seahorses2012 issue11

THE WRAP
SEASON
ISSUE 11
2012
25 JULY
Cleaning up the game has to begin at the grass roots and it was encouraging to see that NSWRU has
made a start with their first ‘Barber Van’ which tidied up hundreds of Minis at their recent carnival. It was
just unfortunate that the sliding door across the rest of the signwriting gave the impression that our
refreshment prayers had been answered. See disappointed figure at left.
U6 Whites Report : Stacy Bakker
U6 Greys Report : Mark Fragias
I think the scorecard tells it all......
On a damp morning with the sky threatening to
dump cats and dogs, the boys faced off against the
Bays. As usual, the boys responded to any points
scored against them with surgical precision and
expedience. Gus ran in a swag full of tries, with
Hunter, Noah & James adding to the tally. Solid and
fearless running of the ball by all, especially Lachie,
being our youngest and newest player. Defensively,
our game was again very strong, with solid hunting
by Arky, Peter, Noah, James & Gus (with a brilliant
tackle around the boot laces of the opposition
winger who was flying down the sideline) .Overall it
was a great game and a lot of fun was had by all.
Us:More Them:Less
[1]
U6 Blacks Report : Wayne Beckley
On a gloomy Sydney morning it was touch and go as to whether the weather would allow play. Not to be daunted, 6 of the Coogee boys were there in their finest, raring to go! The only problem was
the Opposition, the Maroubra Missiles, (who must have heard of Coogee's prowess and were running
scared) only fielded 2 players! So with a bit of head-scratching, the Coogee boys were asked if they still
wanted to have a run, a resounding "yes" settled the matter and a game of 4 a side was decided upon.
Coogee offered up 2 of their finest to the opposition, and it was Game On! Will V was having some
direction issues but had a cunning plan! Running into space eventually, saw a great try to open
proceedings. Very quickly, Coogee realized their loss with Jack in for a sizzling try from broken play for
the Missiles, we just hope he does not get too used to playing in Red! Not to be outdone, Harry hit back
with a great run, and after a late start into the game, Darcy was there offering support, with another try
to Will after some jinking and darting. Jack once again made the Coogee boys pay with a great try!. The
Missiles were gaining great inspiration from the Coogee import (discussions around a "transfer fee"
we're later proved unfounded!). A further try to each team saw half time come up with both sides fairly
evenly poised. The second half saw some good play by both teams, using the extra space which was
available due to there only being 4 players a side, Darcy was hitting his straps and Tom was gallant in
defence. The 2 Williams were both having a blinder and dominated play for a while! Harry got into the
mix and fed a great ball to Tom who came up short. Then against the run of play, Jack was in again for
another try. A sniping run from Harry put Will V in for a great try, which restored his confidence after
some running repairs to his knee a few minutes earlier. The lads were all getting into this. Another
breakaway try by a young Missiles flier saw time coming to a close, but not before Harry and Darcy
found some good space up the right hand side of the field, with great support from Tom seeing him
rewarded with a well deserved try in the right hand corner. Certainly, the wet ground did not dampen the
enthusiasm, and our boys will be back next week. A great game played at a cracking pace, with fun had
by all.
Us:More Players Them:Less Players
U8 Whites Report : Alan Kearns
First game back after the school holidays and we have a big game on our hands (Coogee Blacks).
Personally I felt this game was ours to lose, as we have beaten the Blacks over the past 4 years and
Wednesday nights training was lacking focus and commitment, I was hoping that they could step up
to the challenge on Saturday morning! The wait was over and kick off begun, it was the Blacks who
dominated the scoring and were a well structured side. This left us on the back foot from the start, so
we had to dig deep in order to get back into the game. As the wind howled around the park we need
to keep control of the ball and keep the passes short and direct, but instead we gave away a lot of
possession, which gave the Blacks a major advantage. Hugo and Thomas G made a few good breaks
but there was miscommunication between players and no support (The 2 week break was taking its
toll). Thomas D made a blinding tackle on the wing to stop his opponent in his tracks. Johno got stuck
into all the rucks and won the ball for us a number of times. With a few good passages of play from
Isaac, Haiden and Josh W the Blacks defence was too strong for them to get a try. Dan was super sub
and made his presents know each time he came on. Mischa also got involved and got stuck into the
action and his game is improving each week. The tackling was appalling and we missed the simplest
of tackles and the only person on the Coogee whites side that put their body on the line was Robert,
who ran around the field making the hits. I think training this week will be focusing on tackling ;)
Well done to the blacks, they deserved the victory and all players need to step up in training
especially now that Coach Andy is off playing with his bagpipes.
