Principal Sponsors 2015

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1 Issue 21/ Aug 15 Tom Gould Injury Best wishes to our loyal member Tom Gould who was seriously injured at the U18 game at Shepparton. Touch judge Tom was bowled over by 3 players and after 3 hours of surgery has 2 titanium plates to repair 4 fractures between his knee and ankle. We thank Shepparton for their valued assistance and hope that the Eltham Rugby Community will rally to support Tom, Kay and Aaron at this difficult time. Junior End of Season Celebrations/Award Presentations Saturday 19 September Players and siblings 4 12yrs From midday, with fun on-field activities Under 14 & 16 Teams Dinner at 6:30pm Under 18 Team arrangements tba Weekend scores: Sen A 20 vs. 32 Kiwi Hawthorn Sen B 17 vs. 21 Cerberus U18 U16 U14 U12 29 vs. 32 Shepparton 7 vs. 31 Box Hill 19 vs 27 Southerns Tickets $60 from club bar, sales close Mon 18 Aug to finalise catering. No entry without ticket. More players needed please contact womens@elthamrugby.com.au ERUFC Juniors and Pathways - 2 competition rounds to Go! To all ERUFC Supporters, After this Saturday, there are only 2 rounds of Pathways and Junior competition remaining for 2015! There will be a busy ERUFC home game schedule on Sat 22nd (U6/8/10/12) and then finally our U18's will play their final home game on the 29th August. With finals looming, we need your support to get some of our teams into the finals with U12/16/18 all in contention for semi-finals games on Sat 5th September. The Junior Finals this year will be held over 2 weekends, with Semi-Finals at Mossfiel Reserve, Heath's Rd, Hoppers Crossing and the Grand Finals at Southern Districts RUFC (Eel Race Rd, Seaford) on Sat 12th September. Principal Sponsors 2015 As the season draws to a close, please keep these important dates in your diary: Sun 13th September - Club Working Bee *9-12* Sat 19th September - Junior Presentation Day from midday onward. On behalf of Tim and the rest of the ERUFC Committee, we would like to thank all our Coaches, Managers and Volunteers this year. It would not be possible without you. Thank you for your Club Support in 2015 and we look forward to finishing the Junior season strongly in our finals campaigns and then look forward to a Rugby World Cup Fest with lots of late nights and early mornings! Regards, Dave Taylor Junior Coordinator DOVAGATE

2 Community Rugby News U20 s and Junior Gold Cup Trials have been confirmed: Venue: Northerns RUC Melbourne Rebels U20 s trials Sunday 27 September Melbourne Rebels Junior Gold Cup trials: U15 s on the 10 October U17 s on the 11 October community/elite-programs/juniorgold-cup FRIDAY 14 AUGUST 2015 CHRIS AHO RESIGNATION BUY TICKETS It is with regret that I advise the resignation of Chris Aho from the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU) with his last day on Friday 28 August Chris and his wife have made the decision to focus on their family business based in the Western suburbs of Victoria dealing with disengaged youth. As a Rebels Community Rugby Development Officer over the past two and half years Chris has been instrumental in developing junior players, increasing participation and awareness of rugby throughout Victoria. Through his knowledge of the game and skills in youth mentoring, Chris had a unique ability to engage with participants at all levels, run fun and engaging coaching clinics and promote the virtues of our game. We thank Chris for his contribution to rugby union in Victoria. The management team are reviewing the development department resources in light of the current tight financial situation and will advise the outcome of this decision in the near future. For any development questions please contact Will Nicholson M: E: william.nicholson@melbournerebels.com.au MORE INFORMATION Simon Davis General Manager, Melbourne Rebels Community Rugby Rebels Member since 2011 Victorian Rugby Union ABN IKON Park Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton North VIC 3054 P O Box 234, Parkville, VIC 3052 P: 1300 'GO REBELS' D: M: E: simon.davis@melbournerebels.com.au

3 Community Rugby News MCMAHON WINS 2015 PLAYERS' PLAYER AWARD Young RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels backrower Sean McMahon has won the highest individual accolade, the 2015 Rebels Players' Player Award, at the Club's annual End of Season Awards event MORE INFORMATION REGISTER FOR TRIALS

