With the Fortescue Premier Grade reaching its fifth round, the race for the Premiership is getting hot.
Entering Round 5, Cottesloe and Palmyra are sitting at the top of the table, with four wins each. Cottesloe emerged victorious from the Battle of Broome Street last Saturday, in a tight 24-19 win over Associates, while Palmyra finished Round 4 with a 46-26 win over Perth Bayswater.
Sitting at the opposite end are Kalamunda and Perth Bayswater, who will meet this coming Saturday for the chance to find their first win. The last time the two teams met was in March during the Rendezvous Scarborough Challenge Cup, where Perth Bayswater lost at home, 5-29 to Kalamunda.
Entering Round 5 of the 2024 season, Kalamunda is looking for a repeat of the preseason competition's result.
“Our biggest challenge will be putting together a complete game against a hungry Bayswater squad," Head Coach Callum Payne said.
Last week, Kalamunda faced Joondalup Brothers at HBF Arena, suffering a 41-27 loss. Tries for Kalamunda were scored by Tevyn Anitelea (40’), Evan Jordan (45’) and Sione Tuitavake (67’), with 3 conversions by Evan Jordan (40’, 46’, 68’), and an additional two penalties from Evan Jordan (42’, 57’). Tries for Joondalup were scored by Oakley Pearce (3’), Jacob Mounsey (8’, 36’), Oskar White (63’, 78’) and Jack Grimley (71’). Four conversions were completed by Chris Bell (3’, 63’, 71’, 78’), and one penalty (60’).
“We were pretty disappointed with that result and have higher expectations for ourselves,” Payne shared. “We are looking to put together 80 minutes of consistent rugby, last week was a good example of what happens when we don't stay focused for the full game.”
“The quality of teams in this competition means that if you are off the mark by even a small amount it can have a big impact on the final score. We are a tight group and after some clear conversations, we know what we need to do to generate that consistency.”
In the Perth Bayswater v. Palmyra match, tries for Bayswater were scored by Nikolai Foliaki (0’), Filimone Muavou (18’), Maximiliano Filizzola Moyano (52’) and Zsen Falakoa (59’), with conversions by Simon Hbrek (0’, 52’, 59’). From Palmyra, tries were scored by Rewita Biddle (5’, 11’, 79’), Piersen Kennington (29’), Fraser Jones (29’) and Sabastian Siatoaga (49’), with conversions by Jack Grooby (5’, 11’, 29’, 35’, 49’), and penalty goals by Jack Grooby (45’) and Rhys Morgan (76’).
“Bayswater will be looking to kick on after firing some good shots against Palmyra and, similar to us, will be looking to get off the mark after a disappointing start. They have strong ball carriers across the park backed up with a good kicking game which we are sure will test us.”
Despite a rough start to the season, Kalamunda is feeling strong with their growth and potential for future performances.
“We have been happy with our collision work. We can get fairly consistent wins in the contact zone, what we need to do is work hard to capitalize on it and not let our hard work go unrewarded,” Payne commented.
“If we can go back-to-back with repeat efforts, we are confident that we can keep moving forward.”
For Round 5, Payne is hoping to see hunger and consistency from the team.
“For us to perform to our potential, we need to play with a desire to win every moment, not just the big ones.”
Kalamunda v. Perth Bayswater will be streamed live from Hartfield Reserve on Stan. Kickoff is set for 2:00PM.
Wanneroo is set to take on Associates at HBF Park as the Curtain Raiser for Westen Force’s match against the Waratahs. Kickoff is set for 3:05PM.
Starting off their season strong, Kwinana Wolves have three wins in the bag as they head into Round 4 of the Championship Grade. Following a 14-26 win over ARKS last Saturday, they’re looking to continue their streak as the face off against Perth Irish at home.
“We feel we are in a good place at the moment," Kwinana’s Head Coach, Ricky Steedman said. “We are getting better and better every week.” "I think we have been really lucky to get some good points on the board, and are looking forward to the battle ahead, as Perth Irish is always a good hard battle.”
Heading into this weekend, Kwinana is feeling good about their potential performance.
“We are strong right across the board. A lot of new players and combinations, but it's coming along really well, slowly but surely.”
Their biggest challenge, Steedman commented, is knowing when to best use their talent.
“Knowing when to pull the trigger, so our backs can show class and their talent. We tend to not earn the right to go wide to our backline and just give them the ball, and hope for the best instead of running them forwards and drawing in the opposition backline, so hope we can put that into play this week.”
Kwinana Wolves will meet Perth Irish at Wellard Oval on Saturday, May 18. The match is set to be streamed on Rugby Xplorer, and will kick off at 2:00PM.
Round 2 of the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade is set to play on Saturday, with last week’s two winning teams – Wests and Wanneroo – facing off against Kingsway Sports Complex. In last weekend’s Round 1, Wests Warriors made their Fortescue Premier Grade comeback with a tight win over Palmyra, finishing 12-7 at Bennett Park.
