The Port Macquarie Pirates will be attempting to win a record 15th Mid North Coast Rugby First Grade  premiership at Stuart Park on Saturday when they take on Coffs Harbour in what has all the makings of a classic match.

These two clubs have dominated rugby on the coast for a decade and a half, with the Pirates taking the mantle from Coffs in 2007 after 4 consecutive premierships and there appears no end in sight to this dominance with these two teams not suffering a defeat against any other club for years.

The Pirates haven't lost a match in 2008 since their narrow round 1 loss to Coffs in Coffs Harbour and lead the head to head 2 to 1 following their 33 to 15 victory in the major semi final. These two teams also played a 20 all draw in Coffs Harbour later in round 11 in one of the best matches seen on the coast in years.

The Pirates like to go into the big matches as underdogs and this years decider is no exception, with Coffs still claiming to be the superior team. " Coffs have a strong belief that they are the best club in the comp and I suppose that's natural after a few years of dominance. They came here last year boasting how they would smash us and we annihilated them 39 to 6 in the decider. Then they came down for the major semi telling everyone that they are a 20 point better team than us and we smashed them again. So I'm more than happy for them to be talking it up and to go in favourites again. After all they are a very good team and we have enormous respect for them and we will need a lot of luck to win again." Pirates coach Brett Gilbert said when asked who he thought would be favourites on Saturday.

The Pirates played their best game of the season in the  2007 decider at a level not seen before on the Mid North Coast and Gilbert believes the 2008 side have a similar effort in them despite only having 3 starting players back from the previous year in Willie Kuki, Peter Besseling and Tom Valentine, together with Andrew Freeman and Chris Matheson who played off the bench. "We have played some good games against weak opposition and I don't think either team played well in the major semi. I know we have the players to do something special against a very good Coffs team. It's all about gradually building up to play your best but we won't get any more chances after Saturday so this is it." Gilbert added.

The Pirates will need to ensure that they control the ball and minimise penalties with good discipline as Coffs Harbour have the backs to pile on the points if given the opportunity. "We've been hammered in the penalty count every game and we can't afford to do that this weekend. It doesn't make sense for a team that has only conceded 8 tries in a season to give away cheap penalties at the breakdown" Gilbert added.

If the game is tight and it comes down to a piece of individual brilliance then Pirates fly half Matt Maney could well be the man.       "With such a big bloke I thought he would be a reasonable crash ball player. But Matt also has a great rugby brain, a turn of speed and a big boot when needed. I certainly wouldn't want to be marking him" Pirates assistant coach Peter Gerathy said. Maney has scored in every game since round one including 4 against the Coffs Red outfit and he will be looking to add to that tally on Saturday.

It goes without saying that big games are decided up front and the Pirates will need to be at their best against a Coffs team that will be strengthened by the return of prop Nick Joyce. And the Mid North Coast pack consisted almost entirely of Coffs players who have obviously impressed the Coffs based selectors over the years. The Pirates may not have the scrapbooks of their more fancied opponents but in Liam Casey, Kuki and Besseling they have big game players who are supported by a well balanced pack that plays above its weight.

For Besseling it will be curtains on a very long and illustrious rugby career that started 20 years ago at Hawkesbury Valley. Besseling first rose to prominence playing for Sydney University before joining the Pirates for the first time in 1995 and needless to say it was a premiership year. After being selected to play for NSW Country he was a member of the very first Brumbies Super 12 squad before returning to Port in 1997 to claim another first grade title as the Pirates went undefeated.

In 1998 after another stint with NSW Country, Besseling was drafted by NSW Rugby to play for the emerging Penrith Emu's in the Sydney competition with Pirate and NSW Country team mate Gordon "Chainsaw" Macqueen. After a couple of seasons of oustanding rugby in the top club championship in the country, including winning the prestigious Catchpole medal for the competition's best and fairest player, Besseling was finally signed by the Waratahs to play in the Super 12 tournament.

