The Family - 2014 Early Rugby League Trials Update

Well here we go again we're back into the footy. Witeriana, Kynan and Makaiya have got two pre season trials under their belt and my Eldest Taine has got just the one game.

 In the 2014 season:

Makaiya is playing for Penshurst Gold under 8's
Kynan is playing for Penshurst Under 10's
Taine is playing for Penshurst Under 17's
Witeriana is trialing for the Penshurst Under 14's Division 1 team.

Makaiya and Kynan have had a sluggish start to the 2014 year, hopefully they will warm up as the year progresses.
Witeriana is fit strong and ready to go.
Taine is just started a weight training program and is going through body changes, mentally he tells me he wants to give it a good go this year.

Best of luck Koopu Boys for the 2014 season.

This is what I managed to catch on camera this past fortnight.

Enjoy and keep an eye out for more Koopu boys footage.

"Capture The Magic, Share The Dream"

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The Spectator - Footy's Back!!! 2014

The footy is back for the 2014 season. Yeah baby!!pumps fist.
For everyone involved it is a welcome return. On  Friday I got to watch NZ Super Rugby heavy weights The Chiefs vs The Crusaders. The chiefs came out on top of that one but like most top NZ rugby union matches, top quality was on show for all to see. Crusaders didn't capitalise on some penalty opportunities and were left rueing their mistakes.
 Saturday saw me taking my 14 year old son to some preseason training running up and down the hills of Oatley. The boys were rewarded with some beach sprints then a cool refreshing swim.
 Super Saturday started off with the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeating the Dragons. 2013 wasn't the best year for the Dragons if memory serves me right. But they are lucky it is only a trial round and therefore no competition points were up for grabs. Congratulations must go to South's for retaining the Charity Shield.
 The next match I was very interested in watching was another NZ Super rugby union conference match between the Otago Highlanders and The Auckland Blues. Now if you don't know, The Auckland Blues are the team that signed Benji Marshall NRL premiership, Rugby League World cup winning playmaker and Tigers Legend.
 It was a well fought game won in the end by the  Otago team. Both teams will be happy for the hit out and should feel optimistic about their chances of winning a Super rugby champion ship this year. But what I really was interested in was the Benji factor. I had to wait for about 67 minutes for him to make his Super debut from the bench. Look its a very different beast compared to rugby league as far as footy goes but I think he went ok. And yes the old school classic Benji Marshall flick pass was pulled out and it did lead to a try. Beauty!!
 Now on to the big match for the night World club challenge between the Wigan Warriors and the Sydney Roosters.
 It was a cracker of a crowd at the Allianz venue full of cockadodledoos and a sprinkling of Wigan fans. I thoroughly enjoyed this  game. For starters us down here in the southern hemisphere don't get to see the English teams down here that often, I think the last time was 20 years ago when the Wigan team came down and upset the Broncos. The Roosters started the game on fire after 18 minutes the Roosters were 18 points up. You'd think a visiting would pack up and go home but to the Warriors credit they didn't. They were very skilful with the ball and they notably strung togeather a number of passes often. The Warriors had a little fight back in the second half and come within 10 points of the hosts. But it was going to  be the Roosters night. The Roosters kicked away in the end to run up a pretty good score to take the cup. I tend to agree with the commentators, the Roosters look like they can go back to back this year which hasn't been done in recent times. It should be mentioned that Michael Jennings did score a hat trick which makes him the first to do it in a World Club Challenge Match.
  I wasn't expecting much on Sunday but whilst I was flicking through the channels I was cheerfully surprised when the NZ Warriors were running onto the field to face The Brisbane Broncos. This game was played in front of a smallish crowd in the deep south of New Zealand which is a shame because the Warriors were about to turn it on, they were heading toward 50 when I had to duck out.
 They say the trials don't mean much so it  makes me even more confused when I think of the Warriors chances of NRL grand final glory in 2014??? One thing that is for sure, the English import Sam Tomkins is looking to give the southern hemisphere a bloody good shake. As the famous Warriors saying goes KEEP THE FAITH.

Keep the awesome games coming boys!!!

