Around the Traps: Two players locked in battle for Catchpole Medal heading into final round
Some things just seem to fall in Around The Traps’ lap and this week has been no different.
With the gala Catchpole Medal dinner on next Wednesday night I can reveal that there are two players in the running to win the major honour heading into round 18.
A Northern Suburbs player and a major contributor at Eastwood.
This weekend’s final round of the Shute Shield will play a major role in the over-all pecking order of votes but the dinner is sure to be a tense affair for all involved.
Numerous names come to mind here but as much as we tried we couldn’t get any names out of very reliable source.
All 12 coaches vote 3-2-1 of the team that they play each week and ballots are sent in each week to the Sydney Rugby Union’s returning officer.
Meanwhile week one of the finals series seems pretty much sorted with North Sydney Oval and Coogee locked in.
The third finals game venue will be decided by the result of the finals round game between the Woods and the Marlins.
Interesting times for all!
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I know not every emerging Shute Shield player is suited to Super Rugby but sometimes you scratch your head when news filters through of additions or subtractions to the professional squads around the country.
Around The Traps heard at the weekend that Manly Marlins skipper Hunter Ward was not required by the Waratahs next season.
Ward certainly took that on board before the game against Warringah and had an absolutely outstanding game including a great try where he ran close to 40m after breaking through a number of tackles.
Elsewhere Northern Suburbs prop George Thornton can’t get a look in after returning from the MLR in the United States.
Thornton’s here for the long term, is 130kg, runs with aggression and is one of those players that would benefit from a pro contract.
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I’m hearing some disquiet about the Western Force’s tour to South Africa with a number of Shute Shield stars back in Perth for a mini pre-season.
Some feel that they would be better getting some footy under their belt “over east” rather than hitting the gym and the training paddock in Perth.
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The Battle of the Beaches is a game that always has lot of spice and that was certainly the case last weekend at Rat Park.
Manly raced away to a pretty solid win that sealed their spot in the finals and as always the game attracted a pretty handy crowd – not the huge crowds of past years but solid all the same.
Around The Traps stumbled into one of the hospitality suites at the back of the grandstand and bumped into former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen.
Macqueen, not in Melbourne for the Bledisloe, was a Rats legend before he became a Wallabies coaching legend and he looks in tip top shape.
He’s a director along with wife Liz of the Sargood Foundation, an innovative, purpose-built facility in Collaroy for those who are living with spinal cord injury.
I looked up the Foundation’s website and they are doing some superb work in this very important area and are lucky to have someone of Macqueen’s drive and connections on their board.
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Heartiest of congratulations to the entire Randwick club who have taken out the club championship with one full round to play out this weekend.
It’s been 20 years since the Galloping Greens have won the Gregor George Shield so Around The Traps delved into the archives to see what names were about at that time and it’s p[roved to be a bit of a gold mine.
The Shute Shield grand final side was led by Owen Finegan and featured current first grade coach Stephen Hoiles along with Adam Freier, giant lock Warwick Waugh and the “male model” Shaun Berne.
They played Eastwood on grand final day and went down 29-14 as the Woodies went back to back after beating Sydney Uni in the big one the year before. Randwick would have their revenge the following year when they beat the Woods 35-22.
They were simpler times then and the pages of Rugby News featured the words of Stan Sport boss Ben Kimber on the Colin Caird Shield, Around The Traps was penned by the great Eric Spilsted and Barfly Buzz was punched out by the late Terry Smith.
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There is absolutely no doubt that Warringah have been the standout club in the Colts competition this season going through the year without a loss in first grade and third grade and only dropping two games in their second.
The Rats top colts have rattled up a massive 834 points while conceding 240 and their for and against differential is plus 594.
They rightly go into the finals with some confidence but Around The Traps is hearing that a few of the building blocks of a good side are coming together at Sydney Uni while Eastwood have been there or there abouts.
No doubt there’s a lot to play out in this one.
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There’s no doubt that Jude Gibbs has certainly added plenty of value to Northern Suburbs’ Shute Shield season and the numbers certainly underline that fact.
Gibbs has racked up 175 points heading into the last round of the home and away season and is sure to quietly add to that total when the Shoremen take on the Hunter Wildfires this weekend and then the playoffs.
His tally is made up of 38 conversions, 28 penalty goals and three tries – interestingly no Shute Shielder has kicked a field goal!
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We told you last week about the highly successful Legends Lunch that Sydney Uni staged before their home game against Eastern Suburbs a couple of weeks back.
As well as some great banter from the “legends” – Gregg Burrow, Roger Davis and Phil Crowe – there was a video tribute to one of the club’s former Wallabies Jack Potts, who passed away in June.
Theo Clark from Theo Clark Media pulled together a lovely snapshot of his career which was voiced over by Gordon Bray and it had the function room at The Birthplace enthralled.
Well done to all involved in the after in particular Ray Dearlove who pulled together a pretty handy show!