Saturday morning greeted the boys with grey cloud and a fair bit of rain but by the time they were warming up, the sun was well and truly shining as it unleashed its final rays of summer.
So in the end dry conditions greeted the Roos as they took on the Roos in the first hit our of the year.
While there was still plenty of cobwebs in the joints, the boys showed some glimpses of what they're capable with a few passages that would've pleased the coaching staff. The conditions were hot & sweaty and by the time the half time siren blew the boys were praying for a bit of cloud cover to cool things down. But it backfired on them in the end as the heavens opened up and the second half turned into a slipfest.
All in all, it was good hit out and gave the coaching staff an opportunity to see a few of the new guys in action (and a couple of the old guys in new positions) ahead of the hitouit against Noosa next week. As for the result; it was inaccurate kicking that cost the Roos in the end, going down to the Roos by just a few points.
The afternoon session involved the team splitting up into five groups and battling it out over eight events... the winner taking glory (and nothing else) and the loser relegated to cooking and cleaning.
The events were:
- The Chair Run - Carry one teammate on a chair for the lap of the oval.
- Goal shootout - one member from each team nominated.
- Wheelbarrow Race - crawl for a 100m on your hands while a teamate holds your legs.
- Tug-o-war
- Longest kick
- Dodgeball
- Arm Wrestle
- And the Ironman… Run- skull coke-run -raw egg-run-raw sausage-run-60 push ups- run some more.
Burner's team of Rednecks certainly looked the goods pre-tournament, however they showed that their ‘boy-band-esque’ uniforms, were the highlight of the day and were odds-on favourite for the cleaning duties after just the first race (the Chair run).
Chala's Pride of South Oz took the early lead with a commanding win in the chair race and consolidated with a second spot on the Goal shootout (which was won by McArdle who - as a handy backman - copped a spray from opposite teams pre-event for even being selected).
Sammy's team of Blue Roos then took the lead with a one-two finish in the wheelbarrow race. But the side attraction of the wheelbarrow was the race for third between the two Kingas, with young pup claiming he pipped his brother on the line.
The teams then moved on to the tug-of-war where the Rednecks really showed what they didn’t have but thanks to some crafty cheating managed to sneak home with a point.
Kaneo the Insaneo dominated the long kick for his team (sorry mate, can't remember what team you were on) while Reece's weekends staying at home watching cult-flick Dodegball finally paid dividends with what can only be described as a dominant display in the event of the same name.
The second last event of the day, but without doubt the highlight, was the Ironman. And what a Motley Crew of entrants it was who gathered at the starting lineup... Tyson for the The Pride, Brodie for the Balo's, Big Pete for the Skins, Finchy for the Blue Roos and Mr Dodgeball Reece for the Rednecks.
If you were thinking pure speed you would have had Finch as the pre-event; and that line of thinking looked correct as he flew to the first stage with a commanding lead. But this event is not about speed, this is what separates the men from the boys, and he was left floundering in last spot as he struggled to come to grips with a warm can of coke being drunk any quicker than a small sips. Brodie and Tyson, however, inhaled their beverage relishing the rare opportunity of free soft drink.
It was obvious this was going to be a race between Tyson and Brodes, with the big ruckman sneaking ahead following the sausage stall. But Brodie surged ahead courtesy of some dodgy looking push ups and was not going to be beaten on the run home. Tys took out second spot, with Pete third and Finchy just behind. Meanwhile, back at the sausage stall, Reece threw his meat away and refused to complete the event, further highlight why the Redneck sat in last position.
Going into the last event of the day Chala's Pride led slightly over Sammy Wuef's Blue Roos and as luck would have it, they met each other in the final, with the victor claiming the overall crown. But it turned out to be an anticlimax with the Pride taking the first three bouts and an unbeatable lead.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, Owen's skins proved they were every bit as bad as the Rednecks sharing the indignity of being equal worst teams for the day. Brodie's Balos took out third spot.
Thanks to everyone who turned up, it was great day. It’s now just over two weeks until the season proper so let’s get serious.
Last Modified on 02/03/2010 10:53
