taking home the game by only 1 point, was it that little sneak Ellis that popped a filed goal, De La (2) bravely fought back from a 2 tries down with 2 great team tries to level the scores at the later stages of the game, Gymea however were good enough to control the game and put on the winning tries, well done to both of these team. The much vaunted De La Salle U15a's played the much improved Engadine Dragons. The Dragons turned up to Capt Cook oval with the eye of the tiger in them, wow, what a display we saw from the Engadine boys. Engadine play very well against De La & combined well with a simple game plan that is deadly, close down the De La halves, restrict the ball getting to the De La forwards, then their speedy backs don't come into the equation at all. This doesn't allow the De La backs into the game.. LEARN MORE |
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| Saturday 10 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo's By : Eighteen year old schoolboy Wade Graham will play his first NRL match this weekend for the Penrith Panthers against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium. In a selection shock this Panthers Toyota Cup star will appear at the top level for the first time. Wade who was also selected for Sydney Gold in last Tuesday's CHS Sydney Schoolboys trials at Western Weekender Stadium dominated the play at this level. From former NSW Ballboy to last years NSW U17's Captain in their fantastic victory over the QLD U 17's at Telstra before the State of Origin. Wade gets his chance this weekend after Jarrod Sammut was dropped to the Toyota Cup side for 'poor form'& has been training with the Panthers NRL squad for the past 2 weeks. |
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The ReACT roofing Raiderette’s will represent the Canberra Raiders this weekend, for the annual Women in Super Mothers Day Classic held in Canberra this Sunday. Eight of the 2008 Raiderette squad will participate in the annual event, which raises money for breast Cancer research. Raiders Coach Neil Henry said the Raiders were right behind the event again in 2008, and would be well represented by the Raiderette’s. “We’re proud to support this event for the second year in a row, and unfortunately because we’re playing in Sydney we won’t be able to attend,” Henry said. “But our Raiderette’s will be participating in the event and we’re happy to support this great cause.” Ms Katy Gallagher MLA will join thousands of locals in Canberra for the Mothers Day Classic this Sunday. "Breast cancer touches one in eight Australian women," said Ms Gallagher. "Breast cancer research is already improving survival rates and the quality of life for these women so we can all make a real contribution by walking or running this Mothers Day." The annual Women in Super Mothers Day Classic walk/run is expected to attract 60,000 participants nationally, making it the largest charity fun run in the country. The event will also be held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and many regional locations across the nation - including Bairnsdale, Bridgewater, Cohuna, Geelong, Mansfield, Warrnambool and Wodonga. Since the event was launched in 1998 by Women in Super, it has raised more than $3.2 million for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and is the NBCF’s largest single donation each year. As the major sponsor, Members Equity Bank has committed to an eight year sponsorship. Many participants use this event to support or remember loved ones affected by breast cancer. Thousands of women, men and children of all ages wear tribute cards to support those fighting breast cancer, and to remember those lost to the disease. A minute of silence is held on the day to remember those who have died from the breast cancer. |
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| WESTERN SQUADS SELECT COLLEGE TRIO Story & Photo By :  Three Dubbo College players have been named in Greater Western sides to play in the New South Wales Combined High Schools Carnival to be held at Toronto from May 25-28. Charly Runciman from Dubbo College Delroy Campus and the Dubbo Senior College duo Max Ray and Brodie Chapman have each been identified as outstanding talents and their selections come as no surprise. Max and Brodie were last week named in the NSW Country Under-16s side to tour Queensland later in the season after being part of the Western Rams side that went down to Oxley in the final of the Country Championships. At school level in Toronto, Charly will play fullback in the 15-Years Division side to be coached by former Wellington first grade captain Tony Wilson who is now at Gilgandra High School. In the Open Division side, Max is one of the props with Brodie as his lock. The Open side will be coached by Tim Vaughan from Karayuna with Tony Tilburg (Blayney High) his manager. Meanwhile, the Dubbo and District Junior Rugby League season continues tomorrow with the draw now available. Computer problems in the league clubhouse prevented the draws getting to the Daily Liberal in time for the Thursday edition. There will be a full line-up of games at Apex Oval as well as games at Wellington’s Kennard Park, at Warren and at Gilgandra..| LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHS CHAMPIONSHIPS | |
