Vawdon Cup Grand Final Review

Vawdon Cup Grand Final day had arrived with the Manly Sea Eagles up against the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in the Women’s Premier League division. When they last met two years ago in the 2013 Vawdon Cup Grand Final the Roosters got the win by a single touchdown. This season after a slow start and three losses, the Roosters had some of their senior players return and since that time were undefeated, capped off with a semi-final win over the highly fancied Bulldogs last week. The Sea Eagles were on a high themselves by beating the Magpies 5-4 in their semi-final.

So with the stage set the Sea Eagles tapped off with some exciting touch keeping the ball alive early in the game. The Davis sisters combined in the middle of the park with Danni Davis holding off defenders with a number of dummies and neat footwork to score an individual diving touchdown. It was the perfect start for Manly 1-0.  The Roosters hit back and were next to score when Maddie Studdon broke through from acting half resulting in a nice touchdown. Manly were not to be out done and shorty after a nice out ball by Bec Beath found Laura Peattie who turned the Roosters defender inside out to score a classy diving touchdown.

However the Roosters hit back yet again through nice lead-up play from Studdon and Kristen Boss. It was now 2-2 and it seemed this could be a high scoring affair. Manly were next to score with excellent clinical lead-up play by Nicky Albery, Yasmin Meakes, and Tayla Clifford. With the defence on the back foot Kasey Dragisic picked up from acting half to find the flying Sam Rodgers who produced a magical catch and deliver placing the ball down to once again give Manly the lead. Determined to be the next scorer Manly did that to extend their lead to 4-2 through superb footwork from Yasmin Meakes following a Laura Peattie long ball. The Sea Eagles took the 4-2 lead into the break and the half-time talk was full of confidence and belief.

After the break Manly extended their lead yet again when Hannah Dyball and Shellie Davis combined for Davis to score a great touch down. It was now 5-2 with Sea Eagles supporters surely thinking this was now their game. Those thoughts were reinforced when Manly scored again after a Bec Beath long ball found Yasmin Meakes who scored her second touchdown of the game. Not finished yet a Danni Davis long ball this time found Sam Rodgers who timed her run to perfection to score again.

It was now 7-2 when Bec Beath topped off a strong performance once again scooping from acting half, releasing to captain Laura Peattie who found an outstretched and diving Yasmin Meakes who calmly caught the ball to score unopposed. The Roosters through Maddie Studdon and Kristen Boss lead-up play scored the final touchdown of the game with the Sea Eagles in total jubilation at the final hooter – the final score 8-3 to Manly in their break through Vawdon Cup title win.

For the Sea Eagles there were excellent performances all across the park. Danni Davis, Laura Peattie, Nicky Albery and Bec Beath all led from the front with just as important support roles from Tayla Clifford, Steph Maiolo, Emma Williams, Zara Nicholas and Shellie Davis who seems to score a touchdown in every big game. Yet again the Manly wingers proved their worth both scoring touchdowns that others would have struggled to convert.

The celebrations at the of the game have been a long time coming and perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the result was the performance which was nearly faultless. To think that the average age of this team is only 19.5 years and the team has won this title only losing one game and without four of their experienced middles in Sarah Peattie, Elesha Dougal, Jenna Hitch and Brittney McLeod. Special congratulations to Sarah Peattie who has continued to be an inspiration to so many of the Manly team, this season in her role as Assistant Coach. Attention now turns to State Cup with the Sea Eagles full of confidence that they can improve on their recent run of semi-final appearances.

Vawdon Cup Grand Final Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 8 defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 3
Touchdowns: Yasmin Meakes 2, Sam Rodgers 2, Danni Davis, Laura Peattie, Sam Rodgers, Shellie Davis.
NSWTA Player of the Final:  Tayla Clifford
Player of the Season: 3. Yasmin Meakes 2. Danni Davis 1. Laura Peattie

Vawdon Cup Grand Final Previews

The 2015 NSWTA Grand Finals will take place this Saturday 7 November at the home of NSW touch at Tempe.  The Sea Eagles have both their Women’s teams in the final game of the season with the Youth League taking on the Parramatta Eels and Premier League up against the Eastern Suburbs Roosters.

