ROUND 8 27 June 2010 - TRIDENTS 36 DEFEATED KURNELL STINGRAYS 4 The Tridents came keyed up for this match coming off the back of a great win the week before against Como-Jannalli Three minutes in to the match Joey's own halfback Michael Schembri scored an excellent in the right corner converted by Mitch Morton to open the scoring at 6 nil. Only 4 minutes later Chris Hasting-Ison scored off a good backline movement from the scrum to take the score to 10 nil in a pattern which was to set the mood for much of the game. A little later Matt Docker, in a return from sea duties, made a break and offloaded to Ben Keith who was just tackled before the Stingray's line. But only 2 minutes later a Tridents backline movement broke down with the ball being neatly flicked out the back for Matt Docker to recover and score for a 14 nil lead. Kurnell attacked the Tridents line for the next 5 minutes but were held out and was soon followed by Shane Robson making a break through the line off a scrum to score a rare try. Score 18 nil. Matt Docker was on fire and making up for lost game time he soon scored again in the corner to take the score to 22 nil. Kurnell again attacked the Tridents line but were again held out in an impressive defensive display. Matt Docker and Dan Gordon were strong throughout the half with some determined running and good breaks. Towards the break Kurnell attacked the Trident's line and were rewarded with a try from a kick through to score in the corner. The score at the break was 22 - 4. Kurnell kicked off for the start of the second half. One minute in Matt Docker made another break down the sideline only to be tackled near the line and lose possession. Kurnell attacked the Tridents line but were held out again by solid defence. 6 minutes in Dan Gordon off-loaded to Ben Keith to score and take the lead to 26-4. The goal kicking was a bit off target during the second half however the lead was sufficient to keep Kurnell at bay. 11 minutes in Mark Gordon made a big bust up the middle to off load to Ben Keith again backing up near the line to score. This one was converted taking the lead to 32-4. The Tridents attacked the Kurnell line for the next 10 minutes finally crossing with a barge over another rare try by Mitch Morton from dummy half. Score 36-4. The Tridents looked in fine form again with the run up to the finals looking promising. Result: Tridents 36 defeated Kurnell Stingrays 4 Tries: Michael Schembri, Matt Docker 2, Shane Robson, Ben Keith 2, Chris Hastings-Ison, Mitch Morton Goals: Mitch Morton, Jarryd O'Connell ROUND SEVEN - TRIDENTS V COMO-JANNALI CROCODILES - Sunday 20 June 10 After a month without a match due to inclement weather and ground closures the Tridents were well refreshed with many of the injured players being able to recover, strengthening the side immensely. This week's match saw us up against competition leaders the Como-Jannali Crocodiles and it was always going to be a fiery affair. The first 5 minutes resembled a good old fashioned softening up period with Como kicking off and putting on some big first up bone crunching hits on the Navy boys. The Tridents kept their cool early on though and turned defence into attack getting into the Como red zone for Michael Celotto to score off a trade mark Peter Saad offload. Mitch Morton converted the extras to take the Tridents to a 6 nil lead after only 5 minutes. Off the kick-off the Tridents were penalised close to their line and were forced to defend close to their line for the next 10 minutes and put on a fantastic display of hard desperate defence to keep Como out. The Tridents then made a good break down the left wing which was rewarded soon after with a penalty 25 metres out from Como's line. Things looked promising for another try however a dropped ball put paid to that. Como worked their way back to close to the Trident's line and put through a grubber, away from the fullback, pouncing on the ball to score. The conversion brought the scores even at 6 all. 25 minutes had gone by and off the very next kick-off the Tridents put in a short kick-off recovered by Dan Capilli making good ground into Como's half. This was soon rewarded with a penalty close to Como's line. Mitch Morton converted the penalty goal and took the Tridents out to an 8-6 lead. The Tridents were attacking Como's line soon after putting a kick though which was only just recovered by Como to prevent a try. Como then attacked our line with a bomb which was dropped by the Tridents. Como put through a grubber on the next set of six which was picked up by the Tridents. The goal-line dropout corresponded with the half time bell and a welcome break. The first half was characterised by strong defence and by Dan Capilli carving up the opposition in attack. Peter Saad provided some great off loads to keep us on top. Peter Saad continued the good work when 5 minutes in he provided a pass which was put down and recovered by Como, however not to be outdone Peter pounced on the Como player, stripped the ball in a one-on-one tackle and scored in the corner. Mitch Morton's conversion from the sideline took the Trident's lead out to 14-6. 