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| Friday 9 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dubbo and Narromine will be represented in tomorrow night’s rugby league curtain raiser for the Australia v New Zealand Test at Sydney Cricket Ground. Dubbo’s Josh Merritt and Dylan Hill and Narromine’s Riley Cape were all selected in the NSW Indigenous under-16 side that will play against Queensland. After showing form at a camp in Narrabeen last year, the boys were announced in the NSW team and have been training in Sydney since Tuesday for tomorrow night’s clash. “I’m really proud to be running out for my State,” Merrit said. “I just can’t wait to play,” he said. Merrit has been selected at five-eighth for the match and said he will be focusing on taking control and talking through the plays. Coach for the NSW side, Scott Mieni said he congratulates the work of junior league officials in Dubbo for the talent they are helping to produce. “There has always been impressive players come out of Dubbo but to have three from the area selected in this year’s team is a credit to Dubbo’s junior league officials,” he said. Mieni said the boys were selected on not only their talent but on their respect and dedication. “The boys have a really good attitude and they are very disciplined,” Mieni said. “They know what they are here for and they listen.” Meini believes the NSW side will step-up well against Queensland and said he is confident the boys can dominate. “You would be blown away with the talent of the boys in the side,” he said. “They just keep getting better year after year.” The NSW side began training on Tuesday and will have a light session tomorrow before the big game. “The preparation leading up to tomorrow’s game has been really good,” Mieni said. “The boys are focused and keen.” Mieni said the team appreciates the privilege of playing at the SCG and the importance of playing for their State. “They all understand the honour behind playing and they all got a huge buzz out of the fact that they would be playing before a huge match like Australia v New Zealand,” he said. |
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A PRODUCTIVE week long camp was the catalyst for the Queensland Universities rugby league team’s 48-4 trouncing of their New South Wales counterparts at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium. After leading 16-0 at half-time, Queensland piled on another six tries in a clinical performance. Flashy Queensland winger Michael Comerford completed a fine debut match, crossing for a hat-trick of tries and booting six goals for a personal tally of 24 points. Vice-captain Jonathan Crawley and livewire five-eighth Brogan Gibson each crossed for a brace of four-pointers. Maroons coach Paul Srama was wrapped with his side’s performance. He said the team’s ability to stick to the basics helped pave the way for the nine tries to one romp. “I was really impressed with the way that the guys stuck to the game plan of building pressure, and particularly the way that we executed our plays,” Srama said.. LEARN MORE |
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| WALKER SIGNS FOR TWO MORE YEARS Story By : Pat Mcleod  GOLD Coast wunderkind Shannon Walker yesterday cemented his dream in the NRL. Walker, 19, regarded as league's brightest young star, announced he had signed with the Titans at least until the end of 2010. The Gold Coast beat off a pack of clubs hunting the signature of the uniquely talented Aboriginal from Kyogle. But Walker admitted there had been little chance of him going elsewhere. "I wanted to stay here and my partner (Casie Winkler) is on a scholarship at Bond Uni," he explained. "If I went somewhere else it would have had to have been without her and that wasn't going to happen. "We are close to family here. This is where we wanted to stay." The commotion surrounding Walker's re-signing would have been similar to that of one of the club's top first grade players but the teenager is yet to play first grade. But his already legendary try-scoring feats for Seagulls in the Queensland Cup last season and the Titans Under-20 side this year have etched him as a fans favourite. Plenty of Titans supporters come early to Skilled Park just to catch a glimpse of Walker in action. But his brilliance has courted more than season ticket holders. Watching on at Titans training yesterday were 15 players from the Ipswich Warriors touch football team. All are indigenous. All are part of a PCYC-based program for troubled youth. All are Shannon Walker fans. "He (Walker) was the one they were all talking about when we were driving here," said the group's co-ordinator Anthony Ralph. "They just couldn't wait to see him, to meet him. "These are kids from very troubled backgrounds. "We're talking break and enters, bashings, graffiti, stolen cars, drugs, alcohol. "What they see in Shannon Walker is a very positive role model. They see someone like them, an indigenous person playing at this level