Round 1 Marist v Grammar at Marist
Match Report 5th May 2018
The first game of the 2018 season against Grammar saw six new faces in the Royals team of last year that went through to an undefeated ACT Junior Premiership. Welcome to Lachlan, Griff, Seb, Walt, Cooper and Fletch who all did very well in the pre-season trials and have brought some great skills into the team and made us an even stronger unit in 2018. The U11 age group has some quality depth across the two teams which is great for competition for spots during trials every year.
We have 6 reserves this season and the coaches have come up with a playing roster that should allow each boy a full game every second match at least, barring any unforeseen absences in which case it could be more. Each boy will probably play more than one position, which we think is good for their development as young rugby players and also helps them if they want to try out for Junior Brumbies rep footy next year, where playing a couple of positions gives the boys more time on the field during trials and gives the ACT selectors more options to fit our talented boys into their rep squads.
It took a few minutes for the Marist boys to find their groove with a couple of early promising runs being pushed into touch. Marist then set up camp in the Grammar half for the rest of the match and some terrific rucking from the forwards in attack and defence piled enormous pressure on Grammar to the point where their dangerous inside backs never really got any decent ball. The Marist forwards dominated the breakdown, counter-rucked extremely well, and really set a strong platform for the backs to exploit. Char led the team fantastically well from loose head prop and was a constant menace to Grammar at the ruck. He also kicked a whole bunch of conversions! Well done Char!
Fletch directed the team to a high standard from halfback and grabbed 2 tries, as did Walt out wide making the most of his second half. The tries came steadily with Lachy H, Hunter, Char, Bede, Koey and Sam all crossing the line. Marist decided to give Grammar some more possession by kicking it back to them after scoring but the ruck pressure and tackling from Marist soon had the ball back. The tackling all game was excellent so keep it up boys! Seb in particular has probably caused a few nightmares to the Grammar outside backs with some huge defence, awesome effort!
Marist kept piling on the points in the second half with tries to Benny M, Joey and Walt’s 2 tries and another from Fletch. The end score didn’t really reflect on how well Grammar tackled, they just couldn’t deal with the ruck and tackling pressure. Happily for the coaches this Marist team has 18 boys who can all run the ball with skill, pace and power from all over the field. The result was a 72-0 win to the Marist lads.
A great start boys, off to Broulee next weekend, who had a dominant win over Easts so we need to keep up that same level of intensity this Saturday!
The first game of the 2018 season against Grammar saw six new faces in the Royals team of last year that went through to an undefeated ACT Junior Premiership. Welcome to Lachlan, Griff, Seb, Walt, Cooper and Fletch who all did very well in the pre-season trials and have brought some great skills into the team and made us an even stronger unit in 2018. The U11 age group has some quality depth across the two teams which is great for competition for spots during trials every year.
We have 6 reserves this season and the coaches have come up with a playing roster that should allow each boy a full game every second match at least, barring any unforeseen absences in which case it could be more. Each boy will probably play more than one position, which we think is good for their development as young rugby players and also helps them if they want to try out for Junior Brumbies rep footy next year, where playing a couple of positions gives the boys more time on the field during trials and gives the ACT selectors more options to fit our talented boys into their rep squads.
It took a few minutes for the Marist boys to find their groove with a couple of early promising runs being pushed into touch. Marist then set up camp in the Grammar half for the rest of the match and some terrific rucking from the forwards in attack and defence piled enormous pressure on Grammar to the point where their dangerous inside backs never really got any decent ball. The Marist forwards dominated the breakdown, counter-rucked extremely well, and really set a strong platform for the backs to exploit. Char led the team fantastically well from loose head prop and was a constant menace to Grammar at the ruck. He also kicked a whole bunch of conversions! Well done Char!
Fletch directed the team to a high standard from halfback and grabbed 2 tries, as did Walt out wide making the most of his second half. The tries came steadily with Lachy H, Hunter, Char, Bede, Koey and Sam all crossing the line. Marist decided to give Grammar some more possession by kicking it back to them after scoring but the ruck pressure and tackling from Marist soon had the ball back. The tackling all game was excellent so keep it up boys! Seb in particular has probably caused a few nightmares to the Grammar outside backs with some huge defence, awesome effort!
Marist kept piling on the points in the second half with tries to Benny M, Joey and Walt’s 2 tries and another from Fletch. The end score didn’t really reflect on how well Grammar tackled, they just couldn’t deal with the ruck and tackling pressure. Happily for the coaches this Marist team has 18 boys who can all run the ball with skill, pace and power from all over the field. The result was a 72-0 win to the Marist lads.
A great start boys, off to Broulee next weekend, who had a dominant win over Easts so we need to keep up that same level of intensity this Saturday!
Round 2 Marist v Broulee at Broulee
Match Report 11th May 2018
Round 2 of the ACTJRU season saw the U11 Royals boys make the trip to the coast for a 1030 kick off against last year’s Div 2 grand finalists Broulee. Despite the severe weather warnings for the coast the pitch had drained very well and Broulee had set up their Gala Day brilliantly with shelter around the field and plenty of hot beverages in the canteen to help keep the rain squalls at bay.
This was the first game of wet weather rugby the boys had played in a long time so the coaches focused on keeping the passes short and making them easier to handle with a wet ball. Marist immediately put some good pressure at the ruck on Broulee and the ball moved wide to the left corner for Cooper to score the first try out on the wing. Conversion unsuccessful and Marist ran the next kick off back strongly. Unfortunately three other good attacking raids in the Broulee 22 broke down due to passing and catching or loose carries in the backs. Broulee tried a clearing kick that bounced well for one of their speedy backs and he ran length of the field to score under the posts and with the conversion we were down 7-5.
Marist kept up the defensive pressure but Broulee were getting on top in the scrums and some solid tackling in the centre channels kept them in the contest. Eventually Joey spotted a hole in the inside backs and darted through for a second try under the posts to give Marist a 14-7 lead at half time.
