Brother-in-law coaches look forward to historical finals day

Brother-in-law coaches look forward to historical finals day

Grand final preview by Nathan Roye

Brother-in-law coaches Chris Malone (Sydney Uni) and John Manenti (Eastwood) will this Saturday go head to head as their clubs contest grand finals in all four grades, culminating with the first grade Shute Shield Grand Final.

After comfortable victories over Southern Districts (47-19) and Manly (55-25) last weekend, both coaches have today named unchanged sides for this Saturday’s Shute Shield Grand Final at Concord Oval (3pm), shown live on ABC TV.  Tickets are available online from Ticketek, priced from $2.50 for juniors, $22.50 for adults and $45 for a family of four.

Manenti has this year led Eastwood to an outstanding 17 wins from 19 Shute Shield matches and is thrilled at the club’s remarkable clean sweep of the four senior grades. 

“It’s very rewarding to be part of the coaching panel of such an extraordinary club, it really is a great achievement to see all four grades reach the grand final and I look forward to what Saturday will bring,” said Manenti.

Eastwood’s maiden first grade title was won in 1999, when it overcame University by 34-17, kicking off a close rivalry between the two teams. They have since contested a further four first grade grand finals, with the honours even at two-apiece (2001 - Uni 27-20 Eastwood, 2002 - Eastwood 19-15 Uni, 2005 - Uni 41-5 Eastwood, 2011 - Eastwood 19-16 Uni).

Married to sisters, the two are close but family loyalties will be put aside this weekend, when the focus will be all about winning. 

Said Manenti, “Chris is definitely a good mate of mine but we have agreed that our focus will be with our boys, it’s their final not ours. In saying that however, someone has got to come up with the biscuits and maybe next week over a beer we may stir each other up!”

After a relaxed week of preparation, the Woodies coach will be looking to several experienced members of his team to lead the boys against Uni this weekend, as they have done all season. 

“We are lucky to have a team full of leaders.  Great organizers like Batger from the back, combined with Hilgendorf at 10 only complement our forwards, who are motivated largely by players like Locky McCaffrey at No. 8 and Jarred Barry in the second row,” said Manenti. 

Eastwood has claimed the Minor Premiership for the last four years, however Uni has passed the test of time, winning 81 of the two teams’ 131 encounters since 1947 and securing a total of 25 first grade premiership titles. 

Like Manenti, Malone is extremely proud to see his club reach the grand final in every grade, especially in such a competitive Sydney rugby environment. 

“We have had 200 players working their backsides off this year and it has been a combination of their great attitude and the commitment from our coaching staff that has got us over the line.

“We have been mates for a very long time now and I’m sure we will have a beer after the game irrespective of the result.  Our parents-in-law on the other hand will be struggling with who to support, having a foot in both camps now,” finished Malone.  

Uni has trained with commitment and intensity all year and Malone says nothing changes going into the grand final. Having himself played for the Students in two grand finals against Eastwood in 1999 and 2001, when he captaining them to a win, he is proud to be a part of such a momentous occasion for the club. 

“Both sides have built a strong club and both sides deserve to be where they are this Saturday.  

“It will be a fascinating day of rugby and all I can ask of my boys is that they play the game the same way we have all year.  With intensity,” said Malone. 

The 2013 Shute Shield Grand Final at Concord Oval will be shown live on ABCTV this Saturday (September 14) at 3.10pm.  A full fixtures list, together with round by round previews and reviews of all the results can be found at www.nswrugby.com.au. Tickets are available to purchase on the gate or discounted if purchased in advance from Ticketek, priced at $2.50 for juniors, $17.50 for concessions, $22.50 for adults and $45 for a family of four.

Rugby fans across NSW can tune in to ABC Local Radio’s new rugby show, settling the score with Niav Owens between 2pm and 5pm every Saturday, for all of your country rugby and Shute Shield news. You can TEXT the program with score updates from whichever game you're at on 0467 920 222 every Saturdayafternoon. Make sure your team gets a mention each week and keep Niav up to date with the latest scores from your competition. 

Rugby fans can also follow the Shute Shield on Facebook where you can catch game highlights and a preview of the upcoming ABC TV match and on Twitter via @shuteshield where you can send your thoughts through the week and receive live updates during selected games. You can also catch highlights of every round on the Shute Shield YouTube TV channel.

Shute Shield Grand Final – Saturday September 14

Eastwood v Sydney University @ Concord Oval, 3.10pm  (ABC TV)

Eastwood: 1 Benn Robinson, 2 Todd Pearce, 3 Marty Plokstys, 4 Jared Barry, 5 Andrew Clyne, 6 Hugh Perrett (c), 7 Hugh Roach, 8 Locky McCaffrey, 9 James Stannard, 10 Jimmy Hilgendorf, 11 Nick Batger, 12 Michael McDougall, 13 Cam Mitchell, 14 Tom Hill, 15 Ben Batger

Sydney University: 1 Jeremy Tilse, 2 Tolu Latu, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Tom Boidin, 5 Liam Winton, 6 Dave Dennis, 7 David Hickey,  8 Tim Davidson (c), 9 Nick Phipps, 10 Bernard Foley, 11 Greg Jeloudev, 12 Tom Carter, 13 Tom English, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 15 Tom Kingston

Referee: Angus Gardner 
 

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