Many good judges thought Besseling was destined for higher honours however a serious off field injury in South Africa ended the dream and Besseling finally decided to take up a lucrative professional contract in Japan. After a couple of seasons in Tokyo playing for IBM Besseling and wife Megan decided in 2005 it was time to bring their young children Zara and Kase back to Port Macquarie.

The final chapter of Besseling's career started with a reserve grade premiership for the Pirates in 2006 when he just wanted to play for fun again with his old mates after a few years of gruelling professional rugby. But seeing his beloved club struggling in first grade and with diminishing numbers, Besseling committed himself to one last serious effort by taking on the Presidency of the club as well as returning to the First XV. Teaming up with his old team mate Dave Bailey, Besseling galvanised a lot of good people from the club into action and record numbers turned out for the club in 2007 with 4 teams being fielded for the first time. And needless to say another first grade premiership was added to the Pirates trophy cabinet.

Whatever the result on Saturday Besseling will go out a winner and will be remembered alongside former Wallabies Reg Smith and Dwayne Vignes as one of the most influential players to have donned a rugby boot on the Mid North Coast.

"I dont think the boys in our team will realise until they are older and have finished playing how lucky they were to play with Besso. He's not the flashest player around but in the trenches there's no-one better and his technical knowledge is second to none. But apart from being a great bloke and  rugby man, Besso will be remembered for those massive hits that can turn a game in an instant. I know he loves those more than anything and I'm sure he will be looking for a final bell ringer on Saturday." Gilbert said.

If ever there was a reason to get out to Stuart Park for a game of rugby, the prospect of seeing Besseling play his last game is it.

Match preview - Reserve Grade Grand Final (Stuart Park)

Saturdays reserve grade grand final Bowraville v Pirates will be a cracker. The Goannas have been improving year by year of late, and this season with some new players to town, and a solid influx of youth into their squad they have been sensational.Their forwards are tough and uncompromising, whilst their backline is littered with quality players who have proven time and time again that tries can be scored from any part of the rugby field. Their 5/8, teenage sensation Jesse McEwan recently signed a full time contract with the Gold Coast titens, and following his 7 try, and 8 goal hall 2 weeks ago against Kempsey the older Pirates players know they will need to be on top of their game to contain him and his support.
 
The two sides have met 4 times this year with bowraville taking honours 3 times, and the Pirates once (to be fair to Bowraville they had several key players out on that day).
 
Come Grand final day though anything can happen, and with plenty of players with big match experience the Pirates will be looking to pressure the younger Bowraville team. The Pirates started the season well winning several of their games before hitting a mid season slump and losing 5 matches straight, with hard work and higher committment though they have turned their season around and showed what they are capable of last week when they defeated a Vikings team full of regular first graders in the final at Coffs harbour
 
Coached by Ian Wall The team is made up of many names familiar to the Pirate faithfull- Palmer, Reichelt, Rosenbaum, Walsh, Richards, Bailey, Wink, Tydd to name a few, and when these players are mixed with recent juniors Byron Linn, Dan byrnes, Richard Locke and Cameron Sales the chance of an upset is a definate possibility.
 
Forward set pieces are an area where the Pirates will be looking to gain some ascendancy on Saturday. the book ends in the front row Adrian palmer and John nicholson will be calling on their vast experience to unsettle the Bowraville scrum. and with flankers Morgan Fox and Frank Walsh in good form at the business end of the season there will be good support to the Pirates backs.
 
Halves reichelt and Bailey will be looking to fight fire with fire and attack Bowraville out wide, with great runners like Simon Martin, Chris Holding and Josh Bull, the pirates have shown in recent weeks that they to can score tries when needed.
 
With many retirements looming, Saturday will be a good chance to fairwell players who have been the lifeblood on the field for the Pirates for the last two decades. and who knows, a major upset and a final premiership for some may just be they icing on the cake to many great careers.
 

