TRIAL MATCH,  NUDGEE COLLEGE VS DOWNLANDS COLLEGE

I personally though it was a bit warm to be watching rugby,  let alone playing it,  but I guess these blokes are young and fit,  with possibly not too much else to do on a Saturday afternoon,  as hot as it was.  I heard whispers of 31 degrees,  seemed hotter,  and as I couldn't face a coffee,  assume it was.

Took in a little of the action down on the Nudgee flats,  it looked that all was going pretty well for Nudgee.  All the talk centred around the abysmal performance of the Reds to date,  Tony Shaw's week in the press,  and his address at a fundraising dinner for Downalnds the previous night.  Basically the big man is angry,  and so he should be,  he once lead a band of hungry,  unpaid,  passionate Queenslanders into battle in rugby,  that just simply hated to lose,  and were in reality prepared to die for the cause of the code in Queensland.

Nudgee had a similar shindig the night before,  with State of Origin legend Arthur Beetson speaking.  Interesting that two guys I mentioned earlier in the week as being part of defining moments of Queensland sport,  both guests at dinners that week.  Now Arthur is a snappy dresser,  even a level down from me,  and I wonder did anyone get some photographs of his dress thongs and dress singlet.  I am sure the big man would have enjoyed the free night out.

Looking out across the flats,  a couple of comments came quickly to mind,  especially at the 15's.  A number of you guys did alot of work on this in the Junior Reds,  and have obviously forgotten it all rather quickly,  some basics of the game that work similarly well at all levels.  I really thought your work in getting set and communicating the getting set at 1,2,3 was very poor,  your speed off the line was terrible, you just ran straight at guys,  and these bigger guys from Nudgee and other places will just lap that up,  there was plenty of unused space out the back an in the corners that makes for easy metres off the boot that wasn't even attempted to be used and there was no abrasion at and over the ball.  Also looking from behind at your defensive pattern,  I am not sure which one you were using,  but there were yawning holes back on the inside channel given where your 10 and 12 were aiming up,  and if they had to drop back on the inside,  a short ball into space would create more havoc.

The firsts was another case in point,  I hear the Downlands Firsts was more resolute in defence to date this year,  and they were fresh from an undefeated tour of New Zealand and Fiji.  I haven't really heard alot about Nudgee,  or any school to date.  While winning the premiership last year,  I don't think Nudgee was as comprehensive in some of their wins as they would have liked to have been, almost stumbling across the line in a number of games,  and games that I saw them play,  doing it with plenty of errors,  and penalties.

Yesterday people,  they were what I would describe as ruthless,  playing a style of footy that is uncompromising,  having a 10 that recognized space and put the pill into it,  and into the corners into it,  just ramping up the pressure on the Toowoomba outfit.  Coupled with overwhelming physical presence from Setu and Postal,  the possession and position was always going to turn into points,  and after some stout defence on their line,  eventually they came,  and just kept coming,  all the way to 72.

I don't think Downlands even had the ball outside their 22,  except to kick off.  The Nudgee performance was as ruthless as that autumn day in 2006 when a young Matt To'omua,  Somi Pulu and a few other guys ripped TGS apart up here to the tune of 50 plus.

The Nudgee performance was certainly a very big lift tot he intensity we saw Churchie and Terrace play with the week before at Suncorp,  and in my opinion yesterday served notice that they are certainly in the hunt for back to back crowns.  However,  I can say that,  just because I can,  and I am yet to see any other school,  but we will get through that assignment as the weeks unfold.  I understand that BSHS will play TSS next week,  so might just put that trip in the Diary.

I think Nudgee started without two of what will be there regular starting side,  a hooker and Cayden Matahaere.  I think the hooker was injured and Cayden was just rested for half one,  but his young understudy did a fine job.  Waita Setu had a quiet first half but exploded into life in the second,  Ted Postal will be a handful all year,  leading from the front and his lineout work was great,  and personally,  I just like tough,  and a tale zero prisoners attitude.  The big 13,  sure a handful,  but is not 8 feet tall,  does not run faster than Usain Bolt,  but will create some issues for sides,  especially if the guys in the middle continue to deliver the go forward pill that frees him up.

For Downlands,  while I was being pretty social during the first match,  the younger sides really need to come to terms with simple stuff,  like linespeed and space and just being abrasive at the ball and in the ball carrying department,  offensive and dominant.  Everybody needs to look up more,  not look in,  and I would be asking the question of why am I running straight into guys that I am spotting 10 kilo to.

There were a few photos taken,  and I will get them up in the course of the next few days.