Round 9: Melbourne Royals Vs MOnash barbarians

After a tough loss to the Berwick Miners in round eight, the Royals were looking to bounce back in division-two and take a win home. The Monash Barbarians had been rising in form over the last few weeks and had recently even knocked off the 2011 champions, The Northern Raiders. The division-two clash saw the Royals travelling back out to Endeavour Hills for the third week in a row and the morning game would be no different to the last few weeks, in which rain and cold conditions had affected game play.

The Barbarians would receive the ball first, and the defence came out strong with a run stop from strong safety Michael Van Gessell, followed by a fumble by the Barbarians on second down that was recovered. An attempted pass was found incomplete and the Royals defence forced a quick three and out situation. The ball was punted to the Royals offense, however the defence was required to return to the field after a fumble on the running game. The Barbarians would fumble again, however were there to recover it once more. The Barbarians moved down to the red zone but were unable to put it in for a touchdown as linebacker Andrew Rowse sacked the quarterback on a blitz, before Barbarians quarterback Kieren Dwyer attempted to pass on fourth down but threw an uncompleted pass.

The Royals offence however would struggle to move the ball in the conditions against a stingy Barbarians defence coupled with the Royals missing three of their running backs in conditions that warranted a heavy rushing attack. Despite feeling some pressure from the Barbarians defensive line, Royals quarterback Blair Black managed to get some passes off in the first half, hitting receiver Adam Watson for several first downs. Watson also made sure to pick up as many yards after the catch as well, often needing three defenders to bring him down as he battled for extra yards and a forward fall. Black was picked off unfortunately though and the Barbarians marched back into the red zone.

The defence was able to make some big stops in the red zone, free safety Ben Ly continued to dominate his deep area of the field and a big stop on fourth and goal by strong safety Michael Van Gessell and cornerback Max Smith allowed the Royals offence to come back to the field. The offence however failing to keep the ball moving with another fumble in the Royals backfield allowed the Barbarians to return to the field with only ten yards needed for a score. Barbarians quarterback Dwyer managed to hook up with a receiver this time for a touchdown, topped off with a follow up score for two points.

The Royals behind 0-8. The Royals offence were again forced to punt after receiving the ball back, and due to a penalty on top of some solid defensive stops including a screen realised and stopped by defensive tackle Jeremy Edwards and a stop by defensive end Donal Stott, the offence was able to return. QB Black was able to hook up with receiver Henry Wright for a great catch, but was sacked in the series and ultimately would go into half time without a score.

The Royals received the ball to start the second half and needed to put some scores on the board to get going and take home the win. The Royals were forced three and out though by the Barbarians defence and pass rush, throwing off offensive timing. The defence was forced back on the field and provided a three and out also, with defensive end Paul Stephanatos sacking the quarterback. The Barbarians were forced to punt, and a fumbled catch after the snap into the end zone nearly meant a safety for the Royals specials teams unit. The Royals offence was back on the field on the one-yard line and looked safe to pick up a score. However, after a penalty the Royals still could not move the ball in the red zone and failed to put points on the board. The defence were able to again stop the Barbarians offence and the Royals returned to the field offensively late in the third. Some substitutions were made into the Royals offensive line, with defensive lineman Edwards and Stott called in to play guard. The Royals scored on a deep bomb provided by QB Black, linking with speedy receiver Chris Tuohy. The two points were unsuccessful and the Royals continued to trail 6-8.

The fourth quarter would start with the Royals desperate to score another touchdown to take the lead, and the Barbarians hungry for their second division two win of the year, looking to extend their lead. The final quarter showed to be a defensive battle, both defences showing their strength and disallowing any offensive play to gain any real ground. Royals linebackers Andrew Rowse, Alex Strickland and Josh Vakapuna flowed over to stop the run, with help from the defensive line. The Royals secondary also providing support whenever the Barbarians would attempt to go through the air. Finally, with the clock dying in the fourth quarter, the Royals offense held the ball, 40 yards from the end zone. The first three downs would see incomplete passes as the Royals tried to keep the clock from moving, and would end with QB Blair Black looking for a deep pass on fourth down to win the game. The fairy tale ending however was not to be, as the ball fell incomplete and the Barbarians kneeled out the clock to win the game in a low scoring contest 6-8.

