Introduction To the Oysters Circular
Sponsors, parents, friends, supporters, coach, players, it is our pleasure to send you the first ever Oysters Circular. To keep all our stakeholders in the loop, we will be sending around a match report on Mondays following games with a match debrief and any further relevant updates. We hope this is an effective avenue through which we can keep all engaged, however we welcome any feedback as to how we could improve our communication.
From the Committee
The Sydney Harbour Rugby Club played its inaugural home game down at Rushcutter’s No. 2 Oval. Suffice to say, all socially distancing players had a great time. An impressive contingent of supporters had also gathered (in a socially distant manner) and, my word, were they entertained. This week’s fixture was against Oatley, a suburb from south Sydney, which, is famous for farming succulent Sydney Rock Oysters along the shores of Georges River. The hypothesis adopted by Oyster connoisseurs around the world (particularly in the French school of Oyster thought) is that fresh water from the Woronora River, a tributary that joins the Georges River opposite Oatley, lowers salinity levels resulting in juicy and flavoursome crop. Ironically, the hunter became the hunted on Saturday afternoon as the men and women of Oatley were put to the sword in a fantastic manner by the very oysters that they had harvested for generations (Australia was still part of Pangaea when Oatley shucked their first oyster). The community atmosphere around this slaughter was something to behold with supporters, parents, park goers (and the occasional doggo) were treated to a rugby masterclass.
Exhibit A: Skipper (Head Crustacean) and Secretary, Gus McClelland can be seen trying to ease the Oatley whooping with some fresh Oysters supplied by the Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed.
From the Coach
“The sun was glistening over the water at Rushcutters Bay on Saturday afternoon, setting the stage for an electric debut for the Oysters. There was plenty of excitement and nerves as the boys took the field, Harry Cole set the tone with a bone-jarring hit off the kick off. The Oysters dominated possession early with the piggies getting some good strong carries over the advantage line. This laid the platform for the pearls to operate, Nick Stubbs and Sam Wood were linking up well in the centres and before long space started to appear out wide. With some elusive footwork, Daniel Bottrell beat two defenders and set Harry Cole off down the left hand wing. A top class try saving tackle from the Oatley fullback brought Harry down inches from the line, but a few phases later James Rickard forced his way over for the first ever Oysters try.
Exhibit B: “The Shellfish Clinic”
The early strike only fuelled the fire for the Oysters, I was impressed with the boy’s relentless attitude in attack during the first half as they piled on the points. The scrum was a particular highlight, Harri Greville was putting on a masterclass at loose head prop and the whole forward pack dominating the set piece. The second half saw more of the same, a crowd favourite highlight was Jonah Clarkson returning to the field. The towering second rower quickly made his presence felt, flattening the opposition Number 8 in defence, and it consistently took 2-3 defenders to take him down when carrying the ball.
Overall it was a very pleasing result, with the Oysters collecting full points, winning 55-5. A special mention to fly half Jack Remond who was named players player, referee’s player and coach’s player of the game. Jack was a constant threat in attack, taking the ball to the defensive line all game in order to keep the opposition guessing. He produced a number of line breaks and bagged some meat of his own to cap off a fantastic game. Finally, Jon Chryssafis suffered a nasty shoulder to the eye and will be unavailable for the next few weeks. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.
We look to continue the momentum with training this week, before taking on the North Cronulla Sea-Lice next weekend.”
- Louis Biscoe a.k.a “Coach Boone”
Sponsors
On behalf of the entire club, we would like to extend a big thank you to our sponsors who have helped us get to this point. The most critical path items to getting the Oysters out on that field on Saturday afternoon were the cost of hiring the oval, the cost of the playing kit and the subbies rugby registration costs. With your valued support, we were able to coordinate all these moving pieces to convert the Sydney Harbour Rugby Club from a simple idea to an official inaugural victory of 55-5 that will be spoken about for years to come. As such, you take ownership in this victory just as much as the players and the supporters. Kudos to you! The Committee is currently in advanced stages of preparing our sponsors engagement and marketing strategy which we will roll out in due course.
We would also like to thank the parents who came down to support and assist in match day administration.
Exhibit C: Boisterous Oysters signing the post-game song “…yeahhh we made them pay…”
Season Schedule
Announcements regarding the next home game will be forthcoming as the club continues to build momentum as the premier rugby and social juggernaut of Sydney. Events will be inclusive to all family, friends and the wider community so stay posted. Without giving too much away, Round 7 at Home will be a special occasion.
Louis “Coach Boone” Biscoe has a "few selection headaches" ahead of the Oyster’s first away game against the mighty North Cronulla Sea Lice, next Saturday. In particular Joel Cheung, who after a 7 year hiatus from the game made a successful return on Saturday off the bench and will be pushing for a starting spot, hoping to usurp Gus McClelland from the Number 6 position. The Sea Lice and the Oysters will be battling it out for the "Neptune Cup", with maritime warfare of this intensity unseen on Australia shores.
Overall it was good to see all those who trained get on the field for a run, which can be attributed to Boonie’s coaching style. We believe that this, above all else, demonstrates what we symbolize as a club: community. Whilst we play to win, we hold our culture of inclusion to the highest standard as to encourage participation from all skill levels. Whether you played 1st grade colts or represented the King’s School 11th XV back in your heyday, the only thing that matters to the Oysters is your passion for our community and your love for the game. We believe we have cultivated a currently [33]-strong playing squad (see Exhibit D below) that lives and breathes this creed, and we hope to show you more of this as the season progresses.
Exhibit D: The Oysters on their beloved Reef
Have a fantastic week, go the Oysters, and above all, SHUCK ‘EM!