Parramatta will play their first television match in three years when they travel to Chatswood for the ABC TV Game of the Day in round five of the Shute Shield.
The Two Blues’ efforts to remain in the winners’ circle is one of a number of highlights this weekend which also sees undefeated Eastwood play a Sir Roden Cutler Shield defence against Warringah, while two of the top three go head to head when Easts host Manly.
West Harbour and Randwick are looking to move into the top six when they go face off at Concord, North meets South at North Sydney Oval while the Students travel west to take on Penrith.
GORDON (4) v PARRAMATTA (11)
Chatswood Oval – 3:10pm (Live ABC TV)
Parramatta make a welcome return to live television in round five when they travel to Chatswood Oval to face Gordon.
The Two Blues promised much in the first three rounds and finally found competition points last weekend when they fought to the finish in a five-point win over Warringah. That result was achieved on the road at Narrabeen which will give Parramatta much confidence in another away trip to the north shore.
Gordon have been the surprise packets of the 2011 Shute Shield and the opportunity to entrench themselves in the top four would not have been lost on the Highlanders. An gallant opening round loss to high-flyers Manly has been backed up with three straight wins to put paid to some pre-season predictions of a lowly finish.
If both teams play to their potential and revel in the chance to perform on the ABC Game of the Day, this could be one of the games of the season.
Gordon: 1.Lawrence Marsh, 2. Tobius Gukibau [c], 3. Travis Church; 4. Ben Paurini, 5. Lex Fairley; 6. Jonno Broome, 7. Mitch Greenway, 8. Junior To’o; 9. Terry Preston, 10. Josh Keil; 11. Eric Maroni, 12. Tom Mathews, 13. Dion Berryman, 14. Matt McDougall; 15. Dave Harvey.
Parramatta:1.Sione Taula, 2. Trent Hoscher, 3. Richard Just; 4. Waqa Vulawalu, 5. James Riddell; 6. Andrew Cox, 7. Rodney Ma’a, 8. Maile Latekefu; 9. Lua Vailoaloa, 10. Ioane Sefo; 11. Jesse Leota, 12. Toese Lealemanua, 13. Damien Fakafanua, 14. Brendan Lane; 15. Tyler Stevens.
Referee: Callan O’Neill
WEST HARBOUR (7) v RANDWICK (8)
Concord Oval – 3:00pm
In a clash of two teams which have underachieved so far this season, West Harbour will host Randwick at Concord Oval.
The Pirates have had two close losses, a draw and a win from their opening four matches which is a form guide starting to reflect their 2010 campaign where missed opportunities saw them out of contention in the rundown to the finals.
Randwick too has not shown the form which has taken them to the last three premiership deciders however they will be confident of a turnaround in form. The Galloping Greens faced up well last week to an Easts side with far more experience and still had their chances to win the match in the dying stages. That performance, despite the outcome, will have Randwick buoyed ahead of their trip down Parramatta Road.
West Harbour: 1.Todd Pearce, 2. Reg de Jager, 3. Vaughan Lomax; 4. Tom Hikila, 5. Damien Lloyd; 6. Tom Games, 7. Dan Thomas, 8. Isaiah Pine; 9. Jeremy Su’a, 10. Shaun Treweek; 11. Macquire Tatola, 12. Henry Seavula, 13. Nua Alone, 14. Tito Mua; 15. Liam Windon.
Randwick: 1. Daniel Spencer, 2. Atonio Halangahu, 3. Steven Noriega; 4. Lai Vatadroka, 5. Geoffrey Ingram; 6. David Parsons; 7. Tim McGann, 8. Al McFarland; 9. Sam Bartlett, 10. Jai Ayoub; 11. Clinton Sills, 12. Toby Browne, 13. John Tamanika, 14. Ethan Ford; 15. Tim Wright [c].
Referee: Andrew Lees
PENRITH (12) v SYDNEY UNIVERSITY (6)
Nepean Rugby Park – 3:00pm
Penrith is the only team to not record a win in 2011 and their task does not get any easier against Sydney University.
Home ground advantage will play a factor and Parramatta’s impressive opening round performance against the defending premiers will have the Emus believing they have every chance to pull off a dramatic upset.
The Students again field an impressive side despite a wealth of talent involved in Super Rugby and go into the match as hot favourites. However they have rarely been able to field the same side from week to week and they will be determined to ensure complacency does not settle in.
Penrith: 1. Peter Niumata, 2. Shaun O’Connor, 3. Richard Aho; 4. Luke Williams, 5. Dale Shane; 6. Winnie Paulo, 7. Rob Carlson, 8. Viliami Napia’a; 9. Solomona Silipa, 10. Gavin Duncan; 11. Tala Mapesone, 12. Hamilton Va’alepu, 13. Lachlan Porteous, 14. Stan Tuionuku; 15. Ateloa Okati.