The Sea Eagles Youth team have had a successful season to date finishing Minor Premiers with only one loss – that being in the final round game of the season against the Penrith Panthers.  Manly have met the Parramatta Eels on two occasions this season, having a 2-2 draw in Round 2 and then getting the win by 4-1 in Round 11 on the double header Sunday at Parramatta.  It’s been an excellent effort for the team to reach the decider in what has been a competitive inaugural season of the Youth competition.  Additionally pleasing is that this has really been a team effort, to get this far with all 21 players contributing throughout the season.  It’s important to note that players who unfortunately miss out on final selection are as much a part of this team as the ones on the field and we are sure they will be there to support their team-mates on Saturday.

Looking to the week just past and the Sea Eagles should be full of confidence after a solid first half performance set-up the win against the Roosters in their semi-final.  The team led 4-0 and went on to get the win by 4-1.  For the Sea Eagles there have been a number of strong performers this season with some players also earning their Premier League debuts.  Brittney Clifford will lead the team again as Captain with Maddie Hartman the Vice-Captain.  Lucy McDonald once again proved she has a huge future in the sport with another pleasing performance in the semi-final.  Chloe Scranage, Paige French and Tully Marr additionally all bring their own experience to the team having already won Junior State Cup and Junior Regional titles.   Parramatta will not be taken lightly and for Manly to succeed they will have to be prepared to do the hard work by driving the ball at the pace and playing an up tempo game.

In Premier League the Sea Eagles will face off against the Roosters.  The Roosters got the better of the Bulldogs 6-5 in their semi-final whilst Manly are coming off a gutsy win over the very impressive Western Suburbs Magpies.  Down by two at the break the Sea Eagles welcomed back their Captain Laura Peattie and went on with the job winning the second half 3-0 and the game 5-4.  Nicky Albery collected the Player of the Match and has arguably been in career best form this season.  Danni Davis was hot on her heels and along with sister Shellie set-up a number of touchdowns.

Manly’s success this season hasn’t been without it’s challenges and without regular experienced middles Sarah Peattie, Jenna Hitch, Brittney McLeod, and Elesha Dougal the team has risen to the challenge and once again find themselves in the final game of the Vawdon Cup season.  The Sea Eagles young middle pack have been outstanding including NSWTA Junior Player of Year Hannah Dyball, Shellie Davis, Tayla Clifford, Steph Maiolo and Kasey Dragisic who  has slotted in extremely well and looks more and more an elite player of the future with every appearance.

On the back of recent Youth Trans-Tasman & World Cup success, Manly’s wing pairing of Sam Rodgers and Yasmin Meakes continue to prove they are the best wingers in the Women’s game.  It’s rare these players get any time off the field and they have once again been a big reason for success this season.   Moving onto the links and Zara Nicholas has had her best season to date with a number of stand-out performances.  Add to that Laura Peattie, Danni Davis, Bec Beath, Chloe Cheney and Emma Williams and Manly’s reason for success becomes clearer. So here we go again, so much to look forward to this Saturday and then only a few weeks until State Cup at Port Macquarie.

Women’s Premier League Championship Final – 4:00pm via YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXohNiAw-M0

Vawdon Cup Rounds 11 & 12

Vawdon Cup Round 11 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 defeated Norths UTS Bears 2
Touchdowns: Shellie Davis 2, Maddie Hartmann 2, Kasey Dragisic, Nicky Albery, Danni Davis
Player of the Season: 3. Nicky Albery 2. Laura Peattie  1. Yasmin Meakes

Vawdon Cup Round 12 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 12 defeated Newcastle City Knights 1
Touchdowns: Sam Rodgers 5, Laura Peattie 2, Yasmin Meakes 2, Maddie Hartmann, Kasey Dragisic, Nicky Albery
Player of the Season:  3. Danni Davis 2. Nicky Albery  1. Sam Rodgers

Vawdon Cup Rounds 9 & 10

Vawdon Cup Round 9 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 defeated Berkeley Vale 2
Touchdowns: Yasmin Meakes 2, Zara Nicholas, Nicky Albery, Danni Davis, Shellie Davis, Jess Fowler
Player of the Season: 3. Nicky Albery 2. Danni Davis 1. Laura Peattie

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 4 defeated Berkeley Vale 2
Touchdowns: Chloe Scranage 2, Maddie Hartmann 2
Player of the Season: 3. Jade Geros 2. Chloe Scranage 1. Brittney Clifford

Vawdon Cup Round 10 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 6 defeated Wollongong Devils 4
Touchdowns: Steph Maiolo 2, Laura Peattie 2, Shellie Davis, Emma Williams
Player of the Season: 3. Hannah Dyball 2. Laura Peattie 1. Maddie Hartmann