5 minutes later Dan Gordon scored out wide shrugging off two defenders to take our lead to 18-6. Dan in company with other big man Brad Elliot continued to terrorise the opposition in defence with heavy tackling throughout the entire game. The tit for tat in defence between the two teams was a powerful display of how well the boys can play when they work together as a team and hunt as a pack. A couple of minutes later the Tridents were defending solidly on their own line breaking down a Como play and preventing them from scoring. A flair-up ensued resulting in one Como and one Tridents player being binned for 10 and another player from each side being sent off. The next ten minutes saw both sides with 10 men each in a desperate bid to create overlaps and get around the opposition. It made for nail biting football and some exciting passages of play. Como attacked our line a couple of times only to have the ball knocked out in a big tackle and to be called back for a forward pass with the line open on another occasion. With 10 minutes to go Peter Saad kicked to a goal line corner with the Tridents just failing to get to it in time and close to full time the Tridents made a break down the sideline only to be tackled over the sideline. The full time bell rang soon after, signalling a great win for the Tridents against the competition leaders. The display of football was pleasing to watch with the ball skills, impressive teamwork and scrambling defence all coming together at the right end of the season. Things are definitely looking up for a great finish. Some of the standout players were Damian Bankier who was very solid in defence, providing smart off loads and gaining good metres in hit-ups; Ben Keith who was outstanding in defence with good one-on-one tackles and breaks in attack making significant metres; Michael Celotto was very solid in defence, with great meters from the front row and some great gains running out wide; and finally skilful goal kicking by Mitchell Morton. The Player's Player, with a voucher from Harrys Café de Wheels, was awarded to Brad Elliot for solid hit ups including damaging defence causing 2 dropped balls by Como putting us in good field position. The Man of the Match went to Dan Capilli for an inspired display in both attack and defence as usual with great attacking runs with some great offloads, receiving a voucher from the Holiday Inn/Crowne Plaza for a night's accommodation anywhere in NSW/ACT. Result: Tridents defeated Como 18-6 Tries: Michael Celotto, Daniel Gordon, Peter Saad. Goals: Mitch Morton 3 Round Six - Sunday 23rd May 2010 Second Grade The Second Grade met Engadine Dragons last Sunday at Kareela Oval in the wet, although the rain was kept at bay for most of the game, handling was slippery. The Tridents put in a good first 10 minutes and looked strong with only a minor lapse in concentration letting the Dragons in for an unconverted try in the corner to go to the lead 4 nil. The boys came back from that and didn't let Engadine cross their line again during the entire game. A lot of dropped ball in the wet conditions let them down but they came close to scoring with a good break down the left wing only to be stopped after some good ball movement. As usual the Second Grade team's defence was solid and even though camped on Engadine's line in attack for much of the half they were unable to cross and went to the break 4 nil down. The Tridents came out strong again in the second half and after 10 minutes were rewarded with Team Captain Shane Robson being put through a gap to score 10 minutes in. The try remained unconverted with the score at 4 all. The wet conditions led to the remainder of the match being a slog with dropped ball and hard graft however the boys never stopped trying to get across the line going close on a number of occasions. Their strong defence was rewarded with Engadine remaining unable to score again in the game. Strong performances were shown by Peter Saad and Michael Schembri guiding the team around the park with Daniel Capilli performing well across the field and up the middle. Man of the match went to Ben Keith for an excellent game. Result: Tridents drew 4 all with Engadine Tries: Shane Robson 1 Round Four- Sunday 9th May 2010 Second Grade As usual the Second Grade Tridents came out playing their usual gritty and determined style but were the victims of an unlucky charge down and try against them just 3 minutes in. Just after Steve Swanson, playing in lock for the first time, made a break but was called back for a questionable forward pass. Gymea next scored on the back of a penalty near the Trident's line. For the next 10 minutes we pushed hard on the Gorilla's line only to come up short of a much needed try. Gymea then scored off a kick through to go to the break with the Tridents trailing 12-0. The Tridents came out firing in the second half with Gymea dropping the ball off the kickoff. Shortly after Steve Swanson put Shane Rennie through a hole to score a much needed converted try. This was followed by a soft barge over try from dummy half to Gymea and another followed shortly after in a similar fashion. Michael Chaffer then scored of a backline move followed late in the game by a try to Jarrad Preece under the posts. The final score was 28 - 18 Gymea, but the boys played some good footy, winning the second half and had some unlucky calls gone the other way the match may have ended differently. Steve Swanson played some inspired football once