Sydney University: 1. Aldy King, 2. Ben Roberts, 3. Sam Talakai; 4. Tom Heslop, 5. Sam Carter; 6. Lachlan McCutcheon, 7. David Hickey, 8. Jack de Guingand; 9. Matt Schwager [c], 10. Angus Roberts; 11. Nick Edwards, 12. James McMahon, 13. Michael Hodge, 14. Levi Dodd; 15. Alex Rokobaro.
Referee: Anthony Moyes
NORTHERN SUBURBS (9) v SOUTHERN DISTRICTS (5)
North Sydney Oval – 3:00pm
Northern Suburbs host Southern Districts at North Sydney Oval in a match which provided one of the spectacles of the 2010 season.
The Shoremen are proving better on paper than on the field and sooner rather than later their form will need to turn if they are to be finals contenders this year. However they did show in this clash last year that they match up well against the Rebels and Norths will be backing themselves to provide an upset this weekend.
Souths are starting to build cohesion and while they are not showing the form that took them to an unbroken run of ten wins to start last season, they look like contenders once again. If former Blues half Grayson Hart and young gun Ben Volavola can start to form a good combination, their season looks on the up.
Northern Suburbs:1. Lawrence Hunting, 2. Scott Podmore, 3. Nick Lah; 4. Seti Tafua, 5. Ben Matwijow; 6. Paulie Tuala, 7. Mat Lamont, 8. AJ Gilbert; 9. Steve Evans, 10. Ben Murray; 11. Cam Crawford, 12. Henari Veratau, 13. Bill Meakes, 14. Chris Moore; 15. Ben Borg.
Southern Districts: 1. Tetera Faulkner, 2. Nick Seymour, 3. Duncan Chubb; 4. Rome Nifo, 5. Hoani Matengi; 6. Luke Smart, 7. Sean Doyle, 8. Sam Latunipulu; 9. Grayson Hart, 10. Ben Volavola; 11. Ryan Shortland, 12. Josh Gamgee [c], 13. Nicky Price, 14. Ben Connolly; 15. Rohan Saifoloi.
Referee: Steve Hardy
EASTERN SUBURBS (3) v MANLY (2)
Woollahra Oval – 3:00pm
In what is possible the match of the round, Eastern Suburbs take on Manly at Woollahra Oval.
The Beasts present one of the best sides in the competition at this point in time and have been strengthened by the presences of Melbourne enforcers Adam Byrnes and Tom Chamberlain.
Manly suffered their first loss of the season last weekend and will hope that their own Rebels – Luke Jones and JP du Plessis – can provide the spark required to put points on an Easts side capable of leaking few points.
Eastern Suburbs: 1. Campese Ma’afu, 2. Tom Coolican, 3. Rob McMickan; 4. Adam Byrnes, 5. Phil Mathers; 6. Jordan Brown, 7. Tom Chamberlain, 8. Richard Stanford; 9. Luke Irwin, 10. Kurt Morath; 11. Ratu Ma’afu, 12. Tom Azar, 13. Anton Lavin, 14. Jonnie Morath; 15. Junior Poroku.
Manly: 1. Eddie Aholelei, 2. Elvis Taione, 3. Salesi Manu; 4. Greg Peterson, 5. Cadeyrn Neville; 6. Ed Gower, 7. Kotoni Ale, 8. Luke Jones; 9. Chris Cottee, 10. Ben Seymour; 11. JP du Plessis, 12. Brian Sefanaia, 13. Jacob Woodhouse, 14. Lui Siale; 15. BJ Hartman.
Referee: Ian Smith
EASTWOOD (1) v WARRINGAH (10)
T.G. Millner Field – 3:00pm
Eastwood have established themselves as frontrunners in the opening month of the Shute Shield and will be looking to impose that record on Warringah at T.G. Millner Field.
Vying for a successful defence of the Sir Roden Cutler Shield, the Woods again field a consistent line-up which has already seen them move to the head of the competition as the only undefeated team after four rounds.
Warringah are in danger of being planted near the bottom of the table after this match if they cannot score an upset. The Rats surprised everyone with their come-from-behind win over Randwick in round one, however since then a succession of losses – including their last start defeat at the hands of Parramatta – has many wondering whether their late season influx of Super Rugby stars will come too late.
Eastwood: 1. Simon Norris, 2. Bleddyn Gant, 3. Martin Plokstys; 4. Tom Alexander, 5. Josh Dunning; 6. Gareth Palamo, 7. Miles McCaffrey, 8. Hugh Perrett [c]; 9. Nic White, 10. Pierre Hola; 11. Mark Frost, 12. Sione Piukala, 13. Tim Bennetts, 14. John Grant; 15. Shane Collins.
Warringah: 1. Richard Southan, 2. David Mason, 3. Dan Barnard; 4. Tristan Stanley, 5. Mitchell Longrigg; 6. Haydn Black, 7. James Lindfield, 8. Jason Peseta; 9. Josh Holmes [c], 10. Maurice Kennedy; 11. Michael Dalton, 12. Joe Walsh, 13. Ed Doyle, 14. Dylan Smouha; 15. Hamish Angus.
Referee: Angus Gardner