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 8 defeated Balmain Tigers 1
Touchdowns: Brittney Clifford 4, Kate Ryan, Chloe Scranage, Mia Wilson, Jessie Purvis
Player of the Season: 3. Paige French 2. Brittney Clifford 1. Jessie Purvis

Vawdon Cup Round 8 Review

The Sea Eagles were up against the Norths Bears tonight in what was going to be a huge challenge with 9 Premier League players unavailable with NYC and a total of 17 unavailable from both Women’s squads. Tonight Manly welcomed Premier League debutants Chloe Scranage, Tully Marr and Paige French. Norths had the tap off and took an early 1-0 lead. However Manly hit back themselves to even it up at 1-1. To Norths credit they scored back to back touchdowns to lead 3-1. But then Manly stepped it up and showed both amazing grit and sheer class with some outstanding hand-skill to go into the half time break at 5-3.  In the first half touchdowns to Chloe Scranage and Zara Nicholas saw Manly buzzing at half time confident they could go on with the job. The amount of opportunities the team were creating in attack was nothing short of excellent.

In the second half, as in the first, there were excellent performances across the park. Yasmin Meakes and Sam Rodgers were having storming games as middles along side Emma Williams and Emma Crerar who competed non-stop. Manly had scored four unanswered touchdowns to blow the opposition away with Chloe Scranage getting a hat trick on debut, Zara Nicholas scoring another touchdown and one to Yasmin Meakes. Bec Beath seemed to have the ball down for an eternity for a great individual diving touchdown but somehow it wasn’t awarded. Norths scored near the hooter but it was too little too late.  Special mention to Nicky Albery – the determination and attitude this player brings to the Manly team is so inspiring. Paige French, Tully Marr, Chloe Scranage and Jess Fowler all had very pleasing games handling the step-up with ease.

Manly ran out 7-4 winners on a special night for the Women’s squad and entire club – this performance typified the culture we have been building for years. All involved should be extremely proud of a memorable effort tonight and the team will be surely using this performance to lift them onwards as the final series and State Cup get closer.

Vawdon Cup Round 8 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 defeated Northern Suburbs Bears 4
Touchdowns: Chloe Scranage 3, Zara Nicholas 2, Laura Peattie, Yasmin Meakes
Player of the Season: 3. Laura Peattie 2. Zara Nicholas 1. Sam Rodgers

Chloe Scranage led an enthusiastic Manly team onto the field with Kate Ryan, Jade Geros and Francesca Curtin all moving into link. After several near attempts Kristie Leonard passed out from the middle to winger Bailee Radford for the Sea Eagles first touchdown. With four consecutive penalties against Manly, the girls had to work hard, however Lucy McDonald’s fast feet ran away after a tap at end of field to score the second. Kate Ryan followed shortly after for the third and then Carlingford managed a runaway for their only touchdown of the night. Kristie Leonard then made it 4-1, shortly after Captain Chloe Scranage setting up beautifully to pass off to winger Mia Wilson for her touchdown. Brilliant defence was shown all night long by Kristie Leonard, Tully Marr and high link Jade Geros shutting down the Carlingford attack. Chloe Scranage hit the ground for a diving touchdown, followed by Lucy McDonald who got four in total, Tully Marr and two more to give Kate Ryan a hat-trick. This capped off a great night for the Manly girls getting wins in both Youth & Premier League.

Vawdon Cup Round 8 Results & Player of Season Points:
Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 13 defeated Carlingford Cyclones 1
Touchdowns: Lucy McDonald 4, Kate Ryan 3, Bailee Radford 2, Kristie Leonard, Mia Wilson, Chloe Scranage, Tully Marr
Player of the Season: 3. Kate Ryan 2. Jade Geros 1. Kristie Leonard

Vawdon Cup Double Header – Rounds 6 & 7

Vawdon Cup Round 6 & 7 Results & Player of Season Points:

Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 drew Eastern Suburbs Roosters 7 (Easts 8-7 in Final Shot)
Touchdowns: Emma Williams 3, Jess Fowler 2, Yasmin Meakes, Hannah Dyball
Player of the Season: 3. Danni Davis 2. Nicky Albery 1. Zara Nicholas

Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 8 defeated Newcastle City Knights 1
Touchdowns: Laura Peattie 4, Emma Williams, Hannah Dyball, Nicky Albery, Zara Nicholas
Player of the Season: 3. Laura Peattie 2. Chloe Cheney 1. Bec Beath

