Well, what a rollercoaster 1st Grade has been this year.
Many early predictions were correct, with the top 2 tipped to be last years participants in the Grand Final.
But what is happening underneath that is something no one would have estimated.
 
Big changes this year include the introduction of 2 extra rounds at the start of the season. Rivalry Round celebrated the geographical rivalries within our competition.
Country Round saw all four Wagga teams leave town to take on a random opponent from outside town. This was to balance the travel component during the season.
We also saw the reduction in the number of teams to make finals, with only four being accepted come August. It was tight to make it in 2018, going to be even tougher in 2019.
 
Wagga Agricultural College:
Our current ladder leaders have come to 2019 with a very similar squad to 2019. One major addition is Gabe Brown, who brings a wealth of experience to the Front Row, but has now suffered a serious elbow injury. Their other bookend in Duncan Woods has also suffered a hamstring injury, will their scrum woes affect their ladder positioning come August?
WAC have also started the season without their Club Captain, Cam Duffy suffering a facial injury in a pre-season trial (2nd time in 2 years), his return last week against CSU is only going to improve our table toppers coming into the back half of the season.

Recent Form:
7. Win v Leeton (54-19)
8. Win v Albury (29-22)
9. Win v CSU (64-0)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Waratahs (H)
11. v Tumut (A)
12. v Wagga City (A)
 
Wagga Waratahs:
Last years Premiers entered the season slowly, suffering a loss to their local rivals on a Friday Night special event at Conolly.
They shook that off quickly, and haven’t lost a game since, including a notable win over WAC in Round 3.
The return of Blake Hart last week is particularly notable after his representative duties for Australian Army and a small injury suffered during that. The surprise arrival of a Canberra Premier Division player in Sam O’Leary has been quite low-key but he has already making an impact after his 1st Grade debut last week.
We’re all looking forward to next week when they come up against WAC again, many tipping this a preview of the Grand Final on 31st August.
 
Recent Form:
7. Win v Tumut (55-5)
8. Win v City (77-18)
9. Win v Albury (39-10)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v WAC (A)
11. v Leeton (H)
12. v Griffith (A)
 
Wagga City:
Everyone wondered what Wagga City would present in 2019.
Having finished 2018 with no wins to their name, an early announcement of James Curgenven coaching the 1st XV was welcomed by the players and the memories of 2018 quickly disappeared.
With JC’s arrival, some big names suddenly moved into Wagga Wagga with intentions to play for City. Some pulled through, some disappeared again.
City certainly turned out in Rd. 1, hosting a Friday night spectacular where they took down the undefeated Premiers of 2018, Wagga Waratahs.
Since then they have had mixed form, but with no wins in their last 3 games, can they hold onto 3rd spot, or possibly even a spot in the top four?
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Albury (24-31)
8. Loss v Waratahs (18-77)
9. Draw v Tumut (26-26)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Griffith (H)
11. v Reddies (A)
12.v WAC (H)
 
Griffith Blacks
Many didn’t see Griffith as a threat in 2019, they missed the top 5 in 2018, and there were no positive rumours coming out of MIA leading into the 2019 season.
This transpired into a loss against Leeton, a strong win against CSU, then 4 consective losses to start the season. By Round 6 everyone thought Griffith were likely to hold 7th spot. Then 3 quick wins have turned that around quickly with them sitting in the all important 4th position at the half-way point of the season.
Some notable arrivals include David Serukai (mostly known as DJ) who has joined the region as a Teacher, but has shown his prowess for his club and representing SIRU at the BPC. Saione Ahomana is a mid-season exclusion, anyone who has played against him would know that the No. 8 is near impossible to stop when at full pace. Oh and don’t forget Chris Latu.


