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Western Force 'A' have thumped Perth Gold 38-7 in the curtain raiser for the Western Force v Bulls match. The game was practically all Western Force 'A' with the scraps of possession and territory that Perth Gold enjoyed wasted through knock-ons or penalty kicks not going into touch.
The academy sides dominance was built off the back of a powerhouse scrum anchored by Paul Alo-Emile, Siliva Siliva and Joe Ritchie. The trio also impressing with solid ball carries in general play. The Academy backrow also toiled hard throughout the match and Nick Haining was a particularly standout. One criticism that could be laid at their feet, however, was that there was a proliferation of breakdown infringements by the academy side. Given the control they had over the match, it seemed more than just a bit lazy. Of the academy backs the standouts were halves pairing Tyler Berry and Dave Cloete, who took firm advantage of the platform laid down by their forwards, and outside backs Juan Pretorius and Isaiah Mosese. Mosese demonstrated some dazzling footwork that had the Gold players clutching the air on many occasions.
It is pretty hard to identify top performers in a Gold side that was comprehensively beaten. The only notable in the forward pack was young Oliver Hoskins. While the Gold scrum was in reverse all through the match, it definitely deteriorated further when Hoskins went off. Centre pairing Chance Peni and Conrad Gillingham also showed off glimpses of attacking skill. All those Bieber watchers out there may be interested that Johnny O'Bieber turned out at 15 for the Gold side. Johnny definitely has the heart of his older brother but he isn't quite in the same league as his older brother. There were some glimpses of the O'Connor talent, however he is still a fair way off.
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Originally Posted by Rex Messup