More rain moved in for the second half and a string of penalties to Broulee in our half meant the boys had to do a lot of defending. They showed some real grit to hold out the Broulee forwards and regain some field position but we lost a lot of our shape between forwards and backs that stopped us capitalising on our opportunities. Bede Fogarty took on his opposite flyhalf in the face of a rushing Broulee defence and beat him one on one to score another try. 19-7 to Marist. Shortly after Lachy Y made a bullocking run down the short side and with 2 defenders clinging onto him dotted down for another 5 pointer.
The final quarter of the game saw Marist camped in the Broulee half with some strong running from the forwards such as Griff, Jacob and Lachy Y getting close to the line but the Broulee pack fought hard in contact and if our body height wasn’t spot on we were held up in the tackle. Jacob finally managed to wriggle over for our last try out wide after another run just near full time to make the final score 29-7.
This game was a good test for the boys, the weather and a determined opposition exposed a few things the coaches need to work on as we go forward which made it a valuable experience with the game against Eddies this weekend shaping up as another good contest.
Full credit to the lads once again for their excellent commitment in defence the whole match, which really set the platform for a gutsy win. Keep it going for this weekend at home boys against our traditional rivals!
Round 2 of the ACTJRU season saw the U11 Royals boys make the trip to the coast for a 1030 kick off against last year’s Div 2 grand finalists Broulee. Despite the severe weather warnings for the coast the pitch had drained very well and Broulee had set up their Gala Day brilliantly with shelter around the field and plenty of hot beverages in the canteen to help keep the rain squalls at bay.
This was the first game of wet weather rugby the boys had played in a long time so the coaches focused on keeping the passes short and making them easier to handle with a wet ball. Marist immediately put some good pressure at the ruck on Broulee and the ball moved wide to the left corner for Cooper to score the first try out on the wing. Conversion unsuccessful and Marist ran the next kick off back strongly. Unfortunately three other good attacking raids in the Broulee 22 broke down due to passing and catching or loose carries in the backs. Broulee tried a clearing kick that bounced well for one of their speedy backs and he ran length of the field to score under the posts and with the conversion we were down 7-5.
Marist kept up the defensive pressure but Broulee were getting on top in the scrums and some solid tackling in the centre channels kept them in the contest. Eventually Joey spotted a hole in the inside backs and darted through for a second try under the posts to give Marist a 14-7 lead at half time.
More rain moved in for the second half and a string of penalties to Broulee in our half meant the boys had to do a lot of defending. They showed some real grit to hold out the Broulee forwards and regain some field position but we lost a lot of our shape between forwards and backs that stopped us capitalising on our opportunities. Bede Fogarty took on his opposite flyhalf in the face of a rushing Broulee defence and beat him one on one to score another try. 19-7 to Marist. Shortly after Lachy Y made a bullocking run down the short side and with 2 defenders clinging onto him dotted down for another 5 pointer.
The final quarter of the game saw Marist camped in the Broulee half with some strong running from the forwards such as Griff, Jacob and Lachy Y getting close to the line but the Broulee pack fought hard in contact and if our body height wasn’t spot on we were held up in the tackle. Jacob finally managed to wriggle over for our last try out wide after another run just near full time to make the final score 29-7.
This game was a good test for the boys, the weather and a determined opposition exposed a few things the coaches need to work on as we go forward which made it a valuable experience with the game against Eddies this weekend shaping up as another good contest.
Full credit to the lads once again for their excellent commitment in defence the whole match, which really set the platform for a gutsy win. Keep it going for this weekend at home boys against our traditional rivals!
Round 3 Marist v St Edmunds at Marist
Match Report 18th May 2018
Marist hosted the Gala Day versus St Edmunds in fine style and our U11 Royal lads were on Oval 4 at 930. The morning was quite cool with some lingering fog still around at kick-off time. Marist received the kick off and put together some good phases to work our way into Eddies territory before a knock-on handed the ball to the opposition. The Marist defence has been excellent all year and despite Eddies enjoying quite a bit of possession they couldn’t make any inroads on attack.
Marist received a penalty for an Eddies infringement and the forwards and backs interacted well to get into the opposition 22. Opposition teams so far this year realise that our backline is very dangerous with plenty of pace and dazzling footwork so they have been trying the rush defence. Fortunately the referee was on the ball this match and he pinged Eddies for repeated offside play which created plenty of chances for our ball running forwards to wreak havoc up front with ball in hand. Hunter took 3 hitch-hikers over the line for a try, while Char pounced on a loose ball in goal to score and Jacob showed his pace to make it a trifecta for the forwards. While the opposition try and shut down our backs it just creates more opportunities for or forwards, most who can run and step like backs anyway! Take a bow Sam S!
The boys came off at half time with an ok lead but most looked fresh as daisies and hadn’t even broken a sweat! The coaches impressed on the lads that they needed to lift the tempo a bit even though the structure and defence was solid. In particular, a few options in the backs weren’t taken that could have increased the score if the ball had been moved into space faster.
The backline responded to the message and they chimed in with some nice tries to Ky, Joey and Walt that eventually iced the cake for Marist in a 34-0 victory. Well done lads! Unfortunately we now have about 3 weeks of no rugby due to long weekends and a bye but Wednesday training is still on so we can maintain the focus for Gunghalin in Round 5 on 16 June.
Full credit to the Royals lads once again for their excellent commitment in defence the whole match, which really kept the pressure on Eddies. Many thanks to the Eddies boys for playing the match in the traditional good spirit between the two rivals, they never gave up and represented their school very well.
Marist hosted the Gala Day versus St Edmunds in fine style and our U11 Royal lads were on Oval 4 at 930. The morning was quite cool with some lingering fog still around at kick-off time. Marist received the kick off and put together some good phases to work our way into Eddies territory before a knock-on handed the ball to the opposition. The Marist defence has been excellent all year and despite Eddies enjoying quite a bit of possession they couldn’t make any inroads on attack.
Marist received a penalty for an Eddies infringement and the forwards and backs interacted well to get into the opposition 22. Opposition teams so far this year realise that our backline is very dangerous with plenty of pace and dazzling footwork so they have been trying the rush defence. Fortunately the referee was on the ball this match and he pinged Eddies for repeated offside play which created plenty of chances for our ball running forwards to wreak havoc up front with ball in hand. Hunter took 3 hitch-hikers over the line for a try, while Char pounced on a loose ball in goal to score and Jacob showed his pace to make it a trifecta for the forwards. While the opposition try and shut down our backs it just creates more opportunities for or forwards, most who can run and step like backs anyway! Take a bow Sam S!