4 Under Eights playing Melbourne at home. 8 Aug Photos by Izolde Bensch Kelly, Kyle Peter Fitzgibbon, Finnbar J Flint, Charlie B Patterson, Asher Easthope, Luke Joseph Johnstone-Malone, Kadence Gore, Samuel V Spinley, Rocco Kleynhans, Beckley B Pretorius, Jadon Gian Weightman, Cameron Jones, Patrick O'Dwyer Navuni, Ezekiel J Warrington, William Sabiston, Matthew David Under 8 Coach: Simon Weightman Manager: Paul Sabiston Growing in confidence and height the Under 8s are proving to be a competitive force under the stewardship of Simon and Paul. Sadly only 2 weeks of games left for our enthusiastic squad; on the 22nd August they take on Geelong at home, and the following week (29 August) they travel to Harlequins with their colleagues in the Under 10s. For the rugby novice, the home of the mighty Quins has 2 virtues; a good parkland walk and its proximity to Chaddy, Parking at Quins (and Chaddy) can though be a challenge, so make sure you get to the game in good time. Ange

5 Under 16 Team vs. Box Hill Eltham vs Box Hill Bridge Street, Eltham 8 August 2015 With another wet Saturday morning brewing it was going to the Under 16 s last home game for the season. Although the rain managed to stay away during the morning, the rain earlier in the week made our beloved Bridge Street into what resembled a massive mud pit more suited for mud wrestling then rugby. With the boys improving every week both in confidence and ability the home crowd was again hoping to see some good rugby. From the kick off Box Hill went on the attack. The Eltham boys defended with solid tackles and good work at the break down. The game see sawed for the first 15 minutes with both teams trying to get the upper hand. Some good attack and continued solid defence keep Eltham in the game. Two quick tries saw Box Hill take a 12-0 lead. With a 5-1 turn over count and a 10-5 penalty count in Eltham s favour the momentum began to shift towards the home team. From one of the rucks Josh spotted a gap in the defence and broke through the defensive line, after a strong 20 meter run the Box Hill defence scrambled and managed to hold firm and they went into half time with the 12-0 lead. After half time Box Hill managed another quick try. From the kick off the momentum again began to shift back to Eltham. After 10 minutes of sustained pressure and a rising penalty count against the visitors after several charges from our forward pack Andre managed to bust through the line and bump off a few tackles to score, the try was converted by Daniel, who had to run from the field to retrieve his kicking tee from his kit bag, and score was 19-7 to Box Hill. Box Hill attacked from the kick off and after 5 minutes of sustained pressure in our 5 meter zone they again managed to score a try out wide. Once again from the kick off the Eltham boys went on the attack with some great ball movement and solid runs from both the forwards and the backs we continued to build pressure, considering the conditions the ball handling from Eltham was exceptional. The arm wrestle continued until late in the game when Box Hill managed to score the final try of the game. Although the scoreboard didn t go our way the boys defended well all game with some great work at the break down with the final turn over count being 11-1 in our favour, with several players playing out of position in the back line we really put some pressure on Box Hill. The improvement within this team over the last 4 games has been extraordinary, with several of our injured players returning over the next few weeks we are hoping to finish the season strongly. Bully

6 Semi Final 1: Eltham 17 vs. 21 Minor Premiers Cerberus Eltham Senior B 17 vs. 21 Cerberus Harlequins RFC, Ashwood Reserve, Power Ave., Ashwood Sat. 8 August 2015 The Harlequins rugby fields (and surrounding suburban streets!) were packed with rugby supporters on a mild Saturday morning 8 th August. Our tribe of Eltham faithful huddled on the sideline excited for an afternoon of rugby that began with the Senior B s match against Cerberus. The ground was wet underfoot signalling that the game would be very different from the contest the previous week. Cerberus kicked off to get the game underway, recovering the ball at the 10 metre line to start their first offensive play. Eltham were strong in defence from the first tackle creating