Cockatoos › NSW Country Rugby Union

Tuala Claims Will Tanner Award

Wollongong University, Illawarra and GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos No 8 Paul Tuala has been named as the 2013 New South Wales Country Rugby Union Player of the Year.

Tuala was announced as the recipient of the Will Tanner Award at a presentation in Newcastle following the Cockatoos last representative match of the 2013 season.

The Will Tanner Award is named in honour of former Cockatoos player Will Tanner who tragically lost his life in a horse riding accident on his Quirindi property in 1997.

Paul Tuala burst onto the NSW Country Rugby Union scene this year with some outstanding performances for the Illawarra team at the Country Championships in Tamworth.

His performances at the championships gained him selection in the 2013 GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos squad, and he quickly laid claim to the No 8 jersey for the duration of the season.

Taula’s hard running and bone jarring defence were two very strong features of his game, and together with his all round play resulted in him polling heavily in the Will Tanner Award points for each of the Cockatoos’ matches.

Points were awarded on a 3, 2 & 1 basis by three judges for each match and Tuala polled in each match except for the last against Queensland Country in Newcastle which he missed through injury.

Even allowing for missing the last match Paul Tuala took out the Will Tanner Award by a margin of ten points from Lock Gavin Holder and Flanker Alex Burnhiem who finished second and third respectively in the voting.

Will Tanner Winners

• 1998 – James Quinn – Central North
• 1999 – Rod Petty – Illawarra
• 2000 – David Lubins – Newcastle Hunter
• 2001 – James McCormack – Monaro
• 2002 – Nick Levellee – Central West
• 2003 – Anthony Gowing – Central West
• 2004 – Adam Winter – Central Coast
• 2005 – Ross Duncan – Western Plains
• 2006 – Paul Elliott – Central West
• 2007 – Nick Leseberg – Newcastle Hunter
• 2008 – Mike Te Moana – New England
• 2009 – Mike Te Moana – New England
• 2010 – Matt Waterford – Central West
• 2011 – Sam Stewart – Far North Coast
• 2012 – Josh Stewart – Central North

Border Cup Heads North

The Battle of the Border Cup has been claimed by the GrainCorp Queensland Country Heelers following their 21 – 20 win over the Graincorp NSW Country Cockatoos.

The match was played as the curtain raiser to the Combined Country v British & Irish Lions Tour Match at Hunter Stadium, Newcastle on Tuesday, 11 June 2013.

The Cockatoos were on the front foot from the kick off when the Heelers were penalised at the breakdown, but the thirty metre penalty attempt from the sideline shaved the upright.

From the restart the Heelers were able to regain possession and set about working play into the Cockatoos twenty two, and after several forward drives a sweeping backline movement saw the Cockatoos defence caught short and their winger Lydon Minnaar raced in for an unconverted try for the Heelers to take a 5 – 0 lead after five minutes of play.

A close range penalty goal to five-eight Dudley Parsons four minutes later saw the Cockatoos close the gap to two, but this was short lived when the Heelers a minute later replied with their own penalty goal by Lee Anderson to lead 8 – 3.

The Cockatoos then started to put their game together and mounted a series of attacking raids which had the Heelers defence under the pump. Their efforts were rewarded at the fifteenth minute mark when hooker Peter Nau finished off a series of pick and drives to crash over for a converted try to see the Cockatoos take the lead 10 – 8.

Play was evenly shared over the next five minutes, but it was the Heelers who were the next to score when the Cockatoos were penalised at the breakdown and Lee Anderson slotted a close range penalty goal for the Heelers to regain the lead 11 – 10 after twenty minutes.

The ensuing restart resulted in Cockatoos flanker Jeff Wilson sustaining a serious neck injury which resulted in the match being suspended for eight minutes while he was stabilised and transported from the field of play.

On the resumption of the match the Cockatoos went on the attack until half time with the play being situated mostly in the Heelers’ twenty two, but the Heelers defence held on. During this period the Cockatoos mounted numerous attacks which featured passages of play with ten to fifteen phases, but each time the movements broke down or where denied by the Heelers’ defence.

The second half opened in sensational fashion with the Cockatoos’ five eight Dudley Parsons being sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle in the second minute of play.

