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Well, it’s derby round! If there is such a thing in the NRC, this is it, and we’re calling it early. So derby ahoy, let’s get pumped for some dire, tiring, muddy football!
Unfortunately, penalty goal-laden kickfests haven’t been exactly the theme of this NRC competition. So if that’s what you like, then tune in anyway, because this is probably the best chance you’ll get.
We open with a cracker, with clear leaders Melbourne taking on perhaps the second best roster in the comp, the Vikings, at AAMI Park. The Melbournians will be hoping for a big crowd. I suggest you get down there Melbournites, as we head Luke Jones is going to get angry if you don’t.
He’s a big man. Don’t anger him.
So we’re 5/5. No more excuses Melburnians! I’d love to see as many supporters as possible come watch @MelbourneRising tomorrow night #rising
— Luke Jones (@luke_jones91) September 24, 2014
He also snuck in a cheeky mention of the fact that Rising are a perfect 5/5. 5/5 tweet, Luke.
We then round out the weekend on Sunday with three games, bang bang bang, all at 3pm.
The highly anticipated Queensland derby, Country vs Brisbane City, the Sydney bashathon featuring the Greater Sydney Rams and the North Harbour Rays, and least derbyish of the derbies, Sydney Stars hosted by Perth Spirit.
So let’s get into the action!
Melbourne Rising v Vikings
Thursday, 25 September 7.30pm AEST
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Referee: Will Houston
TV: Fox Sports
Surely the best game of the competition so far, and possibly a preview of the grand final. We said last week that Rising against NSW Country would be their toughest test. It was and it wasn’t. 37-16 was the least points they’d piled on, and the smallest margin of victory, but it’s still a bonus point win…
They just seem not to stop. Joe Kamana has been amazing to watch on the wing, so it’s worth tuning in to watch his fast foot movement alone.
The engine room is also doing the business. It helps when no one seems to be able to stop Lopeti Timani from getting over the advantage line, and Luke Jones and Caderyn are getting through a mountain of work.
Rodney Iona and Nigel Ah Wong have a big job to do for the Vikings, and will need to be huge in this game to make any headway through the impressive Rising pairing of Inman and Tom English.
It’ll take a momentous effort to get over the line. It’d made all the more difficult by the loss of Tim Cree, which means Tom Staniforth will start this week.
But like we keep saying, this is the biggest test of the Rising yet! We’ll be right some day…
Team news:
1. Cruze Ah-Nau (Footscray/Rebels)
2. Tom Sexton (Power House/Rebels)
3. Paul Alo-Emile (Power House/ Rebels)
4. Sam Jeffries (Melbourne Uni/Rebels)
5. Cadeyrn Neville (Foostcray/Rebels)
6. Luke Jones (Moorabbin/Rebels)
7. Sione Taufa (Harlequin)
8. Lopeti Timani (Footscray/Rebels)
9. Nic Stirzaker (Endeavour Hills/Rebels) (Captain)
10. Jack Debreczeni (Endeavour Hills/Rebels)
11. Joe Kamana (Moorabbin)
12. Mitch Inman (Southern Districts/Rebels) (Vice Captain)
13. Tom English (Melbourne Uni/Rebels)
14. Rennie Lautolo-Molimau (Endeavour Hills)
15. Telusa Veainu (Melbourne/Rebels)
16. Pat Leafa (Box Hill/Rebels) (Vice Captain)
17. Tuiatua Tuia (Moorabbin)
18. Fereti Sa’aga (Melbourne Uni)
19. Pom Simona (Harlequin) (Vice Captain)
20. Reuben Rolleston (Endeavour Hills)
21. Luke Burgess (Melbourne/Rebels)
22. Lloyd Johansson (Harlequin)
23. Shane Imo (Foostcray)
Vikings
1. JP Smith
2. Connal McInerney
3. Allan Alaalatoa
4. Tom Staniforth
5. Jordan Smiler
6. Jarrad Butler (vc)
7. Sean Doyle
8. Fotu Auelua (c)
9. Michael Dowsett
10. Isaac Thompson
11. Lausii Taliauli
12. Rod Iona
13. Nigel Ah Wong
14. Jerome Niumata
15. Jesse Mogg (vc)
Replacements
16. Michael Henry
17. Joel Penders
18. Les Makin
19. Rory Arnold
20. Rowan Perry
21. Joe Powell
22. Matt Hawke
23. Drew Southwell
TV: Fox Sports 2
Twitter: #MELvCAN
Tickets: Here.
