Hawks Captain Luke Brown looks to offload against Crookwell in 2015 whilst Devil, Ben Brady prepares for a line out against Yass on March 19. This Saturday will see both codes take to the field at Robert’s Park….. Be there or be Square!
Lovers of Rugby Union and Rugby League will be treated to an afternoon of football action this Saturday afternoon at Robert’s Park in Murrumburrah. The Harden Red Devils will commence their 2016 season proper against the mountain men from Jindabyne. The Jindabyne Bush Pigs are one of the strongest sides in the South Coast Monaro Second Division competition. The Devils dispatched the Yass Rams in a Trial match on March 19 and will now be up against a much tougher outfit. The Devils need to play a side like Jindabyne early on to gauge where they are at in the competition. Numbers continue to be poor on the first night of training of the week and dramatically improve on the second training night. Training is now Tuesday at 6pm and Thursday at 7pm. Kick off is set down for 2:30pm on Saturday.
The Devils showed plenty of weaknesses in the set pieces of scrums and line outs as well as the break down area against Yass and this can only be rectified with training. They did however show plenty of spirit in attack and defence nonetheless. It will be up to the players to get to training and see whether a finals birth is possible in the 11 team competition in 2016.
The Harden Hawks will continue their preparations for the 2016 season when the Hawks hit the banks of the Murrimboola Creek at 4:15pm. The Hawkettes will have the luxury of a vocal crowd when they take the field after the mens matches. A large crowd is expected at the ground with a full bar and bbq in operation commencing at 2pm and closing at 7:30pm. Gunning will be riding high after their demolition of the new look Brahmans last week, where Captain Caoch and Club President Ben Spencer suffered a season ending leg injury to his Tibia. Ben is recovering well at home and thanked all of those people who had sent him positive messages for their support.
Hawks President and League Tag Coach Jason Pollard was happy with the effort shown at Grenfell 2 weeks ago. “We gave several players a chance in different positions and we welcomed some new faces. We are building towards a successful year across the club and across all 3 grades. It’s great we have a youth league side this year. There is plenty of ability in the side and the boys can go a long way if they train hard and stick together.” The Youth League side will take on Yass this Friday night at Walker Park at 715pm. “The first Grade side has a bit more size in the pack and should fare well.” said Jason. Club stalwart Luke Brown will have a change of position from the Back Row to the Hooking role which won’t worry the father of 3 who played plenty of different positions early in his career from full back to five eighth. Brent ‘Dicky’ Turner may return for the Hawks in 2016 if he can overcome a troublesome knee injury, whilst Mick Alcorn could prove to be a revelation in the Centres. Adam Byrne may have a stint in the fullback role whilst former Tuggeranong Bushranger Matt McClay will play in the Halves. The expectation for the Hawks is a premiership this year. Harden have not won the George Tooke title since 2009, although they have always performed strongly. Mick Quinn is an experienced and knowledgable exponent of the game and if the Hawks squad get behind him again on Saturday and in 2016 it could be the year of the Hawk. Next week is the first round of George Tooke with Harden having the bye. The Hawkettes will however go to Crookwell on Sunday April 10. We wish all of our local footballers a successful start to their seasons.
The Hawks squads are detailed below. 2016 Harden Hawks first grade squad: Brent Turner, Charlie Butt, Riley Manwaring, Adam Byrne, Josh Quinn, Matt McLay, Nathan Schofield, Luke Brown (captain), Tyson Astill, Luke Stanton, Jayson Smith, Justin Stewart, Andrew Jones, Craig Mason, Luke Snedden, Simon Snedden, Mick Alcorn, Luke Thurkettle, Jesse Acheson, Rhett Foreman, Daniel Drew and Chris James. 2016 Harden Hawks Youth League squad: Chris Fredericks, Jack Quinn, Will Quinn, Will Stanley, Zac Pirie, Hamish Bradford, Patrick Smith, Jordan Menz, Blane Whybrow, James Houghton, Zac Coffee, Joe Stewart, Rory Bolger, Nathan McCarthy and Sandy Adams. 2016 Harden Hawkettes Womens League Tag squad: Kate Menz, Emilie Quinn, Maryanne Fitzgerald, Jess Doolan, Samantha Doolan, Emma James, Myrka Rob, Lucy Chesworth, Georgie Campbell, Georgia Murray, Georgia Smith, Molly Fredericks, Georgie Butt, Katie Butt, Clare Smith, Grace Smith, Kerrie Quinn, Rochelle Boyd, Sarah McCarthy and Olivia Howe.
