In a new addition to the Daily Liberal's coverage of the RSL-Whitney Cup this season, each week we'll look at some of the major talking points coming out of the first grade competition in the Quick Singles series.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It might be good, it might be bad, it might just be something we find funny. Either way, it's more of a look at what's happening in one of the bush's strongest club competitions.
Here's what caught our attention on Saturday.
1. Good fielding or poor batting?
In round five of the RSL Whitney Cup eight run outs occurred across the three matches, with five incredibly happening in the Newtown and Souths match.
This stat is quite unbelievable considering across the first four rounds only 12 run outs had happened.
Newtown's Mitch Russo had more run outs on Saturday then the first two rounds of the competition combined.
One of the most dangerous fielders in the competition, Russo had three run outs on Saturday as Newtown survived a scare and beat the Hornets.
But as good as Russo's arm is, do we put it all down to him? Souths' batsmen have got to take some blame in a game they definitely could have won.
2. Top order competition
Which side as the best top order in the competition?
RSL-Colts have the experience of Charlie Kempston, Jason Ryan, Marty Jeffrey and Brad Cox. These four have played many years of first grade apart and together as well as winning competitions for fun seemingly. Despite that, they haven't fully fired yet.
CYMS have the youth of Tom Nelson, Brock Larance, Lachlan Strachan and Tom Coady. The new kids on the block have a new aggressive approach which has seen the bulk of the Cougars' runs come from these four.
Newtown have the firepower of Mitch Russo, Mat Skinner, Doug Potter and Steve Skinner. It's another aggressive side with Russo being the anchor as the other three look to take on bowling attacks.
READ ALSO:
Souths have the mixture of Jimmy Kuntze, Greg Rummans, Angus Norton and Lochie Endacott, youth and experience mixing together nicely at the start of the season.
Rugby have the developing group of: Jacob Hill, Roland O'Connor, Ben Wheeler and Nathan Munro, these four have batted in and around the top four all year with all but Munro opening in a match.
Macquarie have the class of. Ricky and Dan Medway, Jason Green and Ed Haylock, the batting lineup people do not want to bowl to, one of the Medway's get out and Green comes in a scary top four.
It's easy to point to CYMS at the moment as the Cougars sit on top of the ladder but just look at the names listed above and you realise the quality of the competition.
3. Cougars and Colts new rivalry?
RSL-Colts knocked the CYMS Cougars out of the competition in 2018/19 and that could well be marked as the beginning of a heated rivalry.
The weekend saw CYMS defeat RSL in a game that had a finals feel to it, the match was intense with tensions running high in both teams and plenty of chat on the field.
Colts made 185 and then almost produced a classic RSL strangle job in the field as they dragged themselves back into it by pressuring CYMS.
The Cougars, showing growing maturity, hung on but with both sides missing key players the next match between these two should be a cracker.
Colts have dominated the majority of this decade and CYMS has finished a rebuilding stage which now takes them from inexperienced to contenders.
Barry Hildebrandt Medal tally
Every season the Daily Liberal's sports team awards a three, two, one each round in first grade. We'll give updates after each weekend until Christmas, when voting goes behind closed doors.
Here's how this campaign's race is shaping up:
- 7: Ricky Medway (Macquarie), Lachlan Strachan (CYMS)
- 6: Brock Larance (CYMS)
- 5: Dan Medway (Macquarie), Bailey Edmunds (CYMS), Marty Jeffrey (RSL-Colts), Jacob Hill (Rugby)
- 4: Koda Sissian (Rugby), Adam Wells (Souths), Mat Skinner (Newtown)
- 3: Steve Skinner (Newtown), Ben Knaggs (CYMS), John Colwell (Souths), Doug Potter (Newtown)
- 2: Ben Semmler (Colts), Luke Carman (Macquarie), Roland O'Connor (Rugby), Tom Coady (CYMS), Lachie Rayner (Souths), Mitch Russo (Newtown)
- 1: Angus Norton (Souths), Lee Price (Newtown), Aidan Bennewith (Rugby), Lochie Endacott (Souths), Charlie Kempston (Colts), Jason Green (Macquarie), Joey Haylock (Macquarie), Dan French (Newtown), Anthony Atlee (RSL-Colts), Chris Morton (Colts), Greg Rummans (Souths)