again in a state of perpetual motion. Result: Tridents lost 28 - 18 Tries: Shane Rennie 1, Michael Chaffer 1, Jarrad Preece 1 Goals: Shane Rennie 1, Joshua Kearns 2 A Grade The Navy Tridents faced the Gymea Gorillas for the second time in as many weeks and were determined to match them on the field. The many unforced errors worked against them however and Gymea soon were in front. Gymea moved to a 28 nil lead but the Tridents came back with a strong effort in the last five minutes of the first half attacking the Gymea line consistently. Unfortunately they were not rewarded with a try but it was not from a lack of trying. Navy came out hard in the second half and put in a top rate first 10 minutes but were again unable to cross the Gorillas line. Gymea then put on 3 quick tries. The Tridents put in another gutsy 15 minutes finally be rewarded with a Mark Zaiter 100 metre runaway try. Gymea finished the game off with an impressive penalty move on the Navy line to score and win 54 - 6. Chris Downey played a hard game and was a worthy Holiday Inn Man of the Match winning a night's accommodation in a NSW/ACT Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza hotel of his choice. An impressive display also came from new five eighth Veniasi Turuva getting the backline working well in the second half. All the boys put in a hard effort which was very much appreciated by all their supporters. Result: Navy Tridents lost 54 - 6 Tries: Mark Zaiter 1 Goals: Joshua Kearns 1 Round Three - Sunday 2nd May 2010 A Grade Navy Tridents v Sutherland Loftus United - Navy Tridents lost 42-10 On a warm Sunday afternoon the Navy Tridents were out to try and rectify an 0-2 start to the 2010 Season. After a stirring ANZAC Day Ceremony by the Sutherland Club, it was time to kick off proceedings. Unfortunately for Navy, they didn't come out firing on all cylinders, and Sutherland-Loftus posted the first four pointer of the game, which was converted from the sideline. Sutherland-Loftus then used the momentum going their way to score and convert another 2 quick trys. After some good leadup work, Sutherland landed another try before the Tridents posted their only try of the first half to winger AB Steve Swanson. At the end of the half with a 24-4 scoreline, the Navy position looked dire, but a fired up speech from Coach Dave Kemp and Capt. LS Shane Robson, the Tridents came out firing at the start of the second half. Unfortunately the bounce of the ball and a string of handling errors saw all the Trident hard work appear in vane. Sutherland then landed what was looking to be the knockout blow, with another try and conversion. Navy then hit back through winger AB Steve Swanson, and unfortunately another missed conversion. This gave Sutherland-Loftus a 30-8 scoreline. Sutherland-Loftus then scored another try through some good lead-up work, to blow the scoreline out to 36-8. Navy hit back through a try to PO Sam McGregor, with AB Luke Woodcroft converting. With a 36-14 scoreline, the game was all but over, when Sutherland added further insult to injury with another try and conversion. RANRL debutant AB Jacob Bulley played well from the bench, with Club Capt Shane Robson leading the way forward with Daniel Capilli and Sam McGregor. Tries: AB Steve Swanson 2, PO Sam McGregor 1 Goals: AB Luke Woodcroft 1 Second Grade Tridents V Gymea Gorillas - No Match Report Result: Tridents lost 40 - 14 Tries: AB Edward Smith 2, AB Josh Kearns 1 Goals: LS Alan Pritchard 1 Round Two - Sunday 18th April 2010 Second Grade - Tridents v Menai Roosters, Akuna Oval - Tridents won 42-8 The Round Two saw the Tridents Second Grade come up against the Menai Roosters. The Tridents are going from strength to strength on the back of last week's massive defensive display. This week they came out as determined as ever and never looked back from the whistle. In an exciting match at Menai's home field our team showed great skill with exciting attack and fierce defence to record their first win of the season in the competition by 42-8 following the draw in the first round. Behind by 4-0 after ten minutes the team rolled into action with some great lead-up work by Peter Saad who was outstanding over the park in attack, resulting in the first try after 15 minutes to Veniasi Turuva which was converted by Joshua Kearns, resulting in a lead of 6-4. With possession starting to be controlled by our team and the combinations improving, further first half tries were recorded by Joshua Kearns, Mathew Shaw and Veniasi Turuva, all of which were converted and resulted in a halftime lead of 24-4. Menai came out firing in the second half to attempt to get back into the match and were rewarded by an early try, taking the score to 24-8. Our team rallied with solid work from the forwards and outstanding attack from the backs assisted by Joeys own Michael Schembri as halfback. The team clicked into gear and showed superior fitness and skill to record further tries to Jason Ey, Peter Saad and Veniasi Turuva, all of which were converted for the final score line of 42-8. Throughout the match the Tridents scored tries all over the park opening up the Roosters defence virtually at will. Expertly led by the half combination of Peter Saad and Michael Schembri some great plays were executed throughout the match. Peter made some inspired