In the first game the Vikings' Tom Campbell showed that he will be one to keep an eye on this year. His blistering pace created chances everywhere, especially on the left flank. Shamrock Green scored three tries in this game and won 19-7. They relied on their pacers Rhys Peters and Luke Tonegato to ease the pressure on the Blues. It was a great game to start the day and set a standard for the rest of the day. The second game was a bit of a shock as Uni stunned Engadine with their strong defence to record their first win 15-5. Beau Shipley and Harry Pitt were very strong in the forward line and controlled the ruck,
In the third game Shoalhaven beat a confident Shamrockbrother cell phone list White team 17-5. The experience of Ethan Davies and Mark Brandon, who played First Grade last year, gave Shoalhaven the edge in this very exciting encounter. The fourth game Shamrock Green won a very close and tight encounter with a big team like Avondale 15-12. Avondale's forwards are very strong and made many long runs in the midfield. Only the resolute defence of players like Shamrock's Kyle Hecott prevented Avondale from getting a big win. It will be great to see these two teams play in real competition. Their contest will be worth watching. Avondale coach Piki Voetai picked out players to keep an eye on like Ethan Maker, Blake Spencer and Shaun Boag. They certainly looked good in this brief match.
The fifth game saw Shoalhaven beat University 12-0. Corey Lee showed some pace and kept the University defence busy throughout the match. This was Uni's second game after a good win against Engadine and being held scoreless showed just how strong the Shoalhaven defence was. Game 6 saw Shamrock White record their first win against the unlucky Vikings 14-10. This was another close encounter with Cameron Simpson, Wade Tulloch, Jordan Thew and Paul Gann all playing to their heart's contention. The best performer for the Vikings came from Sam Whitty who was well supported by Jarrod Constable and Tom Claridge. Sam is an extremely talented player, has been playing at grade level for 3 years and is still eligible to play in the Colts competition. The old saying "if you're good enough, you're old enough" holds true here too.
Dave, Tian and Lynn Pilkington Game 7 was another close loss for Avondale as they lost to Engadine 19-17. Tian Pilkington could be called an unsung hero of Engadine. Last week his dad, Dave, was telling me that Tian was inviting all his friends over to play rugby. He managed to convince four of them, who have been his friends since kindergarten, to put on their boots and play. They had never played rugby before but they performed well in this tournament and Engadine had some very good wins and very close seconds. Luke Goninan and Lachlan Hausfeld were the best in the paddock for Engadine in this match and once again only a resolute defence thwarted them.