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Banquet 2006

	Rookie of the Year shared by John cote and Will Rhicard		MIP going to Dave Rumsby
	Jack McVeigh shared by Tom Bogan and Mike Barker		MVP going to Jeff Greene after a heart warming speech by Neil Pardington and Marty Boutin

The Ducks annual Christmas awards banquet was held again at the Knowlton Pub on December 16th. A good time was had by all with Kyle Foster dispensing drinks with unmatched professionalism. After a hearty lasagna supper it was time for the awards. The award for rookie of the year was hard to decide as there were a few great additions to the team this year. As such, it was decided that the rookie of the award would be shared by Will Rhicard and John Cote. The award for Most Improved Player was also hard to decide as there were many candidates who had improved their game this season. However, with his strong runs, consistent tackling, and impressive scrummaging the award went to second year prop Dave Rumsby. The Jack McVeigh award is given to the player who demonstrates perseverance and dedication. It was awarded to two solid veteran players, Mike Barker and Tom Bogan. The Most Valuable Player award went to a player who showed up to every game and many practices ready to win. His skills at second row helped hold the scrum and his jumping allowed us to keep not only our own in the lineout, but also steal many of the oppositions ball. The MVP award went to Jeff Greene.  

Finals Vs St Jean, October 14, 2006

	Oli's stylin' boxers helped out in this maul		Seguin searching hard for any penalty to call on us
	Lineout won by Jeff Greene		Mike Barker tackling a Barracuda
	Still believing himself to be at the Black & Blue festival, Seguin blew his whistle on this scrum		Lineout stolen by Jeff Greene
	Typical for the day was this hard contact between St Jean Forward and Ben Page		Neil going for the death grip

The finals were held on an unseasonably nice October day in the rural outskirts of Montreal's South Shore. The Irish's two fields were host to the premiere, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division finals, with the Ducks facing off against the St Jean Barracudas. The Ducks drew first blood early scoring off a driving lineout from the St Jean 5 meter line. play continued to go the Ducks way until some questionable refereeing made its way onto the pitch. Play continued to go in the Ducks favor, however referee Jaime Seguin did all he could to prevent that from happening. Despite these vexing circumstances, the Ducks managed to come away with the win due mainly to strong play in backs, the forwards play was continually blown up any time it did a good job.

Tom Bogan received honors for game MVP scoring on an interception try and playing a solid game at Inside Center and Fly Half. Final score was 22-8 for Brome Lake.   

Semifinals Vs Trois Rivieres, September 30, 2006

The second round of the playoffs were held at home on the last day of September and was another meeting with our great rivals the Braves of Trois Rivieres. Being the same match up as last season's final, both teams knew that it would not be an easy task. Complaints by 3R following the last encounter, the FRQ decided that it was necessary to have a referee and touch judge in contact with each other via headset. Despite these precautions, the game was a relatively one with little dirty play. 

Unlike last years final, the game was rather uneven with the Ducks on the upper hand. The first twenty minutes of the game demonstrated some solid brome defense which seemed to have a demoralizing on the 3R team. This would continue throughout the game and the Ducks emerged victorious by the score of 29 to 10.

The Finals will be held in St Julie on October 14 against the St Jean Barracudas. Fan support is always appreciated at away games, and obviously the finals are no exception. The Irish clubhouse routinely has hot dogs, hamburgers, beer and other provisions, though I'm sure there will be much more for the finals which will host 4 (?) games. Direction to the field can be found on the FRQ website.   

Vs Barbs, September 16, 2006

The final game of the year was played against the Montreal Barbarians this past Saturday, the last team standing in the way of an undefeated season. The game was not played on the nice turf field in DDO, but rather the same old crab grass field we all know and hate. Nevertheless, the Ducks managed to make do, opening the scoring fairly early into the game. As has tended to be the case this season, things snowballed from there. By the end of the day the Ducks racked up 41 points with only one or two conversions. This was because our kickers were not on duty, and as such it was sort of a free for all on the extra points kicking (kudos to Matty for grubbing his kick at goal). A good game was had by born again rookie Olli Blampin who scored three tries, one of which from an interception. However, highlight of the game was the kickoff return by Jason Grenier, a squiggly kick that just made it to the sidelines following facetious advice from Ben Page.   

Playoffs are next vs. either TMR or Westmount.

Vs Laval, September 9, 2006

The second game against Laval was an earlier start than most, with kickoff scheduled for 11:00am. This change in routine seemed to cause some problems for certain team members who had long distances to travel or who had to work in the morning. This resulted in confusion for the lineup and a slightly less than satisfactory warm-up, not to mention lower fan attendance. Nevertheless the game got underway as scheduled under grey skies.

Matt Rzyzora opened the scoring with one of his typical long runs into the try zone. Minutes later he repeated that feat but with some competition. The Laval  winger chased Rzyzora down the sideline and was making ground on him but evasive sidesteps threw his pursuer off-track and he was able to make the try. Play became a little stagnant for while until the second half when Jesse Mosley was able to break through the Laval defense to score a try by the post which was then converted. After the two first tries the Ducks seemed to sit back a little, content with the way things were going. Laval capitalized on the Ducks' laziness scoring a try midway through the half.