an opportunity for Tye Malone to steal the ball and catch the opposition off-side. Advantage was played and the pass out to the left wing released Aaron W who put a kick deep, putting Cerberus under great pressure as the ball rolled over the dead ball line. Eltham showed great intensity in the opening minutes smothering the 22 drop out, forcing a knock on by Cerberus, and winning an offensive scrum inside our attacking half. From the scrum we won clean ball out to Jacob, through the backs and out to Aaron W. The ref. called advantage from the next breakdown, and we spread the ball left, but to no avail and the advantage was called back. Eltham had a penalty about 5 metres from the line and kicked the ball for a line out. Cerberus challenged at the line out forcing a knock on and winning the scrum feed. Our forwards packed down and recovered the ball with their awesome scrum technique, creating an opportunity for Izzy in his yellow boots to receive the ball off his backline team mates and go over the line for the first try of the game. We missed the conversion, but the scoreboard clocked up the first points for Eltham 5-0. Cerberus kick off was again recovered by their hooker before Eltham s defensive efforts were again on display. Successive strong tackles lead to a knock on by Cerberus, giving our forwards another opportunity to shine. The ref packed them down twice, each time Eltham showing they were a force to be reckoned with up front. The ball came out of the Eltham scrum and Cerberus were penalised for a high tackle. Pete M took a quick tap around half-way, but a slight fumble saw Cerberus awarded a scrum. Cerberus stayed strong in the scrum and drew a subsequent penalty for not releasing. They were 30 metres from their try line, so opted for the lineout. Eltham contested the lineout and strong defence through the Eltham backline forced a Cerberus knock on and an Eltham scrum. The Eltham scrum stayed firm and the backs were confident taking the ball up into the line and drawing a penalty for not releasing. Will H took the relieving penalty kick, taking the ball to a line out 10 metres inside our attacking half. The lineout play was a great set move with the ball going through the hands to Darren s right

7 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 2 wing who stole a run up the line. He was advancing on our try line, and the vision of the supporters was momentarily blocked with the reserve bench all on their feet willing Darren over the line. A foot just into touch stopped the offensive surge, but had Cerberus under great pressure deep in our offensive half. Cerberus cleared the lineout and kicked the ball up to the halfway line where a bouncing ball (and the previous sprint up the right wing) drew a knock on from Darren. Cerberus put the ball into the scrum, but the Eltham forwards were too strong winning a scrum turnover. Eltham secured the ball from the next scrum and were then awarded a penalty for off-side with a very late referee call. Pierre broke through the naval defence and secured the ball in the next breakdown. From the far left of field the Eltham boys secured the ball, passing through the hands of our #16 and on to Darren on the right wing to take it over the line for the second try of the game, Eltham Another conversion attempt from the right sideline was unsuccessful and as the team returned to half-way Steely snuck in some lollies for an energy boost. Cerberus sent the ball deep into our defence, but Pierre stole the ball about 7 metres from our defensive try line. The Eltham backs put the ball safely over the sideline with a kick to our defensive 22. Cerberus threw the lineout and Eltham put up a good contest. Cerberus collected the ball and their #15 ran straight up the field into the mud pool that awaited at their 22. Despite his naval roots, the slippery conditions were too much and he knocked the ball on. What followed was frenetic play and strong defence from both teams with neither team taking much ground. Aaron W was monstered by their #5 giant (clearly not a submariner), but great support was given by Darren and Pierre to maintain possession. An injury time out allowed the players, supporters and bench to take a breath before Eltham packed down for an offensive scrum. From the scrum Pete M threw a ball out to Darren, but the ball sailed over the line for a Cerberus line