Match preview - Major Semi (Stuart Park)

The Port Macquarie Pirates will be endveavouring to have all three grades reach the Mid North Coast Rugby Grand Finals for the first time since 1997, when they play the major semi finals at Stuart Park this Saturday afternoon. It will be no easy task in any of the grades as despite winning the club championship and the First Grade minor premiership, the Pirates will go into each game as distinct underdogs.
 
The Under 18’s finished second to Kempsey and were beaten 17  to 7 by the Cannonballs only two weeks ago, after earlier in the season playing out two draws with the minor premiers. The reserve grade team will meet minor premiers Bowraville who lead the head to head clashes 2 to 1, including a comfortable victory over the Pirates only a month ago. Bowraville look to be in top form with a first grade standard backline that racked up over 70 points against Kempsey last week. The Pirates forwards led up front by Adrian Palmer, Brett Rosenbaum and Daryl Wink will need to be at the top of their game if the Pirates are to have any chance.
 
It may seem strange for the Pirates First XV to be considered underdogs when they haven’t tasted defeat since their narrow round 1 loss to Coffs Harbour, have only conceded 6 tries for the season and are minor premiers and defending champions. Yet they were lucky to beat Coffs Harbour in their second encounter and even luckier still to escape with a draw in round 3. On each occasion the Coffs outfit have started the better and the Pirates have had to play catch up, something they can’t afford to do in big finals matches.
 
Unlike last year where Coffs never looked like scoring against the Pirates, this year they have a couple of very good backs who are capable of scoring tries from anywhere.  Throw in a very good scrum and experience in the likes of prop Hugh Campbell and former coach Paul Butcher at No 8 and it’s little wonder Coffs are favourites going into the match.
 
With injuries to some key fowards the Pirates will really have their backs to the wall and will need to be at their best on Saturday to ensure another home grand final. Speedy open side flanker Marc Sky has been ruled out until the grand final with a shoulder injury sustained last week and No 8 Michael Cook (broken hand) and prop Willie Kuki (hamstring) are both in serious doubt. The ability to cover for these  injuries really emphasises the Pirates depth with Ken Clinch coming into the back row and Byron Linn and Stephen Bullock also joining the squad.
 
Clinch hasn’t played a lot of rugby in 2008 due to work commitments however he did have a full game in reserves last week before coming on to replace Sky in the second half of the main game. " Ken is easily the most imposing back rower in the competition so while it is bad luck for Marc, we are lucky to be able to bring Ken in for this game and he will give Coffs something to think about as they haven’t seen him this year. But I'm sure they will remember how he destroyed them in last year’s grand final" Pirates assistant coach Peter Gerathy said.
 
And given that big games are won and lost up front the Pirates will be expecting big performances from their experienced campaigners in former Waratahs Super 12 second rower Peter Besseling and ex Irish under 20's prop Liam Casey. "This is Besso's last hurrah and he's been quiet lately and I sense just saving himself for one last effort. And Liam was the best on ground when we played Coffs last time and he's also been playing like he has been waiting for this game to come around. These blokes are the key. If they both fire we will be hard to beat despite the injuries" Gerathy added.
 
The depth in the Pirates pack is also emphasised by the fact that two of their best players all season have come from outside the big names. Flanker Adam Suitor and hooker Lucas Wall have put in solid performances week in week out and were the Pirates best last week against the Vikings. Even though this game will be played at a much higher intensity than either has experienced before, a repeat performance from these two would not surprise anyone.
 
The Pirates backs will really need to improve on recent performances if they are to get the points this week. Despite being packed with talent and speed they haven’t measured up against Coffs yet in 2008 and last week’s performance against the Vikings wouldn’t have anyone thinking that they are about to unleash something special this week. Yet there is something about the quality of the individuals that suggests that when they do get it right it will be worth watching.
 
One thing is for certain and that is whatever the outcome of this match these two teams will be meeting again in two weeks for the grand final. The winner of this week’s game will not only have the home ground advantage for the decider - they will also gain a significant psychological advantage.  

