How champions of 55 years ago are motivating Easts for local derby against Randwick
By Jon Geddes
THE presence of some VIP guests at Woollahra Oval will give the Eastern Suburbs players an added incentive in Saturday’s big local derby with Randwick.
Members of the last Beasties’ team to win the Shute Shield in 1969 will be in the crowd at the Back To Easts Day, watching the clash between the bitter rivals 55 years after they beat Gordon 16-12 in their grand final.
The game has undergone immense change since that champion team donned the Easts jumper.
Woollahra Oval now has a synthetic pitch, and in the outstanding book 100 Years of Rugby News, Norm Tasker revealed the strange ways of then Easts coach Barney Walsh.
“One of his tricks when frustrated with his team’s training attitude was to place himself on the ground over the ball, and demand intense forward engagement in the days if fierce rucking,” Tasker wrote.
“His forwards took great delight in kicking the daylights out of him. Walsh would be spat out of the back of the practice ruck bruised and battered, but would simply declare ‘that’s better’ as his team rolled about in laughter.”
BREAKING THE DROUGHT
WHILE it is impossible to imagine current Easts coach Ben Batger reverting to such a motivational ploy, the spirit of that 1969 team has played a part in the side’s build-up to this weekend’s clash.
The significance of that last premiership side returning to Woollahra has been brought up in team meetings this week.
“They are highly respected guys, they are currently the best of the best in terms of Easts rugby,” Batger said.
“It is very hard to win a premiership as is evidenced by a 55-year drought.
“We want to pay homage to the past and look at the present as well.
“We are acutely aware that Easts haven’t won a premiership in a long time – and to be brutally honest we want to be the team that breaks that.
“We not focussed on that, but it is a goal of ours.”
LESSONS LEARNT
WHEN the teams met in round four at Coogee Oval Easts went down 29-28 after leading 21-3.
“We know we have to compete with Randwick for 80 minutes,” Batger said. “We were ahead in that game for 60 minutes and they blew us away a bit at the end.
“And we know they are a very good side – they have the best defence and the second best attack. You have to give them a bit of respect.”
Batger sees the Galloping Green and competition leaders Warringah as the top two teams at the moment.
“We have to be very patient when we have the ball,” he said. “We are a good attacking team but I reckon it will take a lot to wear them down – it might not happen until the 50th or 60th minute against a team like Randwick.”
Batger said the players also must be alert in defence as Randwick have a lot of strike power in the backline with the likes of Christian Yassmin, James Hendren, Nick Chan and Andrew Deegan.
GOOD AND BAD … IN PATCHES
THE Battle Of the East should draw a big crowd, with the Beasties currently in second spot and Randwick in fifth.
“We are hoping people are starting to get behind this team, obviously we have had a reasonably good start to the year,” Batger said.
He believes the side is getting better as the business end of the season approaches.
“We are building but we are still patchy,” Batger said.
“Against Manly, who are a very good side, we had our best defensive display keeping them to one try.
“The next week against Souths, who are a bit lower on the ladder, we conceded five tries.
“We’ve just got to find that consistency … and make sure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet.”