Written Saturday 27/06/2009.

FROM MY SEAT OF KNOWLEDGE,  CHAPTER 4.

QLD SCHOOLS TRIALS

It is that time of year again,  Queensland Schoolboy trials and of course I have made the annual Thursday/Friday night trek to Ballymore now for alot of years to watch these matches,  probably 7 or 8.  But that is all irrelevant information,  just indicates I have far too much time on my hands.

The GPS sides looked strong,  and in 2009 I had little idea and had heard very few rumours/whispers about the AIC and CSS sides.  Games all went with expectations on night one,  with the GPS 1 side just seeming to lift the intensity of the whole evening,  and ended up smoking the CSS 1 side pretty badly,  60 something to 3.  Two wing spots were surely locked away then with boom performances from Kimame (Nudgee) and Sautia (State High) surely guaranteeing them the 11 and 14 Queensland 1 slots.  Kimame on the wing was everything his reputation said he was,  and everything he has not been at Nudgee in the 13 shirt.  Big,  fast,  powerful  and probably the number one winger on the night.  These two guys are along way above any other winger in the competition at this stage.

Faulkner,  and Saifaloi, were other very strong backs.

The GPS 1 forward pack was just dominant,  really dominant,  and Paul Alo Emile lead from the front row with a big game,  but there were huge games from Jordie Tuapou,  Liam Gill (book them Qld slots),  Matt Ika and Curtis Browning.

Now what makes these sorts of selection trials very difficult is that CSS 1 were just totally dominated,  and no one really got to show whether they could or could not play,  not sure how those boys get a look in,  but I have no doubt a few of them can/could play,  especially if they were to swap to the dominant outfits.

Other performances that I noted across the night were Joe O'Regan at hooker for the GPS 2 side,  Saunda (Nudgee) on a wing,  Liam Law (Ipswich) on a wing,  Matt Lucas at halfback,  Jayden Scheck at 6,  my old mate Goughy at 2 for CSS 2.

Friday night saw wholesale swapping and movements as selectors ask to see certain things,  but games still went with where they were perceived to go earlier.  Kimame was again awesome on the wing,  and we didn't get to see  much of Sautia as he got red carded,  for heaven's sake officials,  a winger getting red carded,  you have to be joking,  and then to stick to the laws in a trial and not let a replacement be seen,  again sheer stupidity.  I understand that after some negotiation a replacement was allowed at halftime.  At least the eventuality was that people removed heads from dark orifice,  or even sand and saw the game for what it was,  a trial match.

I thought Dion Taumata had a better evening,  didn't try and overplay his hand as much as the night before in a dominated side.  Liam Law played well again on night two, as I am sure did many others.  I get a bit social I am afraid these days,  and don't see as much rugby as I once did.

Of course on night one I had the 150 kilogram Columbian with me,  looking every bit the Nude World Heavyweight Champion that he could be,  he would take some handling greased up,  but true to style,  he said to me earlier in the day in his spanish accent,  "I would like to see some schoolboy footy,  what time does it start"  I told him 4:10 and as per the norm with the big man,  he turned up at half time in the last game!  But he always has some good war stories and this particular night was no exception,  funny because he is usually the one getting a beating,  and funny because of the way he tells the story,  but maybe for another time and another website, but the big Columbian is certainly a character.