Match preview - Vikings (Oxley Oval)

The Port Macquarie Pirates will go into the clash with Hastings Valley on Saturday as overwhelming favourites after thrashing their cross town rivals on the last three times the teams have met, including a 53 to 3 hiding in round 1 in May.
 
Despite being overwhelming favourites the Pirates are not going into the match with any hint of complacency according to skipper Tom Vallentine. "We have a lot of respect for the Vikings and we were taken by surprise at what happened in round 1 and I don't expect that to happen this time as they have different personnel and a lot of pride to play for " Vallentine said. The Pirates scored after only 10 seconds when fly half Matt Maney  brushed off several defenders and raced 45 metres for a sensational opening to the match which was over as soon as is started.
 
The Pirates have a full strength squad for the first time since the 2007 Grand Final and welcome back Peter Besseling, Matt Maney, Ken Clinch, Rohan Lisle, Stephen Bullock and Mitchell Lewis for the round 10 clash at Oxley Oval. In the absence of these quality players the Pirates have had no trouble in racking up big scores against the weaker sides, but the Hastings team has also shown it can pile on the points when given the opportunity, with some big scores of their own against Coffs White and Kempsey.
 
"There won't be any excuses if we get beat this week as we have everyone back on deck and in Besseling and Clinch we have the most imposing forwards to have played together on the Mid North Coast since the days of Des Taylor and Reg Smith in the early 80's. And we have left no stone unturned at training this week. We have even prepared for rain and the unlikely event that our 3 best players are out injured" Pirates manager Doug Piper said.
 
It has been the unsung heroes of the pack like Adam Suitor, Marc Sky, Andrew Freeman, John Nicholson and Lucas Wall that have really added a new dimension to the Pirates forwards and compliment the big running games of Willie Kuki, Liam Casey, Besseling and more recently Michael Cook.
 
The Pirates will need to continue their improvement in the scrum following a much more cohesive effort in that department against Kempsey last week. "The Vikings scrum rate themselves very highly so it will be good to see how our boys measure up against the big reputations" Piper added.
 
The school holidays have allowed Pirate junior and Ipswich Grammar front rower Mitchell Lewis to return to the squad for the first time since round 1. "Mitchell acquitted himself very well on debut against the best front row in the comp and he now looks like a tank and we very are glad to have him back for the next couple of weeks." Piper said.
 
If the Pirates forwards can deliver anything like an even share of the ball the backs will be hard to hold out for any team. " We have plenty of pace with the likes of Nathan Ives, Chris Matheson, Tim Platt, Gibson Weru and Vallentine all genuine speedsters but we haven’t really clicked as a backline yet and I’m not sure how the boys will handle the pressure the Vikings will exert. “ Pirates backs coach Peter Gerathy said.
 
With Matheson and Platt having scored 12 tries each already the race is well and truly on for top try scorer in 2008, although both will be just happy to contribute to a winning performance on the weekend. And it’s not as if Maney, Lisle and centre Jared Reinhardt are pedestrian and all three have an imposing presence in the physical backline exchanges that gives the Pirates team a good balance. Having Maney back at fly half will give the Hastings team plenty to think about as his shear physicality means that simply marking him one on one is very dangerous.
 
The Pirates reserve grade aren’t worried about the outcome of Saturdays clash – they will just be hoping to get a run after Kempsey forfeited last week and the Hastings team followed up their round 1 forfeit to the Pirates with another forfeit against Coffs Harbour last week. “It’s very frustrating and hard to keep players interested when this happens. This week we have over 22 players available for the game yet we are uncertain if we will even get a run but I’m confident the Vikings will do the right thing” Pirates reserve grade coach Ian Wall said.
   
The Pirates reserves are sitting on top of the table and will be keen to gain the bonus point as early as possible, whilst the second placed under 18’s will be just happy to grab a win. Although undefeated in 2008 the junior Pirates have played in 3 draws including a thrilling 10 all encounter with Hastings in round 1. The Port Macquarie side has improved since then and will be looking to go one step better against what is also likely to be an improved and formidable opponent.

