Jim Beam Cup Final

[mono_mal]

Wentworthville Magpies v Sydney Bulls
Aussie Stadium, Saturday, 3:30
The Jim Beam Cup Final between Wenty and the Bulls features on the finals under card at Aussie Stadium on Saturday. The main game on the night features the Bulldogs against the Sydney Roosters and the match is now officially a sellout. Therefore a healthy crowd should be in attendance for the opening match, ebing the Jim Beam Cup final.
The Sydney Bulls, have been arguably the form team during the finals series and are coming off two comprehensive finals wins over Souths and the Cougars. Wenty meanwhile went down by 8 last weekend at Western Weekender Stadium to the Entrance Tigers who have now progressed to the inaugural Jim Beam Cup Grand Final.
The Bulls this week field a unchanged line up boasting the more than formidable backline of Rakabu, Naiqama, Salem, Corrie, Navale, DeBartolo and Branighan. They will line up against the Magpies speedsters boasting the Jim Beam Cup player of the year and top tryscorer, Scott Ella.
Wenty will be boosted by the return of Jacob Byrne at five eight and Adam Capovilla in the second row, both players of much experience.
Both teams also field strong packs and benches with the Bulls bench including the likes of Damien Mostyn and George Azzia and the Wenty bench including the man mountain pair of Muiliumu and Mazzoleni.
The last match between these teams resulted in a 32-20 win by the Bulls at Ringrose Park and this marked the beginning of the Bulls winning run, currently on 7 consecutive wins, last losing in round 18 against the Guildford Owls.
Wenty have also had strong form following this game, their only loss being against grand finalists The Entrance. The Maggies will therefore be confident of having a win such as the one earlier this season in Round 9 where they accounted for the Bulls 34-20 at Bankstown.
If Wenty is to win they require big games from the likes of captain Byrne, Capovilla and the electrifying Scott Ella. The Bulls will require their forwards led by the likes of Charlie Nohra and Paul Winterstein to make the hard yards up the middle to lay the platform up the middle early, to allow the likes of the elusive Salem, Corrie and Rakabu to cause havoc on the flanks.
The Bulls faithful should be present at Aussie Stadium early and the Bulls should also gain the support of Bulldogs fan arriving early for the Premier League game. Whilst Wenty will also have a lot of fans they will most probably be outnumbered again like last weekend where they were drowned out by near 300 vocal Tigers fans.
This match could go either way but I’m picking the boys from Bankstown to continue their late charge to the grand final and join the Tigers in next Sundays grand final at Telstra Stadium. The Bulls form in recent weeks should be too much for Wenty who have a number of injury problems at the wrong time of the season.
Mono’s tip: Sydney Bulls
GRJ’s tip: Wentworthville Magpies

 

[mono_mal]

just heard the result on 2UE and the Wentworthville Magpies have progressed to the Grand Final against The Entrance Tigers this sunday at Telstra Stadium.
The Magpies won 22-19 through a late try.

 

[Once Dead]

Magpies VS Tigers........now that brings back memories of true rugbly league........GO YOU MIGHTY ENTRANCE TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yappy]

Go Wenty, Go the Mighty Magpies!

 

[Once Dead]

Go Wenty, Go the Mighty Magpies!

Mate, the Entrance will be kicking Wenty all the way back home.....JAMIE 'FORMER BALMAIN TIGER' FORBES WILL DESTROY THE MAGPIES!!!!!!!!!

 

[yappy]

Bah Wenty will kick em up the F3 to the turn off. Then our cousins from Ourimbah will finish the job. Beware the Mighty Magpies.

 

[Mighty Tiger]

Up the Mighty Tigers, won't be at the game but will be watching the match on TV

 

[Nfed]

"The Magpies won 22-19 through a late try."

A simple statement belying the heartbreak beneath.

There's a fair report on www.nswrl.com.au about the game. Saves me reliving it.

 

[yappy]

Yeah feel a little sorry for old Gus Ghosn, good old Magpie (and Lidcombe Bull). Has he mellowed in his old age or did he go balistic?

 

[Once Dead]

Yeah feel a little sorry for old Gus Ghosn, good old Magpie (and Lidcombe Bull). Has he mellowed in his old age or did he go balistic?

I don't lie do I Yappy.......lol...JAMIE 'CHROME DOME' FORBES scores a try a leads the ENTRANCE to victory - thats the first finals win for a Tigers team that ive actually seen occur in my whole life.......

