2024 RM Cup and Sydney Shield

[TigerDen]

Mason McCarthy has left Hills and returned to Glebe, where he is listed in SS today vs Brothers.

So much player movement this season

 

[rightleftin]

A lot of the movements have been connected to Blacktown and North Sydney, where huge squads may have given players unrealistic expectations and in the case of many of the Blacktown players, very limited playing opportunities even at RMC level. So many of these players return to their previous clubs.

Matt French makes his debut in NRL today. Last year he played 1 game for North Sydney and left Hills midseason to try his luck with Souths again. The result was to be part of the NSW Cup premiership team and now with the injury crisis, an NRL debut.

 

[10$ Ferret]

Matt French makes his debut in NRL today. Last year he played 1 game for North Sydney and left Hills midseason to try his luck with Souths again. The result was to be part of the NSW Cup premiership team and now with the injury crisis, an NRL debut.

Was good to see, Matt is a good young man.

 

[rightleftin]

City won a thriller 32-30 after Zac Greene kicked a 50 metre penalty. City led 22-0 in the first half. The Country team had 11 players from the Newcastle comp. I was not at the game, so I dont have a program, and as far as I know the NSWRL never published a team list for City. However, there is a photo of the winners with their medals. I think I can identify the following:

St Marys - Anthony Layoun, Anton Iaria, Tony Satini, Jake Butfield, Zac Greene, Christian Chrichton
Wenty - Adam Spicer, Kyle Cassel (18th), Josh Minhinnick
Mounties - Ben Seufale, Roman Ioelu
Ryde Eastwood - Tyler Cassel, Josh Finau
Glebe - Craig Garvey, Jade Anderson
Hills - Shalom O'Ofou
Bulldogs - Isaac Mataleava Booth

and 1 other.

 

[Sharkie Army Gorilla]

City won a thriller 32-30 after Zac Greene kicked a 50 metre penalty. City led 22-0 in the first half. The Country team had 11 players from the Newcastle comp. I was not at the game, so I dont have a program, and as far as I know the NSWRL never published a team list for City. However, there is a photo of the winners with their medals. I think I can identify the following:

St Marys - Anthony Layoun, Anton Iaria, Tony Satini, Jake Butfield, Zac Greene, Christian Chrichton
Wenty - Adam Spicer, Kyle Cassel (18th), Josh Minhinnick
Mounties - Ben Seufale, Roman Ioelu
Ryde Eastwood - Tyler Cassel, Josh Finau
Glebe - Craig Garvey, Jade Anderson
Hills - Shalom O'Ofou
Bulldogs - Isaac Mataleava Booth

and 1 other.

Other player was Trentham Petersen from the Bulldogs

 

[Butts74]

Been very quiet on this page anyone have anything ? Feels like there hasn’t been much updates with teams or anything. With the weather playing havoc again. Couple of teams were meant to play washout games this weekend , looking like they might get scrapped again.

 

[Broncos93]

Glebe and Ryde-Eastwood will their washed out game on Monday at Wentworth Park at 2pm.

I understand the Dirty Reds have signed former NRL player and Kiwi international Dean Whare.

 

[thommo4pm]

Brothers v St Mary’s playing in both grades (Shield and Massey) on Saturday afternoon at St Mary’s stadium.
Brothers Massey with a few injuries and Seve into NSW Cup for Penrith.

 

[rightleftin]

Brothers v St Mary’s playing in both grades (Shield and Massey) on Saturday afternoon at St Mary’s stadium.
Brothers Massey with a few injuries and Seve into NSW Cup for Penrith.

The St Marys RMC team has only 8 players left from the team that played Mounties in the first game of the season while St Marys SS team has only 2 players from round 1.

 

[TigerDen]

The St Marys RMC team has only 8 players left from the team that played Mounties in the first game of the season while St Marys SS team has only 2 players from round 1.

I know that a number of players are on NSW Cup duties but that does not explain the clubs recent performances. Is it injuries or players just moving on?

 

[rightleftin]

I know that a number of players are on NSW Cup duties but that does not explain the clubs recent performances. Is it injuries or players just moving on?

The teams listed on club's website on Tuesday were not accurate - they had 12 today from the side that played at the start of the season with Will Fakatoumafi playing his first game since he picked up a leg injury in Magic Round. 4 of their players that appeared in the RMC's win over NSW Country, have not played since that game - injured or suspended?? - Tony Satini, Anton Iaria, Zac Green and Anthony Layoun. With 7 wins from 9 games they lead the comp despite the disruptions.

In SS they have lost more games this year than they would normally in 3 years but the 2 points today puts them into 4th place and the return of the star players to the RMC side, will influence the standard of the SS team.