out. The Eltham forwards challenged the line out and a knock -on both ways led to another scrum (much to Bully s delight). Eltham s scrum was again outstanding and a penalty was called. Will took the penalty kick and the ball was put over the line 10 metres inside our attacking half. The Eltham line out was clean and our centres took the ball up to the big defenders. Eltham maintained the ball through several breakdowns, and drew a penalty for off-side. We opted for a penalty kick for goal, but Aaron W missed to the right. The scoreboard remained Cerberus took the 22 drop out, which Josh marked and passed out to Aaron. His run was short-lived as he who was bundled over the right side line by strong defence. Cerberus took the lineout at half way, but the Eltham contest drew a call of not straight. Eltham opted for the scrum, a great decision given our dominance in this area of the game. From the scrum Kayden and Pete M combined for a sneaky blind side play up the right wing, but turned the ball over just inside our offensive 22. Cerberus spun the ball, but it missed it s target and continued over the side line. The Eltham line out was declared not straight and Cerberus opted for the scrum. Cerberus recovered the ball from the scrum and a few missed tackles by the Eltham boys saw the navy boys cross the half way line and draw an off-side penalty. Cerberus took a quick tap, spun the ball right, but turned the ball over with Izzy contesting at the breakdown. The ball was kicked forward and rolled out of play. We heard the call of 2 minutes to go in the half as the Cerberus line out was again off-centre. Eltham opted for the scrum. Eltham won the scrum, but a forward pass gave the next scrum feed to Cerberus. Our scrum again dominated theirs with the ball popping out on our side. We tried to secure the ball and Pete was calling for a penalty from the bottom of the break-down. The ref however called the half over with Eltham leading The second half began with Cerberus deploying a new rolling maul tactic after recovering the kick. Kayden hit them with a big tackle and created a scrum opportunity. Eltham won the scrum and put the ball through the hands to the right and used a maul to drive the ball forward. Cerberus were penalised for collapsing and we were kicking for points directly in front about 35 metres out. Will s kick was straight but short and Cerberus cleared the ball out to half way. An injury to Elliot with a knee in the back saw the Eltham

8 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 3 coach and president on the ground providing first aid, and carrying our player off the ground. Cerberus had the scrum at half way and the forwards packed down 3 times before Eltham were awarded a penalty. Will kicked cleanly giving us a lineout throw just outside our offensive 22. The line out throw shot right through the hands, but was recovered by the backs to take the ball to within 10 metres of our line. We first attacked right, and then tried left, but Cerberus were strong in the centres drawing a knock on. Cerberus had the scrum feed, but with the strength of the Eltham scrum, it could have gone either way. The forwards didn t disappoint the crowd and an awesome scrum caused Cerberus to knock the ball on just out from our try line. Eltham now had the scrum feed and we put our scrum training to good use, getting the ball out to the backs where Izzy took it over the line for Elthams third try of the game. Will H slotted through a difficult conversion from the left wing (right in front of the Eltham bench) and the score line was now Cerberus kicked off and Will secured the ball, passing to Pierre who broke through the defence. The ball ended up in the hands of the navy and Izzy gave great chase of a breaking Cerberus player. With Steely giving tackle support the opposition player was forced out of play directly in front of the Eltham bench. The Eltham line out was called not straight and we contested the subsequent Cerberus throw. A huge pile-up ensued with Pete M putting the boot in (gently) to get the ball back to the Eltham side. Eltham were given a penalty for offside and the shot for goal hit the left upright. A Cerberus player attempted to recover the ball and knocked it on, but Eltham were called for a high tackle giving Cerberus the opportunity to clear the ball out of their defensive 22. The Cerberus penalty