RUGBY LEAGUE
WESTERN RAMS
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Sunday’s training session at Caltex Park will be crucial to the Western Rams under-18s hopes at the upcoming Country Championship.
Cameron Greenhalgh’s final squad was named on Monday, and the coach will push the 18 players through an intense three hour session this weekend before the first round of Championship matches on March 5.
“It’s been a big process and it’s been a long pre-season from back in October but we’re getting into it now,” Greenhalgh said.
“We’ve got to build the boys up and then hopefully do the region proud.”
The final squad was named after Saturday’s loss to Parramatta, a match in which Greenhalgh was disappointed in the way his side dropped off for a long period.
Fixing that attitude and ensuring all his players, particularly the ones coming up from under-16s, are mentally prepared will be a big focus this weekend.
The forwards, as Greenhalgh has said many times, poses as the biggest strength. Macquarie’s Luke Gale, Nyngan’s Clayton Couley and Darby Medlyn of Parkes form a powerful and hard-working back row but the backline is not quite the finished product yet.
“I’ve got the back row from last year and (props) Riley Cheshire and Joe Hobby are new to my style of coaching but I’ve been really happy with them,” Greenhalgh said.
“I’ve got young backs and I’m going to have to polish them up, that’s what this weekend will be for.”
Gale is just one of a number of Dubbo talents in the squad.
Greenhalgh has also been impressed by versatile Macquarie youngster Blake Frost, who made the final squad, while CYMS playmakers Matt Burton, Bayden Searle and Jackson Bonham-Phair are joined by Fishies teammate and prop Jack Davis.
Burton, who was a key part of the Rams under-16s triumph last season, shapes as a key cog in Greenhalgh’s plan.
“We need to play a bit more structured at times, we don’t do that at times,” he said. “But I have chopped and changed the sides in the trials and that may have something to do with it.”
With a settled squad now at his disposal, Greenhalgh will work on fine-tuning his side before the opening clash with the Southern Stingrays in Canberra.
“I’m confident with the plans we have in place. They seem to work with the players we have there and if we can get the boys to do it right then we’ll be a force, don’t worry about that,” he said.
WESTERN RAMS: Luke Gale, Blake Frost (Dubbo Macquarie), Jackson Bonham-Phair, Jack Davis, Matt Burton, Bayden Searle (Dubbo CYMS), Warren Baxter, Jayden Burke, Farren Lamb, Charlie Staines (Forbes Magpies), Clayton Couley (Nyngan Tigers), Darby Medlyn (Parkes Spacemen), Brent Naden (Wellington Cowboys), Riley Cheshire (Bathurst St Pat’s), Joe Hobby (Blayney Bears), Ty-Lee Simmonds (Oberon Tigers), Craig Tarr (Orange CYMS), Ray Simmons (Bourke Warriors).
WESTERN RAMS UNDER-16s
Western under 16s mentor Kurt Hancock is working with sponges ahead of this year’s Country Championship campaign.
But sponges are a good thing.
A great thing, in fact, particularly if you’re Hancock.
The 23-man squad the Bathurst St Pat’s coach will work with was on Monday finalised ahead of round one of the under 16s championship kicking off on March 5.
And the larger than normal squad will take on the Southern Stingrays at Seiffert Oval, Canberra, in their opening round and Hancock was over the moon with the willingness of the young Rams outfit.
“It’s a great age group to work with. They’ve so green they’re sponges. Everything we’ve thrown at them so far they’ve soaked it all in,” Hancock said.
The Western coach has named an extended squad, 14 from Group 11 and nine from Group 10 clubs. Orange CYMS pair Mitch Collins and Josh Piper lead the colour city’s representation.
Hancock has every intention of playing all 23 players throughout the initial three rounds of the championship, too, believing the more exposure a larger group of players gets at a representative level, the better for Western.
“At this stage I’m fairly certain we’ll be using all 23 players at some stage or another,” he added.
“We thought for Western, particularly at this level, it’s better if we have an impact on 23 players rather than on 19, if we cut the squad to that.”
The squad boasts depth in the frontrow, led by Wellington’s Logan Conn and South Dubbo’s Colby Peckham, while the likes of Jarrod Peachey is another player to impress in trials so far.
But Parkes Marist gun Ben Glasheen is one to watch, according to Hancock.
“He’ll be our fullback and he’s a special, special player,” he said.
The Rams under 16s will travel to Dubbo on Sunday for a massive day of training and welfare sessions, with their on-field campaign beginning the following weekend in Canberra.
Western plays at home in round three, against Bidgee at Parkes.