Next game vs Barbs, September 16th on their new turf field in DDO. 

Vs St Jean, August 26, 2006

	ruck formed, Marty waiting		Lineout lost
	ruck formed		Barker passing to Grenier

Vs St Lambert, August 19, 2006

	Tommy Bogan running a try in		Ollie, apparently more than just talking head on the sidelines
	Usually McCubbin has his own head up his ass, but not this time		"You take his head, you take his leg, I'll take the ball"

This Saturday was the Ducks fundraiser and second meeting with the St Lambert Locks. The game started off with two tries before anyone could even the caps off their beer, and that would be par for the rest of the game. There were some dangerous looking drives by the St Lambert side but nothing that seriously threatened our boys. A penalty in the first half cost the Ducks the only three points given up for the whole game. The heat made play a little slow, but the team played well together. The game marked a return to action for fullback Ollie Blampain who picked an interception only to be called offside. It was also the first game for Second Row Andrew (?) who played well despite looking as though he is made of pipe cleaners. The game ended in a 53-3 win for the Ducks

The party got underway immediately following the game. A good chicken dinner with corn and salads provided by team members, friends and parents helped to forget the bruises, suntans, and St Lamberts case, loss (haha). Much thanks to everyone who came and donated to our cause.   

N.B. confusion over tries scored means that I cant update try race, email me with details.

Vs Trois- Rivieres, August 12, 2006

Marty finds some space

Maul off a lineout

*Note that we were not playing ourselves, 3R forget their Jerseys at home

The second meeting between Trois-Rivieres and the Ducks seemed as though it would be some our hardest competition of the year. Butch, Killer, Killer's twin and the rest of the boys from 3R are always hard to play against and the games are rarely less than enthralling. However, due unfortunate accidents this weekends game ended prematurely. Shortly after the ducks opened scoring one of the 3R props sustained a neck injury that required an ambulance to come to his aid. The game was delayed for approximately 30 minutes while everyone waited for the ambulance to come. The game restarted and Brome had a penalty called against which resulted in 3R scoring a penalty kick. Shortly after that, they turned the ball over from within our 22m line and capitalized with a try. After receiving the ball deep in Duck territory, fullback Matt Rzyzora ran the ball up the sideline and directly into a waiting Brave. The result was the second serious injury of the game as the 3R player did not use proper tacking technique resulting in him losing consciousness and likely receiving a concussion. At this point the Braves were down to only 13 men and decided to forfeit the match.     

While some were unhappy at 3R's decision to forfeit the match, one need not look too far into Brome's history to remember a time when we had only 15 for games. Just two seasons ago when the ducks were in 1st division, our team was lucky to have 15 for game and even played the first game of the playoffs against the Parc O with only 14 men. While I don't recall the ducks ever forfeiting a match, especially when we were ahead, the gravity of the injuries sustained by the Braves is justification enough for their decision. 

Vs TMR, July 29, 2006

	Picture of the day shows Jason Grenier cleaning dirt of his knuckles		Team Freedom member about to notch a much needed try
	Jersey tackles are illegal but they get the job done		Ben Page with the second best straight-arm of the day
	A prime example of an area that needs improvement, our scrummie getting eaten and only one duck close by to help (who you wonder?)		Jesse Mosley crashing ball

Another hot Saturday set the stage for the rematch of TMR vs. the Ducks in TMR. Having trounced the TMR side in the last meeting the game would be an opportune proving ground for progress for both teams. The TMR side looked slightly larger than  the last time we played them. Whether that was the result of  team stacking  or anabolic aid, the end result was still the same. The beefy Brome baddies opened the scoring early and did not let up. That isn't to say that the TMR side were pushovers, merely that they were outclassed and overpowered.  Scoring was fairly evenly divided between forwards and backs and rookie flanker Julien (?) got his first try off a picked ball on the five meter line. Unfortunately there was no beer on hand following the game to celebrate the occasion in traditional Ducks fashion. The final result was a 62-0 win for the Ducks.  

Vs Westmount, July 22, 2006

The Ducks faced Westmount for the second time this season with expectations of improving on results of their first encounter. This would not be the case however due to a number of factors including the sloppy weather, an improved Westmount squad, and poor self-control on the part of the Ducks. The lack of self control was mainly due to some questionable refereeing but that is no excuse for the lack of discipline we demonstrated. Play was rather even throughout the game and the final score was 20-0 in favor of the Ducks.   

Next game vs. TMR who will likely be looking to save some face after a 91-7 shellacking in the last meeting.

Comments

Vs St Jean, July 8, 2006

	Tommy getting the ole leg lift		Lineout won by Greene
	Lineout		Pre-scrum antics have Barkey chuckling

If ever you wanted to see a rugby game played in a shoe box, then you should have come to St Jean this past Saturday to see the Ducks take on the Barracudas. The dimensions of the field supplied by the host team was laughable, although it did some of the players to kicking balls from one 22 to the other with little effort. Despite the small the size of the field, the Ducks managed to keep play in the hands of the backs, a tactic that once again demonstrated our relative lack of endurance, especially on this particularly hot day. By the end of the affair, forwards were slow to get to breakdowns, as was overheard in a mid-game argument between Jesse and Neil.

