By Jonathan B Geddes

GORDON wants to turn Chatswood Oval into a graveyard for visiting teams who admit they don’t like playing on their home ground – and it starts with this Saturday’s game against Randwick.

“We don’t want to make it a pleasant experience for anyone going there, so everything helps if they don’t like it,” Highlanders’ inspirational captain Milan Basson told Rugby News.

While the venue may be situated on Sydney’s leafy north shore, players from seven of the 12 clubs said the Highlanders’ base was the venue they disliked playing on the most at the Shute Shield season launch.

“I’d have to say probably Chatwood Oval, dark, dingy, can be a mud bath,” was one comment.

Another rival said: “A cricket pitch in the middle of the field, when it’s dry it sucks”, while it was also described as: “an absolute cesspit when it has been raining down.”

And a fourth player said: “Changerooms suck, I don’t know when they are going to renovate.”

Those comments were music to the ears of both Basson and coach Dave Telfer, who won’t be putting out the welcome mat for Shute Shield rivals making the trip to Chatswood.

“I think it is great,” Basson said. “They are talking about the facilities, but our goal is to give them another reason to dislike going there – and that is with our performance.”

Asked if that meant Gordon wants to turn their ground into a graveyard for visiting teams, Basson replied: “100 per cent, that’s the goal.”

NO PLACE LIKE HOME   

BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder, and for the Gordon players Chatswood Oval is their spiritual home.

“We love it, we love the history, the Trumper Stand when it is full running home in the second half,” Basson said. “And they have redone the field over the off-season so it is going to be in pretty good condition.”

Telfer said opponents’ dislike of Chatswood Oval was always something they can use to their advantage.

He experienced what it was like for opposition teams when he coaching Eastwood.

“I started to see all the intricacies around lack of parking and all that,” he said. “Luckily, I still had my inside secret where to park.” 

THE PLAN OF ATTACK

TELFER returned to his junior club Gordon this season after an acrimonious split from Eastwood at the end of last year, which also led to a host of Woodies’ players following him to Chatswood.

The coach said things have settled down after the dramas on his journey back to Chatswood.

“I can’t control what happened last year, but my attention has been on settling back in at Gordon,” he said.

“It is obviously a new group, so I put it to the boys that we use the first three weeks as an opportunity to find out who we are as a group. And it started with two of the harder road trips in my opinion – with Two Blues away into Rats away.”

Gordon beat the Two Blues 15-12 and went down to Warringah 24-17.

Telfer said against the Two Blues they found a gritty way to win, while last weekend they had their opportunities against the defending premiers and were more than in the fight.

“I think we have a lot of improvement to go and that is the exciting thing,” Telfer said.

ON GREEN ALERT

THE Gordon coach is very wary of Randwick, who have lost their opening two games to Eastwood and Easts.

“We played them in a trial three weeks or four weeks ago and they beat us by 20,” he said. “So, we are completely aware of the challenge that Randwick will bring.

“They are a quality side, and we know they are going to be up for it.”

Telfer, meanwhile, denied he will be putting the hose through the visitors dressing room on Saturday morning or turning off their hot water system.

FOOTNOTE: For the record, there were two votes for Sylvania Waters and Woollahra Oval and one for Manly Oval as the most disliked ground to play on.

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