It only took the Heelers a couple of minutes to capitalise on their extra man advantage, as from a lineout win on halfway their fullback Lee Anderson raced through a gap to cross for a converted try to increase their lead to 18 – 10.

The Cockatoos then started to play catch up and their structure suffered with several promising attacks breaking down due to poor option taking or ball security. The Heelers were playing a controlled game and were keen to keep the play in the Cockatoos half with strong defence and well placed kicks.

A further penalty goal to Lee Anderson in the forty ninth minute increased the Heelers’ lead to 21 – 10, which placed the Cockatoos under even more pressure. The Cockatoos tried to lift the tempo of the game, but they continued to let themselves down with some basic mistakes, and at the same time the Heelers also lifted their intensity.

An injection of players off the bench had an impact for the Cockatoos as they started to put together some promising attacking raids which had the Heelers having to defend strongly in their twenty two.

A close range penalty goal by Donovan Nepia in the sixty second minute saw the Cockatoos close the score-line to 21 – 13, and this was further reduced to 21 – 20 four minutes later when replacement centre Luke Sherwood crossed for a converted try.

With ten minutes left on the clock the Heelers were reduced to fourteen when a player was sent to the sin bin for repeated team infringements at the breakdown. As much as the Cockatoos tried to capitalise on this advantage, the Heelers continued to hang on, and on several occasions mounted attacking raids which had the Cockatoos defending strongly.

The Heelers continued to defend strongly and whenever they gained possession the ball was kicked into the Cockatoos twenty two which they backed up with strong chases.

With the siren about to sound the Cockatoos won a scrum on their twenty two and worked play up field, and from the ensuing ruck they were able to work an overlap which gave replacement winger Matt Moloney a clear run down the sideline.

As had been the case throughout the match this attacking raid broken down when a pass was pushed and the Heelers were able to kick the ball into touch to end the match.

Flanker Alex Burnheim had an outstanding match and was deservedly awarded the Players Player Award, while No 8 Gavin Holder and young Lock Dan Ryan toiled hard all match.

The disappointing loss brought to an end the Cockatoos five match representative season, and saw the Battle of the Border Cup head north to Queensland for only the second time in seven years.

GrainCorp Qld Country Heelers – 21
Lee Anderson & Lydon Minnaar Tries
Lee Anderson 3 Penalty Goals & Conversion
Defeated

GrainCorp NSW Country Heelers – 20
Peter Nau & Luke Sherwood Tries
Donovan Nepia Penalty Goal & Conversion
Dudley Parsons Penalty Goal & Conversion

Cockatoos v Heelers
1 – Joel Diggins, 2 – Peter Nau, 3 – John Adams, 4 – Dan Ryan, 5- Va Talaileva, 6 – Jeff Wilson, 7. Alex Burnheim, 8. Gavin Holder (C), 9 – Paul Dan, 10 – Dudley Parsons, 11 – Eli Sinoti, 12 – Jade Gardiner, 13 – Lee Russell, 14 – Ben Harriss, 15 – Donovan Nepia, 16 – Hori Leef, 17 – Chris Plunkett, 18 – Peter Altona, 19 – Brad Sheridan, 20 – Luke Sherwood, 21 – Sam McNeil, 22 – Matt Moloney, 23 – Kevin McNamara

Battle of the Border Resumes

The Battle of the Border Trophy will again be at stake when the GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos and the GrainCorp Qld Country Heelers face off in Newcastle.

The second match of the year between the two Country provinces will be played as the curtain raiser to the Combined Country v British & Irish Lions match on Tuesday, 11 June at Hunter Stadium.

Both the Cockatoos and Heelers have had to make changes to their respective line ups following the selection of nine players, Cockatoos (4) and Heelers (5), in the Combined Country match squad.

Cockatoos John Adams (prop), Dan Ryan (lock), Paul Dan (halfback), Luke Sherwood (centre) and Ben Harriss (wing), have earned their first run on caps for the season, while Matt Maloney (utility back) has been drafted onto the bench.

The two teams last played against one another in Townsville early in May, with the result being a 24 all draw, which saw the Cockatoos retain the Battle of the Border Trophy.

All the past will be forgotten and everything will go on the line when the two teams meet on Tuesday, with the Cockatoos keen to maintain the dominance they have exerted over the Heelers in recent years.

