GTS ready and raring for wet and wild trip to Cowra

The weather gods are set to play their part in Saturday’s representative fixtures between the George Tooke Shield (GTS) and Woodbridge Cup outfits.

Playing at Cowra’s Sid Kallas Oval, there will be rain about on Friday and Saturday, meaning ball control and discipline will be as crucial as ever in the league tag and men’s tackle matches.

GTS men’s coach Jack Bramley held his only training session in Yass on Wednesday night. He said the conditions were discussed as they prepared for the annual representative fixture.

“We’ve had a slow start with only one session, but that one session was impressive,” Bramley told CRRL.

“The weather forecast looks wet, and that was something we discussed.

“We didn’t win the ruck at all last year when we played them, and regardless of whether it was wet or dry, that is an area we needed to improve.

“Still, if it is wet, there will be more emphasis on that, as well as holding the ball and working hard defensively.”

Despite only getting to host one training session, Bramley was thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm of the selected players.

“It was almost worrying that it was so good,” Bramley laughed.

“I don’t want to talk it up too much, but we only had two drops the whole night, and our shape was good, and everyone got right into it.

“There was laughing, chatting, and good energy, but when we got into it, there was a lot of focus, which was really good to see.

“Driving home, I called Dad (Paul Bramley), who’s coached some pretty successful teams. He’s looked after Queensland Cup rep teams and spends six weeks with them, and he said it took three or four sessions for them to gel.

“Last night (Wednesday), they gelled, laughed, mucked around, and got along, which is a credit to all the coaching staff.

“Hally (Nick Hall) from Harden was great, and he took them for a warm-up, and the vibes were good.”

While Bramley expects wet conditions in Cowra, he said the GTS side would be ready to swing the ball wide when the opportunity arises.

“If the opportunity is there, I’m never going to deny a team the chance to play with shape, but we need to earn the right to do that,” he said.

“We spoke about that last night, and while we will look to play expansive footy when we get the chance, before that happens, we need to get into the grind early and earn that opportunity.”

Bramley believes the match can be won and lost in the first 10 to 15 minutes when the GTS forward pack takes on what is expected to be a big Woodbridge Cup engine room.

“They’ve got a big pack, and it’s their home deck, but our pack is actually bigger than I remembered,” Bramley said.

“We do have a mobile pack, which I’m happy about. Depending on whether we control the footy, it could help us a little bit.

“We might be able to play that little bit wider and get their pack moving around a bit, and we’ve got blokes there that can change the game at a drop of the hat.

“Still, the first 10 to 15 minutes is important, and we’ll be out there to play high-energy footy, showcase good line speed, and match their line speed with good tempo and try and win the ruck.”

While the GTS competition will enjoy a bye round this weekend, Saturday will be a big day of Rugby league in Cowra.

The League Tag match will kick off proceedings, and Harden’s Jason Pollard will coach the strong GTS side.

Click here for a complete list of both squads.

Kick-off times

12.30 pm: League tag

2 pm: First-grade

Location: Sid Kallas Oval, Cowra