Recent Form:
7. Win v CSU (62-19)
8. Win v Tumut (32-19)
9. Win v Leeton (29-27)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Wagga City (A)
11. v Albury (A)
12. v Waratahs (H)
 
Tumut Bulls:
Tumut came into 2019 quietly confident, only dropped out of finals in 2018 due to a close loss to Leeton. If they had win it would have been a Home Semi Final against WAC.
2019 saw the return of nearly all of their players from 2018, some notable departures were made also. Tumut knew they had the cattle (pardon the reference) to be competitive, but they didn’t expect to encounter so many injuries in the early parts of the season. Injuries included Broken Finger, ACL x 2, Shoulder, Blue Card, and Blood Clotting.
Tumut came out of Round 3 undefeated and sitting on top, after that they have only had one win and a draw.
With some of the injuries returning this season, and some not, we’ll have to wait and see whether Tumut can be one of the elite four that play in Finals.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Waratahs (5-55)
8. Loss v Griffith (19-32)
9. Draw v City (26-26)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v CSU (H)
11. v WAC (H)
12. v Leeton (A)
 
Albury-Wodonga Steamers:
Albury were unfortunately placed in 5th at the end of 2018, and couldn’t get past Tumut in the first week of finals. With the change in Finals for 2019, we wouldn’t see Albury in Finals, so they knew they had to improve.
A particular DO of the zone tipped Albury to be the dark horse of the tournament this year, after 4 Rounds you might have wondered how he got his job, but a big win over CSU in Round 5 started a 3 game winning streak, that was halted temporarily by our two top teams. This has put Albury right in contention for spot in the coveted top four.
Albury will be looking to get the W against their upcoming opponents with two home games against the MIA teams before travelling to CSU again.
All the news was around the two Chileans who moved to town before the 2019 season, whilst Thomas Boyle was secretly training the house down to turn up in 2019 in his best condition yet. Don’t forget the late arrival of Liam Krautz who all can agree makes a lot of difference across the park.
 
Recent Form:
7. Win v City (31-24)
8. Loss v WAC (22-29)
9. Loss v Waratahs (10-39)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Leeton (H)
11. v Griffith (H)
12. v CSU (A)
 
Leeton Phantoms:
Our 2018 Semi-Finalists came into 2019 wanting to improve on 2018 and take the next step to the Grand Final.
With Vunibaka stepping down as coach, Seru Rogo returned to the region, and even in early season training you could see a change in the team mentality. Leeton started the season with mixed results, but their main concern was their discipline. Multiple Yellows and trips to the Judiciary made for a very distracted mindset.
They will be looking to start the second half of the season strong, and rise up from 7th into the top four.
Marika may have stepped down from coaching, but has returned to playing. A crop of young Fijians are making waves also, notably Semi Rokodinono, Mesulame Navakayala and Eroni Naua.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v WAC (19-54)
8. Win v CSU (60-17)
9. Loss v Griffith (27-29)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Albury (A)
11. v Waratahs (A)
12. v Tumut (H)
 
CSU Reddies:
CSU finished 2018 glad to have gotten two wins against cross-town rivals City, but were hoping for an improved effort in 2019.
The appointment of Club Legend Paul Hood as 1st XV coach was a solid start, as well as the introduction of two internationals in Jacob Holt and Oliver Telfer. Dean Smart is always a welcome inclusion also.
Unfortunately CSU hasn’t found their feet, or a win yet. They have improved since their tough 1st Round match against WAC, and took Tumut right to the end in a close loss in Rd. 3. They will be looking to recreate that form this weekend.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Griffith (19-62)
8. Loss v Leeton (17-60)
9. Loss v WAC (0-64)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Tumut (A)
11. v City (H)
12. v Albury (H)

2019 saw the expansion of our Women’s competition from 7-a-side to 10-a-side.
Whilst the 7s tournament saw all the fun and excitement in the past, the limited game time each week had the athletes wanting more. The exciting pathway to 15-a-side also an enticing option for all athletes through the Brumbies Super W side.
 
Last years premiers continue to dominate, even against the other top teams, but a home game against last years finalist saw the end of the unbeaten streak of CSU.
 
A highlight for the Women’s comp was the introduction of “Women’s Rugby Round” where a Gala Day style event was hosted at Conolly, all 8 teams played one after the other, and it was a great celebration of Women’s Rugby in our zone.

