Shute Shield: Warringah Rats coach in new territory after win over Manly
THE man who is the face of the local rugby derby between Manly and Warringah found himself in unfamiliar territory after the sides’ big showdown.
Manly
Don't miss out on the headlines from Manly. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE man who is the face of the local rugby derby between Manly and Warringah found himself in unfamiliar territory after the sides’ big clash on Saturday.
Former Marlins stalwart and now Rats assistant coach Damien Cummins was in the visitors dressing at Manly Oval and joined the Warringah players as they performed a rousing rendition of their team song following their 17-16 win
“I didn’t just want to win to beat Manly, I wanted to beat Manly because it was a step forward for this group,” Cummins said.
‘’It just happened to be Manly at Manly Oval and I think that will propel us forward in the year.”
Cummins admitted that he had felt a sense of relief when the fulltime whistle sounded.
“I put myself out there and said I wanted to win four grades and after second grade we were down three grades,” he said
In a bruising game befitting the battle of the beaches, it was more grunt than glamour.
The difference proved to be Warringah’s State of Origin style defence, with no one more prominent than secondrower “The Jackhammer” Jack Tomkins.
“We got off our line and we whacked them and there will be some sore guys in the Manly shed,” Cummins said.
Manly must be ruing bombing several great tryscoring chances in the first half.
And Marlins hooker James Hilterbrand, who was one of his side’s best, said it was execution that let them down.
“I’m pretty devastated but it was last passes and knock-ons at the ruck — just stupid errors,” Hilterbrand said.
“They are not errors you should make, but they are fairly simple things to fix — the structure is good, the pattern is good, the effort is there.”
Pathway to a dream! New Olympic goal for Aussie everyday heroes
It’s been a nursery for Olympic talent since it began but if international life saving can rustle enough support these everyday heroes will be able to stay at the beach to follow their dream.
Aussie Ironmen: Legend picks his top 12 of all time
In nearly 60 years of racing at the Aussies incredibly there have only been 25 different ironman champions. So who’s the best? We ask one of the greats who has plenty of stories to tell.