Hancock added there’s a chance Western could host championship semi-finals.
“And that should be a pretty big incentive for these boys to go out there and play well, that home semi-final,” Hancock said.
WESTERN UNDER 16s: Mackenzie Atkins (Bathurst Panthers), Nic Barlow (Bathurst Panthers), Harry Blake (Nyngan Tigers), Jared Burns (Cowra Magpies), Mitch Collins (Orange CYMS), Logan Conn (Wellington Cowboys), Brad Fearnley (Bathurst Panthers), Ben Glasheen (Parkes Marist), Braith Good (Cobar Rossters), Sullivan Hancock (St John’s Dubbo), Harry Hopkins (Lithgow Storm), Aiden Lake (St John’s Dubbo), Dylan Marmion (Blayney Bears), Coopa Martin (Cobar Roosters), Kyle McLenahan (Nyngan Tigers), James Nelson (St John’s Dubbo), Jarrod Peachey (St John’s Dubbo), Colby Peckham (South Dubbo), Josh Piper (Orange CYMS), Thomas Stimpson (St John’s Dubbo), Ray Towney (Forbes Magpies), Nathan Ward (Bathurst Panthers), Campbell Woolnough (Red Bend Forbes). Coach: Kurt Hancock
GOLF
Strong winds for Saturday's stroke affected just about everyone with four scores over the century and as many in the nineties.
Debbie Matheson was too solid for the boys finishing the day with 68 nett. Not bad considering she had triple bogeys on both the par five and a par on the last gave a slight edge over Mick Beetson, 69 nett.
He parred them all bar one on the front nine and that was a triple on the third.
Tony Beetson on 70 nett also had a triple, his was on the eighth.
Chook Haley on 70 nett along with Pat Walsh, both needed a kick up the you know where for hitting each other's ball on the 12th.
It should never happen, but quite often does.
Pin winners were Greg Matheson and Brent Harris.
A field of 42 for Sunday's ambrose, the best for the day were Dang Holmes and the very talented but rarely seen Brendan Burt with 29.62 nett. They finished even par with a birdie and a bogey.
Nicole Chambers and Brad Toole were the runners-up with 30.87nett.
They were disappointed with how they played on the ninth as the wind was int heir favour.
Aaron Bennett and Les Dorrington had 31.25nett, the best of the rest.
Pin winners were Nicole and Grant Webster.
Round 15 of Twilight.
"Teachers Pet" were the weekly winners again, with another 47 points.
The leaders were bowled over last week with four rounds left.
"Aussie Hotel" and "Neill Earthmoving" on 21 points are equal leaders.
"Macquarie Electrical" and "Kev Martin Plumbing" both have 18 points.
A very crucial week for a lot of teams still in the hunt.
Mr Blister was the lucky winner of last week's badge draw back to $200 this week.
The jackpot putt was narrowly missed by Matho last week, around $500 for this week's jackpot.
SWIMMING
A good roll up of Splashers gathered at the Splashatorium on Sunday morning for a few refreshing swims with Dick Wireless Whiteford having a very successful morning bagging 2 chickens and a third place.
Results from Sunday February 19:
30 metre final
1st Dick Wireless Whiteford
2nd Wal Where’s Wally Simpson
3rd Nigel Swivelneck Tyack
50 metre Final
1st Curly Col Cluderay
2nd Cathy Healey
3rd Dick Wireless Whiteford
100 metre
1st Peter Healey
2nd Lyn Mouse Faukes
3rd Curly Col Cluderay
Brace Relay
1st Victoria Nemo Cleaver & Dick Wireless Whiteford 0.12 out
2nd Vicki Chicken Queen Cluderay & Curly Col Cluderay
3rd Rollin Ron Lovett & Lyn Mouse Faukes
The annual Western Districts RSL Swimming Carnival was held at Wellington on Sunday 12 February 2017 with a good number of Splashers coming home with some excellent results.
New members over the age of 18 are always welcome – we meet at the pool at 8.40 on Sunday mornings followed by a delicious breakfast at the RSL Club afterwards, then chancing our luck in the meat & chicken draws.
RUGBY UNION
Bernard Foley is in doubt for the NSW Waratahs season opener. A final decision will be made on Tuesday regarding his availability following a concussion he sustained in last Thursday's trial match. Foley was a noticeable absentee from Waratahs' training on Monday afternoon and Fairfax Media understands he will be assessed on Tuesday to see if he has overcome concussion symptoms. The incumbent Wallabies five-eighth watched his teammates go about their business but took no part in any kind of training.