CSU Reddies:
CSU entered the competition as hot favourites, coach Andy Bedford tried to hang up the whistle, but the temptation of 10s was too much for him, and the girls may have done a little begging (and threatened a riot).
With some of the best players in our zone featured in their team, things were off to a great start, Ellen McIntyre often scoring hat tricks in the first half of the game.
Unfortunately Biola Dawa has moved on to pursue higher honours in the capital, she is sure to hold a spot in the UC7s team this year, and we hope to see her in Brumbies colours again in 2020.
The return of Ivy Merlehan should see improvement at CSU, as well as occasional celebrity appearances from Emma Hickey and Brittany Bedford.

Recent Form:
8. Loss v Griffith (17-42)
9. Win v Leeton (58-10)
10. Win v WAC (58-12)
 
Upcoming Games:
11.  v Tumut (A)
12. v City (H)
13. v Waratahs (A)
 
Tumut Bullettes:
Tumut saw the demise of their League Tag team entering 2019, so there has been some new faces in the Bullettes this year. Many who have seen them play would agree that it has been a huge positive. A new coach appointed in Lorraine Ngauma was a bonus (notably, she is the only Female Coach in the zone), and a heavy pre-season focussing on fitness and contact has paid dividends.
Some of the stars include the Freeman girls (Shanae and Teisha), whilst not many can drop kick from the sideline, Monique Bullock sure can. The list could go on and on, but one of their senior members, in Kylie Jensen has really stepped up this year, rumour is she scored a long distance run away try this year.

If the girls can string some strong results together starting this weekend, they will be looking to knock over CSU for top spot.

Recent Form:
8. Loss v Waratahs (27-29)
9. Win v Griffith (43-7)
10. Win v City (29-27)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v CSU (H)
12. v WAC (H)
6. v Leeton (A)*
 
Wagga Waratahs:
Waratahs had a slow start to the season, with concerns starting around playing numbers at the club, they have since become  one of the top teams, knocking over all opponents except CSU over the last 5 weeks.
The introduction of Mark Macarthur as Coach was welcomed by all, his coaching history in Women's Rugby eclipses many in our zone, and is starting to pay off now that he has got a consistent squad. Not to mention he has the woman who never stops, Judy Grant, as his team manager.
The team is led by Holly Stephens, and she continues her form as the best play maker in the zone. When she isn’t running through holes, she is putting the ball in front of others to go through them. Consistency will be the key for this team, and if they continue their form, they will be a team to watch deep into the Finals.
 
Recent Form:
8. Win v Tumut (29-27)
9. Win v City (45-34)
10. Win v Albury (47-17)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v WAC (A)
12. v Leeton (A)
13. v CSU (H)
 
Griffith Blacks:
Griffith were tipped to be a team to watch this year, with the introduction of 10-a-side, Griffith were known to have some of the strongest athletes in the competition, and this was their chance to show off. They have suffered from mixed results due to travel being an issue for some players, but now they have found their rhythm with wins over two of the 3 sides above them, they will be confident again heading into the back half of the season.
Fan favourite Lele Katoa is unlikely to be seen for the rest of 2019 as the code jump to league has paid off with selection for NSW to play in Origin, as well as a contract to play professionally.
The Lolotonga girls continue to cause headaches out wide for defences, as well as Eliza Baddock as a former Australian Touch Representative.
 
Recent Form:
8. Win v CSU (42-17)
9. Loss v Tumut (7-43)
10. Win v Leeton (49-0)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v City (A)
12. v Steamers (A)
13. v WAC (A)
 
Wagga City:
Wagga City had to deal with the loss of their coach leading into the 2019 season, with  a general call put out for coaches for all grades, local boy and SIRU employee Tom Martin was offered the role of Women’s Coach.
The City girls are a tight knit group, but with Tom came some young players fresh out of school, bringing some future proofing to the team.
City have seen mixed results this year, and have regularly lost close ones. Finishing games strong may be the key to the back half of the season.
Club stars include the two Aprils (April and Apryll), who are often seen crossing the try line.
 
