Young Beetles show strength against Barbarians

This week the Busselton Junior Beetles travelled to Australind to take on the Barbarians.

For the Under 8s, it felt like the spirit of Genghis Khan himself was inhabiting the opposition as the horde steamrollered the Beetles to take first blood.

Rocked, but not rolled, they regrouped and began a war of attrition to take the game back to the Barbarians, matching score for score for most of the match.

The Ninness siblings showed their mettle. Indriya, growing in confidence, was fearsome around the pitch, and Bodhi scored a lightning solo try with an instinctive dummy, dart and dive.

Without the luxury of substitutes, the Beetles had to rely on their fitness and determination to keep the tempo going until the final whistle as they were met with a constant stream of fresh legs from the opposition. A special mention for Wendy Caddy for stepping up when needed most.

When the dust settled at the end of the game, the Beetles had come out on top with a few bruises to prolong the memories of a match they can be proud of.

Although the morning was very cold, the action on the paddock was red hot for the Beetles Under 10s.

The lads got off to a great start running in two superb tries. The Barbar’s were more than up for it, and responded strongly.

The match turned into a classic arm wrestle with both teams flexing their muscles. Damien Councillor was immense in the forwards, he has really come into his own and is proving to be a solid enforcer. Ryland Pradera got stuck right in and entertained all who were within earshot.

Newcomer Elliot Reynolds is finding his feet nicely, he announced himself with some thumping tackles on Saturday.

Young guns Riley Di Stefano and Hugo French are both making the step up from the under 8s, representing both teams well and putting in the hard yards. The lads may have gone down by a score, but rugby was the winner on the day.

We head to Margaret River next weekend and will have to be at our very best to tackle Gropers in front of their home crowd…groper and chips anyone?!