Capture The Magic, Share The Dream

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The Spectator- 2014 Cabramatta International Nines Tournament Report

The 2014 Cabramatta international rugby league tournament took place under scorching conditions this year. As an avid footy fan I was delighted by the international flavours on display and of course the local talent from teams that come from across NSW. With 30 teams competing this year, I'd like to congratulate all involved for creating such a beautiful spectacle of rugby league. Thanks must go out to the organisers NSW rugby league and the Cabramatta Leagues club for supplying a wonderful venue the steak sandwiches went down a beaut also. Thanks must go out to the men in the middle also, without them we'd end up with a street fight. Last but not least the teams, youse were absolute stars out there and played the game in fine spirits. There may have or may not have been the odd shoulder charge? but from where I was watching from not one foul shot was fired.
   This year I was lucky enough to be invited by the Niuean coach Brendan Perenara aka Bman to follow the Niuean sides around for the day. Niue had two sides competing in the tournament Niue and the Niue development side. This opportunity not only allowed me to get up and close to the action of a rugby league side it also gave me a first hand insight of the challenges a minnow nation faces in the world of Rugby League. Financials and logistics are the biggest challenges for the Niuean side. And no doubt all the minnow nations have to face these challenges to get a team out on the paddock. The Niuean teams major sponsor at the moment is Kingsford Mitre ten which helps the Niuean side by providing a venue for the team to do BBQ fundraisers. For this tournament the Niuean side had 2 players come from New Zealand, 4 players from Melbourne and 3 from the Gold Coast. The rest are all Sydney based players. Before Dwayne Johnson stole the name, Niue is also affectionately known as "The Rock". The dream for the Niuean side is to have players from the rock represent. Bman is also using this tournament as a trial for an end of the year 13 aside international against the fast growing and talented Philippines' National Side.
 I also got to talk to Paul Ruri the coach of  the Canadian side between battles. The Canadian side had mainly Australian based Players. Two of the Canadians actually train with the Parramatta NRL side. Paul noted that, Since the Canadians have been exposed to the intensity and skills and drills of the NRL and the use of these skills in the Canadian Wolverines training regime the quality of the national 13 man side has risen sharply. He did mention the recent win over the Americans. Proof is in the pudding. I asked Paul why he does it? He said he had spent 9 years in Canada working and loved Canada so much that he decided to become Canadian originally from New Zealand.. He now resides in Queensland. He said he does it to give back to his country and to the game of rugby league. He is also the sponsor of the Canadian International Nines team. Talk about giving back. Keep up the good work Paul and congratulations to the Canadian sides 2014 Cabramatta International Nines Trophy win.
 There was a tonne of awesome stories today at this tournament the flair of the Australian Indigenous side, the Passion of the Japanese, the birth of the Latin Heat, and the ever present silky skills of the Fijians just to name a few.
 In my opinion it was a day well spent and I urge you guys to get out to the next one in 2015.

For the record the Victorious teams for the day were:

Cup Winners - Auburn Warriors defeat Philippines'

Trophy Winners -  Canada defeat Cabramatta 2

Shield Winners - Burwood North Ryde defeat  Niue

Bowl Winners - Hills Bulls defeat Niue Development side

Congratulations to all our winners in 2014.

If you are interested in Sponsorship opportunities with the Niuean side in the future contact Brendan Perenara (Bman) +61415184268 in Sydney.

"Capture The Magic, Share The Dream"

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The Spectator- Cabramatta International Rugby League Nines 2014

This Saturday the 1st of February 2014 the Cabramatta international Rugby League Nines tournament will take place. With 30 teams expected to participate in the tournament. According to the draw we have a strong international flavour with teams entered from England(exiles),Fiji, Cook Islands, Thailand, Niue, Malta, Greece, Canada, Portugal, Latin Heat, Japan and the Philippines. It should be noted that the Philippines have entered 4 teams. Which in my opinion is a great achievement considering the Philippines side only entered into the international rugby league environment in 2011. Keep up the great work Philippines, and like most modern growth it would be great to see rugby league grow into the Asian market. We also have teams from the NSW cup competition and Ron Massey cup sides. Another side involved which no doubt the crowd are going to flock to see are the Australian Indigenous side. Maybe we will get to see the next Greg Inglis on show.

The tournament will take place at New Era Stadium Cabramatta

Date: 01-02-2014

First game kicks off at 9:45 am

Entry is $5 for adults.