and they know they can make it. "They start to realise that the colour of their skin does not have to stop them." Walker is happy to accept the pressure of being the role model. In fact he enjoys it. "Yeah, it's good," he says. "When you are out on the street, people will come up to you for an autograph or a chat. "There is that pride, especially at being an indigenous person and especially when I go back home to the Northern Rivers and everybody comes up and says 'hello'. "Of course with that comes the pressure to behave yourself. You don't want to muck up." Anticipation is growing as to when coach John Cartwright will give Walker his top grade debut. However Walker admits an injury-plagued season in the Toyota Cup has not helped his NRL cause. He has battled hip, wrist and hand ailments. "Of course the dream to play NRL is as strong as ever," he said. "But that is up to Carty and it will come when it comes. "Carty just says to keep fit. I just have to have a clear run and play good footy. "This season has not gone how I wanted it to go because of injuries. "That puts a bit of pressure on and it also eats at your confidence. "But as plenty of people have told me: `Don't drop off and hang your head. Just keep playing good footy'." |
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 KIRWAN State High School's open team dominated the first round of the Cowboys Challenge played recently. Kirwan defeated Ignatius Park College 32-10 in what was rated a tough contest for both Kirwan State High School open team coach George Bartlett said his side played extremely well as a team "It's hard to get 16 to 18-year-old's to play as a team, but they played great," Bartlett said. "It's hard to single out a player who stood out because they all played well. "Some of the kids who may not have done much or didn't have the ball still worked well in the team." Bartlett said Ignatius Park College were a tough team. "Last time we played them, they beat us one to nil. "I've been around football all my life and I've never seen a score like that. "It's always a highly contested game and we certainly have a lot of respect for their team." Kirwan will play Cairns in two weeks time in Tully and Ignatius Park will play Ingham. There are two pools in the challenge including the Northern and the Southern, which includes Mackay and Rockhampton. The top teams in each pool will play to win the Cowboys' Challenge In the under-15's match, Bartlett said it was a very close game with Ignatius Park College beating Kirwan High 8-6. "Ignatius won it with a penalty kick at the very end of the game." |
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| Thursday 8 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : MR. NOEL CLARK Photo's By : SYDNEY SOUTH WEST V SYDNEY WEST The 2008 Sydney Rugby League Championships were contested at The Western Weekender Stadium at St Marys before a very acceptable crown for schoolboy league. The standard of play these days is so superior to that of even ten years ago, it no longer looks like 15 year olds such is the quality of play. This writer only saw the under 15s games on the day and the first game was between Sydney South West and Sydney West with lots of big, and I mean big hits in defence. The final score being 30 -14 in favour of SSW but I can assure you the score in no way indicated the closeness of the game, it could have gone either way had SW had not made errors at crucial times such as dropped ball. It was a very entertaining as were all four games on the day. ...............................................................................................................................................
In the game between Sydney East and Sydney North we saw another game with monster hits that could almost be felt on the sideline. The attacking play was most enterprising particularly from SE but North clung on as hard as they could but were not able to prevent the Sydney East team from their scoring spree. East had a healthy contingent of players from Endeavour Sports who have proven themselves as quality players in every game this writer has seen. LEARN MORE HERE |
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Story & Photo's By :
Illawarra SHS hosted Endeavour & Matraville in the 1st games of this years Michael Buettner Shield. The mighty Endeavour under 12's once again proved that Endeavour rocks. In the first game ESHS played the locals defeating Illawarra SHS 30 - 18 The 2nd games was against Australian power house Matraville Sports, and the Endeavour boys came up trumps again with a resounding 23 - 16 victory Congratulations to the boys and Mr. Kelly who is always there to support the teams, and a special mention that the games where played in the fantastic spirit of 100 years of Rugby League & young Jamal Roberts crossed for 5 tries on the day.. LEARN MORE ABOUT ENDEAVOUR SHS |