The Roar’s live blog: Being on Foxtel, we’ll have it!
Brisbane City vs Queensland Country
Sun 28 Sep, 3:00pm AEST – Ballymore
This is the one…
It’s been built up to a proper derby, and the credit has to go to both Brisbane City and Queensland Country, as well as Roarers Simon Smale and, who have injected some feeling into this contest. I would imagine they’re hoping for a big crowd at Ballymore, with plenty of Queensland’s best going around on the weekend.
A man who knows what he’s talking about, Rod McCall, had the following to say about the juiciness of the prospect.
“City versus Country clashes in Queensland have always been played with plenty of passion and this inaugural NRC contest promises to be no different, as both teams head toward the business end of the season,” McCall said.
The two sides will be playing for The Andy Purcell Cup, and they will renew a rivalry that has been going on for 102 years. This could be the start of something for the NRC, as derbies have been developed in Super Rugby as special events. It could be the thing to get people through the door in this competition too.
Brisbane City skipper Dave McDuling reckons the two sides have been building towards this all year.
“All the boys have had this match pencilled in their calendar since the schedule was first announced,” McDuling said.
So strap yourself in. It will be streamed, so there’s no excuse!
Team news: Some huge ins (and outs) here. Curtis Browning is in for City along with Quade Cooper, who has been named on the bench. Greg Holmes and Anthony Fainga’a are both out for Country, in a massive blow.
Brisbane City
1 Pettowa Paraka – Reds WTS/Easts
2 Andrew Ready – Reds EPS/Easts
3 Sef Faagase – Reds WTS/University of Queensland
4 Tim Buchanan – Reds WTS/University of Queensland
5 Dave McDuling (C) – Reds/University of Queensland
6 Curtis Browning – Reds/University of Queensland (Brisbane City/NRC debut)
7 Liam Gill – Reds/Sunnybank
8 Jake Schatz – Reds/Sunnybank
9 Nick Frisby – Reds/GPS
10 Jake McIntyre – Reds WTS/Sunnybank
11 Lachie Turner – Reds/Easts
12 Samu Kerevi – Reds/GPS
13 Toby White – Easts
14 Chris Kuridrani – Reds/GPS
15 Brando Va’aulu – Sunnybank
16 Matt Mafi – Brothers
17 David Feao – Souths
18 Sam Talakai – Sydney University
19 Marco Kotze – GPS
20 Chazz Mahina – Sunnybank
21 Jack Mullins – Easts
22 Quade Cooper – Reds/Souths (Brisbane City/NRC debut)
23 Junior Laloifi – Sunnybank
Queensland Country
1. Haydn Hirsimaki (Sunnybank)
2. Ryan Freney (GPS)
3. Campbell Wakely (University of Queensland)**
4. Rubin Fuimaono (Bond University)
5. Dan Gorman (GPS)
6. James Turner (Souths)
7. Beau Robinson (C) (Reds/Souths)
8. Ben Adams (Sunnybank)
9. Sam Grasso (GPS)
10. Matt Brandon (Easts)
11. Giles Beveridge (Brothers)
12. Sam Johnson (Reds WTS/GPS)**
13. Clynton Knox (Brothers)
14. Tom Pincus (University of Queensland)
15. Jamie-Jerry Taulagi (Reds/University of Queensland)
Reserves
16. Tonga Ma’afu (Norths)
17. Will Slipper (Bond University)
18. Andrew Parker (Townsville Brothers)*
19. Sam Fattal (Easts)
20. Jack de Guingand (University of Queensland)
21. James Tuttle (GPS)
22. Herman Porter (University of Queensland)*
23. Rota Setu (University of Queensland)
Stream: This game should be streamed on Reds Rugby website.
The Roar‘s live blog: We’ll have it! Cam Avery is on the job.
Tickets: Here
Twitter: #QLDvBRI
North Harbour Rays vs Greater Sydney Rams
Sun 28 Sep, 3:00pm AEST – Brookvale Oval
Greater Sydney came to a grinding halt against Queensland Country, who managed their first win of the season against the boys from the West of Sydney.
