Eastwood Preview Round 7.
By Paul Treanor
The weather is expected to be fine and sunny if not a bit cool this Saturday so why not come down to TG Millner for a great day of rugby and cheer on the mighty Woodies who are hosts to the Gordon Highlanders.
After six rounds we are in second place in the Club Championship just 10 points behind Sydney University with Randwick just six points behind us in third place so maximum points are a real possibility this Saturday following on from strong performances across all grades in recent weeks. There are a number of close games on paper that should add to the entertainment and excitement. So come down early and get in as many games as you can.
The day kicks off at 10.45 am when Fourth Grade, who are running equal 3rd, take on 6th place Gordon. Both teams are coming off big wins last week. We accounted for Parramatta 53 points to 5, while Gordon beat Southern Districts 43 to 5. Both teams should be full of confidence and we should see an open game of rugby on display.
Third grade take the field at noon and both teams are evenly placed on the table. Eastwood is sitting in 3rd place just 3 points ahead of Gordon. Last week Eastwood accounted for Parramatta 54 to 19 while Gordon had a one point win over Southern Districts 19 to 18. This should be a cracker-jack of a game with the winner taking 3rd place.
Eastwood and Gordon second grade teams are equal 4th on the table with Sydney University just one point behind them. This should be the closest contested game of the day with the winner capable of moving into 3rd while the loser possibly dropping to 6th. With kick off at 1.25 pm the game promises to be an exciting curtain raiser to the main game. Eastwood produced a strong showing last week against Parramatta with a 40 to 26 win, while Gordon overcame Southern District with a 11 to 10 victory.
First grade take the field at 3pm trying to extend their winning streak to six. The last two weeks has seen them score over 100 points. They now have a points differential of 140, a country mile ahead of the competition. They are playing an exciting brand of rugby on the foundation of a solid forward pack. Sitting in equal first with the unbeaten Southern Districts opposition teams will be looking to knock them off top spot. Gordon will be desperate to kick start their season with only one win against their name after six rounds. Although they had a narrow 6 point loss against Parramatta two rounds ago they went down to Southern Districts last week 43 to 10. Eastwood will go in red hot favourites but as John Singleton will tell you favourites don’t always win, so we can’t go in over confident.
There are four changes to the Eastwood team that beat Parramatta 47 to 18 last week. Locky McCaffrey and Mick Snowden return to their duties with the Western Force. Shanin Proctor comes in at half back and Gareth Palamo, after a sit up and take notice 20 minute performance from the bench last week, comes into the pack at No 6. Dylan Brass comes into the front row replacing Jed Gillespie while Sione Tau replaces Jared Barry at No 8.
The stage is set for an entertaining day of rugby this Saturday at TG Millner. Come down and show your support for the Woodies as they take on the Highlanders and see if we can score four wins and gain maximum points for the Club Championship.