Match preview - Kempsey Cannonballs (Port)

The Port Macquarie Pirates meet their traditional rivals Kempsey in Round 9 of the Mid North Coast rugby premiership at Stuart Park on Saturday in 3 grades in what should be an entertaining day of Rugby. The Pirates and the Cannonballs have been the fiercest of rivals going back to 1974, and whilst both clubs have had their ups and downs over the years the matches between the two clubs have usually been very keenly contested, none more so than the epic 2002 Grand Final which ended in a draw after extra time and both teams were declared joint champions.
 
In 2008 the Cannonballs have struggled and the 59 to nil round 1 defeat at the hands of the Pirates was one of the softest clashes in memory and the Kempsey boys will be out to restore some pride on Saturday. The Pirates on the other hand will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table, as well as continuing to work on their game in preparation for the clash with Coffs Red in 2 weeks that will determine the minor premiership. Injuries have plagued the Pirates in the early part of 2008 and combinations haven’t been able to gell as a result. This week will be no different with Kiwi fly half Matt Maney having one further weeks rest to ensure that he is right for the back end of the season. Maney’s absence is a double blow as not only is he the Pirates playmaker, he has probably been their best in the early part of the season.
 
The make up of the Pirates backline won’t be known until after the final training session however it is likely that another Kiwi in Tim Platt will move to fly half and either Gibson Weru or Rohan Lisle will partner American Jared Rienhardt in the centres. “It will depend on how Rohan pulls up after training on Thursday night. He has only played half a game since we last played Kempsey so it’s hard to tell how he will go.” Pirates assistant coach Peter Gerathy said.
 
Whatever combination the Pirates throw onto the park it is sure to have plenty of tries in it with the likes of Chris Matheson, Nathan Ives, Tom Valentine, Weru, and Platt all being blessed with exceptional speed. “It is without doubt the fastest backline I’ve seen at the club, it just remains to be seen whether we can get the combinations right and put it all together in the second half of the season. If we can there will be some great rugby to watch.” Pirates coach Brett Gilbert said. Winger Matheson is the competitions leading try scorer and both he and Platt collected an amazing 4 each on the last occasion these teams met.
 
It is in the set pieces that the Pirates have the most scope for improvement and will be really looking to lift their game starting this weekend against the Cannonballs. The Pirates have added Stu Robertson to the coaching team as scrum coach and will be looking for a significant improvement at scrum time over the next few weeks and into the finals. “Robbo coached Besso and me in 1995 when we won the premiership. He is a very knowledgeable coach and certainly knows his scrums. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an improvement straight away” Gilbert added. And in the lineouts the Pirates struggled to gain their usual dominance in Peter Besseling’s absence, but that should change with his return this week.
 
The Pirates will be hoping that prop Liam Casey and hooker Stephen Bullock have recovered from ankle injuries sufficiently to play a part in this weeks game as they will need the match fitness over the next 2 weeks before meeting the Coffs outfit that gave them such a torrid time in the last encounter. Both trained for the first time in a month on Tuesday and are hopeful of playing some part.
 
In the under 18’s the Pirates will be looking for back to back victories following last weeks comprehensive win against third placed South West Rocks. The winner of this clash will gain the outright competition lead and both teams will be keen to gain some dominance after a nil all draw in round 1. The young Pirates will be without Alistar McCullough but appear to have plenty of depth this year and they welcome back Scott Munro after his epic voyage on board the Young Endeavour. Coach Nathan Carguilo is looking for a big game from his young halves combination in Brad Cain and Richard Tulloch, with Daniel Brynes dropping back to fullback.
 
In the reserve grade clash the Pirates will be looking to start again after some inconsistent performances in recent weeks. After thrashing competition front runners Bowraville 41 to nil, the Pirates were last week comprehensively beaten by the Gaolers 17 to 5 after leading 5 nil at half time. The Pirates will need to put Kempsey away convincingly to regain the competition lead.