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Story & Photo By :  Outside backs Rory Brien and Hayden Hodge have both earned NSW Country under 18s jerseys despite after the completion of the under 18s country championships in Wollongong on Friday night. Although the Northern Area based Oxley Pioneers won the Country final 32-20 at Wollongong on Friday night, the Rams had five players named in the Country side. The other Rams in the Country squad are Dubbo pair Brodie Chapman and Max Ray as well as lock Michael Nixon from Orange CYMS. Brien was chosen as a starting centre for the NSW?Country side while Hodge was named on the bench. Played at WIN Stadium as a curtain raiser the Country-City Origin clash, Oxley scored seven tries to Western’s four to claim the Tom Nelson Shield.. LEARN MORE |
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| NSW INDIGENOUS SIDE SELECTED The following players have been selected for NSWRL U/16 Indigenous team to contest the Annual NSW Kooris v QLD Murries match at the SCG on Friday 9thMay 2008 1.James Roberts Souths 14.William Tufui Narrabri The NSW Indigenous team will assemble at the Travelodge at the NSWRL Club Phillip Street Sydney, At 11.00am on Tuesday 6th May 2008. Please contact Steve Hall 0419 492 779 or Ricky Walford 0292327566 |
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| Wednesday 7 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year 8 Aspley/Broncos Cup team started season off well with a 20 - 8 win against Clontarf. The boys played well as a team with tries being scored by Alex Findlay, Nick Stanley and the chosen player of the match Jack Copeland. They did the simple things very well which allowed them to dominate…. WELL DONE !! Redcliffe Yr 9 Broncos Challenge team was beaten 28 - 6 by Mountain Creek. Despite the hard work by Shane Toa and Jayden Best. Alex Stack played well scoring a try, to trail 10 - 6 at half time. The second half started well with Tom Overington and Matt Smith playing well. But Mountain Creek ran away with the game late in the half.. Learn More Here |
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 SEASON SO FAR Well with the first few rounds of both the local schools and the Broncos challenge out of the way its time for a bit of a look at how things are going and a general update of all things "FOOTY". In the local schools competition the 13 A's are travelling along well and are unbeaten thus far, as are the 14B's who have had some high scoring victories over some spirited opponents. The 15's are not unbeaten but still top their comp and should feature in the crossover finals. "We cant complete one set out of eight and have zero props taking the ball up and expect to stand even half a chance " he said. "We will need to stick to our basic game plan and play basic football if we are to build a platform for the later stages of the competition" he added. Mr Richard's side have shown good composure and discipline to remain unbeaten against some much bigger and more fancied opposition. These results really do prove that a well coached side who sticks to a basic game plan and does the little things right consistently will prevail over less structured more fancied sides. Vaha Pulu and Ben Murdoch are showing good form early on and hooker Dean Parata seems to have slotted in to the side well. Onto the NRL and its good to see a total of 5 graduates now in the NRL. Benji and Ben Teo at Wests,Greg Eastwood at the Broncos, Rangi Chase at St George and now Sam Moa who got a run at Cronulla at the weekend. Sam was a great ambassador for Keebra and its good to see him make his debut. He came off the bench and made a number of crunching tackles and a gained a good few yards in hit ups. WELL DONE SAM.Another player to watch out for is Manly's Kenny Edwards who had a good run in the Toyota Cup at the weekend and looks all set to continue on his way to the top grade.. LEARN MORE ABOUT KEEBRA PARK STATE HIGH SCHOOL |
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| NARRABRI SETS UP SHOT AT BIG GUNS Story By : GRANT ROBERTSON  NARRABRI High School has emerged as the challenger to Farrer’s regional Arrive Alive Cup title after beating the Farrer second XIII at Narrabri yesterday after the school and town received more good news that Will Tufui had made the NSW Indigenous Under 16s side. It’s the first time Narrabri has reached this stage of the competition and it is ready for a showdown with Farrer. Defence and a strong game around the ruck was the key to yesterday’s 40-12 win. “We stuck to our game plan which was to dominate the ruck,” Narrabri coach Brad Graham said. “We didn’t complete as many sets as we would have liked. “We’d get to the end of the set and come up with a low percentage play instead of completing the set. “But we were strong in defence. “We had some trouble out on the right side because they had a couple of sharp players out there and we had to change things around to accommodate that.” Farrer 2 stuck with Narrabri in the first half and went into the break 12-6 down but Narrabri got on a roll on the back of its ruck dominance. “Their second phase was very good,” Farrer co-coach Jeff Guider said. “They’ve got some fast players in the backs and forwards and they backed up all day. “They dominated the play the ball area and they were able to roll on from there. “Their defence out wide, their slide defence, was good too because we’ve got