In the end however, the result was a familiar one, victory, 24-0 to be precise. Scoring was marked by Neil strong game with a try, penalty conversion, and all tries converted as well. Other tries were scored by Derek (teen wolf) McCubbin, and Jeff (I see try line) Greene. 

Vs St Lambert Locks, June 17, 2006

Apparently it really is summer, and the heat was evident during the Ducks sixth game of the season against the St Lambert Locks. Passing, rucking and general endurance was questionable but was able to get the job done in St Julie thanks to big games by Tom Bogan, Zack Jenne, Dave Barakett and Matt Rzyzora continued his streak of pissing off the other team by running through about 10 guys before anyone could touch him. The final score was 53-3.

While the victory was sound, the play was ugly. Much work needs to be done in the forwards to ensure proper execution of rucks and mauls. The Ducks have a break from regular game action with the annual 7's tournament coming up next weekend in St Julie, then returning to normal play on July 8 to play the Barracudas in St Jean.

Vs Trois Rivieres, June 10, 2006

	Grenier showing the skills needed to get his first try of the season		Matty with Braves hanging off him
	Neil passing the ball out of a ruck		Grenier crashing again

It was another typical game against the lovelies from 3 rivers. That means lots of kicking, stomping and punching and with the Ducks emerging victorious. Grenier broke his goose egg on the try front and Barakett notched another two for his team.
Next game vs. St. Lambert Locks at Irish field in St Julie. Tiny (2), were coming for ya!

Vs Barbs, June 3, 2006

	Barker passing		TMO giving the business
	Greene passing to Zack		Ruck formed
	Ruck and someone getting friendly with Marty		Will getting driven out of bounds. Put on some weight kid.
	Greene in another lineout		Bogan running through

Another rainy Saturday therefore another day rugby for the Ducks as the Orange and Blue hosted the Montreal Barbarians. Having come down from first division last year, it was clear to all before the game started that the Barbs were not a team to taken lightly. The first half was a fairly even contest, Ducks managed the only three points of the half on a penalty kick made by Neil Pardington. Play opened considerably in the second half however, with the ducks managing to put another 24 points on the board, including two tries from the hairiest man on the team, Derek McCubbin. For those unable to do the math, the final score was 27-0 in favor of the Ducks. Next week is long and annoying trip to Trois-Rivieres, make sure to bring your mouth guards!

Vs TMR, May 27, 2006

	Young inhibition to enter rucks= 2 man ruck win		Lineouts were strong, many stolen balls
	Barakett ruck, TMO down		Supreme Scrum Dominance

Ducks played host to TMR RFC on the first hot day of the year. For the first few minutes of play it seemed as though the fit young TMR side would be quite a challenge. The youthful exuberance of the TMR side however took a backseat to their lack of experience. Yours truly opened the scoring around ten minutes into the game, and that set the ball in motion. Scrums were dominated by Brome Lake probably due the fact that we outweighed TMR by around 25 pounds per forward. By the end of the affair, the score was 91-7 in the Ducks favor. Noteworthy performance of Dave Barakett (4 Tries) Matt Rzyzora (3 Tries) and Big Head (Stepped out of bounds canceling his try, idiot).

Vs Laval, May 20, 2006

	Lined up for lineout, Greene chirping		Lineout in a plashy bog
	Ruck formed, Jesse strolling		Scrum in the mud

After a dreary week in which so much rain fell that many were contemplating building arc's, the second game of the season was played against the Laval Nomades. Being one of only two teams to beat the Ducks last year, the game had to be taken very seriously. The Ducks came out blazing, getting a penalty kick, and then two converted tries.
Our strong play began to waver somewhat in the second half however, and the Nomades were able to score a try, and convert it. The final score was 17-7 for Brome Lake.

Vs Westmount, May 14, 2006

The 2006 season got underway on the 13th of may with Brome Lake hosting Westmount. The game was played in great rugby weather, cloudy, mild and wet, which was appreciated by both sides not yet fully conditioned for the season. The game was played well by the Ducks who kept their opponents off the score sheet and won by a score of 30 to 0. Unfortunately however, the game was counted as a 21-0 win because Westmount failed to comply with league regulations and was forced to forfeit the game.

Finals Vs. Les Braves de Trois-Rivieres, 2005

	Lined up to receive a penalty		Scrumming down with the Braves
	Half time Marty		Muddy Boots
	Team shot with our fans who braved the foul weather		Hate turns to love. After game team shot with Trois-Rivieres
	Half time pep talk		Trophy Time

Various 2005 Pics

	Jesse going into contact		Lineout against St. Jean
	Bruno Girard (no longer active) making a diving pass		Flock of Ducks attack wayward wanderer
	Marty about to smuck a Brave		Christian, half man/half horse
	Ducks in Saranac		Black and White lineout in the old days
	Lineout against St. Lambert on the hottest damn day ever		Who are those handsome devils warming up in the background? I believe we won that tourni