kick was not out and Eltham recovered the ball at half way. An attack up the right wing resulted in another ball handling error, scrum feed to Cerberus. Our forwards attacked in the scrum and wheeled it around, but they were penalised on a technicality. Cerberus made sure of the penalty kick this time, but Eltham won the resulting line out with some strong work by the forwards. However, that was short-lived and the ball turned over. Cerberus took a great run up the centre and were advancing on the Eltham line. Great tackles in our centres weren t enough to stop the drive of the navy and some quick ball got it out to their #5 who crashed his way through the Eltham defence and over the try line. The conversion was successful, taking the score to Eltham kicked off and Cerberus recovered the ball, but good defence drove a turnover and an Eltham scrum. The next few plays saw penalties and tackles going both ways. A crunching smack-down tackle by Will J saw the ref consult with the assistant ref before going to the pocket for a yellow card. Cerberus took the penalty kick 10 metres inside the Eltham defensive half. A (not so quick) tap had Cerberus advancing on the Eltham line, but strong defence and a call of held up forced a turnover and scrum feed to Eltham close to the Cerberus line. We secured the ball from the scrum and passed the ball right, but Cerberus had the numbers and Darren kicked the ball through the defence to clear up to half way. Cerberus won their line out, but a huge hit from Kayden on their big men forced Cerberus to go off their feet at the breakdown. Will H kicked the penalty to the side line and we had an attacking line out inside our half. The ball again sailed right over the line out, but was won back by the Eltham #11. Our wing man was dancing in some very heavy traffic but with strong support from Wayne and Pierre at the breakdown we secured the ball. The team put the ball through the hands out to Tye who took a great run and broke through the line and was awarded a

9 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 4 penalty for a high tackle at our 30 metre line. Aaron took the place kick and we had a line out at the 22. Will H came from the field for the second week running with blood gushing from the nose. Eltham was then on attack with dummies being thrown by Jacob and the forwards and backs combining in some strong offensive play. Cerberus were penalised for not going through the gate and our place kick had us throwing the line out 7 metres from our try line. Another over throw caused the ball to go into the hands of the opposition. Their #15 took a run the full length of the field to score a try with their #12 slotting the conversion through the sticks. Eltham now held a narrow lead There were 5 or 6 minutes to go and we opted for a deep kick from the restart. We placed a few strong tackles but were now under pressure from the score board. A knock on by Cerberus allowed our sin binned player to return for the Eltham scrum. From the scrum Tye took a good run up to the 22 and had great support from the team at the breakdown. Pete threw a pass to Will J who broke through the line, but a loose pass saw a turn over. The game had started to open up and Cerberus kicked the ball through our line. Darren ran hard to tackle the advancing naval force and with no one between him and the Eltham try line, he forced a knock on by the Cerberus player at the halfway line. The next play saw a penalty against Cerberus for not releasing and Will H kicked the ball to inside our attacking 22. Eltham threw the line out, but were penalised with a short-arm for a technical error. Cerberus tapped the ball and ran it up to the 10 metre mark our high body tackles saw Cerberus advancing strongly. The Eltham #13 lay a big hit and the resulting breakdown saw yellow cards dished out to one player from each team who shook hands as they walked from the field. The penalty went Eltham s way and we kicked the ball to the line just outside our 22. Eltham deployed the rolling maul from the lineout showing some great rugby in the forwards. The ball was turned over and the backs rushed up in defence, led by a great tackle from #13. The Eltham team kept Cerberus in our attacking 22 for a sequence of breakdowns, but things were now getting very tense with Eltham looking a little tired in defence with high body position in tackles