If you got nothing to and you're keen to see some good footy get down there and enjoy this spectacle.

"Capture The Magic, Share The Dream"

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Spectator-Rugby League Auckland Nines 2014

 Well most punters have just finished their first week back at work..boooo!! And it is fair to say that the silly season is  now over boooo!! Happy New Years people lets make 2014 an awesome one.
 This is the part of the year where all footy supporters withdrawal symptoms are at feverish heights. Well if you're a fanatic like me you will have the symptoms. I mean there is nothing on TV that gets the blood going for me like big 'Don't Argue' fends and the old shimy shimy wooosh!!
 We want our footy and we want it now.
Thank the heavens above on Saturday the 15th of February 2014 the inaugural Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines will kick off.

 Tournament Breakdown

- 31 game two day tournament
- 16 NRL teams with over 256 players competing
- Star players are contractually guaranteed
- teams made up of Nine players across 4 pools
- Au $2.25 million dollars which is an New Zealand sports purse record

Winning team ($AUD370,000), runner-up ($AUD240,000), semi-finalists ($AUD165,000), quarter-finalists ($AUD130,000) and round robin losers ($AUD110,000).

What a great cash injection for the clubs before the NRL natural season starts.

Rule Variations

- 9 players per side, 9 minutes each half
- Bonus Zone 5 points awarded for a try under the posts
- 'Golden Try' to determine the winner in extra time
- No place kicks will feature in the tournament. Drop kicks will be taken after tries and penalty goals. A field goal in general play will still be 1 point.
- Scrums will be made up of 5 players from each team, but will only occur after a double knock on.
- In the event of a successful 40/20 the successful team will get a re-start 20 meters in from where the ball crossed the line.
- Matches will be restarted by the scoring team in the form of a drop kick.
- Referees have the option to send players to the sin-bin for 5 minutes.

Draw

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Game 1. Sharks v Knights – 12.35pm (local time)
Game 2. Tigers v Titans – 1pm
Game 3. Roosters v Eels – 1.25pm
Game 4. Broncos v Bulldogs – 1.50pm
Game 5. Warriors v Raiders – 2.25pm
Game 6. Sea Eagles v Cowboys – 2.50pm
Game 7. Storm v Panthers – 3.15pm
Game 8. Rabbitohs v Dragons – 3.40pm
Game 9. Sharks v Tigers – 4.20pm
Game 10. Knights v Titans – 4.45pm
Game 11. Roosters v Broncos – 5.10pm
Game 12. Eels v Bulldogs – 5.35pm
Game 13. Warriors v Sea Eagles – 6.10pm
Game 14. Raiders v Cowboys – 6.35pm
Game 15. Storm v Rabbitohs – 7pm
Game 16. Panthers v Dragons – 7.25pm
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Game 17. Sharks v Titans – 12pm
Game 18. Knights v Tigers – 12.25pm
Game 19. Roosters v Bulldogs – 12.50pm
Game 20. Eels v Broncos – 1.15pm
Game 21. Warriors v Cowboys – 1.45pm
Game 22. Raiders v Sea Eagles – 2.10pm
Game 23. Storm v Dragons – 2.35pm
Game 24. Panthers v Rabbitohs – 3pm
1st Quarter-Final – 3.30pm
2nd Quarter-Final – 3.55pm
3rd Quarter-Final – 4.20pm
4th Quarter-Final – 4.45pm
1st Semi-Final – 5.45pm
2nd Semi-Final – 6.10pm
Final – 7.30pm

There has been reports that Brad Fittler at the age of 42 will be making a come back for the Sydney Roosters. That will be well worth the admission fee on its own if you ask me. Curious.
The more I read about this tournament the bigger my anticipation grows and my appetite craves for the games to begin.
I'm wondering what Benji Marshall's thoughts are on the tournament? Will we see Benji at this tournament? as a spectator of course. I myself will be panning the stands looking for Benji.
My Tip to win the Auckland Nines is drum roll please.......... Parramata
I'd love to hear who you think can win this comp. Comment below.