some handy players out there like Sam Bowden who wasn’t able to show up. “Certainly Narrabri was the better side.” Farrer hooker Tom Mellor had a good game though with two tries while Guider said Nick Say and Sam Crossley were also good. For Narrabri, Josh Warren, Kenny Allison and Daniel Jobson all scored two tries each while Sean Russ and Alics Davis were the other try-scorers for the home side. Narrabri will now prepare for next week’s trip to Tamworth knowing it will have to step up again. “Our preparation will have to be good,” Graham said. “Under the old format we used to play a game against Wee Waa and then we’d come up against a red-hot Farrer. “This year we’ve been able to build that belief with every win. “These blokes (Farrer) were good today but we know they will be better so we have to improve.” Regular hooker Phil Webb and Tufui should be back for the final. Tufui wasn’t available for Narrabri because he is in camp in Sydney preparing for Friday’s Indigenous Under 16s State of Origin. The outstanding youngster has been selected to play for NSW against Queensland in the curtain-raiser to Friday night’s Centenary Test between Australia and New Zealand at the SCG. |
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Story & Photo By : BRAD GREENSHIELD  GROUP 2 players scored five of the seven Oxley Pioneer tries on Friday night to help steer the Northern NSW combine to the Country Rugby League under 18 Regional Championship. Playing in the final against the Western Rams as a curtain-raiser to the City-Country origin clash, the Oxley team outclassed their opponents to record a memorable 32-20 win at Wollongong's WIN Stadium. Dunghutti Broncos centre Ray Marshall opened the scoring when he crossed in the 11th minute but that was about all the joy the Pioneers would have for nearly half an hour. Costly handling errors saw the Rams run in three tries in six minutes and suddenly the green and whites from out West were enjoying a 16-4 lead. "We didn't play that well to start with and we were down 16-4 I thought we're in a bit of trouble here," victoriuos coach Peter Barrett said. "I think they were a bit overawed by it all and we weren't going so well but they showed plenty of character." Just before half time Western looked in control until a superb cut-out pass by Orara Valley half Jason McGrady Jr put Macksville winger Jesse McEwan over to have scores at 16-10 at the break. Barrett couldn't wait to get his boys into the sheds for the break so he could steer them in the right direction for the second half. What he said should be bottled and used by all coaches facing a football emergency as the Pioneers put on four unanswered tries in the quarter of an hour after the break. McGrady scored a try himslef almost immediately after the half began before Kenny Allison scored then Marshall and McEwan snared their doubles. "I told them I wasn't going to rant and rave but the number of errors were sky high," Barrett said of his half time address. "We turned it over on the first tackle five times in the one half so you have to be Einstein to work out what was wrong. "After half time they took control of the game a bit more." Only an off evening with the boot for Oxley goal kicker Matt Nean kept the Rams in the hunt as Oxley led 28-16. Western had some faint hopes of a revival with 15 minutes remaining when replacement Cain Henry crossed but it wasn't their night. Jay Chatfield sealed the deal for Oxley with 15 minutes remaining to stretch the lead to an unassailable two converted tries and the Tom Nelson Shield was heding north. "The emotion after the game was great," Barrett recalled. "They'd forgotten about getting picked in country sides or anything like that, they were just so happy. "The boys took the Shield and did the lap of honour and shook hands with nearly everyone in the Stadium I reckon over the fence." Seven members of the Oxley team received an additional honour on top of the championship when they were selected in the NSW Country team. One of those seven was Jason McGrady who can now look forward to playing against arch enemy Queensland up north. |
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| Monday 6 th May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo's By : There are only four team alive in this years NSWRL District Rep's SG Ball minor Premiers Canterbury are through to the semi finals after flogging the Gold Coast Titans, Parramatta, Roosters & the powerful Canberra Raiders make up the four teams for this weeks semi finals. In the under 16's Harold Matthew's Cup Minor Premiers Penrith had a 50 - 4 training run against the Illawarra Steelers to close in on the '08 flag, Parramatta, Canterbury & the Newcastle Knights make up the last four teams playing for a place in next weeks grand finals at Western Weekender Stadium. The NSWRL District Reps have seen some great football games in '08 with new teams in each comp, the SWSAS struggled in their 1st year in the Harold Matthews Cup and according to the Academy's boss Gerry Knight are excited about the future. The Gold Coast Titans are the new kids on the block in the SG Ball and is another great opportunity for young Queenslanders to advance the footy ranks. |