Recent Form:
8. Win v Steamers (32-17)
9. Loss v Waratahs (45-34)
10. Loss v Tumut (27-29)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v Griffith (H)
12. v CSU (A)
13. v Leeton (A)
 
Leeton Dianas:
Leeton were our Premiers in 2017, but have since just fallen short in 2018, and have slipped down the ladder in 2019.
The loss of Kaitlyn McKay (or Chook as most know her) has played a huge part in this, but their coach Stuart Stout would still be positive leading into the backend of the season.
With some future stars in their team including SSA athlete Sarah Allen (16), the future is bright in Leeton.
 
Recent Form:
8. Win v WAC (39-20)
9. Loss v CSU (10-58)
10. Loss v Griffith (0-49)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v Albury (A)
12. v Waratahs (A)
6. v Tumut (H)*
 
WAC:
Wagga Ag College were excited about the return of Harriet Elleman to start the season, with a group of new girls joining the club, but a horror run of injuries brought all of that to a half early on.
We don’t see a lot of mid-season transfers in SIRU, but Clare Harpleys move from Tumut to WAC might be the most notable in recent history. Due to Clare schooling in Wagga she wasn’t available for training, but now with some fitness under her feet she could become one of the big names in the competition.
Tiffany Furniss continues to lead the team into every game, and their one win over Albury got them off the bottom of the ladder.
 
Recent Form:
8. Loss v Leeton (20-39)
9. Win v Albury (20-15)
10. Loss v CSU (12-58)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v Waratahs (H)
12. v Tumut (A)
13. v Griffith (H)
 
Albury Steamers:
Albury were hoping to climb the ranks and assert themselves as serious contenders in 2019. With a lot of new players to the sport, it was going to be a challenge. They have come to every game with aggression (sometimes too much) and passion, but just lack the flair that some other teams have.
With stars like Susan Curby clocking up some serious runs, as well as pace out wide from Olympia Achillea, things could turn around in the back end of the season.
The return of Jade Batten should help their forward pack, but they need to find some width if they want to score some more points.

Recent Form:
8. Loss v City (17-32)
9. Loss v WAC (15-20)
10. Loss v Waratahs (17-47)
 
Upcoming Games:
11. v Leeton (H)
12. v Griffith (H)
13. v Tumut (A)

2018 saw a tight contest between Waratahs and City for supremacy, now a lot of the City players who lost that Grand Final to Waratahs are the stars of the club in 1st Grade, but they continue to hold 2nd position, just under Waratahs.

Unfortunately mid-way through the season we lost Leeton from the competition due to dwindling playing numbers. This left the 7 remaining teams to battle it out for the back end for the season, competing for the all important top  four spots.
 
Wagga Waratahs:
This years Waratahs has since many changes from Round 1 to Round 9, with no clear distinction in quality from 1st Grade into 2nd Grade.
With only one loss this season (Wagga City in Round 1 by only 2 points), and a 7 game winning streak, Waratahs are definitely keen to back up their 2018 premiership winning season.

Recent Form:
7. Win v Tumut (49-0)
8. Win v Wagga City (55-0)
9. Win v Albury (52-0)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v WAC (A)
11. Bye
12. v Griffith (A)
 
Wagga City:
Wagga City were one of the dominant teams in 2019, but the advertisement of all coaching roles at the beginning of 2019, we saw the introduction of new coaches, during the season we have seen more changes in the coaching staff.
Their regular stars from 2018 including “Rocky” continue to cause waves through 2nd Grade.

Recent Form:
7. Win v Albury (31-26)
8. Loss v Waratahs (0-55)
9. Win v Tumut (35-7)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Griffith (H)
11. v CSU (A)
12. v WAC (H)
 
Wagga Agricultural College:
Wagga Ag College entered 2019 looking to build on their 1st Grade sides success in 2018, knowing that their ability may be important for what happens in the higher grade.
They begun by possibly the scalp of the season, bringing on board Jonathan Andreou as their coach. Formerly of Wagga City, as well as being involved in the Mens and Womens SIRU Representative Program and the Southern Sports Academy. Huge win for WAC, and it has proven worthy with their positioning in 3rd place.
Much like Waratahs, there has been some movement between the 2 top grades already this year for the players, showing the depth within the Aggies club.
 