Us:Big Fat Doughnut Them:Too Many
[2]
Wot The Ex-Prez is Reedn
Malcolm Thingo our beloved
prez has rushed back to
Ireland (some tax thing
probably). But we’ve got a
new one.
Wot The New Prez Writ
As some of you may already be aware, there have
been some changes to the Seahorse committee due
to the departure of our current President Malcolm
Jackson, who is returning to live in Ireland after
sampling Australia for some 16 years, and our
2010 President Andrew Harding who leaves our
shores to take the reins of the Hong Kong Racing
board. Both Malcolm and Andrew's contribution
to the club has been enormous over the last few
years, so from all Seahorse players and parents, a
massive thank you for your efforts and we wish
you well in your future endeavours.In closing, I
feel very privileged to be the President of such a
proud club that is the Coogee Seahorses and I look
forward to meeting as many of you as possible
over the coming weeks and at the club’s social
night.
Jamie Johnson
U9 Blacks Report : Byron Wood
From the initial kickoff the boys
showed no signs rust from the
holiday break. In what turned
out the be a tough rucking and
mauling encounter with Bays
our boys worked hard and the
Blacks were unlucky to let
Bays in for the first meat pie of
the day.The battle continued
with strong forward play from
our boys which setup a lighting run down the side line
from Miller and our first meat
pie.The game seesawed
throughout the first and second
half with our boys never giving
up, special mentions go to all
the forwards - Sasha for his
hard running, , Rhys for his
solid defence , Jack for his quick thinking on the ball , Wilson for his courageous forward movements
which lead to a try and a near miss, Patrick for his trademark ball ripping and man of the match Harry
for his ever improving form. After Adam’s pep talk at half time we saw the ball singing through the
back line with another run away try to Miller and Will bagging a double as well as defending our line
like his life depended on it. The entire back line showed great improvement with Connor stepping
and passing, Dean’s straight running, William T’s solid defence & William P putting his stamp on his
ability to be a utility player. With the weather closing in our boys showed no sign of slowing down but
unfortunately the clock beat our strong come back. If only they could have played for another ten
minutes. Us:Lots of good footy Them:more points
[3]
U9 Report : Kelvin Kirk
It was a cold cold day for a game of rugby, but our
boys were keen as ever. We were up against Clovelly
Red, one of the top teams in the comp. The reds
started out strongly pushing hard towards our line but
we repelled their attacks. Unfortunately they broke
through and scored. They converted and we knew
they were a formidable side. Our boys struck back
quickly with a great run down the side line by Tom to
eventually score in the corner, Tom successfully
converted his try. The first half continued to be a tough
back and forth battle with some great defence from
Luke, Charlie and some excellent run breaks from
Ryan. The Reds took advantage of some luck with a
couple of intercept tries. Our boys showed great
courage and defensive attitude, portrayed beautifully
with a try saving tackle into the corner by Tom. It was
a tough first half but our boys kept trying
and our defence was a credit to the
toughness of the team. The 2nd half
started with continued pressure, Elliot
and Flynn lead by example with some
excellent bursts and sustained pressure.
There were some excellent runs by Kevin
and Charles. The opposition continued
with their momentum from the first half
and ran in some good tries. Our boys
showed excellent spirit to keep tackling
and Charlie, birthday boy Angus and Nick
pulled of some copy book tackles. Lachlan and Kai showed good team spirit
by mixing it up with the opposition and
showing great temperament in the face of
continuous attacks.