 

[rightleftin]

David Nofoaluma makes his debut for Glebe tomorrow. Together with Dean Whare, Kane Evans and Craig Garvey, the Reds will have more 550 NRL/Super League games in their squad. They need to improve on their last start, when they lost 22-8 to Mounties on Tuesday night.

 

[rightleftin]

RMC

St Marys overcame a 22-0 deficit at half time against Glebe to just about wrap up the Minor Premiership. With 5 rounds to go the table is:

St Marys 26, Glebe 20, Mounties 19, Wenty 18, Ryde Eastwood 17, Brothers 14, Canterbury 12, Hills 10

Presuming that it is a top 5 final series, theoretically all the teams can still make it, but it would take a massive form reversal for Hills to win 4 or 5 in a row after winning only 3 out of 13.

SS
Wenty look short odds to be Minor Premiers but with only 4 points between 2nd and 8th, and when Mounties can concede 70 last week to a middle team and then be beaten by Wenty by a last minute field goal this week, I suggest that anything could happen. The table is:

Wenty 25, Mounties 20, Ryde Eastwood 17, St Marys 18, Brothers 17, Cabramatta 17, Glebe 16, Hills 16, Manly 12, Moorebank 10.

 

[TigerDen]

Given we are moving closer to the final series. Is anyone aware of how they will be run this year?

 

[Butts74]

Is it top 5 or 6 that go through ?

 

[rightleftin]

Is it top 5 or 6 that go through ?

top 6 in some junior leagues, top 5 for major comps

 

[TigerDen]

top 6 in some junior leagues, top 5 for major comps

So RMC and SS are top 5. That's reasonable, will make the last few games even more interesting.

 

[rightleftin]

RMC

Wins to St Marys, Ryde Eastwood, Brothers and Glebe means the ladder is as follows:

St Marys 30, Glebe 22, Mounties 21, Wenty 20, Ryde Eastwood 19, Brothers 17, Canterbury 13, Hills 10.

St Marys again Minor Premiers by a significant margin and the other 2 positions in the top 3 wide open, while Brothers took advantage of Wenty missing a few players, to keep their hopes alive.

Anthony Raheb produced a gold medal performance by scoring 5 tries against the Bulldogs. An achievement of this magnitude may have occurred in more recent times but my memories are of Scott Ella and Francis Betham both doing it for Wenty against Newtown in 2002. A Few years earlier, Jamie Tighe score 7 tries for Hills in a Metro Cup reserve grade game.

An interesting note about the games today is that in SS the Glebe vs Hills game was played at 1pm at Wentworth Park and the RMC games was played at Crestwood at 3pm - a bit unusual but Hills appeared to be short of players, and with their SS team still with some hope, did not want to weaken that side. Thus, 2 of the Hills interchange players for RMC had to move very quickly from Ultimo to Baulkham Hills.

SS

The ladder is: Wenty 27, Ryde Eastwood 23, Mounties 22, Glebe 20, St Marys 19, Brothers 19, Cabramatta 17, Hills 17, Manly 16, Moorebank 10.

Manly's upset against Cabramatta today gives them a very slight chance if they were to win their last 3 games. Cabra along with St Marys and Hills have damaged their chances by losses this round. Glebe have been performing strongly in recent times, winning 6 of their last 7 games. They have 5 ex Silktails - 2 in RMC and 3 in SS today.

Mounties have managed to get a few absentees back on the field this weekend in SS. Prior to yesterday - Matt Lewin had played only the first 2 RMC games; Livai Saukuru last played in RMC on 12 May and Mosese Pope had not taken the field this season. Similarly, Antonio Pelesasa played his first game for St Marys this season in the same game.

Mounties have used 46 players in RMC, 44 in SS and a total 64 in the 2 grades.

 

[rightleftin]

Clause 13.1. of the 2024 Major Pathways manual states "For all NSW Cup, Jersey Flegg, Ron Massey, Sydney Shield, and Denton Engineering Cup competitions, the five highest ranked teams, according to the number of competition points, shall compete in the final series."

However, the NSWRL draw has now had a draw inserted for the Final series. It shows only 3 weeks with 4 teams in RMC with only 1 team being eliminated each week ie 2nd chance for teams 1 & 2, and 3 weeks also in SS but with 2 games on the 2nd week. This suggests the Junior League system adopted in some areas last year, where teams 1 & 2 have a week off but then can be eliminated immediately on 2nd week - So Wenty would have absolutely no reward for being Minor Premiers, 5 points clear of the 2nd & 3rd teams. St Marys A Grade were Minor Premiers eliminated immediately last year and the Penrith JRL has corrected this faulty methodology by reintroducing a preliminary final this year.