Under 12 Swan - Perth 30 def Nedlands 0 
Tough day out for our boys yesterday with a depleted side, once again, we took on the league leaders Perth. With only fifteen fit players many played out of position, and served their team well, this score line doesn’t do them justice. In the first 10 minutes we held the Perth team well our forwards having the better of the breakdown and cleaning out and not giving an inch to the bigger Perth pack. Eventually the pressure took its toll and we let one of their big guys in for a try, the intensity now dropped off for us and our tackles became too high once again and another try was given up. It was about this stage that the young referee started to lose control firstly the lineout throws for Perth were going directly to their side of the line without being penalised and then several high tackles on our players went unpunished while Patrick was called for one on the Perth team , albeit fair but inconsistent. With halftime already well overdue yet another lineout was allowed straight to Perth’s advantage and the third try followed.
Down 15 to 0 at halftime we were doing it hard early in the second half again tackling high we let another soft try in. From here we started to fight back much harder Rueben running straight Johnno having a dash and Jacob going very close with an intercept effort. Evan tried his best switching the attack to the blind several times but the Perth defence was solid. Our entire pack deserves credit for a fine effort yesterday Will Eaton outstanding at the breakdown and a revelation Harry “ Rocky “ Strapp on the flank George tried his hardest all game as did all our boys . We saw now Perth taking full advantage of the ref with players entering and re-entering rucks from offside at will stealing our ball unpunished. If the ref doesn’t punish players for killing ball then you can expect players to continue to lie all over it, and Perth were more than happy to do this.
Given that this season the standard of refereeing has been the best we’ve seen yesterday was disappointing on this front. Look forward to next week and a big finish from the Bluepigs.

Under 11 Gold - Palmyra Blue 33 def Nedlands 0
Coming off a great win in their top of the table clash with Uni last week Palmyra were always going to be a tough assignment. Added to that a win against Nedlands in the penultimate round would all but seal the premiership for them. So we faced an opponent that was full of confidence and highly motivated.
Confusion reigned as the game began as several Neddies players were still arriving at the time of kick-off and the Paly coach informing his counterpart only seconds before the off that they were only fielding 12 players. It wasn’t long before Paly got into their stride and worked their way phase upon phase down the field to score the first of 5 tries for the game. After the restart the Lions quickly gained possession in good field position and tried to return the favour but great counter rucking from the Paly forward pack and handling errors in our backline saw play eventually make its way back to the Nedlands 22 and the inevitable try to Paly.
This was really the pattern of the game and if truth be told Nedlands easily matched Palmyra for endeavour and effort but just could not match them for skill and technique. At one stage in the second half we had several consecutive scrum feeds from Paly knock-ons only to be pushed off the ball by a smaller tight five and lose possession. On reflection our skill levels have deteriorated since the school holiday break as sickness and school commitments have meant that we have been getting only half the squad to training.
Positives to take out of the game included a great game from rookie Gene Lagdon who continuously stole ball from the opposition and made some great penetrating runs as he swapped from loose forward to the centres and back again. Ryan Webster and Matt Maltman both used their strength to drive through the Paly defence on several occasions. Calvin Swick and Callum Thomas overcame illness to not only turn out for the team but also put in solid performances.
Finally well done to the Paly kicker who managed to convert 4 of their tries and congratulations to the boys from Tomkins Park who, barring a disaster next week, are deserved winners of the Under 11 Gold competition.

Under 10 to Under 6 were involved in a Joey Carnival held at Perth Bayswater

Under 10 Nedlands lost to Palmyra White & Rockingham Gold
This week saw the team compete in another Joey Carnival held at Perth Bayswater. It was great to see all boys were able to play this week and despite being caught in a hail storm they all put in a huge effort. Game one saw a speedy Palmyra side find holes in the defence and take advantage of it. Although twelve tries were scored against them the boys still managed to put tries on the board. A between games pep talk saw the boys come out a bit more hungry for the ball and this led to a more even game against Rockingham. They still need to remember to support each other and avoid becoming isolated. Some great efforts were made by the forwards to steal ball and create turnovers. And the backs utilised opportunities when they occured.