“It was so great to see a Fifteens team back on the pitch,” Wests Warriors Head Coach, Christian Cano, said. “It was a special day.”
“We had 10 debutants, as well as a number of players from our successful community 10's team last year on the pitch. We also had some players that had been through the Wests junior system return to the team.”
“The team played really well considering it was their first match together. The new Palmyra team will be a force to be reckoned with, but our girls stood up to the challenge and deserved the win. The celebrations afterwards demonstrated the huge relief and pride to be back.”
Heading into Round 2, Wests look forward to building their sense of togetherness and continuing from what they’ve worked on in training.
“It takes time to build this culture but the way the team has responded has been massive. Adhering to strong values of togetherness and to back each other no matter what will see us through what is sure to be a long 15-round season.”
“We are consistently adding detail to what we do and the way we play. Seeing this acted out on the field is a real joy for a coach. Seeing how we respond to difficult situations is something that I am also looking forward to seeing.”
Facing off against Wanneroo for the first time this season will be a challenge for the newly returned Wests.
“Wanneroo are a very well coached team with some excellent players. They have a wide range of youth and experience and as a club a huge sense of pride.”
“The Divaz are always a hard team to beat. Especially on their home ground. We need to have a strong set piece, and be competitive at the breakdown to compete.
“The whole team is excited for the challenge.”
At McGillivray Oval last weekend, UWA made the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade debut against Wanneroo. Suffering a 79-5 loss, UWA scored one try to Wanneroo’s 12, with 7 conversions made by Lucy Lockhart.
Wests will face Wanneroo at 2:00PM at Kingsway Sports Complex, while UWA will meet Cottesloe at Harvey Field. Palmyra v. Kalamunda’s match has been delayed until Thursday May 30.
Entering mental health round, the mental health and wellbeing of players, coaches, volunteers and spectators is vital to all clubs. For Kalamunda, it's a priority to consider within their culture.
“Mental health and physical health are really part of the same thing. It's very hard to be healthy in one part of your life if you're struggling in another,” Payne said.
“Kalamunda prides itself on the relationships we have within our club. A lot of people talk about the culture here, which really boils down to a group of people that care about and for each other.”
Similarly, Kwinana Wolves promotes a family environment within their club space, emphasising club bond and communication.
“Our club is a big family orientated club. We have a bond in this club like no other,” Steedman shared.
“We talk a lot about making sure we are all able to speak up. We are all in constant talks with each other and make sure that everyone at our club is good.”
“We try to... help out wherever we can, because there are plenty of times where coaches and managers go through a lot. Here at the Wolves, we all get behind each other and help out.”
“Not only our club, but with all other clubs in WA, we are all in this together, and that’s what we try to teach our community.”
At Wests Scarborough, open conversation is encouraged, to foster community and support.
“One of our biggest things at Wests is to always look for one another and check in.,” Cano said. “We have a very supportive group, and as a key leader I am a strong advocate of this.”
“We will also look to be an organisation that can provide support for players. The way we behave is heavily linked to our values. We must set and maintain the standards.”
“Rugby is a great sport for mental health and wellbeing. Working together, communication, support in tough times, and being a game for all. “
RugbyWA has recently launched its Mental Health & Wellbeing webpage, to assist clubs in this continued effort to engage with club members and players, to encourage conversations and offer support. To find out more, visit the RugbyWA website.
All match times have been adjusted for this round, with the Premier Grade kicking off at 2:00PM. All adjusted timings are available through RugbyWA’s fixtures for 2024.
Fortescue Premier Grade Men’s Round 5 Fixtures
Kalamunda v. Perth Bayswater @ Hartfield Reserve *Streaming Live on Stan
Wests Scarborough v. Nedlands @ Bennett Park
Palmyra v. Joondalup Brothers @ Tompkins Park
Cottesloe v. UWA @ Harvey Field
Wanneroo v. Associates @ HBF Park *Curtain Raiser for Western Force v. Waratahs
Southern Lions – BYE
Championship Grade Round 4 Fixtures
Mandurah Pirates Blue v. Perth Irish Wolfhounds @ Meadow Springs Sporting Facility
Kwinana Wolves v. Perth Irish Championship @ Wellard Oval *Streaming live on Rugby Xplorer
Mandurah Pirates White v. ARKS @ Meadow Springs Sporting Facility
Curtin Uni v. Bunbury Barbarians @ Edinburgh Oval
Rockingham v. Dunsborough & Busselton Dungbeetles @ Lark Hill Sporting Complex
Fortescue Premier Grade Women Round 2 Fixtures
Wanneroo Divaz v. Wests Warriors @ Kingsway Sports Complex
Cottesloe Shegulls v. UWA Women’s @ Harvey Field