The boys came off at half time with an ok lead but most looked fresh as daisies and hadn’t even broken a sweat! The coaches impressed on the lads that they needed to lift the tempo a bit even though the structure and defence was solid. In particular, a few options in the backs weren’t taken that could have increased the score if the ball had been moved into space faster.
The backline responded to the message and they chimed in with some nice tries to Ky, Joey and Walt that eventually iced the cake for Marist in a 34-0 victory. Well done lads! Unfortunately we now have about 3 weeks of no rugby due to long weekends and a bye but Wednesday training is still on so we can maintain the focus for Gunghalin in Round 5 on 16 June.
Full credit to the Royals lads once again for their excellent commitment in defence the whole match, which really kept the pressure on Eddies. Many thanks to the Eddies boys for playing the match in the traditional good spirit between the two rivals, they never gave up and represented their school very well.
Round 5 Marist v Gungahlin Eagles at Nicholls
Match Report 16th June 2018
After nearly a month off with no weekend rugby the Marist boys were keen and raring to go on a very cold, wet and windy morning at Gunghalin. Marist received the first kick off and straight away Joey P made the most of a scattered chase from Gunghalin to weave through defenders and open the scoring. This pattern repeated itself a number of times with Benny M and Jacob K all fielding kicks and returning them as 5 pointers. In no time it was 29-0 to Marist so the boys from then on kicked back to Gunghalin after each try.
Sadly this match was Walt’s last game with the team due to a family move to Queensland and he captained the side really well, and got a hat trick of tries from some strong running at outside centre too! All the very best to Walt and his family for the move north and we’ll certainly miss the skill and enthusiasm he brings during training and games.
Cooper L showed some great pace and ball skills to finish a nice winger’s try just before half time and once again the boys’ one-on-one defence was extremely good, putting huge pressure on the Gunghalin ball runners that resulted in a lot of turnovers. In the second half Gunghalin kept the ball in tighter around their forwards and exploited some strong scrummaging from their front row which gave them a bit more possession. Marist also gave away a few penalties around the ruck which slowed the game down a bit and cost us some field position.
Nonetheless, Bede Fogarty put in a nice cross kick from a better Marist scrum that allowed Walt to toe it through for Cooper to pounce on in goal which added another try. Jacob K and Lachy Y also made some good charges up the middle to score. Ky C had his first game at inside centre and played very well to score a double with some nice footwork and pace. In the last play of the game Marist got a penalty tap 40m out from the opposition try line and Hunter B set off for a gallop and just managed to hold off a few defenders to score the final try in the left corner.
Great job boys in cold and difficult conditions. The defence was again extremely physical and committed and that transferred a lot of pressure back on Gunghalin. Benny M, Seb, Char, Lachy H, Joey P, Ky and Hunter all made some very dominant tackles throughout the game that stifled the opposition attack. Thanks to the Gunghalin boys for a courageous effort and much to their credit they kept trying hard right up until the end of the match. Final score according to Rugby Link was 78-0 and we are back at home this weekend to host Queanbeyan. See you at training on Wednesday lads!
After nearly a month off with no weekend rugby the Marist boys were keen and raring to go on a very cold, wet and windy morning at Gunghalin. Marist received the first kick off and straight away Joey P made the most of a scattered chase from Gunghalin to weave through defenders and open the scoring. This pattern repeated itself a number of times with Benny M and Jacob K all fielding kicks and returning them as 5 pointers. In no time it was 29-0 to Marist so the boys from then on kicked back to Gunghalin after each try.
Sadly this match was Walt’s last game with the team due to a family move to Queensland and he captained the side really well, and got a hat trick of tries from some strong running at outside centre too! All the very best to Walt and his family for the move north and we’ll certainly miss the skill and enthusiasm he brings during training and games.
Cooper L showed some great pace and ball skills to finish a nice winger’s try just before half time and once again the boys’ one-on-one defence was extremely good, putting huge pressure on the Gunghalin ball runners that resulted in a lot of turnovers. In the second half Gunghalin kept the ball in tighter around their forwards and exploited some strong scrummaging from their front row which gave them a bit more possession. Marist also gave away a few penalties around the ruck which slowed the game down a bit and cost us some field position.
Nonetheless, Bede Fogarty put in a nice cross kick from a better Marist scrum that allowed Walt to toe it through for Cooper to pounce on in goal which added another try. Jacob K and Lachy Y also made some good charges up the middle to score. Ky C had his first game at inside centre and played very well to score a double with some nice footwork and pace. In the last play of the game Marist got a penalty tap 40m out from the opposition try line and Hunter B set off for a gallop and just managed to hold off a few defenders to score the final try in the left corner.
Great job boys in cold and difficult conditions. The defence was again extremely physical and committed and that transferred a lot of pressure back on Gunghalin. Benny M, Seb, Char, Lachy H, Joey P, Ky and Hunter all made some very dominant tackles throughout the game that stifled the opposition attack. Thanks to the Gunghalin boys for a courageous effort and much to their credit they kept trying hard right up until the end of the match. Final score according to Rugby Link was 78-0 and we are back at home this weekend to host Queanbeyan. See you at training on Wednesday lads!
Round 6 Marist v Queanbeyan at Marist
Match Report 23rd June 2018
A cold and frosty morning at Marist Oval #4 saw the boys back in action but a bit depleted in our backline without Benny M who was away, Walt who has moved to much warmer QLD, and Fletch out with a broken nose sustained at training. To Fletch’s credit he is one tough cookie and still came along on Saturday to support the team. Hopefully with school holidays coming up he will be back in action by the later rounds of the comp. Luckily Seb stepped up at late notice as our fill-in halfback for this game and he did a great job.
Marist did extremely well placing and chasing our kick-offs for the whole match and kept some strong defensive pressure on Queanbeyan. Some good running by the backs saw Joey P and Cooper both pick up early tries, and it was good to see our wingers backing their pace to go for the corners out wide when the opportunities came along.