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles defeated 14 Central Coast Dolphins 1
Touchdowns: Brittney Clifford 2, Lucy McDonald 2, Abbey Steanes 2, Claudia Mete 2, Bailee Radford 2, Maddy Nolan 2, Maddie Hartman 2
Player of the Season: 3. Maddy Nolan 2. Claudia Mete 1. Jade Geros

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles defeated 8 defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 1
Touchdowns: Kate Ryan 3, Chloe Scranage 2, Abbey Steanes, Jade Geros, Brittney Clifford
Player of the Season: 3. Maddie Hartman 2. Paige French 1. Kate Ryan

Vawdon Cup Round 5

Vawdon Cup Round 5 Results & Player of Season Points:

Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 0 defeated by Canterbury Bulldogs 4
Touchdowns: Nil
Player of the Season: 3. Zara Nicholas 2. Sam Rodgers 1. Laura Peattie

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 10 defeated Northern Beaches 0
Touchdowns: Bailee Radford 3, Chloe Scranage 2, Claudia Mete, Lucy McDonald, Paige French, Tully Marr, Maddy Nolan
Player of the Season: 3. Chloe Scranage 2. Bailee Radford 1.Tully Marr

Vawdon Cup Round 4

Vawdon Cup Round 4 Results & Player of Season Points:

Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 11 defeated Wollongong Devils 3
Touchdowns: Shellie Davis 4, Zara Nicholas 3, Sam Rodgers, Hannah Dyball, Emma Crerar, Tayla Clifford
Player of the Season: 3. Hannah Dyball 2. Zara Nicholas 1. Shellie Davis

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles defeated 13 Bankstown Jets 0
Touchdowns: Lucy McDonald 3, Kristie Leonard 2, Brittney Clifford 2, Rachel Fear 2, Bailee Radford, Claudia Mete, Maddy Nolan, Isabella Beach
Player of the Season: 3. Rachel Fear 2. Claudia Mete 1. Kristie Leonard

Vawdon Cup Round 3 Review

Vawdon Cup Round 3 Result & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 defeated Penrith Panthers 3
Touchdowns: Sam Rodgers 4, Tayla Clifford, Steph Maiolo, Zara Nicholas
Player of the Season: 3. Zara Nicholas 2. Nicky Albery 1. Danni Davis

This week the Manly Youth Girls were up against the Penrith Panthers at the Doyle Ground. The girls were keen to improve on last week’s performance and they came out of the blocks fast with a great first set in attack followed by some strong defence led by Chloe Scranage and Lucy McDonald.  Manly continued to apply pressure on the back of a much improved drive and it wasn’t long before Lucy McDonald took off from half to find an unmarked Abbey Steanes to score. Penrith looked to hit back only to be stopped by a fantastic diving touch by Tayla Browne which saved a certain touchdown. Manly went back on the attack and a fantastic solo effort by Lucy McDonald, stepping and weaving around several defenders, saw her score a great run away touchdown.  Britt Clifford then had the opposition turned inside out before throwing two dummy passes to score another great individual effort. Paige French showed good leg speed and a great dump to set up a “50 play” and scored another good touchdown. However some average defence allowed Penrith to score 3 first half touchdowns and that is certainly something we will need to improve on. Kristie Leonard continued to run hard and great vision saw her catch the defence offside and she ran away to score another run away touchdown to make the half time score 5-3 to the Sea Eagles.

The half time talk was simple. Drive hard, use our leg speed and more energy in defence. Rach Fear and Chloe Scranage led the way and had the team going forward to give us good field position. Britt Clifford capitalised and scooped through to give Mia Wilson her first touchdown in Vawdon Cup. Britt Clifford and Paige French then combined well to give Paige her second touchdown of the game. Led by Rach Fear and Kristie Leonard, the Manly defence held strong. Maddy Nolan worked hard in defence and pulled off a great touchdown saving effort when Penrith were looking dangerous in attack.  Another good drive pattern and a great set up saw Chloe Scranage slide through from half and she showed great vision to throw a perfect long ball to hit an unmarked Tayla Browne to score in the corner. Manly then had the Penrith defence scrambled and great vision from Maddy Nolan to call a “Rooster play” saw Lucy McDonald get her second for the match to make the final score 9-3 to Manly.  Tighter defence and better ball control could have seen the score blow out even more but a huge improvement on last week’s effort never the less.