breaks with great backing up from his team mates New find Veniasi Turuva had a huge game picking up three tries. Veniasi showed great ball skills and footwork to carve his way through the Roosters. Excellent kicking from Joshua Kearns earned 14 points off the boot for the Tridents. That 'never say die' attitude in defence is certainly paying off for the Tridents and it is great to see them backing up each other in defence and attack. With the combinations coming together and the team controlling possession, it is a good sign for the weeks ahead. I would like to add best wishes for injured player Brendan Manning. The Second Grade are set to play the Gymea Gorillas AR2s at 1:30pm on Sunday 2 May at Sutherland Oval. Result: Navy won 42-8 Tries: Veniasi Turuva 3, Peter Saad 1, Joshua Kearns 1, Jason Ey 1 and Mathew Shaw 1 Goals: Joshua Kearns 7 A Grade - Navy Tridents v Gymea Gorillas, Corea Oval - Navy Tridents lost 40-6 In Round Two the A Grade Navy Tridents came up against a strengthened Gymea side. The Gorillas were fit, fast and polished and must be contenders for the title this year. Navy Tridents appeared to lack focus and fitness at the start and were falling off tackles. Poor ball discipline near their line led to Gymea tries on four or five occasions. Navy went to the break 24 nil down but on returning they appeared to have renewed vigour keeping Gymea scoreless for the first 17 minutes before tries started going against them. The Tridents were much stronger in the second half realising they needed to get their act together to not get further behind on the scoreboard. Standout performers were Ben Keith in the 2nd Row, Stuart Jones on the Wing, Chris Downie off the bench and Neil Stanley in the Front Row. To their great credit the Tridents never gave up despite the scoreline, always muscled up in defence and were constantly looking at ways to break the opposition's line. Towards the end of the match captain Shane Robson put Mark Zaiter through a gap near halfway to score under the posts to loud applause from the Joeys spectators. This was a wake up call and as always the indomitable spirit of the Navy Tridents will make a resurgence. The A Grade plays Sutherland Loftus United at 3pm on Sunday 2 May at Sutherland Oval. Result: Navy lost 40-6 Tries: Mark Zaiter 1 Goals: Luke Woodcroft 1 Navy Tridents Round One - Kareela Oval Sunday 11th April 2010 With a huge turn out at training after a great trial day the week before Navy was looking for some strong performances this weekend in round one of the 17 round competition. This looks like being a very strong year for Navy Rugby League with two full sides and enough players for a third side filling the reserves. With deployments and postings all of the players will get a run throughout the year and those newcomers to the game will be part of a strong development process getting them ready to play competitive football. Great support was there from the The Navy Variety Bash car also supported the game and was very popular with the kids, handing out Navy merchandise and conducting some fundraising. A Grade - Navy Tridents v Menai Roosters - Navy lost 31-30 In Round One of the A Grade the Navy Tridents came up against the improved Menai District Roosters. Navy looked the goods at the start coming out very confidently and within five minutes Daniel Capilli had scored adjacent to the posts. Luke Woodcroft converted and the score was 6 nil. However Menai countered with a try only to be trumped five minutes later by Mark Zaiter making a break off Captain, Shane Robson's, classic offload. Woodcroft converted to take the lead to 12-4 Navy. Before the break Menai struck back with two tries through some sloppy defence going to the break at 12 all. Menai came out firing in the second half putting on two converted tries in 10 minutes, one off a backline move and kick-through into the in-goal, taking the score to 24-12 Menai. Not to outdone Navy struck back in sea sawing game with converted tires to Matt Docker and Mitch Morton to bring the scores back level at 24 all. Menai then obtained a few lucky breaks helped along by some more loose defence to score in the corner, pick up a penalty goal in front of the posts followed up by a field goal to put Menai out to a seven point lead with three minutes to go. Navy fought back in the dying stages to pick up a try on the bell through Mark Zaiter to take the score to 31-30 Menai. Close but not close enough. Coach Dave Kemp said: "The effort was there but the ball control was disappointing. This is only the second game they have played together, however I was expecting a lot better performance." There was much dropped ball and gaps in defence. With more discipline across the board there will be significant improvement to come. The A Grade plays Gymea at 3pm on Sunday 18 April at Corea Oval and with improved defence and ball security they should come out on top. Result: Navy lost 31-30 Tries: Mark Zaiter, Mitch Morton, Daniel Capilli, Matt Docker, Shane Rennie Goals: Luke Woodcroft 5 Second Grade - Tridents v Kurnell Stingrays - 10 all draw The Round One challenges saw the Tridents Second Grade come up against the Kurnell Stingrays. With both teams coming off trial game wins, all was set for a good encounter. After an early Stingrays try the Tridents got the upper