allowing the Cerberus force to advance. Darren and Pete M both deployed good tackles to stop a couple of naval breaks, but a sequence of penalties continued the Cerberus advance. A few missed tackles gave Cerberus an opportunity to score the winning try right on full time and their successful conversion saw the final score go to While the disappointment was huge, all of the supporters were quick to say that they were amazed at how outstanding the Eltham Senior B team played. Some of the stalwarts declared this the best game they d seen the B s play ever. So with great sadness that we were pipped in the final minutes of the game, I hope the team and support staff can also feel pride at the amazing game Eltham played to take the battle with Cerberus right down to the wire. Cath Hurdle

10 :( Goodbye to our 1st Team Lock, Mr Eltham 2015 Thursday 13 August certainly an unlucky day for ERUFC as members said goodbye to the very popular James Hansen; one of our 1st XV locks. Gentleman Jim was a big part of Eltham s on -field success for the last two years and is possibly unique amongst Eltham players having had some experience as a professional player overseas. You might ask how such a talented Kiwi ended up at Bridge Street, the answer is the recruitment prowess of the Hall brothers; Dan and Aaron. They have a history as neighbours and childhood friends of Jimmy in New Zealand. Sadly for Hall power and ERUFC it is a job, family and a girlfriend that have persuaded Jimmy to leave his Eltham buddies and return across the Tasman. Everyone fully supports Jimmy decision to go home and sincerely wish him all the best for the future and our lovely ladies certainly hope that Mr Eltham 2015 will manage to occasionally visit his mates at ERUFC. Ange

11 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 4 Focused on unlucky refereeing decisions and a game that had seemed to continue for more than its alotted 80 minutes, it was a challenge to relocate from the B s/cerberus field to the one in front of the Quins Clubhouse. And there seemed to be too many players in red and black; our yellow trimmed necklines were really all there was to distinguish our boys from those of the opposition Kiwi Hawthorne! Play started with a Kiwi H rush into the Eltham 22. A goal line battle ensued for at least 10 minutes and led to a penalty goal for Kiwi H. Soon after the restart Tank and Josh P took play into the opposition 22. Josh fumbled a pass into touch, to yield a Kiwi H lineout on their own 22. The Kiwi H hooker was penalised for not throwing straight, earning Eltham a scrum deep into the opposition s turf. Eltham tried to breach the Kiwi H line but they cleared, and scrambled a kick into touch that was neatly caught by Isaac. A quick restart was denied by the referee but Eltham retained the ball in the lineout, and a smiling Mike G smoked the opposition as he raced to pop down the ball for 5 points. The score remained at 5-3 as Keachy missed the conversion but the Eltham faithful took little comfort in the early lead as Kiwi H launched an attack on the Eltham goal line. A sigh of relief went round as they were pinged by the ref for not releasing the ball. The subsequent kick and line out saw Eltham advance to midfield with some feisty play from Brad and scrum half Aaron Hall. The gritty progress was stymied by an Eltham knock on and Kiwi H scrum. Clearly Kiwi H upset the ref as the next scrum had Aaron at the helm. The emerging ball was snaffled up by speedster Mike G. The exciting break was concluded with foul play and a penalty kick into touch led to an Eltham lineout on the Kiwi H 22. Tom secured the ball and initiated yet another break by the always dangerous Mike G. No smile though this time as the ball was lost after a tackle. The ball did, however, find the safe hands of Isaac, and then Josh G who was bundled over the touch line. Eltham managed to steal the ball in the subsequent line out and put together multiple phases of play that involved amongst others Keachy, Big Jim, Chook, Isaac, Dan and Josh P. The intensity of the action was such that it was impossible to see who was penalised for a knock on but the referee signalled he was awarding the advantage to Kiwi H, and then promptly changed his mind to give an Eltham penalty. Dan emerged from the lineout with the ball, passed to Keachy, who booted a high ball up field to Norton.

