Jabiru Bushratz Rugby Union Football Club

Breaking News

July 29th 2011

There will be more rugby than you can kick a ball at this weekend at Magela Field, Jabiru.
The Rampaging Casuarina Cougars are travelling out to take on the home team in not one, not two BUT THREE HUUUUGE games of rugby.
In what will have to be a first for the local area, the Jabiru Bushratz will be playing in the U7 and U9 age groups in a special 1-off series of games.
Designed to introduce rugby at that level into the region, it was the idea of Cougars Juniors Coach Brian Anderson, Cougars President Mark Heath and Bushratz President Fiona Weaver to hold the event.
Starting with the U7’s game it will be the first time the Jabiru Kids will have played competitive rugby, although the style is not the same as what the big guys play. The ARU promoted ‘Walla-Rugby’ will be the game of the day.
Walla Rugby is designed as a fun and friendly game that can be played by both boys and girls together.
The U9’s game takes the skill level up a notch and allows rucks and mauls – in a controlled setting – so the kids can play just like Rocky and Quade…..
In the Senior Game, the Bushratz are fresh from a week off with the Darwin Dragons deciding not to contest the Stan Ahu Trophy in 2011. The Cougars on the other hand are keen to make a late charge for the Able Finance B Grade Minor Premiership and will be bring out all their past and present champions. Expect to see massive games from Cougars stalwart Glenn ‘Flip-top’ Withers and Bushratz rampaging loose forward Ryan Birmingham.The games start at 4pm, with the bar opening at 4:30pm. There will be a bbq as always.
For those driving just remember that the Bushratz has a range of low-alcohol drinks on sale, as well as soft drinks, bar snacks and FREE WATER. Designated Drivers will also receive a few free softies for their efforts.
Look forward to seeing you all at the games.
Drew

May 9th 2011

Rugby Union returns to Jabiru this weekend when the Mighty Jabiru Bushratz take on a red hot Palmerston Crocs.
The Palmy team are the defending premiers and are keen to take revenge on their last visit loss to the Ratz in the 2010 season.
The Ratz will be keen for a big game to kick start their season after a slow start. The game will also be the last home game for Bushratz Junior turned Senior player Emmanuel Katom.
Manny has played with the Ratz Juniors since coming to Jabiru 4 years ago, and this Saturday he will play his last game at Magela Field.
If you want to see ome of the most exciting young players to come out of Kakadu in recent years this weekend will be your last chance.
As always, there will be a BBQ and the Bar will be operating from around 4L30pm. Have a look at our new range of Mid-Strength Pre-Mix Spirit Cans too. Available in Bundy, Beam and Smirnoff. Enjoy the Rugby longer and with responsible drinking.
Look forward to seeing you all there.

Drew
BushRatz Coach

May 1st 2011

The NT Junior Titles were held this weekend with 7 Jabiru Boys playing for the NT Country 16's & 18's. The 16's were robbed in the draw and won convincingly in the 3v4 Final and the Bushratz got Rusty Tisdell selected in the NT 16's squad. In the 18's the boys played hard and in a very tight final lost 17-19 to the Swampdogs. The Swampy's have played as a squad for 5 years while County had 2 days. Jabiru got Kritsada Phalaphon into the NT Schoolboys team while Cody Bartlett, Manny Katom and Kieran Mizen should feel robbed to miss selection.

April 30th 2011

Jabiru Bushratz went down today to a fitter and more determined Uni Pirates. We didn't lack talent, just a bit of ticker and fitness when it really mattered. The season is starting to slip away a bit guys, best the finger gets removed from the anal passage and some socks get pulled up if we want to salvage this season! Training is Tuesday from 6:30pm.

April 19th 2011

Well the Dragons came out with a star studded team yesterday, and they were convincing winners with a final score of 47-0. However the improvement from last weeks game against the Swampdogs to this week was massive. The Dragons had some class players who capitalised on broken play to score nearly every one of their tries. We matched them in the backline with our defending players stopping at least 7 additonal tries being scored. Our forwards defended better and the lineouts were much improved.
We have a bye over the Easter weekend. So there will be training on Tuesday only this week. There will be no training on Thursday. Next Tuesday is ANZAC Day and I doubt that anyone will be available to train that day either. There will be a session planned, but numbers will be down.
Our next game is against the struggling Uni Pirates at Austar Park. Please start preparing for this game now.