Match preview - South West Rocks (2XV & U18's)

The Port Macquarie Rugby Club’s Reserve grade and under 18’s take centre stage at Stuart Park this Saturday with the Pirates First XV having a well earned bye. Remarkably the Pirates find themselves sitting on top of the Mid North Coast Rugby competitions in all three grades and the Reserves and Under 18’s teams this week meet the South West Rocks Goalers who are placed third in their respective competitions.

 The Reserve grade outfit last week turned the table on second placed Bowraville, with a 42 to nil thrashing that highlights the enormous depth of the Pirates when at full strength. With 2007 First XV winger Gary Adams lured out of retirement, the return home of young prop Byron Linn, the first game back from serious injury for lineout jumper Damon Richards and the likes of Jason Riechelt, Daryl Wink, and Frank Walsh slotting back in after a weeks absence, the Pirates were always going to be very hard to beat. Back rower Michael Cook has returned to top form and is not far off a spot in first grade as his fitness improves and its no wonder coach Ian Wall has a big smile on his face these days “ At full strength we have a team that would beat all but the top two first grade teams. Our main problem is we never have anything like the same team week to week and with a good run of home games and hopefully with the finals being played here in Port that will change.” Wall said.

 The Pirates won’t be taking the Gaolers lightly after a narrow 14 to 10 victory in round one against the defending premiers. “They play a good tough game and they will be looking to knock us off and grab second spot from Bowraville so we will need to be fired up and ready to play” Wall added.

 The Pirates under 18’s head in to this weeks clash with South West Rocks under done due to 3 weeks with no game. This weeks practices have been physical to keep players match fit and a number of key players have had runs in reserve and first grade. Jamie Moore has lead from the front in previous games and the Pirates will be looking for him to control the ball at the breakdown. Coaches Nathan Gargiulo and Scott Marks have spent a lot of time in recent weeks working on ball security at the breakdown and maintaining continuity with pick and goes and runners around the ruck so the Pirates will be looking to dominate South West Rocks in this area. “The scrums have been very strong so far this year and the Pirates will be looking for Nick Maxwell and Jamie Moore in the front row to provide a solid platform.” Gargiulo said.

  “I don’t believe we have seen the best of Alastair McCulloch this year who I believe is perhaps one of the most athletic players on the Mid North Coast. This week he will move to blindside flanker which will allow him to play a bit looser and hopefully get more ball in hand.”

 Brad Cain has been an outstanding performer at half back all year and the Pirates will be looking for him to direct play. Dan Byrnes moves to fly half this week due to the absence of Richard Tulloch. The backs have struggled to get any momentum this year due to inconsistent combinations and this is a concern for the home team. Dan Byrnes will challenge the South West Rocks back line by running straight and hard and looking to put other players into gaps. The team with the most possession usually wins and this year the Pirates have kicked away too much ball and so this week are looking for the ball to be kept in hand. The Pirates know that South West Rocks will come at them hard so they will need confront them from the whistle if they are to repeat the round 1 victory against the Gaolers.

Reserve Grade

1. Byron Linn
2. Daryl Wink
3. Adrian Palmer
4. Luke Richards
5. Damon Richards
6. Cameron Sales
7. Michael Cook
8. Frank Walsh
9. Jason Riechelt
10. Chris Cain
11. Simon Martin
12. Brad Saville
13. Jeremy Tydd
14. Richard Locke
15. Josh Bull

16. Brett Rosenbaum
17. Morgan Fox
18. Robert Duffy
19. Gary Adams
20. Anthony Murphy
21. David Bailey
22. Chris Holding

Under 18’s

1. Nick Maxwell
2. Ash Buckley
3. Jamie Moore (c)
4. Dayne Thompson
5. Adam Crowe
6. Alastair McCulloch
7. Sam Williams
8. Zac Shore
9. Brad Cain
10. Dan Byrnes
11. Tom Beverley
12. Beau Tobler
13. Mark Harris
14. Andrew Mifsud
15. Chris Turnham