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Photo By : Every game has 2 halves, in this one they were completely different! The first half continued a pattern of drop balls allowing field position, possession and an easy try to the Gymea Gorillas who played smart, simple footy to be in the lead at half time. Gymea’s Jack Somerfield consistently put the ball down into the far end of the Cronulla’s half putting pressure on them and forcing them to run it out. No. 8 for Gymea and their fullback did some good tackling. With No. 1 making a good run past about three Cronulla defenders. Rea Pittman made a great return from Mathews Cup with strong line breaks throughout the entire game. Strong words from coach Joe Lichaa at second half saw an invigorated Cronulla Caringbah side take the field. Joseph Drinkwater answered the call with an awesome run through the middle of the Gymea defence to put it down under the posts. Michael Lichaa popped the conversion over. This seemed to be the tipping point in the game and from here on in it was one way traffic as Michael put Stacey Morrel into a gap and he scored in the corner. Michael kicked a cracker conversion from the sideline. Cronulla’s defence muscled up with Clinton Strickland, Michael , Scott Sorenson, Luke Brown, Jeremy Saville all outstanding, at times driving Gymea backwards. Stacey got another try in the corner and Michael kicked it again. Jeremy scored a great individual “palm off” try in the corner. Gymea showed plenty of promise though in the first half with good inside passes, strong runs and good steady football but couldn’t keep up the pace for the whole game. The game was played in great spirit, with congratulations to both teams and spectators. |
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The following players have been selected for the NSWRL U/16 Indigenous team Train On squad to contest the annual NSW Kooris v QLD Murries match prior to the Australia v Neew Zealand Test Match at the SCG on Friday 9th May 2008. The full team will be announced on the NSWRL website after the completion of the NSWRL Harold Matthews Quarter Finals on Saturday 3rd May 2008. All players can fulfill their rugby league committments this weekend. The NSW Indigenous team will assemble at the Travelodge within the NSW Leagues Club, Phillip Street Sydney at 11:00am on Tuesday 6th May 2008. For more information please contact Steve Hall on 0419 492 779 or Ricky Walford on 02 9232 7566. |
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| Sunday 4 th April '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Oxley Pioneers are the Country Rugby League under 18 Regional Champions after outclassing the Western Rams 32-20 at WIN Stadium Wollongong on Friday night. Played as a curtain raiser the Country-City Origin clash, Oxley scored seven tries to Western’s four to claim the Tom Nelson Shield. The champions’ performance was rewarded at the selection table with seven Oxley players announced in the 2008 Country Under 18s squad. Scores were locked at nil all until the 10th minute the when Western Rams fullback Chris Wilson was sin binned for a professional foul and Oxley Pioneers took full advantage, with centre Ray Marshall claiming the first try of the decider in the 10th minute. Western Rams were quick to respond with Parkes based skipper Jamie Graham (15th minute) planting the ball down. Before back rower Brodie Chapman (18th minute) and winger Allan Arnold (21st minute) crossed to give the green and whites a handy 16-4 advantage. Western looked in control until a superb Jason McGrady cut-out pass put winger Jesse McEwan over. McEwan’s try triggered an Oxley onslaught as the northerners ran in 24 unanswered points with McGrady (40th minute), Kenny Allison (44th minute) finding the line before Marshall (48th minute) McEwan (57th minute) snared their doubles. Only an off evening with the boot for Oxley goal kicker Matt Nean kept the Rams in the hunt. Trailing 28-16 replacement Ram Cain Henry (63rd minute) gave Western fans some hope of a late Rams revival, but it wasn’t their night. Half Scott Rosser failed to convert from the sideline. Then Jay Chatfield (65th minute) sealed the deal for Oxley, stretching the lead to an unassailable two converted tries. Oxley Pioneers 32, (Ray Marshall 2, Jesse McEwan 2, Jason McGrady, Kenny Allison, Jay Chatfield tries, Matt Nean 2 goals) defeated Western Rams 20, (Jamie Graham, Brodie Chapman, Allan Arnold, Cain Henry tries, Scott Rosser 2 goals). Oxley Coach: Peter Barrett 0414227068 - Western Coach: Greg Edwards 0438825105 |