 

[yappy]

Jamie Chrome Dome, Never Shut my Fricn Mouth Forbes should buy a lottery ticket. How was he not sent off for the elbow to the kickers jaw when Wenty scored in the third minute? Then the big unit gets his marching orders in the final minutes for the same thing apart from one big difference - IT HIT THE GUY IN THE CHEST!

Don't get me started on elbows/forearms - anyone who does it is stupid and deserves to be sent - they should just outlaw the practice fullstop - but what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and the fact that Wenty scored should not have saved him. It would have also have had the added bonus of not having to see that grub carry on for the rest of the game. If only the big guy that got sent off had belted Forbes earlier - I know I wanted to.

Don't ever leave me alone in a room with that merkin Robinson. He is easily the WORST referree I have ever seen in my life. And trust me that is no mean feat.

How many times did he ping Wenty for high tackles that actually hit the chest and shoulder, but the Entrance? high tackles all day, including the one that led to Ella dropping the ball and nothing. He's done a similar number on us during the year. When I was in the army I used to think all of my rifle training wasn't going to be off much use in civvies, but if that maggot referrees another Magpies game I might find a use after all.

But seriously I know the conditions turned horrible in the second half, but there is a dead set chasm between JB and Premiers. Flegg put on a far better show. It was a really poor game of footy, mostly due to dumbness. If Wenty had half an idea what to do on the fifth tackle they would have belted the Tigers. If they were the best two teams in the comp, thank christ I didn't have to sit through the battle for the spoon.

 

[Once Dead]

Jamie Chrome Dome, Never Shut my Fricn Mouth Forbes should buy a lottery ticket. How was he not sent off for the elbow to the kickers jaw when Wenty scored in the third minute? Then the big unit gets his marching orders in the final minutes for the same thing apart from one big difference - IT HIT THE GUY IN THE CHEST!

Don't get me started on elbows/forearms - anyone who does it is stupid and deserves to be sent - they should just outlaw the practice fullstop - but what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and the fact that Wenty scored should not have saved him. It would have also have had the added bonus of not having to see that grub carry on for the rest of the game. If only the big guy that got sent off had belted Forbes earlier - I know I wanted to.

Don't ever leave me alone in a room with that merkin Robinson. He is easily the WORST referree I have ever seen in my life. And trust me that is no mean feat.

How many times did he ping Wenty for high tackles that actually hit the chest and shoulder, but the Entrance? high tackles all day, including the one that led to Ella dropping the ball and nothing. He's done a similar number on us during the year. When I was in the army I used to think all of my rifle training wasn't going to be off much use in civvies, but if that maggot referrees another Magpies game I might find a use after all.

But seriously I know the conditions turned horrible in the second half, but there is a dead set chasm between JB and Premiers. Flegg put on a far better show. It was a really poor game of footy, mostly due to dumbness. If Wenty had half an idea what to do on the fifth tackle they would have belted the Tigers. If they were the best two teams in the comp, thank christ I didn't have to sit through the battle for the spoon.

I agree with you on the elbows and everything else.....that big unit for Wenty nailed the Tigers player with a legitimate tackle and gets penalised - and if i'm not mistaken didn't the Wentworthville half get nailed late after many of his kicks?

The ref lost control of the game - the niggle rating was sky high in that game....

 

[metroman]

I watched about 50 Jim Beam games this year so I might be qualified to make a reasonable contribution to this discussion.

I saw Jamie Forbes play 5 times this year and it is always the same - cheap shots and trying to run the game. The bloke has an exaggerated idea of his importance and it is not helped when his best mate talks crap on national TV.

Is the standard of this comp poor because the grand final was lousy? Dont judge the other 137 games this season by what you saw on the weekend, but I replayed the first half again last night - there was only one dropped ball in the first 25 minutes.

There has been some very entertaining football in this comp this year but I suppose this partly due to the uneven standard of teams. The top sides look very good against the weaker sides as they spread the ball to the backs from even in their ingoal.

Wenty did this week after week but you know the rules when it gets to finals "you have to play it in the forwards". If it hadnt stormed, Wenty might have opened up the game in the 2nd half, then again the Tigers just tackle, tackle, tackle - they had only one player in the top dozen try scorers in the comp.

Viewers may have reached a different conclusion if the preliminary final had been televised. It was an absolute epic and I expect the Bulls would have attempted their '15 passes per tackle" play even in the wet if they had been there on Sunday.

The Bulls scored 8 tries (mostly long range) in each of their semis, the latter against a Souths Juniors team that had 7 guys that were playing Premier League in the lead up to the finals. Meredith and Siemsen played Jim Beam and NRL for Souths in the same season.

The other thing you have to consider is that the NSWRL deliberately reduced the standard of this tier to encourage the Country sides to enter. The team salary cap was reduced to $150k - Wenty paid 400k in metro in 2001 for a team that finished dead last.

They also attached points to every player - 100 points for 17 man squad but 20 points to any player who had played 20 games in NRL, 8 points if you played 1st grade metro last year but only 4 points if you played in the Country leagues. So most of the guys with 1st grade experience were driven out and you couldnt even have a metro standard team (17*8= 136).

In sunday's game only Lauder, McLean and McEwen had played first grade. When Wenty lost the metro reserve grade grand final in 1998, 5 of their players had played 1st grade ARL (and another 9 in the successful 1st grade metro team that year).

The Entrance will have a problem when most of their players go up from 4 points to 8 next year. If they are smart they will find another 100k and build on the central coast hype and apply to play in Premier League. They could increase that comp to 16 by also putting in St Marys if the Cougars JV collapses next week.

 

[yappy]

Yeah metro I don't want to be too harsh, but Robinson and Forbes ruined that game for me. The only other Beam game I say was newtown putting 70 odd on Erina I think, so I haven't seen much to praise.

What the oil on Penrith - St Mary's? first I've heard of it.

 

[metroman]

Yappy

Yesterday's edition of Rugby League Review said that Cougars participation in Jim Beam was in doubt because of Flegg going back to full season. Penrith will only want to deal with 3 teams, but there was a 3 year JV agreement in place for Premier/Jim Beam, so the whole thing may collapse unless St Marys roll over again.

Souths Juniors are also going to withdraw even though they had only about 3 flegg players in their team. Guildford leagues dont want to put in any money for league. Plusses are that Cabramatta is back and Narellan, which is basically Cabramatta exiles are also coming in. Mounties and Manly are other possibilities.

You may have only seen one Newtown JB game but you got to see half of their wins - won 2 lost 20.

MM

 

[mono_mal]

Guildford seem to be a 50/50 chance of participating next year.
I have talked to many of the players and coach and they are all keen to go around another year and are yet to sign with new clubs for the 2004 season.
A decision should be made soon though when Tony Metcalfe meets with other members of the board.
It seems Guildford have got themselves in the red with the unneccessary extensions and they reckon they cant affort to continue funding a Jim Beam Cup team if the new tax comes in to being which at this time looks certain despite the protest last week by 15 000 in the city in which Guildford took part with 2 full coaches, near 100 people, making the trip from the McCredie Park premises.
Perhaps if the club tried to promote the Owls sponsorship and gate takings could be improved meaning it would be less of a burden on the club though this seems to be very low on the clubs priority.
Meaning I'll most likely have to find a new club to support for the 2004 season.

 

[yappy]

Thanks Metro. Would be a real shame to lose St Marys and Guildford. Love Western Weekender - what a great little ground, and I always loved playing on McCreadie when I was a kid - It had a fence! How certain are Narellan, and will they play as the Jets?

 

[metroman]

The Narellan Jets secretary said he had lodged his application and believes that they meet the criteria and they will satisfy CRL requirements of continuing to field a 1st grade side in Group 6.

Then again clubs fold and then reopen regularly down in that area. The Oaks finished last in 2001, lost the Grand final in 2002, dropped out in 2003 and yet according to the Magpies website, have signed a couple of your premier league players for 2004.

Narrellan were last in 2002, imported a whole team in 2003. Will both these clubs have the money in 2004 - who knows.

I saw the first game of 2002 at Narellan and the players changing rooms and the toilets were in containers but now they have built this two storey facility next to the ground.

 

[yappy]

Could be good for us. We might have a feeder arrangement to place the guys not needed for Premiers, but too old for Flegg. Camden were the side most talked about down this way, but the Jets is fine by me.

 

[Nfed]

Interesting conversation.

Even more interesting Yappy, is the date on which you joined this forum. 17th August. Was that deliberate? Anniversary of 17th August 1977 ? a great day to remember. From an era when I went to Lidcombe every second week...