The forwards weren’t getting left out either with good carries from Char, Lachy Y, Hunter, Benny H, Sam, Jacob and Griff all contributing in some way to keeping the score board ticking over. The first half seemed to be over in the blink of an eye and the boys were back in for oranges. The intensity was pretty good so the message was just get back out there and keep it up!
And keep it up they did! The forwards got well on top in the scrums, winning quite a few tightheads and the rucking was also of a high standard. This gave us some nice fast ball and despite the cold weather the ball handling in the backs was good and we used the space out wide well. Bede had a strong game directing play at 10 and had great communication with Seb and the outside backs. Bede put in a nice kick behind Queanbeyan with a good chase from the backline that sealed a comprehensive win for the Marist boys.
Our next game is against a large Vikings outfit at Gowrie next weekend for Round 7 and then we break again for holidays. Another good win 75-0 in our favour, keep it up lads and we can start building towards the last rounds of the comp and finals in August / September.
A cold and frosty morning at Marist Oval #4 saw the boys back in action but a bit depleted in our backline without Benny M who was away, Walt who has moved to much warmer QLD, and Fletch out with a broken nose sustained at training. To Fletch’s credit he is one tough cookie and still came along on Saturday to support the team. Hopefully with school holidays coming up he will be back in action by the later rounds of the comp. Luckily Seb stepped up at late notice as our fill-in halfback for this game and he did a great job.
Marist did extremely well placing and chasing our kick-offs for the whole match and kept some strong defensive pressure on Queanbeyan. Some good running by the backs saw Joey P and Cooper both pick up early tries, and it was good to see our wingers backing their pace to go for the corners out wide when the opportunities came along.
The forwards weren’t getting left out either with good carries from Char, Lachy Y, Hunter, Benny H, Sam, Jacob and Griff all contributing in some way to keeping the score board ticking over. The first half seemed to be over in the blink of an eye and the boys were back in for oranges. The intensity was pretty good so the message was just get back out there and keep it up!
And keep it up they did! The forwards got well on top in the scrums, winning quite a few tightheads and the rucking was also of a high standard. This gave us some nice fast ball and despite the cold weather the ball handling in the backs was good and we used the space out wide well. Bede had a strong game directing play at 10 and had great communication with Seb and the outside backs. Bede put in a nice kick behind Queanbeyan with a good chase from the backline that sealed a comprehensive win for the Marist boys.
Our next game is against a large Vikings outfit at Gowrie next weekend for Round 7 and then we break again for holidays. Another good win 75-0 in our favour, keep it up lads and we can start building towards the last rounds of the comp and finals in August / September.
Round 7 Marist v Vikings at Gowrie
Match Report 30th June 2018
The Marist U11 Royals had their last game before the winter holidays against a big Vikings team at Gowrie. An early start time of 845 saw the boys at the ground at 8am ready for a warm-up and it took a while to shake the rust out with numerous handling errors during the pre-game drills. Luckily the boys got more focused around game time and the ball skills for the duration of the match were of a high standard. With Joey P unavailable due to a knee knock and Fletch still injured there were a few changes to the backline with Ky coming into inside centre, Cooper to outside centre, Benny M back into flyhalf and Bede feeding the backline from scrum half. Just as well the boys are used to playing different positions!
Vikings elected to kick off to Marist to get the game underway and straight away Marist returned the kick strongly through the backs. Some good rucking by the forwards got quick ball for Cooper at outside centre to open the scoring. Another kick off and a strong run from Benny M set up more good field position for Marist, and Seb fought hard to get over the try line on the right wing to bag his first try as a winger. Next kick off the forwards made some good gains through the ruck that saw Hunter, Char and Jacob score tries. Bede then took a kick off and showed his lightning pace and left hand fend to score a runaway try down the right side.
Despite the huge size difference in the forward packs, Marist dominated the scrum contest and a tight head win just outside the Vikings 22 gave Ky an opportunity to use his great footwork to score the first of his two tries, and unlucky to miss out on a hat-trick! The last part of the first half saw Vikings get some go-forward from their one-out forward runners and a few penalties inside Marist territory. The boys put on a fantastic defensive effort on their try line to deny Vikings a try before the break. The forwards hammered the big Vikings forward runners all match with Bede and Benny M also making great tackles around the rucks.
The second half saw Vikings getting more possession through their forwards but the Marist defence kept them under pressure and forced numerous errors. It was from some of these knock-ons that Marist again won a few scrum tight heads and Ky was over for his second and Benny M sliced through. Benny had a very good game at 10, getting some excellent service from Bede, and his tactical kicking was on the money with good chasing from Ky and Cooper that almost got us another couple of tries. In the last minutes of the game Griff was rewarded with a try after a couple of strong runs down the left touch line and Hunter scored the last try in the left corner off a penalty tap to get his double and make the final score 54-0.
Another brilliant effort boys to keep us 6 from 6! The defence was again excellent and highly physical, and we used the acres of space out wide really well with good ball movement. When the comp resumes we will probably see a new Div 1 structure with a few teams moving to Div 2 in the run to the finals. Enjoy the holidays Marist Royals, stay safe, and see you in a few weeks on the main oval for Wednesday training.
The Marist U11 Royals had their last game before the winter holidays against a big Vikings team at Gowrie. An early start time of 845 saw the boys at the ground at 8am ready for a warm-up and it took a while to shake the rust out with numerous handling errors during the pre-game drills. Luckily the boys got more focused around game time and the ball skills for the duration of the match were of a high standard. With Joey P unavailable due to a knee knock and Fletch still injured there were a few changes to the backline with Ky coming into inside centre, Cooper to outside centre, Benny M back into flyhalf and Bede feeding the backline from scrum half. Just as well the boys are used to playing different positions!
Vikings elected to kick off to Marist to get the game underway and straight away Marist returned the kick strongly through the backs. Some good rucking by the forwards got quick ball for Cooper at outside centre to open the scoring. Another kick off and a strong run from Benny M set up more good field position for Marist, and Seb fought hard to get over the try line on the right wing to bag his first try as a winger. Next kick off the forwards made some good gains through the ruck that saw Hunter, Char and Jacob score tries. Bede then took a kick off and showed his lightning pace and left hand fend to score a runaway try down the right side.