Well played boys, your never give up
attitude made us all proud and that
attitude will only help you build to be
better and better in the games ahead. Us:Some Them:Some More
[4]
U10 Blacks Report : Jackie McGeechan
What a weekend of rugby both for the team and the fans. A Friday night game under lights at
Latham against the formidable Burraneer Porpoises, a day on the barbie for the Brisbane tour, a
Saturday afternoon game against the big fellas from Canterbury, and to top it off a parents dinner at
Coogee for a solid debrief. The start of the weekend where too much rugby was barely enough was
always going to be a grinding affair. The porpoises came out of the gates with a rush, blitzing the
Blacks with two quick tries to go out to 10-zip lead after 8 minutes. The Blacks showed true grit with
fantastic defence and some flashes of speed and quick hands out wide, with Josh, Zane, Matt Fraser
and Nick (three tries) all motoring over the line to give the Blacks a solid 29-10 victory. Although the
backs kept the scoreboard ticking over it was the forwards who dominated the show with seven
scrums in a row on their try line holding out Burraneer and then a drive the length of the field that was
the standout performance of the night. Given that the match up earlier in the year was a two point win
to the Blacks this showed the real improvement in the team. A great start to the weekend festival of
Coogee rugby indeed…Special mention to Frankie who turned up to support her team despite being
unable to play, showing her great commitment to the team.
Saturday saw the faithful standing at a rain soaked Nagle pitch wondering if the event would come
to a premature end. Alas the game they play in heaven pulled a few strings and we were away. With
the barbies fired up, it was tongs to the ready for the hungry masses. Early words of encouragement
from the referees (they rate Coogee BBQ’s the best) spurred on eager parents to deliver a fantastic
result. The cold weather kept everyone hungry and the crew busy, so thank you to all those who
lobbed up to support the Brisbane tour. A successful day on the tools. Special mention to Pete ‘I am
the Egg man’ Wotherspoon for his consistent technique on the Chook nuts and Mark O’Leary for his
unique stir fry sausage cooking technique.
Then it was off to the No 2 oval for the much anticipated rematch against the big fellas from
Canterbury. Running on, the earth moved under foot as Buster and his mates from around Belmore
trundled on to eyeball the Blacks. Unphased and match fit, the Blacks opened up the account quickly
to go 20 points to doughnut at the break. The second half saw the Blacks continue on with the only
blemish a soft 5 pointer consolation to Canterbury. Final score 34-5. Special mention for the game
was Zane with his fearless tackling in the game a highlight.
Finally Saturday night and the parents got to have a night out because we hadn’t seen enough of
each other over the weekend. A splendid night was had wining, dining and a few hooting with the owls
till the wee hours. Well done to all concerned. Definitely a weekend to remember for the Coogee Black
boys delivering a solid weekend result. For the rest of us….pass the Berocca…
Us:Everything Them:Not even Close
U10 Greys Report : Roger Perry
We packed a few sandwiches, programmed the GPS and took off at sunset for our tussle with the
Burraneer lads at John Dwyer oval. As you can imagine, with an area dominated by Sharks and
Dolphins the arrival of the Seahorses made for a Aquatic brew that would be hard to beat anywhere
outside of the Shire! I made those remarks in a previous report but it sounds so good I’ve said it again!
So what happened? The game was a great trial for our lads with the end of season games not far
away . The lads got on with the job of winning some fiercely contested scrums, having a mag to each
other in the mauls, irritating the opposition by scoring tries all over the park with superb goal kicking to
match. We managed to keep the opposition scoreless right up to 30 seconds from time when they
almost spoilt our night by scoring! Bummer! The coach was shouting encouragement from the gloom
again, which was marvellous and he almost smiled at our efforts! Our Darcy, Ben, Luke, Tallis and
Corey continued their good form and young Kel is DEFINITELY Waratah material with his defence a
feature of his game. Our next game is at Latham Park on Friday night and we suggest you get your
tickets early for the Game of the Round. Finally, the “Burras” committee and canteen staff made a
HUGE mistake – they thought we would go home early – we fooled ‘em! The burgers and other
goodies kept the Grey Army well fed , not to mention a cold one or two! We were made welcome from
the time we arrived until we left and we thank them for their courtesy. No pictures again this week folks,
sorry
Us:More Them:Less
[5]
U11 Greys Report : Harley Oliver
There hasn’t been any footy for ages - would the
Greys remember how? The visiting Menai team had
made a huge effort to get to Latham on a windy Friday
night - Menai’s just North of Adelaide - and they looked
hungry for a win. For the Greys, it’s always a relief to
get the first try out of the way but then the second and
the third came quickly after. There’s not much joy in
describing the fourth, fifth, sixth, it wasn’t good for the
visitors to have such a bad time. To their credit , Menai
kept going - without looking likely to get any tries back.