Anthony Fainga’a would be one of the most relieved members of the Australian rugby community right now, while Jed Holloway will be thoroughly disappointed that his pack capitulated in the face of a rampant Greg Holmes. You probably could have put Jed Gillespie and Dave Lolohea out there and it wouldn’t have mattered.
What it does say, as Brett McKay pointed out in his NRC wrap this week, is that as great as the razzle dazzle is, it’s not the only thing that can earn you a victory in this competition. Getting the fundamentals of the set piece right gives you the right to use that platform, and that was something the Rams didn’t do.
North Harbour, on the other hand, will be buoyed by their showing against Perth, as they managed to steal one through their staunch number 8 Sam Ward, who managed three tries that night.
Hamish Angus is also growing into this competition nicely, as the combinations from Shute Shield start to settle, and the players begin to show some of the football Manly and the Rats displayed this year.
Hold onto your hats, as these cross-town rivals are likely to get stuck into the dirty stuff.
Team News:
Rams:
1. Jed Gillespie
2. Hugh Roach
3. Guy Millar
4. Jared Barry
5. Jed Holloway (C)
6. Steve Mafi
7. Chris Alcock
8. Hugh Perrett
9. Mark Swanepoel
10. Ben Volavola
11. Dane Chisholm
12. Michael McDougall
13. Lalakai Foketi
14. Jarome MacKenzie
15. Ben Batger *
REPLACEMENTS
16. Maile Ngauamo
17. Peni Ravai
18. Dave Lolohea (FR)
19. Michael Kovacic
20. Pat Sio
21. Vasa Faleali’i
22. Jai Ayoub
23. Henry Seavula
Stream: The whispers are growing of a live stream of the game. Nothing concrete yet, but so it.
The Roar‘s live blog: No stream equals no blog, unless someone steps in. Get in touch if you can.
Tickets: Right here.
Twitter: #RAYvRAM
Perth Spirit vs Sydney Stars
Sun 28 Sep, 3:00pm AEST – HBF Arena
The Stars are on the board! They have a draw, 37-all no less, against the Vikings last weekend, and they should be very happy about it too. Are they that good? or are the Vikings that bad? That’s the real question.
They would have to be pretty happy to be on the board, however, and will relish Will Skelton’s powerful performance last weekend. A try and a heap of wreckage behind him attest to that.
It was a see-sawing affair at Leichardt Oval, with the Stars seemingly able to come back every time it looked like the Vikings would skip away with it. With the Spirit vulnerable, after their fourth loss in a row against North Harbour, courtesy of the aforementioned Ward and Angus.
So if the Stars were to get over the line for the first time, surely this is their year. The loss of the Wallabies has hurt Perth badly, with Matt Hodgson and Kyle Godwin crucial losses for the Spirit.
Sure, we could says that their showing last week was also tense, with the lead swapping multiple times, so this one is a hard one to pick.
Team News:
Perth
1. Joe Savage (Palmyra)
2. Robbie Abel (Cottesloe)
3. Tetera Faulkner (Wanneroo)
4. Sam Wykes (c) (Wests Scarborough)
5. Brent Murphy (Perth Bayswater)
6. Brynard Stander (Nedlands)
7. Richard Hardwick (UWA)
8. Ross Haylett-Petty (Cottesloe)
9. Ian Prior (Nedlands)
10. Zack Holmes (Associates)
11. Marcel Brache (Perth Bayswater)
12. Kyle Godwin (Associates)
13. Junior Rasolea (Cottesloe)
14. Luke Morahan (Kalamunda)
15. Dane Haylett-Petty (Cottesloe)
Reserves
16. Harry Scoble (UWA)
17. Chris Heiberg (Perth Bayswater)
18. Oliver Hoskins (Cottesloe)
19. Kieran Stringer (Cottesloe)
20. Kane Koteka (Wests Scarborough)
21. Alex Rovira (Associates)
22. Justin Turner (Associates)
23. Dillyn Leyds (Palmyra)
Stream: Again, no word.
The Roar‘s live blog: No stream means no blog, but let us know if you’re going to the game, and we can tee up a blog.
Tickets: Can be purchased here.
Twitter: #PERvSYD
Full NRC ladder:
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.