The Harden Red Devils Under 17 team is conducting a raffle of Wallabies' gear throughout this season to raise funds for the club. Pictured recently selling tickets in the raffle are, from left: Scott Peisley, Mitchell White, Michael West and Will Francis.
THE Harden Red Devils Under 17 rugby union side had a hard fought victory against Young in terrible conditions at Roberts Park recently.
The boys are starting to get their structure organised instead of just playing ad lib football, which is needed at certain times during every game but not throughout.
A totally different approach was needed by the Devils for this match with short passes and tight forward play the mainstay. Field position and territory were paramount with the Harden side also excelling in their line outs and scrums.
Toby Hayden was excellent in disrupting the Young Yabbies’ ball and winning his own. Big Zac had a solid game at the back of the scrum, locking it together with his big frame, and helping to provide the push needed to keep Young at bay.
Zac Allen backed up to play his second game of football for the day with another solid performance and if the backline is to keep shutting down their opponents they need to take a leaf out of his book with uncompromising hard hitting defence.
Riley Manwaring had a strong game at fullback and really has the ability to play anywhere in the back line which means he often has to fill in for the ‘team’ in different positions.
Josh Quinn was great at halfback with his ‘talk’ and direction but has unfortunately succumb to a finger injury which he has battled on with for weeks.
If the boys are to progress in to the final series they must start doing several things better. Going into the breakdown with speed and strength is a must, whoever wins the breakdown most often wins the game.
Another area is communicating with each other in defense and counting numbers as well as controlling the game and playing for territory and field position.
The final score for the day was Harden 17 Young 15, which is a great turn around from a 17 point loss at Young earlier this season.
This weekend the Young Devils will travel to Griffith for their last match before we receive the second draw to cover the rest of the season. This game is a must win and will get our season on track.
Discussions are in progress for a home game in the near future to be played after the 2012 Harden versus Murrumburrah match so that the ‘old boys’ can cheer the U17s on while having a beverage.