Under 8/9s Nedlands 0 lost to Joondalup White 20 and Nedlands 15 lost to Cottesloe 20
A cold, blustery morning in Morley produced two hot and spicy
encounters this week.  With two of the stats leaders away this week in
Red and Gilly, the rest of the team stepped up and more than compensated with noticeable improvements in commitment, tackles, engagement at the breakdown and organisation.
First up the minipigs faced Joondalup. The boys approached the task with great gusto and were competitive throughout, making the Brothers earn every yard and point. The small field limited Roadrunner's ability to find space, but both he, Wobbly Knees and Speedy worked really hard in both attack and defence. Up front, there was plenty going on and Josh, D'Arcy and Ollie all gave as good as they got. Sadly no tries, but full marks for effort with great stats spread throughout the team (not sure about the punches one though!) and the top tacklers including Olly, Dunny and Swicky.
Second up was Cott, one of two teams this year that have really physically intimidated the boys (and their coaches!). On taking the field (bigger this time) and seeing the size of some of the Cott boys, I think all the parents and coaches felt some trepidation. However, what we got was 20 minutes of fantastic rugby as a fully committed minipigs took it right up to the Seagulls. The tackles flew in and the forwards matched the big Cott boys with D'Arcy Wilson and Josh again leading the way with fine support from Lansy, Dunny and Olly. Jamie D, Wobbly and Speedy were all brilliant in defence, as well as delivering some fantastic straight running.  Roadrunner found some extra space and scored two well deserved tries as well as being stopped a metre short two or three more times and Josh capped a fine afternoon by dragging three boys over the line for a well deserved score. Unfortunately, the team couldn't quite get the win but came off to a standing ovation from the parents which tells you everything.
A mighty step up this week from the boys, but what was most noticeable was the improvement in other players and some outstanding individual
moments;  Tiger Tom organising the back line and pushing the forwards
around like a pro half. Mosh felling the biggest kid on the Cott team and then later ripping the ball out and presenting it beautifully at the back of the pack. D'Arcy ripping the ball out and galloping half the length of the field determined to score. Swicky fighting for the ball in the pack with determination written over his face. The mighty tackle from Jamie D on the Cott winger to save a certain try. Wobbly chasing half the length of the field having been stepped to run down his opponent and then drag him into touch. Finally, Matt G showing just how tough he really is and sticking his head in to deny the opposition ball on many occasions.
Will be great to see this all again next week in the last game.

Under 7
The first match was played against Rockingham at 8:30. The standard of play has improved significantly over the season, and both sides demonstrated solid defence, and to penetrate required persistent passing and recycling of the ball. Nedlands are beginning to work really well as a team. The majority of the running is towards the tryline, with supporting runs and use of space across the pitch. The teams efforts resulted in several well executed tries, where the ball was passed through five hands to exploit a gap in the defence.
The second match was played against Palmyra. Althought the threatening rain storms held off in the most part, the wind was biting and the players were running around just to stay defrosted. Again the opposition showed more strength in defence than some of the teams we have met in earlier rounds, and so teamwork was required to penetrate. Despite the tempting distraction of the mud bath on the touch line, most of the boys managed to keep focused for most of the match, to produce some very promising rugby.
Overall a great day was has by all, and the rugby on display was the best of the season so far.

Under 6
The U6's attended the Perth Bayswater home carnival and had two games this week.
The first, played in part in driving rain was against Palmyra. From behind a weather proof jacket, the game looked even, with both teams scoring regularly with possession.
With half an hour break to run off some excess energy, the boys came up against a depleted Rockingham side. Whilst the Rocky boys tried hard, the Neddies boys were all over them in defence and attack, winning comfortably.
After 90 minutes of frenetic activity, we were delighted to find a McDonald's next to the carpark.