Vawdon Cup Round 3 Result & Player of Season Points:
Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 9 defeated Penrith Panthers 3
Touchdowns: Lucy McDonald 2, Paige French 2, Abbey Steanes, Britt Clifford, Kristie Leonard, Mia Wilson, Tayla Browne
Player of the Season: 3. Lucy McDonald 2. Kristie Leonard 1. Rachel Fear

Vawdon Cup Round 2 Review

Round 2 of the Vawdon Cup took place with both Youth & Premier League at Jones Park, the home of Westmead Touch Association. A slightly nerve racking game for spectators at the Sea Eagles Youth League game playing against a well drilled Parramatta side.  In the first half it was a tight affair with Brittney Clifford dynamic in defence chasing down a runaway Parramatta attacker and getting the teams only touchdown.  The half time score was 1- 0 to Manly with tension high when Parramatta scored in the middle part of the field shortly into the second half. The Eels then scored again a few minutes later to bring the score to 2-1 in their favour. In response the super-fast and elusive Paige French managed a touch down to level up the scores. The game went into the Final Shot with no team scoring, so the final result of 2-2 stood.

Debutant player Madi Nolan was strong in defence and is a valued new player for Manly as were new wingers Mia Wilson and Anna Forrest who displayed confidence playing their first game. Despite a few incomplete touchdowns there was a great display of hand-skill with some fantastic long passes from the middles to the links and wingers.  Also some excellent fast driving from Abbey Steanes and Kristie Leonard with Claudia Mete and Jade Geros both loud in support on the wings.  Perhaps it was the incredibly tough refereeing that inhibited the team from producing their best.  Not one of our best performances and in the end a good wake up call for the team. It’s obvious we will have to work hard and continue to improve if we want to take out this competition.

Premier League saw the Manly Sea Eagles up against the Parramatta Eels. Manly were looking to build on their strong second half against Wests the previous week and were welcoming Charlotte Caslick making her debut tonight.  Manly started with an early touchdown to Steph Maiolo and then to Sam Rodgers after nice lead-up play by Chloe Cheney and Nicky Albery. The Sea Eagles were looking strong early on and after 7 minutes scored to lead 3-0 with a touchdown to Shellie Davis after an assist from sister Danni. To Parramatta’s credit and through a questionable penalty conceded on half-way, the Eels scored to make it 3-1.  However Manly finished off the half nicely scoring three unanswered touchdowns. The first was created through Tayla Clifford and Nicky Albery, with Sam Rodgers finishing it off. Then Shellie and Danni Davis combined yet again for Shellie to score a double. A minute before the half-time hooter Emma Williams added to the tally after a lovely long ball from Danni Davis making it 6-1.

The discussion at half time included focusing on reducing the number of penalties and looking to sharpen the attack, however it has to be said Parramatta were scrambling well in defence saving quite a few scoring opportunities with desperate touches. Zara Nicholas, Chloe Cheney and Tayla Clifford were all working extremely hard in defence frustrating the Eels attack.

The second half was under way and with 5 minutes gone Chloe Cheney, to the delight of the sub-box, hit a fantastic hole created by Nicky Albery. Laura Peattie was constantly looking dangerous with the ball and scored a nice touchdown to make it 8-1. The score extended to 9-1 when Hannah Dyball scored off yet another assist by Danni Davis. Then to complete the result Hannah Dyball repaid the favour by setting up Danni Davis to seal the result at 10-1.

For Manly it was a mixed performance, most definitely more improvement is required in attack. Defence was pleasing, with the Sea Eagles line looking solid. Zara Nicholas was a tower of strength in aggressive defence. Chloe Cheney added to her strong performance from the first round and Danni Davis was the stand-out setting up three touchdowns and scoring one herself.   Charlotte Caslick and Brittney McLeod both worked hard and will be better for the game tonight. As usual Laura Peattie led the team strongly, Tayla Clifford played with obvious confidence yet again and Nicky Albery had a strong game looking creative with the ball in hand.

Next week the both Sea Eagles teams travel to the Doyle Ground at Parramatta to meet the Penrith Panthers, who in Premier League have strengthened in the off-season with a number of new players.