The Greys scored ninety points and showed some
sympathy for Menai’s pain. The ref did too and finished
the game early.
Us:More Them:None really
U13 at Coffs Report : Andrew Whatson
With a team of ten boys attending plus an injured Angus coming along it was going to be tough to get
through the 8 games without any injuries. With everyone heading north to our new 5 star HQ base at
Sapphire Beach we arrived to a BBQ dinner laid on by the Angles-Corke tribe. Monday morning we
awoke to perfect weather. The Coogee junior team made up of a mix of the siblings and a few ring ins
formed an under 11s Coogee team.They started off the tournament and played some great rugby going
down in a few close games but finished on a high with a big win over a local St Augustine's side on day
three. The Coogee 13s made up of Nick Kordell Jordan Mackenzie Billy Patrick Nathan Ryley Charlie and
our ring in Keeley played three games (12 minute halves) on the Monday with wins over Woy Woy 41-5,
Coffs 52-7 and a close game Vs Carlton/FNC (Ballina) 26-24 late in the afternoon.Boys are now showing
signs of injuries with Nick doing his hammy, Keeley taking a knock on his knee also Billy and Kordell
suffering with thier severs and the others all feeling the strain and we still had four games to come.The
social side of the evening was looked after by Ms Janet Ryan who cooked up a storm back at Camp
Aqua Luna Resort and washed down with some good red wine an early night was on the cards.Tough
hard rugby made for some quiet boys.Tuesday had us at BCU Stadium for a 9.00AM game with a
punishing schedule of 4 games on the hour every hour and we came away with 4 wins against Port
Macq 53 -0, Gold Coast 38-0, Coffs Baa Baa's 42-7 and finished off the day with a good win against
Green Point 60 -7. The boys played some amazing rugby with a rule they have for this tournament is that
when you get 4 tries ahead you must drop a player off and we played many games with only 7 players
against 10 and in the game against GP we actually played with 6 boys. Tuesday evening saw a tradition
continue with a team dinner held at the world famous Hoey Moey Hotel Motel and another quiet night
with the boys all absolutely poooped.The final game on the Wednesday had us down to play GP again
and after a request from the ARU we fronted up to play Carlton/Ballina/FNC in a final fling. The walking
wounded AKA Coogee 13s played a close one with the FNC boys mysteriously boosted by several
extras from the other teams.Just what we needed a tough game with the FNC boys hitting the lead
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before half time and with a quick halftime chat from Brad and I and the boys clicked up a gear running
out winners 39-19.So a great effort boys and you made Brad
and I pleased with the rugby played and the effort both on
and off the field. A BIG Thank You to Brad Payne, Gray-Gray
Angles, Denise Angles, Leesa Angles-Corke, Daniel Gibbs,
Nicole Clifton, Debra Paea, Sue Shepherd,Tash Whitehead,
Janet Ryan and Damian Ryan who without them we would
not have got the boys together and had the success for the
third year. On a final note we had a vote for the Spirit of
Rugby for efforts on the field and off the field and it could of
gone to anyone of the boys and the award went to big Jordy
who showed great sportsmanship during the tournament.
