ONLINE VERSION 10 ROUND 12 - 2014 Rugby Dave Porecki on the charge against Randwick last week NEWS Photo: Carl Peterson ROUND TWELVE M A N LY V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS * MATCH PREVIEWS * TEAM SHEETS * LADDERS & RESULTS * POINTS SCORERS LISTS PHOTO GALLERY Parramatta’s Alex Samoa bagged a double against Easts last week - Photo: Debbie O’Connor Eastwood’s Ben Batger leads the charge against Warringah - Photo: Karen Watson Uni’s Jake Gordon spreads the ball wide against Souths - Photo: AJF Photography Manly’s try machine, Harry Bergelin, scored three more against Randwick Photo: Ric McLallen Norths’ Sev Domoni runs into a Penrith wall Photo: Jock Cameron ROUND 12 MATCH PREVIEWS by Brendan Bradford MANLY V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS coming up against sides who are just on the edge of the six and they’ll be wanting a win to enhance Despite winning every game so far this season, their prospects of finals football and we’re out in Manly coach Phil Blake wants to make one thing front so everyone will be gunning for us.” clear: the job isn’t over. The Marlins have made one change to last week’s Sitting eleven competition points clear at the side with Scott Daruda to play at flyhalf. top of the table, the Marlins have scored 87 more points than the next highest scoring side, Southern Districts coach Matt Barr says last Eastwood, and are the only team in the Shute week’s loss to Sydney Uni came down to simple Shield to concede less than 200. But, says Blake, mistakes. Rather than being outplayed by the there’s still work to be done. Students, Southern Districts made a few critical errors in crucial areas of the field and succumbed “They don’t hand out silverware at this time of to a 30-18 loss. year and although we’ve had a good start, we haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said. A losing bonus point would have secured the Rebels’ spot in the top six, but instead they were leapfrogged by the Pirates who scored a last second bonus point against Gordon. “Uni played well, but when you make some of the errors we did and make them where we did, it’s very costly,” said Barr. “We created opportunities and had territory and possession but came up with too many critical errors. We dropped the ball at the restart and you just can’t afford to do that at this level, so we made it hard on ourselves and easier on our opposition. Uni are good and they made us pay.” Manly’s Vaka Manu powers on against Randwick With Super Rugby taking a break, a scattering Photo: Carl Peterson of Waratahs have made themselves available for their clubs but Southern Districts will not be “We need to make sure our preparation is really boosted by the presence of second-rower Kane good for every game and that we’re firing every Douglas. Saturday afternoon because although things are “Unfortunately, Kane has not been released to rosy at the minute, we understand that we have play. Originally in the team, his place will be taken to keep improving if we want success at the end by his younger brother Jake” said Barr. of the season.” Aside from not having the outstanding Tahs lock, Just where those improvements can be made Barr has been forced to switch prop Tim Metcher, is tough to judge with Manly full of confidence who has a neck injury, for Cam Betham while a after a 60-12 demolition of Randwick last hand injury has forced Steve Fualau out with weekend in a performance Blake rates as one of Maile Nguamo switching to hooker and Marcus the best of the season. Heather coming in at loosehead. In the back-row, “To go to Randwick at any stage and get a win is impressive openside Kieran Black is out with a a pretty big effort but to have a day like that was knee injury, to be replaced by Jono Hayes. pretty special,” said Blake. “We played some really good football and GORDON V PENRITH defended well at stages and we played better for Recently installed as coach of the North longer without any of those ten minute lapses Harbour Rays, Geoff Townsend is a busy man but is we’ve been having. Every week’s a test and we’re adamant his number one priority is Gordon and the Shute Shield. The Highlanders went down “It’ll be very competitive because there’s no 29-0 to West Harbour in a rare evening game last easy game in this competition and Penrith have Saturday, but Townsend said the scoreline didn’t improved a lot this year from what I’ve seen.” reflect the true nature of the contest. It took two and a half months, but that gradual “We weren’t disappointed with the effort, but improvement turned into a win for Penrith last more in the execution,” he said. week. Backed by a huge second half defensive “We probably created more opportunities than effort, the Emus defeated Norths 35-26 at home Wests did, especially in the first half, but didn’t but coach Teki Tuipulotu isn’t getting carried take any of them. We dropped the ball over the away just yet. line, had a try disallowed and for all the work “It was the belief and defence at the end of the we did around the park to create things, we just game that won it,” he said. couldn’t capitalise. “We were up 35-19 and Norths scored again So we need to be more accurate in what we’re but the boys really knuckled down and got the doing because we had our opportunities to win win. We enjoyed it on Saturday night, but the that game and the scoreline doesn’t reflect it, but boys know they have a job to do to get back-to- it was a lot closer.” back wins this weekend and turn it into a bit of When things aren’t going your way, you rarely consistency at the end of the year.” catch a break and Gordon are finding that out Penrith had been working towards that first victo- this year with injuries ruining the start of the ry every game this year and their last place on the season and the bounce of the ball and refereeing ladder didn’t reflect the attacking prowess across decisions going against them more recently. the backline or mongrel up front. “For the third time this year we dropped the ball “It’s been two long years of hard work and we’re over the line, they scored off a couple of our finally starting to reap some of those rewards,” scrums and I reckon there was one that was pretty said Tuipulotu whose side jumps to 11th on the offside,” said Townsend. table. “We have a lot of talent this year and I think a lot of teams are starting to notice that we are scoring points and we are a serious team. I think it was a case of ‘who are we going to win against’ and no one wanted to be that first team, so hopefully now the boys have got a taste for it, we can keep going.” Tuipulotu has named the same starting side although question marks remain over several players whose fitness will be assessed at training on Thursday ahead of the match against Gordon who, incidentally, were the last side to lose to Penrith’s Jerome McKenzie has 11 tries for the season Penrith before Norths last weekend. Photo: Karen Watson “Without a doubt we’ll be giving Gordon upmost respect because they’re a good team,” “When you’re down, you don’t catch a break and said Tuipulotu. we’re not getting many of them at this stage but hopefully it will turn around.” “They’re coming off losses to Norths and West Harbour and they’ll be looking to bounce back. Against a Penrith side coming off their first win in They’re very good around the ruck and we’ll need almost two years, Townsend is hoping things turn to improve our overall defence because it wasn’t sooner rather than later. very tidy in the first half.” “Teki and Ben are doing a good job and they’ve been contesting every game and it’ll be a good contest this weekend,” he said. WARRINGAH V RANDWICK “It didn’t take the confidence away, but just gave the boys a reminder that they need to keep The ABC cameras travel up to Pittwater Park working. It doesn’t get any easier and away at Rat this Saturday where the second-placed Rats host Park on TV it’ll be tough but we’re confident that a Randwick side smarting after last weekend’s if we turn up and play we can beat anyone and we heavy loss to Manly at home. think we’ll go with them on Saturday.” Warringah coach Haig Sare had plenty to work on after a 41-24 loss to Eastwood last Saturday when the simple stuff simply went missing. “I think our skills have really dropped off recently and we’re making too many errors especially coming out of our half,” he said. “We’re just giving opposition teams too many opportunities to score points and we’ll have a real defence focus and a real skills focus at training all this week.” The Rats benefitted from the return from injury of back-rower Sam Ward who scored a try off the Warringah’s Sam Ward is a physical presence bench last week but Sare is wary of a Galloping Photo: Karen Watson Greens outfit keen to make amends for a 60-12 thrashing at the hands of Manly.