16. Owen Roods
17. Sam Butler
18. Matt Walton
19. Ben Grieve

Match preview - Coffs Harbour White & Bowraville  (at Port)

Only 8 days after easily disposing of Coffs White at Coffs Harbour, the Port Macquarie Pirates will again tackle the same outfit at Stuart Park on Monday in a rescheduled match from round 2 that was washed out. Having consolidated their position on top of the Mid North Coast Rugby table in all three grades the Pirates are now looking to develop their game in preparation for what is promising to be a hard fought finals series against Coffs Red. And given that Coffs Red will not have a game on Monday the Pirates are expecting a more competitive outfit to arrive in Port for the game.
 
And despite beating the White team 41 nil last week that game and the previous weeks close win over Coffs Red has given the Pirates coaches plenty to work on and there is unlikely to be any complacency in the Pirates camp. “Our scrum was exposed badly against Red and we missed way too many first up tackles against both Coffs teams to be resting on our laurels. We need to keep working on our game and our combinations in preparation for the next encounter with Red which will determine the minor premiership.” Pirates Coach Brett Gilbert said.
 
The Pirates have backline talent to burn and even without Tom Valentine, Matt Maney and Tim Platt they managed to rack up 5 second half tries last week. This week sees the return of Valentine and Platt whilst Maney will again be rested to ensure that he is 100% fit for the big matches to come. Maney’s absence will again give teenager Daniel Brynes a chance at fly half in first grade and the Pirates are confident that he will do the job once again. A recurrence of a knee injury to centre Rohan Lisle opens the door for American Jared Reinhardt to make his starting debut for the Pirates at inside centre. Reinhardt has a similar aggressive and physical style of game to Lisle and should slot into the backline plans well if his performance as a replacement last week is any indication.
 
Kenyan flyer Gibson Weru showed in the second half last week what he can do when given the ball in space, crossing for three long range tries. “ I was initially a little bit disappointed in his first run but then I looked at the tape and realised we didn’t present him with many opportunities and he did set up what turned out to be the match winning try with a 50 metre counter attack. And he was only 48 hours off a 32 hour flight from Kenya via Kuala Lumpur”. Gilbert said. And on the other wing, Chris Matheson is proving to be the competitions most prolific try scorer having racked up 8 five pointers already this season.
 
In the forwards the Pirates will again be without Irish loose head Liam Casey and hooker Stephen Bullock, however John Nicholson and Lucas Wall last week showed that they are capable replacements. The Pirates have also been buoyed by the return of young prop Byron Linn who tasted first grade last year when only 18 before being struck down by injury. “We will see what Byron’s condition is like in the reserves against Bowraville on Saturday but I suspect he will also get some game time on Monday with us and he will be a very useful inclusion in our squad for the rest of the season” Gilbert added.
 
The pack will be the same eight from the previous week with teenager Jamie Moore again partnering veteran in Andrew Freeman in the second row and Peter Besseling dropping back to number 8. “Besso didn’t participate in the line outs at all last week. He is playing a mentoring role with our youngsters and just guiding them around the park while they learn the game. That will change when we face the Vikings and Coffs Red. I’m also looking for another strong showing from Willie Kuki who was our best player last weekend.” Gilbert said.
 
Meanwhile the Pirates reserve grade will again tackle the second placed Bowraville Goannas at Stuart Park on Saturday from 2pm. These two sides contested a thrilling match last week with the Goannas posting an 11 points to 10 victory to move them to within striking distance of the Pirates in the race for the minor premiership. The Pirates will have done their homework following last weeks loss at the Bowraville cauldron and will fancy themselves to reverse the result back on home soil. Pirates coach Ian Wall will welcome the return of Frank Walsh, Darryl Wink, Jeremy Tydd, Josh Bull, Richard Lock and Jason Riechelt, all of whom were unavailable for last weeks clash. With newcomers Anthony Murphy and Brad Saville having performed strongly on debut, the Pirates should sneak home against a very committed Goannas outfit.

