First game for the year

March 21, 2019

Well it’s 2019 and I hardly made a post last year. The first post in 2019 coincides with the start of the NRL season … actually it is Round 2 but who cares it is the first game for the Dragons at our home turf! Once again there has been a name change, now called Netstrata Jubilee Oval. WHATEVER!!

Get on with the game as I say, but sadly nothing to write home about. Only if the game lasted 40mins it would have been a great victory for the Dragons considering the loss of important personnel in the back row. We came out of the blocks enthusiastically and the half time break was our worst enemy. Surprisingly leading 12-6 at half time with good line speed and some creativity with the ball.

But as they say all good things must come to an end. Bennett gave the Rabbitohs a rev up and unfortunately they just out played the Dragons in almost every major facet of the game in the 2nd stanza.

Let me get the formalities out of the way so you can enjoy the pics, hopefully I have made some improvements. Still using all the same old kit

South Sydney Rabbitohs 34 (Sam Burgess two, Cameron Murray, Cody Walker, Braidon Burns, Campbell Graham tries. Adam Reynolds five goals) St George Illawarra Dragons 18 (Jordan Pereira two, Tim Lafai tries. Gareth Widdop three goals)

Crowd: 10,080

Bring on the Broncos next week

Trying to decapitate our captain’s head off

Hunt motioning to the rookie where he wants him

Without any ball Luciano needs to do some D

Sammy being a bully and picking on the smallest guy on the field

Vaughny taking it up hard till the death

NRL is back on again !!

April 6, 2018

Gone with the cricket ... now to the NRL, then again it is now Round 5 of the competition. There was a small mishap on my behalf of the first round game against the Broncos at Jubilee Oval. Security pulled me up and said I could not bring in my camera unless I had a media pass. I contacted the club and met their requirements to bring in a camera with a lens of no greater than 200mm and for non commercial use. I brought in my 70-200mm and I am not selling these photos or attempting to profit off the NRL.

So here we go ... Back to my normal seat on the northern end of Jubilee Oval, that's right not OKI .. not WIN nor is the oval called UOW !!! this was Gypsy's 250th NRL game and they are all for the RedV. Great effort for a champion player, an ornament to the game.

There is no Sam Burgess but I think this is the first time I have seen GI play at Kogarah in real life.

Most of the running of the game was on the other side of field, when I mean running I generally mean all the tries and action tended to be on the southern side of the ground, so there was not a great deal of pics to take but who cares ! the Red V won !! that's 5 in a row and hopefully this leads to a happy year !!

Nightingale taking one up for the team in his 250th NRL game with his specially signed jersey

It's 2-0 and Vaughn is ready to take the kick off

Ben Hunt happy with proceedings 6-0 after Aitken try

Dufty the recipient of a Ben Hunt handoff to lead to a try

Applying more pressure on Souths after the try by Dufty

Surging run by the man made for Origin ... Jack De Belin

Would have been nice to push the crowd over the 17000 mark

Jimmy Graham looking for that elusive try

Frizell going hard even in the 75th minute

Congrats Gypsy on 250 games !! great contribution by him tonight

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 16 (E Aitken M Dufty tries G Widdop 4 goals) bt SOUTH SYDNEY 12 (G Inglis C Walker tries A Doueihi A Reynolds goals) at Jubilee Oval. Referee: Gavin Badger, Peter Gough. Crowd: 16,709.

From North to South

March 26, 2017

After seeing the Socceroos train, it was time to rush back down south for the extra game to be played at Kogarah this year. Round 4 is Marvell hero week and the Dragons are Ant Man ?? The Dragons had a tough game ahead against the Warriors, Kieran Foran, the big signing over the off season is meant to kick off his 2017 season.

I missed the warm ups due to the traffic congestion under the harbour tunnel. Listening on Triple M simulcast, I found out that Foran had done his hamstring, although it would have been nice to see him. I wanted to see Roger Tuivasa Sheck (RTS) in broken field, as that guy is the Kiwi version of young Jarryd Hayne.

Enough writing, here are my fave pics of the game

First try scorer Paul Vaughn returns back for the kick off on the Northern end

Ah Mau on the field just in time for Duges' try

Nene McDonald got his hands full with Ken Maumalo keeping him busy

must be a fullback thing... ah c'mon ref

NIghtingale queries the ref at half time

The Flames provide great half time entertainment

Ah Mau makes a strong hit up in the 2nd half

Widdop running to the line before passing

Tim Lafai showing some good form early this season

Important try to get back the ascendancy. Widdop and Nightingale know how important it was

That's what you call suspended in the air

Dragons 26 (Paul Vaughan, Josh McCrone, Josh Dugan, Tim Lafai tries; Gareth Widdop 5 goals) defeated Warriors 12 (Issac Luke, Ken Maumalo tries; Shaun Johnson 2 goals) at UOW Jubilee Oval. Half-time: Dragons 20-8. Crowd: 11,608.