The Cockatoos v Heelers match kicks off at 4.30pm and will be followed by the tour match which kicks off at 7.30pm. Tickets are available online from www.proticket.com.au

NSW Cockatoos v Qld Heelers

John Adams (Moree), Peter Altona (Tamworth Pirates), Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Paul Dan (Hamilton), Joel Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni), Ben Harriss (Hamilton), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef (Wollongong Uni), Kevin McNamara (Warnervale), Sam McNeil (Port Macquarie), Matt Maloney (Avoca Beach), Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Donovan Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Chris Plunket (Bathurst), Dan Ryan (Parkes), Lee Russell (Camden), Luke Sherwood (Wanderers), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).

Heartbreaking loss for Cockatoos

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos have suffered a heartbreaking 38 – 31 loss to the ACT Griffins in Canberra.

A converted try one minute after the fulltime siren saw the Griffins snatch victory over a courageous and never say die Cockatoos team.

In a high scoring match which saw eleven tries scored, both sides didn’t hold anything back with players from both teams visiting the medical room during and after the match.

ACT got away to a flying start when in the fourth minute their inside centre sliced through a gaping hole to race forty metres for an unconverted try to set up a 5 nil lead.

The GrainCorp Cockatoos reacted quickly and went on the attack and piled on twelve points in the next eight minutes with tries to No 8 Paul Taula and fullback Donovan Nepia, one of which was converted by Nepia.

The next twenty minutes saw play go from one end of the field to the other, with both teams electing to run the ball at every opportunity. This period of play was marked with some very physical defence with players from both sides requiring medical attention as a result of the strong but legal body contact.

At the thirty second minute mark the ACT fullback found space on a tight blindside to sprint twenty metres down the sideline to cross for a converted try in the corner to lock the score up at 12 all. The next five minutes saw the Griffins go on the attack and after pressuring the Cockatoos’ line they were rewarded when their outside centre powered over for a converted try to go out to a 19 – 12 lead.

With the half time siren set to sound the Cockatoos regained possession and after putting together fifteen phases of play, five eight Ben Greentree sidestepped his way past several defenders to cross for a converted try to lock the scores up at 19 all at the break.

The second half saw the Cockatoos continue on the front foot with very aggressive defence and ball running, which had the Griffins under a lot of pressure. Seven minutes into the half they were rewarded when lock Gavin Holder stormed across for a converted try to take the Cockatoos out to a 26 – 19 lead.

Two minutes later the ACT mounted a concerted attacking raid which was stopped just short of the line, but after forcing a turnover the Cockatoos dropped the ball which was pounced on by the Griffins No 8 for an unconverted try to close the score-line to 26 – 24.

This score changed the tempo of the match with the Griffins going on the front foot, which basically saw the match being played in the Cockatoos’ half, but the Cockatoos to a man dug deep and continually repelled the ACT attacking raids.

It looked as if it was only a matter of time before the floodgates would open, but it was the Cockatoos who were next to score when winger Eli Sinoti backed his judgement and intercepted a pass to race fifty five metres to score an unconverted try in the corner to take the Cockatoos out to a 31 – 24 lead.

The ACT responded almost immediately and after working play into the Cockatoos’ twenty two which saw the play sweep from one side of the field to the other on several occasions their winger scored a converted try to again lock the score-line up at 31 all.

With only minutes left on the clock the Cockatoos launched several attacking raids which stretched the Griffins defence, but two against the head scrum wins by the Griffins close to their line defused these attacks.

The Griffins were able to work play back into the Cockatoos’ twenty two, but the Cockatoos again held them out with very solid defence and the match look set to be a draw.

With the full time siren about to sound the Griffins had a mid field scrum feed from which they launched their last attacking raids, and after several phases their replacement lock found a hole in the defensive line to cross for the match winning converted try.

The Cockatoos to a player all performed well, with flanker Alex Burnheim and debutant centre Lee Russell sharing the Players’ Play Award, while prop Dylan Evans, No 8 Paul Tuala, lock Va Talaileva, halfback Adam McCormack and five-eight Ben Greentree all having very strong matches.