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| Saturday 3 rd MAy '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : Steve Mascord  THE game was tied and so were the honours between NSW halfback aspirants Mitchell Pearce and Brett Finch at fulltime in last night's City-Country clash at WIN Stadium. Jarryd Hayne confirmed his place in the New South Wales side while Chris Heighington, Joel Monaghan and Todd Carney are poised to join Craig Bellamy's State of Origin shortlist. The Saturday Daily Telegraph understands those were the major outcomes from a Blues point of view from the draw - a result which had players feeling "hollow',' the crowd booing and the colourful Hayne calling for a penalty shootout in future. New NSW coach Bellamy revealed on the eve of the game "20 or 21'' players had already been pencilled in for selection to take on Queensland at ANZ Stadium on May 21. Hayne, off his game by his own admission since being shot at in Kings Cross during the pre-season, emerged from that haze with any eye catching performance. His crash tackle lifted City back into the game after Country dominated the early exchanges and he scored a try in the 59th minute, making 74 metres in attack. Sources say Country benchman Heighington, who made 18 tackles, 11 hitups and 97 metres, was the bolter of the evening and selectors will suggest to Bellamy he expand the squad to "21 or 22''. But he is mostly likely to get his chance later in the series with the squad chock-full of back rowers. Canberra's Monaghan - with 112 metres - will also win significant support from selectors to be the Blues' other winger, ahead of Anthony Quinn (132), Amos Roberts (94) and Luke Rooney (104). And while fellow Raider Carney was considered such an outsider that he wasn't even picked in his chosen position, his try to tie the game with eight minutes left and near-miss field goal have also won him fans in high places. Man of the Match Anthony Laffranchi was already in Bellamy's list, as was Country replacement Ben Cross and City five-eighth Braith Anasta who also impressed. The halfback battle between Finch and Pearce was absorbing. Country's Finch had a kick charged down in the lead-up to a try City centre Ben Pomeroy scored to grab the lead in the 65th minute and he kicked out on the full before Hayne's score. But he went some way to atoning with a superb pass which put Carney over. Country coach Laurie Daley, also a State selector, played down the overwhelming favouritism of Newcastle's Kurt Gidley to be halfback. "I've been around a long time and I've been around this situation,'' he said. "The performances out there of the players tonight were good but Kurt Gidley is a very valuable member of any team he plays in. In the past his versatility has been a problem, it has affected his chances as a starting player. I think he'll get a chance over the coming weeks to press his claims. "I don't think there's a standout favourite, to be honest. I think selectors were pretty keen to see Mitchell Pearce tonight and we were also keen to see Brett Finch. I thought Pearce went OK.'' But Pearce said: "I think either Finchy or Gids will get it. I just wanted to play well in this game. I enjoyed it enormously.'' The crowd of 11,365 was up on recent years but still seen as disappointing in some quarters. City retains the shield as the 2007 winner. |
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| MUDGEE JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE Story By :  This Saturday (May 3) is the first game of the Mudgee Junior Rugby League Season. All teams will be playing at home at Cahill Park with the midgets starting off the inner town comp and finishing of with the under 16’s at 1.20pm. The under 15’s have the bye. The 14’s and 16’s will play Blayney. Parents, friends and family of the U/16’s are to run the canteen. MJRL invites all to a fun filled day of footy with a jumping castle for the kids. Two group representative players will be on show form before there home town, Nic O’hara in the under 14’s and Shaun Michealides in the under 16’s.Congratulations to these 2 players After all home games parents and players are invited back to the club house to watch the NRL match on the big screen and a few quiet refreshments. This is the MJRL’s second year of the inner town competition and Kandos and Rylstone have decided to join, bringing five teams to strengthen the competition. All players need to contact their coaches for game starting times and games will hopefully be published in the Mudgee Guardian/The Weekly for future games. |
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| Thursday 1 st May '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By :  CENTRAL Coast Rugby League (CCRL) has introduced tough penalties including minimum fines of $550 and the possibility of criminal convictions against offenders in a crackdown aimed at curbing unruly behaviour at local games. CCRL general manager Scott Wyatt said the local code's administration, and police, would not tolerate more offensive behaviour at local grounds during games. He said his executive had recently met with senior local police and other rugby league officials to ensure that any future offences will be dealt with severely. "These talks have reassured the CCRL of the support we have from police (for maintaining proper crowd conduct) at local rugby league games," Mr Wyatt said. "The message is clear," he said. "The CCRL, police and the Gosford City Council will take a firm stand against any offensive behaviour, should it occur, in future." The tougher stance being taken by authorities includes the searching of bags at entry gates to local ovals. As well, security guards will be installed at local rugby league venues and the location of dedicated family areas (non-drinking) will be sign-posted as well as being announced on public address systems. Reduced-strength alcohol drinks will be available at the grounds and there will be no more Umina versus Woy Woy games played on a Saturday night for the rest of the 2008 season. |