Likely Pirates 1st XV
 
1    John Nicholson
2    Lucas Wall
3    Willie Kuki
4    Andrew Freeman
5    Jamie Moore
6    Adam Suitor
7    Marc Sky
8    Peter Besseling
9    Tom Valentine (c )
10    Daniel Brynes
11    Chris Matheson
12    Jared Reinhardt
13    Tim Platt
14    Gibson Weru
15    Nathan Ives

Match preview - Coffs Harbour White & Bowraville

The Port Macquarie Pirates will travel to Coffs Harbour and to Bowraville this Saturday looking to consolidate their top of the table positions in both First and Reserve Grade. The Pirates have had a successful start to the season, having lost only 1 match in all grades so far in 2008 and they will be looking to continue that form this weekend.
 
The First XV will take on the Coffs White outfit at Coffs Rugby Park at 11.00am, whilst the reserves will tackle the second placed Bowraville outfit at Bowraville at 1.30pm. The Pirates will not be taking the Coffs White outfit lightly as they showed they are capable of some reasonable rugby when at home and at full strength, with a comfortable victory over Kempsey 2 weeks ago.
 
The Pirates will also be looking to dramatically improve their scrummaging after last weeks effort against Coffs red which was the Coffs team dismantle the Pirates scrum. And the task has not been made any easier with ankle injuries to hooker Stephen Bullock and loose head prop Liam Casey. Casey originally injured his ankle in the match against the Vikings 2 weeks ago and did well to even take the field last weekend. The big Irishman hobbled through he warm up and showed tremendous courage to last 60 minutes. Club Physiotherapist Paul Seward has confirmed Casey will be sidelined for up to a month and the extent of Bullocks injury is not yet known but could involve a similar stint on the sideline.
 
The injury to Bullock will see Lucas Wall play his third position in 3 weeks. Wall made his debut for the Pirates firsts 3 weeks ago at inside centre and then played No 8 last week when he was one of the Pirates best. Wall is an uncompromising style of player and has been groomed by reserve grade coach Ian Wall (no relation) as a hooker of the future for the Pirates. Wall has shown with his goal kicking in recent seasons that he is prepared to put in the time working on individual skills and the Pirates coaching staff are confident his lineout throwing will come up to the mark quickly.
 
The Pirates will welcome back Rohan Lisle to inside centre and Gibson Weru will partner Lisle in the centres with Tim Platt unavailable to make the trip due to work commitments. This should give Weru the chance to get his hands on the ball more often and use his undoubted pace that was briefly on display last weekend. With skipper Tom Valentine also unavailable, the versatile Chris Cain will again move to half back where he has played well in earlier rounds.
 
The under 18’s outfit have the bye this weekend and this gives the Pirates the opportunity to further blood youngsters in the top grades. Daniel Byrnes and Jamie Moore are both still eligible for under 17’s rugby and will both be starting in first grade this week. For Brynes it is his 4th starting appearance in the top grade on the wing, whilst Moore will be making his starting debut in the second row after having been used in the later parts of recent games as a reserve. Versatile backrower come second rower Alistar McCulloch will also travel with the first team whilst Scott Munro and Matt Walton will travel with the reserves.
 
Continuing the Pirates long tradition of hosting overseas players the Pirates have this week welcomed the arrival of Jerad Reinhardt and Brad Saville from the Missoula Maggotts in the USA. Reinhardt (centre) and Saville (half back) arrived on Thursday from Montana and are looking forward to a 3 month stint with the Pirates to learn the game and are sure to add depth to the Pirates playing strength. Both boys are looking forward to their first run in Pirates colours this weekend at Bowraville. The reserve grade clash should sort out the favouritism for this years reserve grade title, with the Pirates undefeated and the Goannas following closely on their tail. Many of the Pirates will remember the thrashing they copped on last years trip to Bowraville and will not be taking the game lightly.