ACT Griffins – 38
6 Tries & 4 Conversions

Defeated

GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos – 31
Ben Greentree, Gavin Holder, Donovan Nepia, Eli Sinoti & Paul Tuala Tries
Donovan Nepia 3 Conversions

Cockatoos v Griffins
1 – Joel Diggins (Vikings), 2 – Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), 3 – Dylan Evans (Wanderers), 4 – Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), 5 – Gavin Holder (Camden), 6 – Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head), 7 - Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), 8 - Peter Tuala (Wollongong Uni), 9 – Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), 10 – Ben Greentree (Camden), 11 – Sam McNeil (Port Macquarie), 12 – Lee Russell (Camden), 13 – Lewie Catt (Wanderers), 14 – Eli Sinoti (Avondale), 15 – Donovan Nepia (Wollongong Uni), 16 – John Adams (Moree), 17 – Chris Plunkett (Bathurst), 18 – Kevin McNamara (Wanervale), 19 – Peter Altona (Tamworth Pirates), 20 – Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), 21 – Paul Dan (Hamilton), 22 – Dudley Parsons (Hamilton).

Cockatoos Team Changes for ACT Match

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos have been forced to make three changes to the squad for their upcoming match against the ACT Griffins at Canberra Stadium.

The annual fixture against the ACT Griffins will kick off at 5.05pm on Friday, 31 May and will be the main curtain raiser to the Brumbies v Chiefs SupeRugby match.

Family bereavements and work commitments have seen Filisoni Pauta, Dan Ryan and Ben Harriss drop out of the squad, with Sam McNeil, Peter Altona and Lee Russell coming in as their replacements.

NSW Country Rugby Union would like to take this opportunity to pass on the Union’s condolences to the Pauta and Ryan families in this very difficult period of time.

The GrainCorp Cockatoos will go into the match with a lot of confidence following on from their three tries to two win over NSW Suburban at ANZ Stadium two weeks ago.

Coach Col Jeffs said “the loss of Harriss, Pauta and Ryan was disappointing, but the three replacement players had all earned their selections via their respective performances at the Country Championships”.

He went on to say “the Griffins have come away with the wins over the last two years, but a change to the Cockatoos’ program this year has given the team the benefit of playing three matches together, which has been an ideal preparation”.

Cockatoos Squad v ACT Griffins

John Adams (Moree), Peter Altona (Tamworth Pirates), Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Lewie Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), Paul Dan (Hamilton), Joel Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Dylan Evans (Warren), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni), Ben Greentree (Camden), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef (Wollongong Uni), Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), Kevin McNamara (Warnervale), Sam McNeil (Port Macquarie), Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Don Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Lee Russell (Camden), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), Paul Tuala (Wollongong Uni), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).

Cockatoos Claim Maher-Ross Cup

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos have claimed the Maher-Ross Cup with a hard fought 26 – 20 victory over NSW Subbies at ANZ Stadium.

The win was the first for the Cockatoos in the three year history of the Maher-Ross Cup which was named in honour of Laurie Maher (Country) and Ian Ross (Suburban) two long term icons of their respective Unions.

As has been the case in previous encounters there was nothing seperating the two teams, with this being reflected in the 10 all half time score and the Cockatoos having to defend grimly after the full time siren to claim the victory.

Subbies opened the scoring with a long range penalty goal in the first five minutes, but the Cockatoos quickly equalled the score with a penalty goal to full back Donovan Nepia.

The Cockatoos had the better of the ensuing play and placed Subbies under a lot of pressure with the majority of the play being situated in the Subbies twenty two. At the twenty minute mark the Cockatoos were rewarded when a well worked backline move saw winger Eli Sinoti charge onto to five-eight Ben Greentree’s delayed pass to touch down under the black dot for a 10 – 3 lead.

This score spurred Subbies into action which saw them regain possession from the re-start and set about mounting a series of attacking raids from within the Cockatoos twenty two.

Country’s defence held the try line, but they did concede several penalties which enabled Subbies to maintain the pressure, but without gaining any result on the score board.

At the thirtieth minute the Referee lost his patience with the Cockatoos infringements at the breakdown, and prop Dylan Evans was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes.

Subbies were quick to capitalise on this advantage and within minutes caught the Cockatoos defence short and crossed for a try which was converted from the sideline and locked the scores up at ten all, which remained as the half time score.