Recent Form:
7. Bye
8. Win v Albury (43-7)
9. Win v Reddies (56-5)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Waratahs (H)
11. v Tumut (A)
12. v City (A)
 
Griffith Blacks:
Griffith have encountered mixed results all season, but consistency has paid off with 4 wins from 7 games and a position in the top four. With a young crop of players climbing the ranks in 3rd Grade, this 2nd Grade side may look very different in comparison to the start of the season. Also including quality SSA athlete Matt Parisotto in the mix to ensure the standard remains high throughout all grades.
Coming off a bye they will play the two top teams in the next two weeks, we’ll have to check back and see if they are still in top four following Round 12.

Recent Form:
7. Win v CSU (63-0)
8. Win v Tumut (27-14)
9. Bye
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v City (A)
11. v Albury (A)
12. v Waratahs (H)
 
Tumut Bulls:
Tumut were the only team at the club to have a Home Semi-Final in 2018, but fell devastatingly short against a strong City pack.
With the departure of Mat “Chappy” Chapman as coach of the team, it became a family affair with David and Damien West taking over the role for 2019. Both having been involved in the team for some time were keen to hook in for 2019.
Due to the terrible run of injuries at the club 2nd Grade has unfortunately been changing each week, but have still managed 4 wins from 8 games, and sit only 2 competition points behind the top four. Losses against 3 of the top four recently has hurt, Tumut will need to get some early wins if they want to make Finals.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Waratahs (0-49)
8. Loss v Griffith (14-27)
9. Loss v City (7-35)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v CSU (H)
11. v WAC (H)
12. Bye
 
Albury-Wodonga Steamers:
Albury came into the season looking to make it into Finals whilst supporting their top team to hopefully qualify multiple teams.
Albury have had a slow start with only one win against CSU, but have gone awfully close multiple times (2 games within 5 points).
With the introduction of some young talent into the playing group, including 16 YO Alexander Achillea who has starred in the backline.
They will need to beat some more opponents then CSU if they want to rapidly climb the ladder, and finishing games strong may be the key to this.

Recent Form:
7. Loss v Wagga City (26-31)
8. Loss v WAC (7-43)
9. Loss v Waratahs (0-52)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. Bye
11. v Griffith (H)
12. v CSU (A)
 
CSU Reddies:
CSU is yet to get a win on the board. They have had a struggle for sufficient player numbers all season, and the chopping and changing of their team has caused a lack of consistency that has resulted in multiple losses.
The shining light in their team has been Club Legend Mick Wakeling, who has retired more times than many have played seasons. He often referees prior to playing to help the club.
Some young talent is coming through the ranks, the likes of Patrick Prest who will no doubt be a star 1st Grade player in the future.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Griffith (0-63)
8. Bye
9. Loss v WAC (5-56)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Tumut (A)
11. v City (H)
12. v Albury (H)

In 2018 we saw a close Top 3 contest between Deniliquin, Hay, and the eventual Premiers, Waratahs. Our one club teams (Deniliquin and Hay) continue their form, but our reigning premiers have fallen behind slightly, whilst Griffith has climbed to the top of the ladder after last weekend.
 
The 3rd Grade season kicked off a few weeks after everyone else, and only features 7 teams this year, which meant every team would encounter 2 byes during the season. Every team would also be required to travel to Hay and Deniliquin during the season, unlike previous years.

We will also see only four teams in the Finals, not all of them like previously.

See below for a little summary for each team, as well as recent results and upcoming matches.
 
Griffith Blacks:
Griffith had serious concerns about their likelihood of being able to field a 3rd Grade side before the season started. They now have the most “Season” registered players in the zone, so well done to them on a late recruitment drive.
They recruited hard for 3rd grade this season, with their highly successful Junior programs becoming a pathway for 17 and 18 year old young men to move into Senior Rugby through their 3rd Grade side. A lot of these players are now creeping into 2nd Grade. We’ll have to wait and see if this change in playing group makes a difference to the results for their side who currently sit on 5 Wins and 1 Loss.
 
