After our seniors had a weekend off while the Brumbies Provincial Championships were being played at Rugby Park, they returned with renewed vigour and provided our first weekend this season where all three senior grades had wins. Our juniors had last weekend off for the long weekend but are back in action and, as always, we welcome any photos, match reports or other content from the Fizzy Reds.
Let’s have a look at the weekend.
Juniors
Fundraising for Crookwell Pups player Seb Cummins
Contributed
Seb Cummins, who plays for the Crookwell Pups Under 12s, was seriously injured in the first game of the season and ended up with a fractured hip joint.
Seb underwent surgery to repair the fracture, will have to endure 8 weeks in a wheelchair with a further 3 months on crutches.
In order to help the Cummins family with medical, travel and accommodation costs the Crookwell Pups, Goulburn Fizzy Reds and Crookwell Dogs Rugby Club rallied together and raised funds through donations and selling raffle tickets.
On Friday night’s conclusion of junior rugby games, Seb and his family were presented with the monies raised with fellow players, families and senior Dogs players attending.
Seb’s mum Ali said she was incredibly grateful people were and especially Catherine Culley for steering the fund raising and Renea Strode for organising the equipment for Seb.
“We really appreciate everyone’s efforts and are truly humbled”, she said.
This just shows how one special sporting club can band together to help those when faced with adversity. It makes all the difference not just financially, but emotionally. Well done Crookwell Pups Junior Rugby, Crookwell Dogs Rugby Club and Goulburn Fizzy Reds.
Crookwell Pups U10s v Fizzy Reds U10s
By Evan Dougall
Fizzy U10s narrowly went down to Crookwell pups on Friday night.
Both teams played willing rugby in good spirit, with the Pups taking advantage of their speed out wide after solid phase play.
Some great tries scored by both teams but the clear highlight was a 20 plus meter driving maul by Crookwell with both packs going at it like veterans, the Pups fighting for retention and the Red’s climbing through to disrupt.
Special thanks to Crookwell for lending us a player to make up numbers.
Fizzys player of the match was Sinclair Klem, with a mention for captain Jake Sommers.
Photos (below): Jake Sommers, Toby Thrower, Flynn Croker, and Brooks Thompson at scrum time. Waiting for kick off and Sinclair Klem off to tell the ref that he’s got the players award in the bag.
Seniors
Click on hyperlinks for score sheets, photos and further details.
Women’s 10s: After a mid-season slump that saw the previously undefeated Goulburn Women’s side lost three games straight, the women bounced back with a 36-25 win over the Bungendore Mudchicks. Despite the absence of key players (and regular captain and vice-captain respectively) Ash Mewburn and Jordan Brooker, the Women rediscovered their winning ways with Chloe Waddell scoring three tries and kicking three conversions, further extending her lead as club’s leading point-scorer this season. Waddell and Josephine O’Brien each received 3 best and fairest points with O’Brien also named Players Player. Further details to follow in Pete Oliver’s match report.
First grade: The Dirty Reds submitted a nice, big, juicy 38-10 win against Queanbeyan Whites that also capped off the club’s first weekend this season with three senior wins. It was also a game with some very contrasting phases and one that, despite the commanding score, revealed work that needs to be done. Goulburn owned the first 13 minutes, running in 28 unanswered points at better than two points a minute. Had that trajectory continued, the score would have been 70 by half time. But then Queanbeyan rallied, first stemming Goulburn’s scoring, then applying their own pressure on the Goulburn line. Goulburn’s defence was superb and kept queanbeyan scoreless for the first half but in the second half, the continual pressure was rewarded when Queanbeyan crossed 8 minutes into the second half. Goulburn finally got back on the scoreboard with 15 minutes remaining, 42 minutes since their last points, and once again on full-time.
Goulburn owned the first 13 minutes and the last 15, but everything in between was a contest. Not helping Goulburn was a lot of indiscipline and dissension, earning Goulburn 3 yellow cards which translates into 30 minutes playing with a man down. That indiscipline and dissension also led to frustration, and that lack of focus no doubt played a role in Queanbeyan’s renaissance. While Goulburn’s technical skills, ability at set pieces, speed at the breakdown, attacking options and defence were all good, their ability to overcome adversity needs work. Taniela Halafihi and Brandon Courts each scored two tries. Courts also brought up his 100 first grade points, picked up 3 best and fairest points and was named Players Player.
Second grade: The never-say-die Dirty Twos were finally rewarded for their perseverance with a 17-12 win against. The reserve grade team first took the lead in the 37th minute when Josh Metz crossed but Queanbeyan levelled scores just 4 minutes later. Debutante Navitalai Loatuicama scored Goulburn’s third try, creating the 17-12 lead and then it was all hands to the pumps for the final ten as Goulburn defended stoutly against a strong finishing Queanbeyan Whites.
This was a much-deserved win. While there have been a few blowout losses this year, many of the losses have been within reach. Week in, week out there have been fantastic performances across the park, but they haven’t always meshed or been sustained. Now with a recent influx of players, there will be extra numbers at training sessions providing the opportunity to prepare and improve week on week and the need to compete for starting spots. Matthew Thompson scored three best and fairest points while two of the team’s smallest guys with biggest hearts, Josh Condylios and Jack White, received two and one point respectively. Justin Benn, who scored a try and brought up his 50th second grade game with the Dirty Reds, was named Players’ Player.
- Women’s 10s: Goulburn 36 bt Bungendore 25
- Men’s 1st grade: Goulburn 38 bt Queanbeyan 10
- Men’s 2nd grade: Goulburn 17 bt Queanbeyan 12
Around the Grounds:
ACT 1st Division 1st grade:
- Goulburn 38 bt Queanbeyan 10
- Tuggeranong 46 bt Uni-Norths 24
ACT 1st Division 2nd grade:
- Goulburn 17 bt Queanbeyan 12
- Tuggeranong 29 bt Uni-Norths 5
ACT Women’s 10s:
- Goulburn 36 bt Bungendore 25
- Jindabyne 39 bt Yass 10
- Uni-Norths 27 bt Hall 0
- ADFA 20 bt Royals 19
Tables:
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