Despite the huge size difference in the forward packs, Marist dominated the scrum contest and a tight head win just outside the Vikings 22 gave Ky an opportunity to use his great footwork to score the first of his two tries, and unlucky to miss out on a hat-trick! The last part of the first half saw Vikings get some go-forward from their one-out forward runners and a few penalties inside Marist territory. The boys put on a fantastic defensive effort on their try line to deny Vikings a try before the break. The forwards hammered the big Vikings forward runners all match with Bede and Benny M also making great tackles around the rucks.
The second half saw Vikings getting more possession through their forwards but the Marist defence kept them under pressure and forced numerous errors. It was from some of these knock-ons that Marist again won a few scrum tight heads and Ky was over for his second and Benny M sliced through. Benny had a very good game at 10, getting some excellent service from Bede, and his tactical kicking was on the money with good chasing from Ky and Cooper that almost got us another couple of tries. In the last minutes of the game Griff was rewarded with a try after a couple of strong runs down the left touch line and Hunter scored the last try in the left corner off a penalty tap to get his double and make the final score 54-0.
Another brilliant effort boys to keep us 6 from 6! The defence was again excellent and highly physical, and we used the acres of space out wide really well with good ball movement. When the comp resumes we will probably see a new Div 1 structure with a few teams moving to Div 2 in the run to the finals. Enjoy the holidays Marist Royals, stay safe, and see you in a few weeks on the main oval for Wednesday training.
Round 8 Marist v Broulee at Marist
After the winter holiday break the Marist Royals came out firing in a dominant 75-0 home win over Broulee on Saturday.
Right from the kick off Marist ran the ball with great intent through the backs and forwards. Jacob, Griff, Hunter, Cooper and Sam all making hard direct runs in midfield. This gave us great front foot ball for the backs and Ky was soon over for the first try with good passing to the wing. Joey P made a great run down the right and also scored before Griff, Sam and Hunter also ran in some barging tries. Griffin picked up his hat trick in this game while Hunter and Ky both got doubles.
The team structure was excellent all game and in the second half we let Broulee take taps from halfway on restarts to give them more possession. The boys defended against the big Broulee forward runners really well, with Char again leading with his physicality and courage in defence. Sometimes Char needs his other forwards to help him tackle a lot more, especially with two of our fiercest tacklers in Seb and Lachy H away for that game.
Benny M ran the backs well in the first half with good vision and when he and Joey straightened up their attack and started engaging the Broulee backline before passing things started to spark up a lot. Benny M gets a special mention for his amazing cover tackle on the flying Broulee no 14 who apparently is one of the fastest 11 year olds in NSW. Couldn’t outrun Benny though! Fantastic effort!
Bede came on at 10 and combined well with Fletch on the blindside. Both were rewarded with nice tries on the short sides.
The forwards scrummaging and rucking was first class most of the game and compared to our first game of the season Marist was able to dominate in both forwards and backs the entire game.
We need to bring the same physicality and intensity against Eddies this weekend so go hard boys and let’s keep up the awesome defence!
Right from the kick off Marist ran the ball with great intent through the backs and forwards. Jacob, Griff, Hunter, Cooper and Sam all making hard direct runs in midfield. This gave us great front foot ball for the backs and Ky was soon over for the first try with good passing to the wing. Joey P made a great run down the right and also scored before Griff, Sam and Hunter also ran in some barging tries. Griffin picked up his hat trick in this game while Hunter and Ky both got doubles.
The team structure was excellent all game and in the second half we let Broulee take taps from halfway on restarts to give them more possession. The boys defended against the big Broulee forward runners really well, with Char again leading with his physicality and courage in defence. Sometimes Char needs his other forwards to help him tackle a lot more, especially with two of our fiercest tacklers in Seb and Lachy H away for that game.
Benny M ran the backs well in the first half with good vision and when he and Joey straightened up their attack and started engaging the Broulee backline before passing things started to spark up a lot. Benny M gets a special mention for his amazing cover tackle on the flying Broulee no 14 who apparently is one of the fastest 11 year olds in NSW. Couldn’t outrun Benny though! Fantastic effort!
Bede came on at 10 and combined well with Fletch on the blindside. Both were rewarded with nice tries on the short sides.
The forwards scrummaging and rucking was first class most of the game and compared to our first game of the season Marist was able to dominate in both forwards and backs the entire game.
We need to bring the same physicality and intensity against Eddies this weekend so go hard boys and let’s keep up the awesome defence!
Round 9 Marist v St. Edmunds at Griffith
A top of the table clash at St Edmunds saw the undefeated Marist U11 Royal team maintain their unbeaten record with a hard fought win over a much improved St Edmunds side. Marist kicked off and camped themselves in the Eddies half where both sets of forwards traded big hits trying to assert early dominance. The game turned into a typical northern hemisphere match with the ball staying close to rucks and the forwards bashing it up the centre. When the ball went wide, the Marist backs managed to make some good ground forging towards Eddies try line. After 5 phases Lachlan Yeatman used his size and strength to barge his way over and score next to the right hand upright. A converted goal saw the scoreline 7-0. Eddies kicked off and Marist lost possession to some good rucking work by Eddies. Good defence by Marist saw them get the ball back, with Ky Cox jinking and stepping his way to the try line. The remainder of the half saw Eddies dominate the scrum set piece, but the boys managed to keep them from scoring. The second half saw Eddies with more possession and some good forward work resulted on some space for their backs to run a try in the corner. Eddies kicked off and put sustained pressure on Marist, where the boys muscled up with some very good defence and excellent clearance kicks from the backs. This was a very physical encounter with the boys digging deep to hold Eddies out for a 12-7 Win.
Round 10 Marist v Queanbeyan Whites at Queanbeyan
Match Report 11 August 2018
Marist survived a scare against Eddies last weekend so the coaches were keen to ensure that against Queanbeyan the boys stuck with their structure. Wednesday training last week concentrated a lot on team communication and making good decisions around the type of structure we want to play.
The initial signs were very good on a pleasant and warm morning in Queanbeyan. The boys warmed up well and ran the ball with good intent right from the start. Some good quick ball movement through the backs saw Cooper L cross for his double with his first two touches of the ball. This was after some excellent build-up from the forwards got us into great field position.