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Story & Photo By :  In all the fanfare surrounding senior Group 10 selections and Centenary of Rugby League celebrations, the next crop of stars strutted their stuff at Cowra’s Sid Kallas Oval on Sunday. Hosting the annual Group 10 vs Group 11 trial matches, spectators had a glimpse of some of the hottest young talent running around the region. The matches were all keenly contested, with Group 10 winning the under 13s and under 15s fixtures, while Group 11 proved too strong in the under 14s. The sides squared the under 16s match 16-all. Group 10 Junior Rugby League secretary Christine Smith said these results showed the talent in junior league across the region is spread around. “The results on the day were mixed with two wins to Group 10, one to Group 11 and a draw,” she said. Nineteen Cowra players were in action across the age groups with Carl Planicka recording a try-scoring double in the under 15s’ 30-0 whitewash. Aiden Craig, Jyden Murray and Joe Dunlop all helped the under 13s to a comprehensive 26-4 win after they bolted to an early lead. “These games were a lead-up to the Cluster Championships in Albury on the 17th and 18th of May, which the 12s, 13s and 14s will compete in,” Smith said. “The country championships for the 15s and 16s will take place on 14th and 15th of June at Albion Park. “We wish all the teams the best of luck in these games.” |
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Story & Photo By : While some of greatest players the game has known relived memories of their past achievements as the Centenary of Rugby League celebrations revved up, a couple of hundred school students were showing there is a big future for the game in a display of what we can expect to see in the next decade. Legends like Ian Walsh, Johnny Raper, Graeme Langlands and others including local western products Les Davidson and David Gillespie, were on hand to see action in the Russell Richardson and David Peachey trophies matches. The Dubbo carnival is one of nine qualifying rounds held throughout the western area leading into the trophy finals to be played in Dubbo later in the year. Going through from yesterday are Dubbo South Public who defeated St John’s in the Year 5-6 division and St Ignatius Narromine who won against Dubbo South in the Year 3-4 final. After a mayoral reception, morning tea at Dubbo City Toyota and lunch at the Dubbo RSL Club, the legends of league and many hundreds of spectators joined together at Apex Oval for more fun and games. Part of the night program was a fabulous concert headed by the McClymont Sisters and a match between Group 11 and Group 10 emerging talent. Meanwhile, from Wollongong comes news that Dubbo product Andrew Ryan is in doubt for the NSW Country Origin game against City on Friday with a chronic knee injury. He trained away from the main group yesterday and is considered the only doubtful starter. St George Illawarra back-rower Ben Creagh has joined the squad as 18th man and will remain on standby for Ryan, the Canterbury Bulldogs second-rower. |
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| SUnday 27 th April '08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo's By : The Penrith Panthers are the 2008 Harold Matthews Cup minor premiers after defeating the Cronulla Sharks today at Toyota Park. Penrith are an awesome football team, they are big, fast, strong & no one has been able to beat them all year. The Sharks competed very well for the first half, and scored 1st when talented center James Hasson crashed over with in 3 or 4 minutes, then coverted his own try, Sharks were in front for a minute.. LEARN MORE |
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| APRIL 2008 | FOOTY NEWS ARCHIVES HERE |
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| NATIONAL SCOREBOARD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MATTYS CUP & SG BALL SQUAD LISTS Balmain Cronulla |
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QUEENSLAND SCOREBOARD |
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QUEENSLAND WIZARD CUP *QUEENSLAND STATEWIDE WRAP Round 18. |
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ARL DEVELOPMENT SHIELD *CENTRAL DIVISION *NORTHERN DIVISION |
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NSW SCOREBOARD |
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 CHEERLEADER of the WEEK |
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2007 COWBOYS CHALLENGE 
BRISBANE METRO 
ELITE SYDNEY CHS COMPS
SYDNEY 
OBE GEIA 
Jeff HARDY
Bulldogs win Harold 2007 Matthews Cup Grand Final | PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE HOSTING & EMAIL SYSTEMS BY : |
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