Subbies opened the second half on the front foot and within the first five minutes had taken a 13 – 10 lead with a penalty goal after the Cockatoos had again been penalised at the breakdown.

From the restart the Cockatoos went on the attack, and at the fifty first minute winger Filisone Pauta burst through a tackle and skirted the touch line on a thirty metre run to score in the corner. The sideline conversion was unsuccessful, but the GrainCorp Cockatoos had regained the lead 15 – 13.

Three minutes later a Subbies clearing kick was charged down and from the ensuing ruck flanker Alex Burnheim charged over in the corner for an unconverted try to take Country out to a 20 – 13 lead.

The Cockatoos continued to mount pressure and at the sixtieth minute Subbies were penalised at the breakdown and replacement five eight Dudley Parsons kicked a neat penalty goal to increase the lead to 23 – 13.

Subbies finally came to life and after a series of attacking raids and some fine tactical kicking which placed the Cockatoos under immense pressure, they were rewarded with a converted try which closed the score-line to 23 – 20.

This set up a frantic closing stage for the match which saw both teams go on the attack, with the Cockatoos gaining some breathing space with another penalty goal to Dudley Parsons to round out the scoring.

GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos – 26
Alex Burnheim, Filisoni Pauta & Eli Sinoti Tries
Donovan Nepia Penalty Goal & Conversion, Dudley Parsons 2 Penalty Goals

Defeated

NSW Suburban Rugby Union – 20
2 Tries, 2 Penalty Goals & 2 Conversions
Cockatoos Squad v Subbies

John Adams (Moree), Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Lewie Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), Paul Dan (Hamilton), Joel Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Dylan Evans (Warren), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni), Ben Greentree (Camden), Ben Harriss (Hamilton), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef (Wollongong Uni), Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), Kevin McNamara (Warnervale), Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Don Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Filisone Pauta (Dubbo Roos), Dan Ryan (Parkes), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), Paul Tuala (Wollongong Uni), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).

Cockatoos & Subbies in ANZ Showdown

This Saturday will see the GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos face off against the NSW Suburban Rugby Union at ANZ Stadium, Homebush.

The annual fixture kicks off at 5.15pm and will be the curtain raiser to the HSBC Waratahs’ v Brumbies SupeRugby clash, and based on previous years will provide plenty of action for the Rugby purists.

Having narrowly lost their last two encounters with Subbies, the GrainCorp Cockatoos will be looking to have reversed their fortunes come the final whistle on Saturday.

Coached by Col Jeffs and led by Camden’s Gavin Holder there’s plenty to motivate the Country team, as the match will also act as the last chance for the players to be considered for selection in the Combined Country (NSW & Qld) team to play the British & Irish Lions in Newcastle on 11 June.

“Every game up until this point has been a trial in some regard, but as a squad we’re not concentrating on selection for the Lions match and all of our focus will be on coming away with the win at the weekend” said Holder.

“Every match against Subbies in the past has been fiercely contested and is always a very physical encounter, but the Cockatoos are looking forward to the clash and are very keen to take the Subbies boys head on” added Holder.

Coach Col Jeffs said “Subbies have got the best of us over the last couple of years, and we’re looking to get one back over them and put the GrainCorp Cockatoos back on the front page”.

He went on to say “coming into the match we’re bouncing back from a disappointing draw with Queensland Country, a match in which we didn’t play to our full potential, especially after the strong hit out against the Rebel Rising the previous week”.

Both teams will be striving to win the match and claim the Maher/Ross Cup, which was struck to acknowledge the long service provided to the respective Unions by Laurie Maher (NSW Country Rugby Union) and Ian Ross (NSW Suburban Rugby Union).

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos have made two changes to their squad with halfback Paul Dan returning from injury and prop John Adams coming in to replace the injured James Smith.

Cockatoos Squad v NSW Suburban

Cockatoos & Heelers Share the Spoils

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos and the GrainCorp Qld Country Heelers shared the spoils in the annual Battle of the Borders match with a twenty four all draw being the end result in Townsville on Saturday night.

The match could be best summed up as one which didn’t rise to any great heights, and one of missed opportunities, with both teams having several chances to put the match out of the reach of the other, but neither could deliver the telling blow which would have sealed the match result.