The pack was making a lot of ground but at times the Marist lads were a bit slow to exploit the fast ball by clearing it from the ruck sooner, but we attacked the edges very well and the Marist scrum was completely dominant. Pretty soon the tries were racking up with forwards and backs crossing the line regularly. Just before half time we let Queanbeyan do tap restarts with the ball from the halfway.
The Marist defence looked a little bit fragile towards the end where a flow of penalties put us on the back foot. The Queanbeyan no 13 looked good whenever he got the ball and just on fulltime he cut through some soft tackles from halfway and it looked like he was going to score for all money. But no one told Cooper that, and from out of nowhere he came tearing in to pull off an amazing cover tackle right on our try line. Awesome effort Cooper and that never give up attitude is what this team should be about.
In the forwards Benny H, Jacob, Hunter and Lachy Y all ran the ball really well with Sam S showing his great footwork again to bamboozle defenders. In the backs Benny M, Cooper, Bede and Koey had good all round games in defence and attack.
We will need to keep working hard on our communication and vision so we can make full use of the team structure when the space opens up out wide. Only two rounds left before the finals lads so let’s keep building now towards a great finish to the season. Final score was 73-0 to the Marist boys.
Marist survived a scare against Eddies last weekend so the coaches were keen to ensure that against Queanbeyan the boys stuck with their structure. Wednesday training last week concentrated a lot on team communication and making good decisions around the type of structure we want to play.
The initial signs were very good on a pleasant and warm morning in Queanbeyan. The boys warmed up well and ran the ball with good intent right from the start. Some good quick ball movement through the backs saw Cooper L cross for his double with his first two touches of the ball. This was after some excellent build-up from the forwards got us into great field position.
The pack was making a lot of ground but at times the Marist lads were a bit slow to exploit the fast ball by clearing it from the ruck sooner, but we attacked the edges very well and the Marist scrum was completely dominant. Pretty soon the tries were racking up with forwards and backs crossing the line regularly. Just before half time we let Queanbeyan do tap restarts with the ball from the halfway.
The Marist defence looked a little bit fragile towards the end where a flow of penalties put us on the back foot. The Queanbeyan no 13 looked good whenever he got the ball and just on fulltime he cut through some soft tackles from halfway and it looked like he was going to score for all money. But no one told Cooper that, and from out of nowhere he came tearing in to pull off an amazing cover tackle right on our try line. Awesome effort Cooper and that never give up attitude is what this team should be about.
In the forwards Benny H, Jacob, Hunter and Lachy Y all ran the ball really well with Sam S showing his great footwork again to bamboozle defenders. In the backs Benny M, Cooper, Bede and Koey had good all round games in defence and attack.
We will need to keep working hard on our communication and vision so we can make full use of the team structure when the space opens up out wide. Only two rounds left before the finals lads so let’s keep building now towards a great finish to the season. Final score was 73-0 to the Marist boys.
Round 11 Marist v Grammar at Grammar
Match Report 18 August 2018
Marist last met Grammar in a home match at Marist in the very first round of the season when it was a 73-0 win in favour of the U11 Marist Royal side. The return match at Grammar in Round 11 was a top 4 clash with Marist in No 1 spot on the ladder taking on an improved Grammar team sitting in 3rd spot with 6 wins from 10 games. Unfortunately we were without the services of Tommy E (head knock at school), Sam S and Cooper L (sickness) for this match. Thanks to Tommy for coming along though and running water for the team, great stuff!
Despite a promising and sunny start to the morning by kick off time at 930 ominous dark clouds were gathering to the southwest and with a wind chill factor straight off the Snowies the temperature felt like it was well below freezing. A brisk warm-up and then the boys ran out to shake hands and get the game underway right on time.
Marist received the kick off and almost immediately Joey P had a big run back over halfway towards the Grammar line, a good chase bringing him down a few metres short of the chalk. This was the first of many dangerous breaks made by Joey during the game and he was rewarded later in the game with a nice try. A pick and go close to the line by Lachy H a few rucks later and Marist had first points. More tries followed to the forwards with Hunter getting the first of his double and Jacob and Lachy Y chipping in with some strong carries to keep everything rolling along.
Grammar then got some possession of their own and showed good ball control at the breakdown to try and bust us through the ruck with their forward ball carriers. Some fantastic ruck defence by the forwards led by Char and Lachy Y with support from Seb, Benny H and Griff constantly knocked Grammar backwards and forced some handling errors that the backline was able to exploit just before half time with a strong run from Kye down the right edge to score.
After half time Marist let Grammar tap to restart after we scored and the rain started to fall. Grammar needed no excuse to play wet weather footy and again rumble their forwards off the ruck and give us some really valuable tackling practice before finals. In between the forwards tackle fest around the rucks Fletch made a good dart on the short side, as did Bede to keep things ticking over, and Benny M executed a lovely draw and pass to put Koey into the corner out wide on the left wing. Hunter stormed over from a pick and go for his second and Griff also picked up a try off a hard run from 20 m out.
The game was refereed very well, with both teams trying to play contrasting styles of rugby and at the end Marist came out winners 51-0. A dedicated performance from the lads, with special mention to the forwards who seemed to relish their task of tackling around the ruck. We really need to keep up that intensity going into the game against Wests next weekend who also play a narrow game plan through their forwards and will try to avoid our backs.
Great effort boys, last round of the season coming up away at Wests and then Semi-Finals the week after that.
Marist last met Grammar in a home match at Marist in the very first round of the season when it was a 73-0 win in favour of the U11 Marist Royal side. The return match at Grammar in Round 11 was a top 4 clash with Marist in No 1 spot on the ladder taking on an improved Grammar team sitting in 3rd spot with 6 wins from 10 games. Unfortunately we were without the services of Tommy E (head knock at school), Sam S and Cooper L (sickness) for this match. Thanks to Tommy for coming along though and running water for the team, great stuff!
Despite a promising and sunny start to the morning by kick off time at 930 ominous dark clouds were gathering to the southwest and with a wind chill factor straight off the Snowies the temperature felt like it was well below freezing. A brisk warm-up and then the boys ran out to shake hands and get the game underway right on time.