The Royals go into round ten with a bye week, evidently much needed after dropping their first division-two game of the season. The Barbarians proved too strong on the day, mainly in their defensive abilities. The Royals will be spending their week off perfecting and reinvigorating their offence that has struggled to put points on the board to the same extent as in the first half of the season. The next game will be against the Northern Raiders in round 11, both teams hungry for a win.

NFL Comparisons

So far Royals Newsletter has looked at quarterbacks, receivers and linebackers. This week we look at the hard runners of an offence, the running backs.

Running Back: Victor Nguyen – Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars.Victor Nguyen was undeniably a force in 2011, taking the vast majority of reps in the back-field in the Royals power running offense. Nguyen runs low to the ground like MJD, and can be described in the same way Steelers linebacker James Farrior describes the Jaguars tail-back; “he short, but he’s not little”. Nguyen, like MJD has the ability to bounce off blockers, spin out of tackles and break for extra yards. If you want to take down Nguyen, an arm tackle will not help you, as he will bounce out and embarrass you. However like the star Jaguars tailback, Nguyen is fighting a bad knee, but will be back soon.

Running Back: Frank Matue – Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks.Some would think of Matue as 49ers running back Brandon Jacobs for his big hits and truck-ing ability. However Matue fits the description much better of the Seahawks running back. Matue, like Lynch is a violent runner that will hit tacklers at top speed and bowl them over. Matue often requires several people to bring him down as he delivers powerful stiff arms to defenders and like Lynch will try and run you over, or at the very least fall forward to make extra yards. Not a running back that you want to get in the way of.

Running Back: Robbie Hanrahan – Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers.Hanrahan showed glimpses in 2011 of the player that he could be, but dealing with no1 tail-back Victor Nguyen meant fewer reps in tight games. Like Panthers tailback Jonathan Stew-art, Hanrahan works in a busy backfield, but provides a different style to his counterparts. Hanrahan is a threat to take passes out of the backfield like Stewart and can be particularly dangerous in an option attack. In 2012, Hanrahan has stepped up as a safe pair of hands that will pick up first downs through his quick running and focus to get past defenders and go through them if he needs. Hanrahan is dealing with an injury but will return soon to keep picking up those touchdowns.

Running Back: Justin Matic - Tim Tebow, New York Jets.Royals Newsletter understands that Tim Tebow isn’t a tailback, however Matic and Tebow share a number of traits. Matic spent his offseason improving his speed and putting in work in the weights room, so like Tebow runs downfield at a tight end size. Furthermore, Matic plays some receiver as well, fitting Tebow’s H-back capabilities and better use. Finally, Matic can also throw a nice spiral, just not well enough to be a starting QB…just like Tebow.

Running Back: Dom Macaluso - Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints.Macaluso has entered the 2012 season late, however has shown he can be used both as a receiver and running back. Macaluso shares physical similarities to small Saints running back Darren Sproles, who is only five foot six. Macaluso shares the speed that Sproles brings to the table at his size, and is a danger to defences if able to hit the sidelines for a sprint, or on a quick pass in the open.

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Saturday games were hosted down in Corio this week, with the Bay City Buccaneers hosting the Croydon Rangers in a 2011 Vic Bowl rematch. The Rangers had shown their huge offensive capabilities last week against the Raiders scoring 60 points, however the Buccaneers seemed to have their number, denying any chance to put points on the board. The Rangers were able to drive but not finish them off with the Buccs standing too strong on defence. The Buccaneers finished on top winning 13-2.

The Gladiators played against the winless Stars in the afternoon game. The Stars were able to put a score on the board but the Gladiators proved too strong, blocking a punt and returning it to the house. The Gladiators took home a win 12-6.

The afternoon game at the Miners home ground saw condi-tions worsen as the Monash Warriors played the Berwick Miners. The Warriors have been playing strong all season and in the wet conditions managed to win the game 12-0, despite the tough Miners defence.

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