April 10th 2011

Bushratz V Dragons. We need to train damn hard if we want to beat them. They smashed Cougars this weekend!

April 10th 2011

Well done boys. A very hard 13-12 win against a very fine Swampdogs team in very wet conditions. Awesome effort by Eakin, Camo and Sada, with rookie's award going to Ebe. Next week is the Dragons at home. Thomas Chapman and Tyrone scoring tries and Tyrone kicked a penalty conversion in the last 2 minutes to snatch victory for the ratz.
Best on ground for the Bushratz were Dan Eakin, Camo Jerome and Sada Phalaphon. Rookie of the week was Ebe Robinson.
Special mention to Jah for his improved leadership on the field

April 3rd 2011

The Bushratz travelled into Darwin this weekend for the first game of the 2011 NTRU Season. The opponents were old foes the Casuarina Cougars, who had their tails up after a comfortable win over University last week.

The squad we had for the game had only limited preparation due to work, weather and the recent Manila tour, however everyone was keen and ready for a good game.

The Ratz are currently boasting 9 new players in this season’s team, with many of them entering their first season of senior rugby. Those guys are Manny Katom, Deakin Bradley, Cody Bartlett, Kieran Mizen, Rusty Tisdell and Travis Bradley. We also have a bunch of guys who have committed to the team from the KRU’s Tindal Lions.

The game conditions were very wet, and the referee had lectured everyone well before the game on his views on high tackles and other infringements.

The game started well for us, with the Ratz gaining a fair amount of possession in the first 10 minutes. The wet weather made it hard to control the ball, however the lack of discipline from the Cougars allowed us to keep the ball more than them.

The Cougars capitalised on a weak defence in the midfield just after the 15 minute mark and strolled in for a soft try. Unconverted, but up by 5-0. The game seesawed, with the penalty count rising every minute in the Ratz favour. Again, the Cougars took advantage of a weak spot in our line and crossed for an easier try just before the break. This one was converted and the boys were 12-0 down. Some great work saw the dying minutes of the half in their 5 metre area, with a staggering 7 straight penalties for infringing and high tackles award to the Ratz. Unfortunately the boys couldn’t get over the line and the half ended.

Despite the referees pre-game warning, the Cougars amassed 22 penalties in the first half with 7 high tackles in that tally. Yet no card was given. This type of play from the Cougars unsettled the younger players and allowed the Cougars to run riot in the second half. While that sounds like the Ratz played badly, it is not the case. It was just the Cougars were better prepared and had their game plan set well before we arrived. Final score 38-0 to the Casuarina Cougars.

The Bushratz young squad have the opportunity to take this week’s game as a lesson in how not to prepare for a game. If anything we can use it as a training run, and build on the experience to take it to the Swampdogs, who will be travelling to Jabiru this Saturday to try and get their second win of the season.

See you at training.

Drew Weaver

Coach

March 28th 2011

Jabiru 'Welcomes Back' the Bush Turkeyz from the Manila Thriller. Drew Weaver has made the statement that the boys had a great time and it was enjoyed by everyone involved. Drew passes on his 'Thanks' to everyone who attended and the Nomad’s Rugby Club, the event organisers.

The Nomad’s Rugby Club, located in the heart of Metro Manilla recently hosted the 22nd Manila Rugby 10’s at the Nomad’s home ground. There were 32 teams in the tournament in 2011, with our very own touring team ‘Bush Turkeyz’ amongst the group.

The team travelled over with 14 players, and all were keen to play in the tournament. As well as the usual contingent of Bushratz players (Drew, Marc, Elijah, Tyrone, Camo and Eakin), we also had some first time Bushratz tourists in Oren, Fabio and Thomas. New recruit Peter Ross joined the party along with our Katherine based brother in Streaker, Matty, Cheesy and Mudge. The Turkeyz had entered in the 3rd Division and were vying against teams from Asia and Australia for the Bowl.