Next year it has been suggested to be a 7s tournament but
we hopefully can get the NZ tour off the ground.Stay Tuned
U13 Report : Andrew Whatson
An unfortunate shorter than normal game today with a
second visit by the Ambulance to John Dwyer Oval in the
space of an hour. Today saw the boys journey deep into the
SHIRE with a big game Vs Burraneer and with a few boys
M.I.A it was going to be interesting with boys playing out of
position. The Burra boys pushed hard off the kickoff and
territorial had the advantage for the first 7 to 10 minutes with
them throwing everything at us and to the credit of all the
boys they held them out. Ryley Angles-Corke scooped up a
loose ball
and went
nearly the length of the field to sink the Burra
hearts and off the kick off the forwards hammered
up field and it wasn't long before one of them was
going to go over and Liam Cornish went in for the
first of his double. On a sodden field it wasn't one
for our speedsters with Billy Ryan Josh Cook Josh
Fong and Joe Tora getting limited opportunities
out wide and with Nathan Shepherd safe as a
bank at fullback. It was constant pressure that saw
the loose
ball pop up
and Ryley
scooted away for another try and we had a 17 nil halftime
score. The halves pairing of Joel Ellis and Toryn Brodie started
to gel before the game was called off and with Reece Thorn out
for a few weeks it was good to see Joel put his hand up with a
man of the match performance at #9 behind the big
Coogee forwards. With injuries early into the game to Nick
Whatson and Joe Tora it was always going to be tough
with only one fit reserve to call on. The second half was only
minutes old and Jordan Paea received a yellow
card leaving Toby Hooper Blake Makowski and Charlie Poche
in the engine room and with Mackenzie Gibbs Angus Fraser
Liam Cornish and every present Patty Clifton all over the Burra
boys it looked like Coogee had the game wrapped up
especially when Liam went in under the sticks for a 24 nil lead then not really sure what happened but
a Burra boy went down with a neck complaint and as the ref said to me he wasn't sure himself
what happened but an ambulance was called and with time being called the Coogee boys left the
SHIRE with a 24 nil victory in a shortened game. We now have 4 teams equal on 21 points in a close
competition.With games Vs Killara Lindfield and Manly to come hopefully we can scoop all 12 points
on offer and finish the season in the top four.
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U16 Report : Mayberry
Coogee had something to prove when they lined up against Sylvania, and they were switched on
from the whistle. The forwards played very strongly and were dominating the breakdowns. Good pick
and drives were gaining easy metres and the loose forwards were carving them up. When the line
opened up for Tristan Siddle and he crossed untouched, I don’t think anyone could believe it. Zac
Bataille converted to make it 12 nil. Shortly after that, Lewis Mayberry crashed over for the second 5
pointer. Sylvania really had no answers to the controlled aggression displayed by the Seahorses.
Following a big hit by Lewis that caused the ball to spill, Sepesa Logi-Tarogi scooped up the ball and
sprinted to the line. Zac converted that try and we were ahead by 19 points to nil. The second half
was not so memorable. Two sin bin offences meant that Sylvania was able to get back into the game
with 2 tries to their speedy fullback. With only 13 players, it’s hard to hold back a team that has been
undefeated in all games to date. Once we had all the players back, we began to take control again
and it was beautiful to see Tyson Macintosh score under the posts following a lovely backline
movement. Zac converted again and Coogee was ahead 26 to 12. This should have been the best
win of the season and a real confidence builder for the boys , but it was spoilt by several ugly
incidents at the end of the game. More will be said about that, no doubt.
Us:More Them:Less
CARNIVALÉ OR GALA OR WHATEVER THEY CALLED IT
During the break thousands of Seahorses took part in a Minis comp. It was very well run, the
kids had a ball and there was plenty of footy against some teams we’ve never seen before (from
over the bridge no doubt). Here’s a couple of reports.
U6 Greys Report : Laurent Bracco
What a fantastic morning for a rugby carnaval.
The sun was out early to warm up our boys
bodies. Four games were scheduled against
Clovelly, Maroubra, South Coogee and
Chatswood. The kids délivered exceptional
performances showing as much énergy for the
last game as for the first one.
Snakes and worms must have worked well in
between the games! Lots of tries and great
defence. We even saw some attempts to pass
the ball. They sure are ready to tackle the rest
of the season after the break!
