On behalf of the Parramatta Rugby Club I would like to thank the Warringah Rats for their hospitality and keeping alive the Noddy Sawtell Memorial Cup. Noddy started his grade career with Parramatta after attending The Kings School. When he married he moved to the peninsula and continued his playing and coaching career for Warringah. Noddy symbolised all that was good in rugby and he touched everyone's lives. We will have a beer for you Noddy and Parra looks forward to when we will win back the cup.

It was also good to see past Parramatta president Andy Conway and Professor Graeme Morgan at the game. Graeme is a front row sponsor for the Parramatta club and we thank him for his contribution and financial backing this year. Graeme played hooker in first grade and was club doctor for a number of years. He has put many a stitch in for our club. The question begs to be asked, how do you become a professor of medicine when you play hooker in the front row?

The Phantom

Congratulations to everyone for a great day. That could a bit of Rex Mossop’s tautology. How can you have a great day when you lose 6 games? First Grade 51-21, Seconds 41-0, Thirds 29-12, Fourths 38-0, First grade Colts 68-7 and Second grade colts 48-8. It was amazing how positive the atmosphere was at the end of the day. Colts came back from Forshaw Park and the club house was still full at 8 o’clock with past players.  In our first round against Southern Districts we didn’t have Fourth grade, Firsts were beaten 81-0 and Seconds lost 108- 7.

A big "thank you" this week to the Cox and Gillett families who continue to supply supper for the after match functions. It was great to see so many players stay back including Warringah for the formalities and it is truly inspirational to share kava with those present.

Thank you to Brett, Peter Gillet and Tim Holiday for giving up their free time to build us a new stage and hall way for the new change room. Granville is slowly coming back to a welcoming ground to our players and supporters. Tim Holiday will be ordering the new canopies for the shade structures this week. We will be looking at having a working bee very shortly, as we want to make one of the back garages into weights room. It is also a good opportunity to have a drink.

It would be very interesting to see how many penalties we get in each grade as we must be averaging 2 yellow cards per game. Parra we need to be more disciplined, we are only making it harder for ourselves. I know its passion; however, surely we can do something about it.

After Fourths’ rendition of our club song, we will be having some singing practises very shortly.

The Phantom

The bus ride to and from Granville is a ride to experience. The departure time was to be 9am. By the time everyone arrived it was 9.15. Then there was  a call there were 4 players on the train and they are at Strathfield, can we wait: sure. Time ticked on, a few more players arrived. It's now 9.30am, we can't wait any longer. The Strathfield group is
nearly here. We will meet them at the station. We drive to the station. A couple of more ciggies and still no show, we've got to go. No trains but 2 more players find the bus. This it, we have go now, the missing player is now at Granville. Ok! let's go, the bus driver has to make a u-turn and off we go. The player is not at Granville hard luck we
have footy to play. We leave Granville at 9.50. We arrive at Foreshaw Park, with no further problems.

We will leave the ground at 6.00 pm after the speeches. Southern Districts were very generous to us and wished us all the best in the future. We had a large number of players stay for the post match function. We still are Parramatta proud. It was great. Souths won the boat race and Andrew Cox spoke very well. He will be in demand as an after dinner speaker when he retires from Rugby. Andrew is very magnanimous in defeat.

The bus ready to go, our numbers have grown, there was a really good feeling on the bus. We will be back. Richard Just took control of the entertainment with a singing game called "You Dead Sheep". It was very entertaining and lasted until Granville which is no major feat. A good day was had by all. See you on the next trip!!!

The Phantom

Congratulations to Peter and Gilbo at the Parramatta Rugby Club BBQ. A quote from All Things Rugby:

 “The friendly volunteers served up the most delicious hamburgers we‘ve enjoyed for many a season – Thank you.  

Parents of a Randwick player. “

Gilbo assures me he didn’t write the article. Well done boys.

Golden Jock Strap
To who ever wrote the article in Rugby News about Easts having 45 players out of action as well as their Super 14 players this week . Makes your heart bleed.  They must have thought we had a chance. We will be able to use this as a rev up next time we play Easts.    

Remember - send your Out Of The Blue tips to Out Of The Blue.      

The Phantom

Golden Jock Strap Nomination

Guess Who:

Who has been seen rubbing Dencorub on his thighs as he talks to his legs before each game. "C’mon boys, get me through" and "Big one today boys" are some of the exhortations to his thighs before each game. Worst thing is that he has the skinniest chicken legs in the club but rates them very highly, comparing them to his self proclaimed "guns" and "barrel like chest".

Remember to send your Out Of The Blue tips to Out Of The Blue.

The Phantom

Golden Jock Strap Nomination: Mark Hartill

It was brought to the Phantom’s attention at the Penrith game of our first grade coach’s gymnastic ability. Whilst watching First Grade at home against Sydney University, Mark was sitting on the hill on a chair behind the goal posts. In the first few minutes someone in our team did something stupid and Mark jumped to his feet with his arms in the air outstretched. He then proceeded to sit down in the squat position missing the chair.  Mark went into 2 perfect backward somersaults that would have made Nadia Comaneci proud. Marks legs were perfectly together with his head tucked in. At the end off the tumbles Mark again threw out his arms in the round off position. Two young girls were watching and they laughed their heads off. Mark was heard to say to them that he had done gymnastics as a young boy with a big smile. Yeah, Mark! and I bet you excelled at the Roman Rings also.

Remember to send your Out of the Blue stories to OutoftheBlue.  All contributions will be kept confidential.

The Phantom

Saturday was our first home game and with that comes a lot of work. You couldn’t say that Granville Park was in pristine condition. Our honoraries need a special mention for the unseen work that they do. Frank Lawson for marking the main and top oval along with Joe Scott who helped for the Souths trial and Uni home game. There are hours of work in these tasks. Ian “Mouse” Clarke for mowing and whipper snipping around the oval and amenities. It's because of Ian and Frank there is still a reasonable surface at Granville.  Lorraine Holman for giving up her Friday afternoon to shop and all Saturday for working in the canteen and doing it for the last 23 years and bailing us out when there wasn’t any one else. Peter Moore and Brett Gilbert for setting up the BBQ for Saturday and working all Saturday on the BBQ with the new “Blues Burger”. To Brett and Ben Gilbert for fixing the referees room door after the  break in.

Out Of The Blue - Call For Contributions

Out of the Blue is the club news letter.  Originally established by the legendary Straw McDonald in the 70’s, it contains stories of incidents or things  that players or officials have been sighted doing, either bizarre or foolish. At the end of the year a player or person will receive the “Golden Jock Strap Award”. Dennis Garlick “ Muncher” has received this award 3 times. If you see or know of an "interesting" incident please send it to Out of the Blue at the club website.  The identity of all contributers will remain confidential.