12 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 4 A stray Kiwi H mitt in the following ruck yielded another penalty to Eltham. From the lineout both Joshes carried the ball and passed to Brad who ran at least 30 metres to recycle the ball to Josh G for a spectacular try. Half an hour into the game Keachy slotted over the conversion to place Eltham in a 12 3 lead. Play resumed with a big kick from Kiwi H finding Tank, then Keachy, who chip kicked the ball to Mike W for one of his characteristic sprints down the field. An athletic cross field pass was chopped forward by the chasing Kiwi H pack to give Eltham a scrum in their own 22. The scramble as the ball was released from the pack resulted in an Eltham infringement in the danger zone. Kiwi H kicked to the corner and then scored a try from their 5m line out. This was followed by a successful conversion, narrowing the difference to The restart went badly with a knock on from Eltham and a successful Kiwi H scrum. From this they plunged into the Eltham half. Their inside centre was brought down hard enabling Isaac to kick the ball away and take some pressure off his team mates. This relief was shortlived as from the lineout Kiwi H launched another attack. A handling error midfield gave Eltham and Aaron a scrum feed and from the recovered ball a big kick from Norton into the Kiwi H half, and touch. Kiwi H lost the lineout and Mike Gima gave the crowd another brief glimpse of his talent, but the guys without the yellow collars upped their game and were awarded another scrum. From here they camped on the Eltham line until, right in front of the posts, frantic Eltham defence led to a penalty and a Kiwi H shot at goal. The ball went wide and the battered, but not fried, Eltham boys went into the half time break still up The physicality of the restart was intimidating, as the Eltham forwards caught the ball and charged into the Kiwi H half. The Kiwi H No 8 interrupted their advance but got pushed into touch by Isaac for his trouble. Eltham retained the ball from Sam s lineout throw, and created multiple phases of play until the ref deemed it necessary to penalise a frustrated Kiwi H player. Isaac then kicked the ball into touch, giving Eltham a lineout 10m from the Kiwi H line. The subsequent scramble caught out Kiwi H with another penalty and Keachy was happy to oblige with a successful kick at goal. Eltham 15 vs. Kiwi H 10. There was no let up, within a blink of the restart the Eltham forwards were scrummaging again. They retained the ball and tore out towards the Kiwi H line. Young Josh G was hightackled as he approached the line and Kiwi H penalised for their efforts. Norton missed the kick at goal. So off we went again, but how much more punishment could we take? In the next few minutes of the game even sturdy Mike Gima was shoved into touch. Lineouts by both teams brought the game to midfield and there was a passage of Eltham play where under duress Keachy, Dan, Josh P and Southy had phases of play interrupted by an effective Kiwi H intercept which led to them levelling the game at A missed conversion and just twenty minutes to go; the Hall brothers launched an attack from their half. The catch and run hit a brick wall and, controversially, Kiwi H were awarded a penalty and lost the advantage with an infringement in the scrum. Eltham s scrum was more successful and with a spirited tackle from Mike W, and a kick from Mike G, put Keachy in prime position to pop a ball behind the Kiwi H

13 Semi Final 1: Eltham vs. Cerberus RUFC 4 goal line. Eltham 20 - Kiwi H 15. Unfortunately the place kick was unsuccessful and the Kiwi H No 11 retaliated with a try just 2 minutes later. Again the conversion was unsuccessful. Score even At the restart the physical Kiwi H team dominated, despite a cracking tackle from Norton. Brad was quick to pounce on a spilt ball and clear it away from Eltham s 22; a quick line out and Kiwi H were back in our territory despite good defensive work by Brad and Aisea. Kiwi H s strong arm tactics earned Elthama penalty, and a reverse into their own half, with Eltham poised to take a lineout just 10 metres from their goal line. Again Kiwi H used forearms to great effect, stopping Mikey G in his tracks and almost decapitating Josh G, but ironically Eltham were penalised and Kiwi H awarded a scrum. They won this and their No 9 was pushed into touch at the 50m line. Sam executed a perfect line out with Brent gathering the