Marist received the kick off and almost immediately Joey P had a big run back over halfway towards the Grammar line, a good chase bringing him down a few metres short of the chalk. This was the first of many dangerous breaks made by Joey during the game and he was rewarded later in the game with a nice try. A pick and go close to the line by Lachy H a few rucks later and Marist had first points. More tries followed to the forwards with Hunter getting the first of his double and Jacob and Lachy Y chipping in with some strong carries to keep everything rolling along.
Grammar then got some possession of their own and showed good ball control at the breakdown to try and bust us through the ruck with their forward ball carriers. Some fantastic ruck defence by the forwards led by Char and Lachy Y with support from Seb, Benny H and Griff constantly knocked Grammar backwards and forced some handling errors that the backline was able to exploit just before half time with a strong run from Kye down the right edge to score.
After half time Marist let Grammar tap to restart after we scored and the rain started to fall. Grammar needed no excuse to play wet weather footy and again rumble their forwards off the ruck and give us some really valuable tackling practice before finals. In between the forwards tackle fest around the rucks Fletch made a good dart on the short side, as did Bede to keep things ticking over, and Benny M executed a lovely draw and pass to put Koey into the corner out wide on the left wing. Hunter stormed over from a pick and go for his second and Griff also picked up a try off a hard run from 20 m out.
The game was refereed very well, with both teams trying to play contrasting styles of rugby and at the end Marist came out winners 51-0. A dedicated performance from the lads, with special mention to the forwards who seemed to relish their task of tackling around the ruck. We really need to keep up that intensity going into the game against Wests next weekend who also play a narrow game plan through their forwards and will try to avoid our backs.
Great effort boys, last round of the season coming up away at Wests and then Semi-Finals the week after that.
Round 12 Marist v Wests at Weetangera 25th August
Semi Final Marist Royal v Grammar at Marist
Match Report 1 September 2018
The Marist U11 Royal team went through the home and away rounds with 11 wins from 11 matches and were fortunate enough to have a home Semi-Final. Even better the boys got to play their first match of 2018 on the Marist main oval at 9 am against Canberra Grammar. For the first time in a while we had a full playing roster available too for a Saturday game.
The boys came out of the Marist dressing shed firing but as expected Grammar were very well drilled at the breakdown. In fact, for the first 10 minutes of the game the Grammar forwards were way quicker to the ruck and far more aggressive in pilfering our ball, taking advantage of an uncharacteristically passive Marist forward pack. Marist were turned over repeatedly at the ruck due to slow reactions and we struggled to put more than two phases together in attack before we lost the ball.
Despite the sluggishness and inaccuracy at the breakdown, the forwards were defending the ruck edges reasonably well, with only the occasional lapses on the blind side. This prevented Grammar from exploiting the amount of possession they had early on. Many times Marist got into good field position only to be turned over. Eventually we managed to hold the ball long enough from a penalty to get close to the Grammar line for the forwards to pick and go for our first try. Joey P then followed up with a trademark weaving run from a kick off to score our second and then bagged a double in similar fashion shortly after to make it 17-0 at half time. Great to see Joey getting over a bad run of flu and injuries and back to his best!
The half-time chat was all about increasing the speed and intensity at the ruck to protect our own ball, which the boys did to good effect in the second half. Once we started controlling the ball we were able to build phases and find the space with Fletcher showing some good pace and skill at wing to finish two expansive backline moves. Bede also showed his acceleration and ability to sniff some space out wide and Ky scored a fantatsic individual long range try with Koey also finishing well in the left corner. The game plan was now falling into place and the forwards also started to find holes around the ruck with Hunter, Benny H and Lachy Y finding the line with strong runs. Marist were on the rampage and despite kicking the ball back to Grammar it was soon back in Marist hands and more points were scored in a second half blitz with the final result being a 64-0 win. Thank you to the Grammar lads for a determined effort and they can be proud of their first half performance.
Congratulations to the Marist boys on reaching the ACTJRU Grand Final next weekend and an undefeated run all season! We will play Eddies in the big match at Vikings Park and we will need to be lot sharper, faster, accurate and physical at the breakdown if we want to win the ruck contest next weekend and stay undefeated. Plenty to work on this Wednesday boys, one more game to go so let’s finish the season with a 100% effort from the whole team.
The Marist U11 Royal team went through the home and away rounds with 11 wins from 11 matches and were fortunate enough to have a home Semi-Final. Even better the boys got to play their first match of 2018 on the Marist main oval at 9 am against Canberra Grammar. For the first time in a while we had a full playing roster available too for a Saturday game.
The boys came out of the Marist dressing shed firing but as expected Grammar were very well drilled at the breakdown. In fact, for the first 10 minutes of the game the Grammar forwards were way quicker to the ruck and far more aggressive in pilfering our ball, taking advantage of an uncharacteristically passive Marist forward pack. Marist were turned over repeatedly at the ruck due to slow reactions and we struggled to put more than two phases together in attack before we lost the ball.
Despite the sluggishness and inaccuracy at the breakdown, the forwards were defending the ruck edges reasonably well, with only the occasional lapses on the blind side. This prevented Grammar from exploiting the amount of possession they had early on. Many times Marist got into good field position only to be turned over. Eventually we managed to hold the ball long enough from a penalty to get close to the Grammar line for the forwards to pick and go for our first try. Joey P then followed up with a trademark weaving run from a kick off to score our second and then bagged a double in similar fashion shortly after to make it 17-0 at half time. Great to see Joey getting over a bad run of flu and injuries and back to his best!
The half-time chat was all about increasing the speed and intensity at the ruck to protect our own ball, which the boys did to good effect in the second half. Once we started controlling the ball we were able to build phases and find the space with Fletcher showing some good pace and skill at wing to finish two expansive backline moves. Bede also showed his acceleration and ability to sniff some space out wide and Ky scored a fantatsic individual long range try with Koey also finishing well in the left corner. The game plan was now falling into place and the forwards also started to find holes around the ruck with Hunter, Benny H and Lachy Y finding the line with strong runs. Marist were on the rampage and despite kicking the ball back to Grammar it was soon back in Marist hands and more points were scored in a second half blitz with the final result being a 64-0 win. Thank you to the Grammar lads for a determined effort and they can be proud of their first half performance.