hand early through Winger ABCSO Lyle Smith who took a great catch just short of the try line and then scored out wide to open the Tridents 2010 account. ABET Jarryd O'Connell's radar was not switched on in time as he missed the first conversion from a hard spot. At the 20min mark, the Tridents bombed a certain try with a knock on. In the following play try scorer Lyle Smith injured his knee and was escorted from the field. This presented the opportunity for the Stingrays to organise their attack, and at the end of the next set and just before halftime the Stingrays went ahead with a try through their backs on the back of a kick through into the corner to bring the score to 10-4 at the break. The 10-4 Stingray lead was short lived, as Tridents five-eight Peter Saad scored from a solo effort with Jarryd O'Connell converting to tie the game up at 10 All. At Half Time, Tridents Coach, Glenn Brown was pleased with the performance of the Tridents, saying “There completion rate is down on what I would like, so we'll see what the second half brings.” The second half saw both sides come close to breaking the deadlock, but both sides managed to scramble in defence and keep it at 10 All. Reserve grade coach, Glenn Brown, was proud of the team. “It was a lot of new guys playing together, I was proud of their defence,” he said. “The Stingrays are the best team in the competition and held the ball for eighty percent of the time. If we had controlled the ball then we would have won the game”. “We had about four or five players who hadn't previously trained with the rest of the team. It is difficult to be cohesive in those circumstances. With a couple more training sessions they will be more cohesive”, he said The Second Grade are set to play the Menai Roosters at Akuna Oval, Result: Navy drew 10 all Tries: Lyle Smith, Peter Saad, Goals: Jarryd O'Connell
WATERHEN SCORES HAT TRICK The hard-tackling sailors from HMAS Waterhen wrote themselves into Navy rugby league history by winning the Patron's Cup for the third time in succession. Waterhen edged the gallant sailors from FSU-'A' 8-4 in a thrilling final to win the Patron's Cup rugby league competition which was played at The heroes of Waterhen's victory were LSPT James 'Dusty' Miller, who scored a spectacular try from a 'bomb', and AB Luke Palethorpe, who posted the match winner in the dying minutes. AB Palthorpe said 'lady luck' smiled on him when he found himself 'floating' on the wing with a clear run to the try line. ”It was a really hard match blessed with one magic moment when I scored near the corner-post without a hand being laid on me,” he said with a chuckle. The victory marked a welcome and triumphant return to the playing field for LSPT Miller, who was hospitalised after running into the goal-post at last year's Patron's Cup. “The spectators said it was a great feat to catch such a towering 'bomb' and dive over the try-line but I'd rather give credit to the kicker,” he said. Waterhen's third successive victory in this prestigious Navy sports competition marks the dawn of a new dynasty in RAN rugby league. However, Waterhen's barn-storming finish was made easier by HMAS Albatross' plucky 8-4 victory over the Kiwis from HMNZ Te Mana, who recovered from a sluggish start to win the Patrons' Shield to the tune of 20-4 over FSU-'B'. Sadly for FSU, which fielded two teams, they lost both final matches. However, they did win the respect and admiration of their rival players with truly gritty performances. Several of Waterhen and FSU's players were rewarded for their strong performances with selection in the Navy rugby league team, which recently commenced training in preparation for the football season starting in March and for the tri-service rugby league champion in Townsville later this year. Among Waterhen's best performers was SMNCD Dan Harris, who played impressively in every position but fullback, to be named the 'Dixie Foord' Most Valuable Player of the tournament. SMNCD Harris ran and tackled strongly throughout the tournament and has now set his sights on helping Navy to victory in the inter-service competition and also a weekend A-grade competition in Cronulla-Sutherland. The President of RAN Rugby League, CMDR Glenn Ker, said the Patron's Cup 2010 was contested by 9 teams which makes it one of the most successful in its 15-year history. CMDR Ker said so many young and talented players bodes well for the future of Navy rugby league. He said the RAN will continue to develop a hard core of regular experienced players to contest International and Combined services matches by fielding Navy teams in the A and A Reserve Grade Cronulla Sutherland competitions each Sunday. CMDR Ker said the switch this year from the NSW Tertiary League to the Cronulla-Sutherland competition requires a name change from the 'Titans' to the 'Tridents', to avoid confusion with another local team. He said while the Tridents would continue to benefit from a relationship with the Gold Coast Titans that was established three years ago, the Navy players would further develop their skills during training sessions with Ricky Stuarts' Cronulla Sharks. CMDR Ker said the Tridents welcome additional players, especially rugged forwards, and spectators at its weekend matches. |
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