Queensland Country had the better of the first half, but failed to capitalise on a lacklustre Cockatoos team which continually struggled to get into any pattern in both attack and defence, and it was only due to poor finishing and option taking by the Heelers that the score line stayed close.

After kicking out on the full at the commencement of the match, the Cockatoos received a reprieve two minutes later when the Heelers were penalised for being offside, and five eight Dudley Parsons kicked a forty metre penalty goal to take a three nil lead.

This lead was short lived with the Heelers kicking two penalties to lead 6 - 3 during the next ten minutes following indiscretions by the Cockatoos in the defensive line and at the break down. During this period of time the Heelers were being enterprising in attack, with their slick outside backs finding numerous holes in the Cockatoos defence, but these breaks weren’t converted into tries.

The Cockatoos best try scoring opportunity came in the twentieth minute when they forced a turnover just inside their half, which saw the ball reefed down field and regathered by winger Donovan Nepia who was tackled just short of the try line. The Heelers managed to slow the ball down and when the Cockatoos cleared the ruck the pass was knocked down and a penalty was awarded which was duly kicked by Dudley Parsons to tie the score up at six all.

The next ten minutes saw the Heelers continue to mount pressure, but indecision and scrambling Cockatoos defence saw no change to the score line. On one of the few occasions the Cockatoos did mount an attack in the Heelers half the ball was knocked on, and from the ensuing the scrum win the Heeler’s backs worked an overlap, with the centres and wingers then interchanging passes before the movement was finished off with a spectacular dive for a try in the corner. The conversion wasn’t successful, but the alarm bells were ringing for the Cockatoos as the Heelers were gaining confidence and play seemed to be swinging their way.

The Heelers continued to attack at every opportunity, but the Cockatoos managed to hang on with Dudley Parsons kicking another forty metre plus penalty goal to close the score to 11 – 9 in the favour of the Heelers.

A Heelers’ penalty goal two minutes later saw them increase their lead to 14 – 9, which remained the score until the half time break.

The second half opened with the Heelers being on the front foot, and after two minutes of play their lead was increased to 17 – 9 when the Cockatoos were again penalised at the breakdown and the ensuing penalty goal was kicked.

This penalty goal spurred the Cockatoos into action and from a line out win on their own twenty two centre Lewie Catt broke through to make a fifty metre surge down field before picking up the trailing flanker Alex Burnheim who passed to winger Eli Sinoti who in turned off loaded to winger Donovan Nepia who scored midway in from touch. Dudley Parson’s conversion never looked like missing and the Cockatoos had closed the score to 17 – 16.

The Cockatoos at last came to life and the play started to go their way, with the forwards making ground with pick and drives up the centre of the field which had the Heelers on the back foot. Scores still weren’t coming their way and it wasn’t until the sixty fifth minute that Dudley Parsons kicked his fourth penalty goal to see the Cockatoos hit the lead 19 – 17.

With ten minutes remaining the Cockatoos continued to have the better of play and it looked as if it would only be a matter of time before the flood gates opened and the match would be put out of the reach of the Heelers.

It was at this point disaster struck for the Cockatoos, when a ball was put down and with several players seemly having it covered a Heelers player scooped it up and ran thirty metres untouched to score a converted try to take the Heelers out to a 24 – 19 lead.

The Heelers then started to run the clock down and at every opportunity the ball was drilled into the Cockatoos’ half and it was a real effort for the Cockatoos to make any headway against a Heelers team which had their tails up.

With less than five minutes remaining on the clock centre Lewie Catt again made a long mid field charge, and from the ensuing ruck the ball found its way into the hands of Dudley Parsons who managed to squeeze between several defenders to score a try which locked up the scores at 24 all.

Parson’s conversion attempt from the fifteen metre line looked home and hosed until it swung in to hit the upright and bounce back into the field of play.

The final minutes of play were very frantic, but neither team could get into a scoring position and full time was blown with the scores locked at 24 all.

The Cockatoos Player’s Player was hooker Peter Nau, while No 8 Paul Tuala, flanker Alex Burnheim and centre Lewie Catt all tried hard in a team which couldn’t seem to get into their stride throughout the match.

GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos – 24
Dudley Parsons & Donovan Nepia Tries
Dudley Parsons 4 Penalty Goals & Conversion

Drew with

GrainCorp Qld County Heelers – 24
2 Tries, 4 Penalty Goals & Conversion

Cockatoos Squad v Heelers

Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Lewie Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), Joel Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Dylan Evans (Warren), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni), Ben Greentree (Camden), Ben Harriss (Hamilton), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef (Wollongong Uni), Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), Kevin McNamara (Warnervale), Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Don Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Filisone Pauta (Dubbo Roos), Dan Ryan (Parkes), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), Luke Sherwood (Newcastle Wanderers), James Smith (Shoalhaven), Paul Tuala (Wollongong Uni), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).

Battle of the Borders Resumes

Two of Australia’s traditional Rugby Provinces resume hostilities this weekend when the GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos and the GrainCorp Qld Country Heelers go head to head in Townsville on Saturday, 4 May 2013.

The two provinces will be doing battle for the aptly named Battle of the Borders Trophy, which the GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos reclaimed in 2012 with a clean sweep of the two match series.

This year’s match takes on even more significance with both the NSW and Qld Country players vying for selection in the origin based Combined Country Team to play the British & Irish Lions in Newcastle on Tuesday, 11 June 2013.

The Cockatoos will be very wary of the Heelers, as the northerners will be pulling out all stops to reverse the 60 – 3 hiding they received last year in Cowra.

Cockatoos’ Coach Col Jeffs is aware of what to expect, as the Heelers have based their team selection around players from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Unions, both of which participate in the Brisbane Premiership Competition.

The GrainCorp Cockatoos have had a good build up for their 2013 representative program, with all players participating in the NRMA Country Championships, attending a solid training camp and playing in a trial match against the Rebel Rising.

Jeffs believes the 2013 GrainCorp Cockatoos are a stronger and well balanced side than 2012, but with the match against the Heelers being played in their backyard he knows they will have their work cut out.

The team to play the Heelers will include 10 new caps which continues to show no one has a mortgage on a GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos Jersey.

Cockatoos v Heelers
1 – Dylan Evans, 2 – Peter Nau, 3 – James Smith, 4 – Va Talaileva, 5 – Jeff Wilson, 6 – Gavin Holder (c), 7. Alex Burnheim, 8. Peter Tuala, 9 – Adam McCormack, 10 – Dudley Parsons, 11 – Eli Sinoti, 12 – Jade Gardiner, 13 – Lewie Catt, 14 – Don Nepia, 15 - Ben Greentree, 16 – Hori Leef, 17 – Joel Diggins, 18 – Kevin McNamara, 19 – Daniel Ryan, 20 – Brad Sheridan, 21 – Luke Sherwood, 22 – Filisone Pauta, 23 – Ben Harriss

Cockatoos Strong Rebels Showing

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos opened their 2013 season with a strong showing in their trial match against the Rebel Rising in Melbourne on Saturday, 27 April 2013.
Whilst the 38 – 12 score line reflects a one sided match, this was far from the case with the Rising team, which included eight contracted Rebels players, having to work hard to grind out a tough win.
The trial match was played over four quarters which enabled the Cockatoos Coaches to field different combinations from the squad of twenty five players who made the trip south.
The first quarter saw the Cockatoos have the majority of the possession and field position, but two long range converted tries by the Rising, one a sixty metre intercept, saw them go to the first break down 14 nil.
It took awhile for the Cockatoos to adjust to the speed of the match, but once they settled into their patterns of play they soon started to match the Rising in throwing the ball around, which resulted in play moving from one end of the field to the other. Whilst the play was even the Rebels forced several errors from which they counter attacked, and it was only determined defence which kept the score line to 19 nil at the half time break.
A Rising converted try straight after the resumption of play from a rehearsed scrum move took the score out to 24 nil, and put the Cockatoos right on the back foot. The Cockatoos took awhile to recover from this setback, but after working play into the Rising twenty two flanker Alex Burnheim crashed over next to the posts to score the first points for the season, and make the score 24 – 7. The Cockatoos started to string together several good passages of play, but unforced errors or solid Rising defence forced turnovers which enabled the Rising to go on the attack to score a converted try and race to a 31 – 7 lead. With only minutes left in the quarter No 8 Paul Tuala pushed off several defenders to score and make the score at the three quarter break 31 – 12 to the Rising.
The fourth quarter was very evenly balanced, but errors hurt the Cockatoos at times when scoring opportunities were at hand, and the Rising were able to work play out of their danger zone. The final score of the match was a converted try by the Rising when they capitalised on a Cockatoo error at a scrum to make the final score line 38 – 12.
Cockatoos coach Col Jeffs was pleased with the trial as it provided him with the opportunity to assess the players under match conditions, which was very important given there were twelve players making their first appearance for the Cockatoos.
The squad as a whole all played well, with standout players being the Player’s Player No 8
Paul Tuala (Wollongong Uni), halfback Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), centre Lewie
Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), flanker Gavin Holder (Camden) and prop Dylan Evans
(Newcastle Wanderers).
There was one disappointing aspect from the match that being a severe head knock suffered
by halfback Paul Dan, who is now under an injury cloud for the next Cockatoos match.
Next week the GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos travel to Townsville on Saturday, 4 May
to play the GrainCorp Qld Country Heelers in the annual Battle of the Borders clash.
This match will also take on added importance, as it basically becomes the trial opportunity
for the Country players to gain selection in the Combined Country team to play the British &
Irish Lions in Newcastle on 11 June 2013.