Congratulations to the Marist boys on reaching the ACTJRU Grand Final next weekend and an undefeated run all season! We will play Eddies in the big match at Vikings Park and we will need to be lot sharper, faster, accurate and physical at the breakdown if we want to win the ruck contest next weekend and stay undefeated. Plenty to work on this Wednesday boys, one more game to go so let’s finish the season with a 100% effort from the whole team.
Grand Final Marist v St Edmunds at Viking Park
Match Report 8 September 2018
The Marist U11 Royal team went through the home and away rounds and semi-final as undefeated minor premiers, and for the second year in a row were playing in a Division 1 Grand Final. This year our opposition was a much improved St Edmunds team.
Marist enjoyed a wonderful Grand Final series, with 10 teams playing GFs and 8 winning, including the 1st and 2nd XVs, both U11 teams winning their GFs, and all 3 of our U10 teams winning Div 1, 2 and 3. What a great way to celebrate 50 years of Marist! Seeing the Marist boys run onto the field to help celebrate their teams’ achievements and the combined war cries at the end of the 1st and 2nd XV games were special moments that I am sure the boys will remember for a very long time.
Right on 920 our U11 Marist Royal team ran onto the main oval and waited for St Eddies to turn up which they eventually did. Marist received the kick off and GF 2018 was underway. After a slow start against Grammar in the Semi’s, the coaches really wanted the boys to start with more intensity and the forwards did exactly that! The rucking was very accurate and our reactions and decision-making at the breakdown were excellent. Due to the great platform from our forwards the backs enjoyed good quality possession and in the first half Joey Philips and Bede were able to capitalise with some great evasive running to score two tries. Koey was unlucky to not be awarded a third over the line and Ky came close with a swerving sideline run. Marist dominated the first half and at oranges we were 10-0 up after missing both conversions.
The half-time chat was all about maintaining the very good speed and intensity at the ruck to protect our own ball, and getting the backs to attack with a bit more depth and speed. The forwards were doing a great job of shutting down the predictable Eddies pick and go around the ruck edges and once we won that battle the opposition had no plan B. Marist enjoyed good field position and a flow of penalties coming our way due to constant Eddies ruck infringements but our backs were still too lateral or static to make the most of it, although our mid-field kicking game was fairly good. A couple of dropped balls on the edges and a few late passes spoiled some other scoring opportunities out wide. This game really was won on the back of some terrific team defence, and our attack had enough to finish a couple of the 6 or 7 chances we created.
Congratulations to the Marist boys on being undefeated Premier Champions and a fantastic season! We only conceded 2 tries all year which is a huge testament to the boys’ determination and rugby attitude. We had no yellow cards against us for the season and all the lads’ displayed the qualities of sportsmanship and team work that make playing rugby for Marist such a great experience.
Congratulations to Joey P for his player of the grand final award with some great defence and attacking play, brilliant stuff Joey! Thanks to all the parents, carers, friends, supporters and relatives that helped out in a thousand different ways during 2018. The coaches appreciate the effort everyone makes to support the boys and this is a much deserved result for their hard work in 2018. A reminder that Rugby presentations are on this Thursday at 4 pm in the Senior School Gym.
AWESOME effort U11 Marist Royal!! See you in 2019 and let’s make it 3 in a row!
The Marist U11 Royal team went through the home and away rounds and semi-final as undefeated minor premiers, and for the second year in a row were playing in a Division 1 Grand Final. This year our opposition was a much improved St Edmunds team.
Marist enjoyed a wonderful Grand Final series, with 10 teams playing GFs and 8 winning, including the 1st and 2nd XVs, both U11 teams winning their GFs, and all 3 of our U10 teams winning Div 1, 2 and 3. What a great way to celebrate 50 years of Marist! Seeing the Marist boys run onto the field to help celebrate their teams’ achievements and the combined war cries at the end of the 1st and 2nd XV games were special moments that I am sure the boys will remember for a very long time.
Right on 920 our U11 Marist Royal team ran onto the main oval and waited for St Eddies to turn up which they eventually did. Marist received the kick off and GF 2018 was underway. After a slow start against Grammar in the Semi’s, the coaches really wanted the boys to start with more intensity and the forwards did exactly that! The rucking was very accurate and our reactions and decision-making at the breakdown were excellent. Due to the great platform from our forwards the backs enjoyed good quality possession and in the first half Joey Philips and Bede were able to capitalise with some great evasive running to score two tries. Koey was unlucky to not be awarded a third over the line and Ky came close with a swerving sideline run. Marist dominated the first half and at oranges we were 10-0 up after missing both conversions.
The half-time chat was all about maintaining the very good speed and intensity at the ruck to protect our own ball, and getting the backs to attack with a bit more depth and speed. The forwards were doing a great job of shutting down the predictable Eddies pick and go around the ruck edges and once we won that battle the opposition had no plan B. Marist enjoyed good field position and a flow of penalties coming our way due to constant Eddies ruck infringements but our backs were still too lateral or static to make the most of it, although our mid-field kicking game was fairly good. A couple of dropped balls on the edges and a few late passes spoiled some other scoring opportunities out wide. This game really was won on the back of some terrific team defence, and our attack had enough to finish a couple of the 6 or 7 chances we created.
Congratulations to the Marist boys on being undefeated Premier Champions and a fantastic season! We only conceded 2 tries all year which is a huge testament to the boys’ determination and rugby attitude. We had no yellow cards against us for the season and all the lads’ displayed the qualities of sportsmanship and team work that make playing rugby for Marist such a great experience.
Congratulations to Joey P for his player of the grand final award with some great defence and attacking play, brilliant stuff Joey! Thanks to all the parents, carers, friends, supporters and relatives that helped out in a thousand different ways during 2018. The coaches appreciate the effort everyone makes to support the boys and this is a much deserved result for their hard work in 2018. A reminder that Rugby presentations are on this Thursday at 4 pm in the Senior School Gym.
AWESOME effort U11 Marist Royal!! See you in 2019 and let’s make it 3 in a row!