The first game was bright and early on the Saturday (for some Turkeyz players very bright and very early) and was against the Pot Bellied Pigs from the Arabian Gulf. Although they had prior experience at the event they were no match for the excited NT boys and the Turkeyz ran away comfortably with a 29-0 win. A short rest was in order before backing up for game #2 against a local team – The Baretto Blues. This small village team from south of Manila has produced many National reps in recent years, however they were on other duties in our game and the Turkeyz finished 19-5 in another easy game.

Game three was a much harder effort, with many of the Turkeyz players starting to feel the effects of the previous 3 days. The very strong local team Abalong Ibons were way too classy for a hung-over Turkeyz outfit and they were comfortable winners 24-0. The end result saw the Turkeyz progress through to the finals on the Sunday, but with a much harder draw that the Ibons.

Sunday saw another early start, and with it another case of overindulgence from the night before. A backline reshuffle was called to accommodate the intoxicated players and the call to play strict forwards rugby was enforced. The team was up against the Philippines U20 National team, who had recently won the U20 division of the Asian 5 Nations. Their style of play was very quick and we knew if they got the ball wide we were in trouble. The Turkeyz forwards heeded the call and the whole game saw the Turkeyz dominate possession and territory. Great tries to Peter Ross, peter Lee, Camo Jerome, Streaker Collins and Drew Weaver saw the Turkeyz make it into the Semi-Final, to be played against our camp-mates the Brisbane Warriors. There was a 5 hour turnaround between games so a few of the boys went back to the hotel to recover.

The Semi-Final wwas played in the hottest part of the day, and the Turkeyz were struggling for fit players. The same call was made for a forwards game and as always they responded in bucket loads. The field had deteriorated by this stage into something resembling razorblades crossed with sandpaper, and the hardest part of the game was trying to keep the ball up (and therefore keep your skin). Both teams threw everything into the game but some poor play close to our line saw the Warriors cross with 2 minutes to play. The Turkeyz couldn’t recover and bowed out 0-7 to the team from Brisbane.

Brisbane went on to win the bowl division against the Ibons. They were such good blokes that they even hand the bowl full of beer around our players to enjoy. Top stuff that!

The Manila 10’s is by far the best tournament I have ever played or been a spectator at. All areas of the event were catered for and there was no shortage of top quality rugby. The organisers should be proud of the effort and result they produced. The Bush Turkeyz will be back in 2012 to win the Bowl.

Cheers

Drew Weaver

Bush Turkeyz Rugby – Captain

March 27th 2011

The NTRU Draw for 2011 has been published on the Jabiru Bushratz Competition page.

March 26th 2011

At the Jabiru Bushratz Annual General Meeting, the club appointed me as the 2011 Bushratz Coach.

I agreed to take on the role, on the proviso that I had the support of the players. I was assured by the players present that I did.

The Club has elected Elijah Morrison as the 2011 Club Captain. Elijah has been with the club for 4 years and has developed into a fine rugby player, with a natural leadership quality that will be a major benefit to the team.

This season sees us in a fantastic new playing kit, a very unique design that will hopefully bring the team, club, sponsors and town much success this year.

The 2011 NTRU season will mark 19 years since the Jabiru Bushratz won a premiership.

My question to all current and soon to be future Bushratz players is - do you want to make 20 years?

I sure as hell don't.

The 2011 NTRU season will start on the 26th March. We have been given a bye in round 1 due to our commitment to the manila 10’s and will play our first game the following week in Darwin against the Cougars.

I would like to see who is returning in 2011 for the Mighty Bushratz. If you could let me know either by reply email, sms or phone call. My mobile is 0448011049.

I am hoping to also hear from people who may have something to offer the team even if it is not on the paddock.

My plan for the year is to concentrate on training and playing as a team. Any feedback to help achieve this is more than welcome.

I will be re-introducing the $5 club once per week. There will be mid-strength beer and softies only. There will be a sausage sizzle for players before every homegame as we will be training later.

The club will be announcing the sign-on day next week, but I would just like to get a feel for who is and who isn't playing.

I am very excited to have many of our junior players make the step into full-time seniors this season. I have also met many new faces in Jabiru who are keen to play.

I am also keen to get the KRU players again in 2011. We had our bacon saved on many times last season by having those guys on the field.

Anyway, I look forward to 2011. I hope that everyone who reads this is feeling the same way