ball in and flipping it to Nik who, backed up by Dan, advanced 20 metres into the opposition s territory. Beautifully positioned in front of the pavilion Eltham got penalised for some misdemeanour but then turned over the ball from a Kiwi H scrum. All went well for a few minutes, but the ball was then ripped away for an impressive try by the opposition, who also had success with the conversion. The score with just 5 minutes to go was against Eltham. Demoralised and exhausted, Eltham s finest barely blinked before Kiwi H ran in another try. Eltham recouped and caught Kiwi H off-guard by charging down the conversion so the score jumped by just 5 points to The last minutes of the game saw a rally by the Eltham boys with Marika s fresh legs on the field, Jimmy knocking the wind out of a Kiwi H player, and Norton kicking the ball down to the opposition s 22 m. Thereafter though, Kiwi H kept the ball in Eltham s half, and the referee s whistle was busy penalising play from both teams, and then signalling the end of the game. It is fair to say that the score fell away from this plucky Eltham team when they were physically incapacitated. Old and new injuries took their toll on key players, and these guys would want to thank Ania and Mark Graf (away games 2015) for deploying strapping tape so effectively to keep body and soul together. Thank you A- graders for giving your time and energy so freely all season; please rest and recover for Season 2016! Ange

14 Please send articles, photographs and match reports to: Dates for your diary: Date Day Time Description Location Comment Senior Grand Finals at Box Hill RUFC. 15-Aug Sat No Junior Games All Blacks vs. Wallabies Eden Park, Auckland Last day to buy a ticket for the ERUFC Dinner on the 22 August. Sorry no ticket no entry on the evening 17-Aug Mon 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC U10, U12, U14, U16 & U18 training 19-Aug Wed 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC U12, U14, U16 & U18 training 20-Aug Thur 18:30 Social Evening ERUFC Clubhouse U6, U8, U10 & Senior training Juniors Round 13 9:00 U6 home vs. Moorabbin 9:00 U8 home vs Geelong 9:00 U10 home vs Moorabbin ERUFC U12 home vs. M'dah/ 9:45 F'scray 22-Aug Sat Maroondah RUC., Griff Hunt Reserve, Lyons 9:45 U14 away vs. Maroondah Rd, North Croydon (Melways 37 B7) 10:40 U16 away vs. Harlequins Harlequins RUC., Ashwood Reserve, Power Ave., Ashwood (Melways 60 H12) 10:40 U18 Bye Senior Dinner Heidelberg Golf Club, Lower Plenty Road Ticket only entry 24-Aug Mon 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC U10, U12, 16 & U18 training 26-Aug Wed 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC U12,U16 & U18 training 18:00 Junior Training U6, U8, U10 & Senior training 27-Aug Thur 18:30 Social Evening ERUFC Clubhouse Juniors - Final Competition Round - Round 14 9:00 U6 away at Northern Northerns RUC., C. H. Sullivan Memorial Park, Blake Street, Reservoir. Melways 19 D9 9:00 U8 away at Harlequins 9:00 U10 away at Harlequins Harlequins RUC., Ashwood Reserve, Power Ave., Ashwood (Melways 60 H12) 9:45 U12 away vs Melbourne Melbourne RUC., Romanis Reserve, Orrong Road, Prahran. (Melways 58 J6) 29-Aug Sat 9:45 U14 Bye 10:40 U16 away vs. Wyndham Mossfiel Res., Heaths Rd., Hoppers Crossing (melways 206 G2) 10:40 U18 home vs. Harlequins ERUFC 12-3pm U14 BBQ function U14s see Shane or Rose for details under14@elthamrugby.com.au 31-Aug Mon 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC 2-Sep Wed 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC 3-Sep Thur 18:30 Social Evening ERUFC Clubhouse 5-Sep Sat Junior Semi- Finals Wyndham City, Mossfiel Res., Heaths Rd., Hoppers Crossing (Melways 206 G2) 6-Sep Sun Sponsor Function ERUFC Clubhouse 7-Sep Mon 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC 9-Sep Wed 18:30 Junior Training ERUFC 10-Sep Thur 18:30 Social Evening ERUFC Clubhouse 12-Sep Sat Junior Grand Finals Southern Districts, Riviera Park, Eel Race Road, Seaford 13-Sep Sun 9:00 Working Bee Please help us get the clubroom ready for Junior End of Season Celebrations 14-Sep Mon 19:00 VRU Meeting Visy Park, Royal Parade, Melbourne 17-Sep Thur 18:30 Social Evening ERUFC Clubhouse 19-Sep Sat 12:00 Pathway- U12 End of Season Celebration ERUFC Player and Team Awards Presentation 18:30 U14 and U16 End of Season Celebration ERUFC Clubhouse Player and Team Awards Presentation 23-Sep Wallabies vs. Fiji Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales