This weekend was a very successful, and a very memorable one for the Goulburn Rugby Club. Numbers at the Fizzy Reds competition have nudged up a little, and in the seniors we experienced two very strong wins (First Grade and Women’s 10s) and something of a turning point in second grade. AND … Jackson Reardon not only reached his 200th game for the club, but marked the occasion with a field goal! Reardon was also the unanimous choice for the Garpole Award. Goulburn now has two senior teams topping their tables and a third improving week to week.

Please note, all galleries, and the photos used with the match team sheets (as well as the great shot above of Jackson Reardon with his father, former 200+ game Dirty Red John Reardon), taken by and kindly supplied by Pete Oliver. Contact Pete Oliver Imagery for your photo needs… you won’t find a better photographer.

Let’s look back at the weekend.

Juniors

We don’t have any details or results from any of the Fizzy Reds games but we have received some photos (thank you very much to the Yass Rugby Club and Samantha Granger). We want to shine a light on these fantastic juniors so if you have any match reports, anecdotes, photos or social media posts, let us know. We’d love to share them here. For now, here are the photos we’ve received so far this week.

[Show slideshow]

Seniors

Click on hyperlinks for score sheets and further details. Photos to follow.

Women’s 10s: Another very polished performance by Ash Mewburn’s side, beating Yass by 70-10. Maintaining their intensity throughout the game, Goulburn notched up 35 points in each half, and upped their defence in the second section so that Yass’ only points were in the first half.  Stand out performances included three tries each to Jasmine Bes and Chloe Waddell (Bes’ hat-trick even more significant as it was on debut – possibly the first hat-trick on debut in club history), a double for Livia Minikin and a 100% conversion rate from skipper Ash Mewburn with 10 from 10 after tries.

Three best and fairest points went to Melissa Smith with Jasmine Bes named Players’ Player. A full report and photos by Pete Oliver to follow.

First grade: Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together” on the old “A Team” TV show, and first grade coach John “Not Hannibal” Maxwell may well have been thinking the same thing as he watched first grade execute his blueprint better than they have so far this year in their 65-0 over West Lions. Mind you, it didn’t come easy. Wests made Goulburn work for it, particularly in the first half, and while the Lions weren’t able to get on the board, they held Goulburn to just a 14-0 lead at the break. But in the second half, the floodgates opened with nine Goulburn tries (including two each to Ben Todkill, Siosifa Hala and Matt Spratley) as Goulburn improved their restarts dramatically and put together not only their biggest score this year, but the biggest score by any team in this grade so far in 2023.

The match was club president Jackson Reardon’s 200th game, and while sport followers can be quite sentimental, sports themselves aren’t. Individuals have their moments, points happen, and that’s that. But occasionally, when the Gods are smiling and the planets align, something special can happen. Five minutes before the end of the match, spotting a possibility and seizing the opportunity, Reardon took his chance and slotted a field goal… his first ever for the club and the only column he hadn’t ticked in scoring possibilities. The win elevated the first grade Dirty Reds back to the top of the table, although some teams now have a game in hand.  Dallas Brown received 3 best and fairest points, and Jackson Reardon picked up Players Player, one best and fairest point, and the club’s Garpole award (not to mention, for kicking the field goal, a box of beers he shared with his team).

Second grade: This match was disappointing, and not because of the performance of the Dirty Twos, but because their significant improvement wasn’t reflected in the final score. Wests won the match by 57 to 26 but were only 10 points ahead at half-time. Goulburn’s seconds typically only get into the match in the second half but in this match were right in thew thick of it half-way through the first half.

As so often happens in all ball sports, when a team gets a roll, the momentum stays with them and the opposition gets steam-rolled. That happened to a degree here as West Lions, who are top of the table in this grade, piled on nine tries but mostly out wide and against the run of play. Despite the score, there was considerable improvement for the Dirty Twos who picked up a bonus point for scoring four tries, and their run of wins is not far off. Campbell Kruger was named Players Player and also picked up 3 best and fairest point, and it was also great to see Mr Damage, Michael Ramage put a tick under the try column.

• Women’s 10s: Goulburn 70 bt Yass 10
• Men’s 1st grade: Goulburn 65 bt Wests 0
• Men’s 2nd grade: Wests 57 bt Goulburn 26

Around the Grounds:

ACT 1st Division 1st grade:

• Goulburn 65 bt Wests 0
• Tuggeranong 29 bt Gungahlin 12
• Queanbeyan 25 bt Royals 17
• Uni-Norths BYE

ACT 1st Division 2nd grade:

• Wests 57 bt Goulburn 26
• Tuggeranong 28 bt Gungahlin 12
• Royals 39 bt Queanbeyan 31
• Tuggeranong BYE

ACT Women’s 10s:

• Goulburn 70 bt Yass 10
• Uni-Norths 34 bt ADFA 7
• Bungendore 32 bt Jindabyne 10
• Royals 27 bt Hall 26

Tables:

Check your stats

• 1st Grade stats
• 2nd grade stats
• Women’s stats
• Club stats

Next Round

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