Vawdon Cup Round 2 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 10 defeated Parramatta Eels 1
Touchdowns: Sam Rodgers 2, Shellie Davis 2, Steph Maiolo, Danni Davis, Emma Williams, Chloe Cheney, Hannah Dyball, Laura Peattie
Player of the Season: 3. Danni Davis 2. Zara Nicholas 1. Chloe Cheney

Vawdon Cup Round 2 Results & Player of Season Points:
Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 2 drew Parramatta Eels 2
Touchdowns: Brittney Clifford, Paige French
Player of the Season: 3. Abbey Steanes 2. Claudia Mete 1. Kristie Leonard

Vawdon Cup Round 2 Preview

Jones Park, home of Westmead Touch, once again hosts the Sea Eagles this week with both Premier and Youth League up against the Parramatta Eels. The Manly Youth League are coming off a big win and solid second half performance last week against the Balmain Tigers.  Tonight they meet the Parramatta Eels who themselves got a win 5-4 over the Berkeley Vale Panthers. It’s a memorable night for Anna Forrest, Madielyn Nolan and Mia Wilson who are all making their Vawdon Cup debuts. Additionally, Madielyn Nolan makes her Manly Sea Eagles club debut up against her previous club in Parramatta.

In Premier League the Sea Eagles will be full of confidence after getting a first round win last week against the Magpies. Charlotte Caslick makes her long awaited debut for the Sea Eagles and she will no doubt be having an interesting running battle against her Australian Rugby 7’s team-mate in Emily Cherry who is playing for the Eels this Vawdon Cup season. The Sea Eagles also welcome back Brittney McLeod who will make her very impressive 111th Premier League appearance in the Maroon & White. In the past the Sea Eagles have often had patchy performances against Parramatta, however last year they got the Vawdon Cup win by 10-1 with Danni Davis and Sarah Peattie starring on that day. The teams also met at the 2014 State Cup with Manly also getting the win by 9-0.  Look for a focused and disciplined performance by Manly this week with the intent on building on from last week and gaining momentum as the season develops.

Vawdon Cup Round 1 Review

The Vawdon Cup Premier League season kicked off for the Manly Sea Eagles up against the Western Suburbs Magpies. Laura Peattie was making her debut captaincy appearance and as per usual the team had a good support crew in parents and friends in attendance. Westmead is arguably the best night time Vawdon Cup venue and tonight’s playing surface and excellent lighting set the scene for an exciting match. Manly started strongly and after 4 minutes Chloe Cheney registered their first touchdown of the new season with nice lead up work by Tayla Clifford. One minute later some trademark hot stepping by Hannah Dyball beat a few Wests defenders near half-way setting up Sam Rodgers who scored in the corner. It was just the start Manly had wanted however they were probably guilty of switching off slightly and to Wests credit they hit back with two touchdowns to even it up at 2-2 after 10 minutes.

Sam Rodgers then scored another touchdown, once again through nice play from Tayla Clifford, however the Magpies scored again. With 3 minutes remaining of the half Manly scored the touchdown of the game through some excellent ball movement with Laura Peattie finding Emma Williams who finished nicely in the corner. As was now the pattern of the game Wests hit back to even it up 4-4 at half-time. The break was a good opportunity for Manly to re-focus on areas of improvement, and if they did that they could be confident of getting the win.

The second half was big improvement with the Sea Eagles scoring three more touchdowns. Tayla Clifford capped off her Player of the Match performance scoring through a nice assist from Kasey Dragisic. Bec Beath looked to be running freely and she set-up Steph Maiolo to score. Finally Bec Beath scored one herself through captain Laura Peattie. Most pleasing in the second half was the defensive improvement shutting out Wests to nil. For Manly it was a mixed performance that did look like a rusty first round fixture with likely improvement as the season gets going in coming weeks. Sam Rodgers once again proved why she is one of the best wingers in the game, additionally Tayla Clifford, Hannah Dyball, Kasey Dragisic, Laura Peattie, Chloe Cheney and Step Maiolo all had solid performances.

In the Youth League the Manly team put together a very impressive second half to knock over the Balmain Tigers by 13-0. Leading by 4-0 at half-time the girls really lifted to get a good first up win with double touchdowns to Kristie Leonard, Brittney Clifford, and Lucy McDonald. Captain Brittney Clifford made it a night to remember for the Clifford sisters taking out both Sea Eagles Player of the Match awards. Hot on her heels was the ever impressive Lucy McDonald and Paige French.

Next week both teams are taking on the Parramatta Eels at Jones Park, the home of Westmead Touch.