Cockatoos Squad v Rebels Rising
Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Lewie Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), Paul Dan (Hamilton), Joel
Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Dylan Evans (Warren), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni),
Ben Greentree (Camden), Ben Harriss (Hamilton), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef
(Wollongong Uni), Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), Sam McNeil (Port Macquarie),
Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Don Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Filisone
Pauta (Dubbo Rhinos), Dan Ryan (Parkes), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan
(Ourimbah), Luke Sherwood (Newcastle Wanderers), James Smith (Shoalhaven), Paul Tuala
(Illawarra), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).

GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos First Hit Out

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos will have their first hit out of the 2013 season with a match against a Melbourne Rebels XV in Melbourne on Saturday, 27 April 2013.

Twenty five players, eleven of who will be debuting for the Cockatoos, will make the trek south of the border to take on a Rebels team which will comprise of a host of players who have SupeRugby experience.

Coach Col Jeffs wanted a hard hit out for the team to set them up for the upcoming program of matches against Queensland Country, NSW Suburban and the Australian Capital Territory during May.

He said “the 2013 season was very important for NSW Country Rugby players, not just for the fact of pulling on a Cockatoos’ jersey, but also the added incentive of the possibility of selection in the Combined Country Team which will play the British & Irish Lions”.

He went on to say “whilst the Cockatoos had the wood on Queensland Country over the last five years (one loss), results against NSW Suburban and the ACT had been disappointing and this needed to be addressed, hence the hard hit out first up”.

The selection of eleven new caps indicates a changing of the guard within the Cockatoos, and highlights player’s performances at the Country Championships, and not reputations, was the main point for selection.

Several of the new caps were standout performers at the Country Championships, with the Mid North Coast half and five eight pairing of Adam McCormack and Sam McNeil, together with Far North Coast five eight Dudley Parsons, Illawarra No 8 Paul Tuala and Central West winger Filisone Pauta all catching the eye of the selectors.

The twenty five players selected for the Rebels match will have the first opportunity to stake a claim for a spot in the team to play the Queensland Heelers on 4 May in Townsville, but the players in the Cockatoos Training Squad who missed this team selection are keen to step up.

Cockatoos Squad v Melbourne Rebels XV

Alex Burnheim (Coonamble), Lewie Catt (Newcastle Wanderers), Paul Dan (Hamilton), Joel Diggins (Wollongong Vikings), Dylan Evans (Warren), Jade Gardiner (Wollongong Uni), Ben Greentree (Camden), Ben Harriss (Hamilton), Gavin Holder (Camden), Hori Leef (Wollongong Uni), Adam McCormack (Hastings Valley), Sam McNeil (Port Macquarie), Peter Nau (Dubbo Roos), Don Nepia (Wollongong Uni), Dudley Parsons (Lismore), Filisone Pauta (Dubbo Rhinos), Dan Ryan (Parkes), Eli Sinoti (Avondale), Brad Sheridan (Ourimbah), Luke Sherwood (Newcastle Wanderers), James Smith (ShoalHaven), Paul Tuala (Illawarra), Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches), Jeff Wilson (Lennox Head).