U8 Greys Report : Roger Perry
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This week we present three more of players who are vital cogs in our Under 8 Greys team, week in
and week out. We fronted up to Nagle on an unusually bright sunny day to take on a variety of teams who
thought they were going to give us a Rugby lesson – wrong again! Our boys played like they were about
to go on School Holiday soon and charged up and down the field like there were no games until after the
enforced layoff! Our Jasper proved a handful with his determined runs, ably backed up by Oliver and
Sam. Our “Behemoth”, Michael, was on fire with his usual “head down bum up” try scoring charges that
broke the hearts of the opposition. James, Ronan and Ted took it upon themselves to assist in the
frivolities and almost caused the coach to choke on his coffee. Where was my Mitchy while all this was
going on? Glad you asked! He and Marc, backed up by James E, were in the background quietly
planning the next scrum to see who would be a prop. Mitchy won the debate and also played almost
every position on the field including winger! We were fortunate on the day to come up against some of
our old adversaries but someone took it upon themselves to “ring in” a mob from across the harbour
namely The Chatswood Terrier’s (or whatever!) They were a great bunch of kids, but we won the contest.
Our scrum work is improving to the coaches satisfaction and the lineouts are the usual lottery but we are
staring to get the idea and are winning more than our share!. Our Grey Army is up to their usual tricks
standing perilously close to the sidelines without spilling their Chardonnay! All in all a great day of Rugby.
We now say a fond farewell, for the time being, from sunny downtown Nagle and look forward to the final
games of 2012 and for the return of Paul who is currently sunning himself in Paris. Hurry back mate we
miss you. Final scores - Who cares?! A great games from all teams – but we did win our share PS The
Dog Lavatories are up and running again on Field 7.
DATES TO REMEMBER
There are a number of key dates to put in your diaries as we come to the glory end of the
season. Lick those pencils.
Minis Grand Final Day, to be held on Saturday August the 11th at Nagle Park, the day is in the true non-­‐compe@@ve spirit of Minis with Under 6/7's playing the next team in order of their draw and the Under 8's and 9's being matched with teams of similar ability based on the rough referee score cards maintained throughout the season
U10-­‐U17 Zone Semi Finals to be played in August and culmina@ng with Grand Finals on the weekend of the 31st of August. SJRU have called on nomina@ons from all Sydney clubs to host finals and will reveal Grand Finals’ venues aTer endless considera@on.
Social Night Saturday 1st September, this year we need parents from all age groups to support the club that supports you by aUending our one and only fundraising night of the year. The Seahorses are a community club with no pokies or licensed club behind us, so we need maximum par@cipa@on to ensure we can maximise the boys rugby experience. All money raised goes straight back to the kids in the form of lower registra@on fees, players keeping their kits and presenta@on day costs. We will also use the event to raise funds for the Brisbane Tour in September.
Brisbane Father -­‐ Son tour, an event -­‐ amazingly in its 35th year -­‐that sees our U10/U11 boys tour to Brisbane to visit our sister club, South’s Rugby. The kids experience the spirit of Rugby including being billeted with the Brisbane boys and their families, then fi[ngly culminates in a friendly Rugby match to end the weekend . The following year the Brisbane kids come to Coogee and we return the hospitality. The best tes@monial we have of this event is that we actually have current Seahorse coaches who toured as kids and s@ll have fond memories of their Brisbane experience.
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SEAHORSES
SOCIAL
NIGHT
Saturday September 1st
This is our only fundraising night of the year.
All money raised goes back to the kids for
lower rego fees, players’ kit and presentation
day costs. Also helps fund the traditional
Brisbane Tour
This year we’ll also raffle
a signed jersey from a well
known footy team. Can’t say
too much but that’s it on
the left. We’ll reveal just
which famous team it’s from
on the night.
At the recent Gala day, a representative from the Waratahs was more than happy to talk tactics with
any of the Minis coaches who’d like to emulate the NSW season.
THE WRAP
Legal Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed in this publication
Editor Harley Oliver
are not necessarily the views of the club,
[email protected]
or anyone, living or dead. It’s not to be
used as the basis for any financial scheme
or lifestyle choice without consulting the
prospectus. No No No .
Finis.
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