Recent Form:
7. Bye
8. Win v Tumut (26-12)
9. Win v Hay (19-12)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v City (A)
11. v Deniliquin (A)
12. v Waratahs (H)
 
Hay Cutters:
Hay approached 2019 considering their options to continue in McMullen Cup or push for 2nd Grade. Anyone who has played against or seen Hay play (especially at home), would agree that they could hold their own against plenty of 2nd Grade sides.
Hay have been consistent all season up until Round 9 where they slipped to Griffith in Griffith.
They boast basically the same team as 2018, plus they have brought along the Cutlets (Women’s team) with them to most away games this year.
Their highlight so far would be their Saturday Night event against Wagga City before their Jnr Gala Day on the Sunday. Many parents choosing to travel over and stay the night before, with plenty draining the water and coffee supply the following morning.
Hay were undefeated until Rd. 9, can they restart their streak for the remainder of the season?
 
Recent Form:
7. Win v WAC (52-0)
8. Bye
9. Loss v Griffith (12-19)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Deniliquin (A)
11. v Waratahs (A)
12. v Tumut (H)
 
Deniliquin Drovers:
Deniliquin came into 2019 full of hope, multiple players made the trek to Wagga to trial for the SIRU Representative Squad, two even played in the City v Country match (congratulations again to Ben and Darren). They knew that 2018 was somewhat successful, but they wanted to go one better and make the big dance where everybody knows, anything can happen.
A new Captain-Coach was appointed early on, with plenty of pre-season training organised. Deniliquin have also got a number of players participating at a Junior level as part of the Hay club, could be a great sign of things to come for the club moving forward into the future.
They have seen mixed results, including a draw and 3 wins from 6 games.
 
Recent Form:
7. Draw v City (12-12)
8. Loss v WAC (15-19)
9. Win v Waratahs (68-0)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Hay (H)
11. v Griffith (H)
12. Bye
 
Wagga City:
Wagga City came into 2019 looking to have strong numbers across all grades with their new 1st XV Captain-Coach seeing some new faces arrive at the club, which was sure to filter down some talent into McMullen Cup.
City has often faced the issue this season of too many players being available for their 3rd Grade side, could become a problem as they enter Finals.
They just scrape into the Top 4 after the first half of the season with their draw against Deniliquin making the difference between them and 5th placed rivals Waratahs.
 
Recent Form:
7. Draw v Deniliquin (12-12)
8. Loss v Waratahs (21-26)
9. Win v Tumut (22-19)
 
Wagga Waratahs:
Our reigning 2018 premiers are yet to match their 2019 form. Dominant from start to finish in 2018, this has not been the case in 2019 with 2 wins from 6 games.
The departure of their long-term Head Coach John Serong may have played a part (even though he always still seems to be around the team).
They have made both of their major away trips of the year in the first half of the season, they may finish the back-end of the season very strong.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Tumut (19-10)
8. Win v City (26-21)
9. Loss v Deniliquin (0-68)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v WAC (A)
11. v Hay (H)
12. v Griffith (A)
 
Wagga Agricultural College:
WAC came into 2019 hoping to find some new coaches to ease the load on their 1st XV coaches. They managed to find a suitable 3rd XV coach in Dave Ferguson, S&C Coach for the Southern Sports Academy.
The boys from Ag College have struggled during the 1st half of the year, with only 2 wins so far, but with notable returns in higher grades, the talent may filter down to help WAC climb the ladder.
 
Recent Form:
7. Loss v Hay (52-0)
8. Win v Deniliquin (19-15)
9. Bye
 
Upcoming Games:
10. v Waratahs (H)
11. v Tumut (A)
12. v City (A)
 
Tumut Bulls:
Tumut Bulls entered 2019 looking to bounce back after a poor 2018 season, whilst the team is known for playing for the love of the game, a few extra wins wouldn’t go astray.
With a new coach in Shane Herrington, as well as some young players coming through, the team was positive leading into the season.
Unfortunately Tumut has only had one win so far this season, but with a week off this week they will be looking to get a few more in the Win column as they enter 6 consecutive games to finish the season.
 
Recent Form:
7. Win v Waratahs (19-10)
8. Loss v Griffith (12-26)
9. Loss v City (19-22)
 
Upcoming Games:
10. Bye
11. v WAC (H)
12. v Hay (A)