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The Spectator- SBW signs 2 year deal With Rugby Union

Yes the Sonny Bill Williams story keeps rolling on. SBW will return to Rugby union in the seasons of 2015 and 2016. He will be returning to the Super rugby franchise The Chiefs where he won a Super championship in 2012 before switching back to the NRL where he won a 2013 premiership with the Sydney Roosters.
 I'm not to sure what the deal was in terms of money that he agreed to with the New Zealand Rugby Union but the reports I'm reading, there are a lot of happy people in the New Zealand rugby union circles. Namely coach of The Chiefs Dave Rennie.‘‘He made a massive impression on the franchise when he was with us a couple of years back, and we’ve made no secret of the fact we wanted to get him back,’’ Rennie said.
 This opens up some very interesting opportunities for SBW "God willing "as I have seen him say in recent times.
 This gives him a chance to firstly play for the All Blacks again no easy feat in its self but more notably The 2015 Rugby Union World Cup which will no doubt be one of SBW's desires.
 If he manages to accomplish that, not to sure what the odds are maybe some bookie has a price up for it? But it has been done before aka Brad Thorn.
 This is where the story gets even crazier SBW has a chance to be available for the New Zealand rugby sevens team in the 2016 Olympics. If you know the Rugby Sevens game you'll know why I said crazy. And the Gordon Tietjens factor as well.(NZ Rugby Sevens Coach)
 Before he even gets there he has to survive one more season in the toughest team sport competition in the world NRL 2014. Throw in a fight here and there for good measure.
 I for one will be taking a keen interest in the endeavours of SBW. Can he do it? Like him or not the fact is SBW is taking the road less travelled. The Optimistic in me wishes him all the best.

What do you think about SBW? Share your view below.

 

 

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The Spectator- The gist of rugby league?

 I've written an article on where you can play rugby league in Australia, and the different levels of play. please refer to this link for more info http://juniorrugbyleague.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/the-spectator-opportunities-to-play-and.html

 In this article I'm going to talk a little bit about the games history and  about the common objectives in the game of  rugby league across all levels.

 Rugby League is often touted as the toughest and most physically demanding of team sports. At a professional level they are no longer calling it a mere "contact sport" but in fact a Collision Sport.

 Rugby League is a ball sport played between two teams. The ball itself is oval of shape which makes the game a little more interesting because of the unpredictability of the bouncing ball.

 One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated as a split from the Rugby Football Union in England in 1895 over the issue of payments to players. Its rules were then gradually changed in order to produce a more entertaining game that would appeal to spectators.

 The objective in the game of rugby league is to carry or kick the ball towards the oppositions try line. Your team is awarded points if a player successfully places the ball over the oppositions try line. This is commonly called a "Try". A try is worth 4 points.

 After a try is scored your team is offered an opportunity to place kick for goal. A place kick is allowed to be taken in line of  where the try was scored. Kickers now place the ball on a kicking tee to allow them a better shot at kicking the ball. If the kicker is successful he will kick the ball in between the posts and over the cross bar. A successful kick is commonly called a "Goal Kick". A goal kick is worth 2 points. There are two other common scoring opportunities. They are a "Penalty Goal Kick" and a "Field Goal".  A penalty goal kick is similar to that of a goal kick the difference being the place of the kick is to be taken from a position where the referee has  awarded a team a penalty. Note: penalties are awarded against teams who infringe against the rules of rugby league. A penalty kick is worth 2 points. A field goal is an attacking kicking play which requires a player to drop punt the ball between the posts and over the cross bar in general play. A field goal is worth 1 point. Now on  rare occasions teams can be awarded a "Penalty Try". A penalty try is awarded against a team who blatantly break the rules to stop an opposition team from scoring a try. If it was obvious a try would have been scored without the indiscretion the referee will award the Try to the attacking team underneath the posts. A penalty try is worth 4 points. On the rarest of occasions the referee can award an 8 point try.

 

 The team who finishes the game with the most points is deemed the winner.

 

Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates therefore have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. However the ball may be kicked ahead for teammates, but again, if they are in front of the kicker they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the football may be tackled. A tackle is completed when that player's progress is halted, or he is put to ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles (international rules) to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards.The ball can also be turned over by going over the sideline.

 

 I hope this gives you a better understanding of the game of rugby league or at least the Gist of it.

As my blog progresses so will your understanding of the game,and also your skills in rugby league.

 

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