Vawdon Cup Round 1 Results & Player of Season Points:
Premier League: Manly Sea Eagles 7 defeated Western Suburbs Magpies 4
Touchdowns: Sam Rodgers 2, Emma Williams, Chloe Cheney, Tayla Clifford, Steph Maiolo, Bec Beath
Player of the Season: 3. Tayla Clifford 2. Sam Rodgers 1. Hannah Dyball

Youth League: Manly Sea Eagles 13 defeated Balmain Tigers 0
Touchdowns: Kristie Leonard 2, Brittney Clifford 2, Lucy McDonald 2, Rachel Fear, Jessie Purvis, Jade Geros, Abbey Steanes, Isabella Beach, Tully Marr, Claudia Mete
Player of the Season: 3. Brittney Clifford 2. Lucy McDonald 1. Paige French

Vawdon Cup Round 1 Preview

The 2015 NSWTA Vawdon Cup gets under way this Friday 7th August with the Manly Sea Eagles taking on the Western Suburbs Magpies & Balmain Tigers.  Starting with the newly formed Youth League, Christian Browne makes his Vawdon Cup coaching debut along with a string of young players.  Brittney Clifford has been awarded the captaincy with the ever energetic Maddie Hartmann supporting her in the vice captaincy role.

Making their Vawdon Cup debut are Isabella Beach, Jade Geros, Jessie Purvis, Lucy McDonald, Rachel Fear, and Tayla Browne.  The Manly team are also fortunate to have a number of girls that have already won back-to-back Senior State Cup’s in the Women’s 20’s division, so this should hold them in good stead for this inaugural competition.  Manly have the talent to give the Tigers a number of headaches and it will be interesting to see how they handle their first appearance in the Vawdon Cup competition against the reigning Junior State Cup Club Champions.

In Premier League the Sea Eagles find themselves in an opening round clash of the titans, up against the strong Wests club.  Laura Peattie makes her debut as captain for the Premier League team with the absence this season of sister Sarah and New Zealand World Cup representative Elesha Dougal.  Charlotte Caslick is unfortunately unavailable for selection due to ARU commitments and will have to wait at least another week to make her Sea Eagles debut.

For Manly all of their junior development success stories from the past few seasons are in the starting line-up.  This includes Hannah Dyball who is coming off the back of an amazing World Cup tournament for the victorious Australian Women’s Opens.  Emma Williams makes her sixth Premier League appearance and Kasey Dragisic just her third after a successful first season in 2014. Kasey was instrumental in the State Cup Women’s 20’s championship win, also taking out the Players Player Award.

Manly will be hoping for a big injury-free season from one of their favourites Bec Beath.  Bec was the recipient of the 2013 Manly Women’s Rising Star Award and last year had a frustrating time with injury, as a result missing out on State Cup. Also looking for a big season and fresh on the back of a successful Youth Trans-Tasman series and on the verge of the Australian Mixed Opens World Cup squad, Zara Nicholas has arguably been the biggest improver over the past year.  Zara has been going from strength to strength and this season should see her continue on the rise.

Manly’s opposition in the Magpies always look forward to this encounter and this will have the added spice of the opening round of the season.  Wests haven’t beaten Manly for a number of seasons with the Sea Eagles getting the points when they met on their only occasion through Vawdon Cup Round 3 last season by 6-3.  Look for a potentially high scoring game with Laura Peattie and Danni Davis looking to lead the way for the Sea Eagles.

Vawdon Cup 2015 Pre-Season

Vawdon Cup Premier League Squad (18 players): Bec Beath, Brittney McLeod, Charlotte Caslick, Chloe Cheney, Danni Davis, Emma Crerar, Emma Williams, Hannah Dyball, Jess Fowler, Kasey Dragisic, Laura Peattie, Nicky Albery, Sam Rodgers, Shellie Davis, Steph Maiolo, Tayla Clifford, Yasmin Meakes, Zara Nicholas.

Vawdon Cup Youth Squad (21 players): Abbey Steanes, Anna Forrest, Bailee Radford, Brittney Clifford, Chloe Scranage, Claudia Mete, Francesca Curtin, Gemma Wickham, Isabella Beach, Jade Geros, Jessie Purvis, Kate Ryan, Kristie Leonard, Lucy McDonald, Maddison Hartmann, Madielyn Nolan, Mia Wilson, Paige French, Rachel Fear, Tayla Browne, Tully Marr.

All the fixtures and results are via the NSWTA tournament home page.