Since May 17, plenty of rain fell in Sydney with over 200mm of rain recorded so far. Obviously most grounds are unable to absorb the water and thus become water-logged and the governing body such as Local Councils would declare the grounds closed (invariably training). However the rain has been so persistent that this weekend most AFL Sydney men's matches have been postponed except for Premier Division (only 8 of the 32 men's matches were possible this weekend). So thus SWAFL is very lucky that it has access to Mahoney Park on Fri/Saturdays with it's sandy base that allows water to drain quickly.
On Friday night, Balmain showed their silky skills in the wet ground (although no rain occurred during this game which may be a sign that the "one" up in the sky is a Dockers fan for 2010) to continue on their merry way to win Dockers 19.24.138 over a valiant Southern Power 0.0.0. I think one of the pleasing items this year is that the Dockers aren't just relying on their usual "Fab Five" of Karla Spilarewicz, Belinda Pride, Kate Fitzsimons, Kathryna Kobzan and Alison Parkin to make things happen and have significantly broadened their player depth and skills across the team. Examples include Tracey Robinson and Jackie Buckthought who have stepped up this year. The Power were unable to make the breakthroughs from their halfback line but never stopped trying all night, those who impressed were Lisa Rose, Dominique Goom and Louise Glasgow. Belinda Pride looks unstoppable for the Golden Boot this year with 9 goals for the evening and on current projections may be close to/over the century mark by the time the home and away season concludes.
Saturday saw two women's games at Mahoney, followed by a Premier Men's Division Game then the Compass Cup Women's Match. In game one a half depleted Macquarie University took on a full strength Sydney University. The Bravehearts backline tried hard but Sydney University were simply awesome in the first three minutes of the second quarter racking up five goals like a training drill. Those who impressed from an outstanding Sydney University were Kristy Williams, Emma Yuen, Mai Nguyen and Belinda Michalk. For the Bravehearts Simone Faulkner, Belinda Harrison stood out. The end score was Sydney University 27.20.182 to Macquarie University 1.0.6. Macquarie should be thanked for playing the game out as they had the option to declare a forfeit after half-time due to the number of injuries sustained by the team. pushing them under the minimum threshold. Also major thanks to Mac Uni for running the BBQ who had an added bonus of having the men's game at 1:15pm putting them into a healthy surplus. Apparently three trips to Woolworths to buy more sausages was the name of the game!
In game two Bondi Shamrocks took on Wollongong Saints. With both teams anchored on four points, it was desperation time for both sides. Both sides showed a bit of nerves leading to a balanced first half before the Shamrocks iced the game in the third quarter kicking six goals to one. However the Saints never gave up in a rather close game excluding the third quarter showing their rapid improvement. Those who did well for the Shamrocks were Fiona Cotter, Paula Chambers and Cara Connaire whilst for the Saints, Laura Russell and Hannah Strong was impressive. The end score was Bondi Shamrocks 11.10.76 defeating Wollongong Saints 2.0.12
In game three, the Compass Cup started brightly for the Stingrays kicking the first three goals to awaken the slumbering giant called the Western Wolves. The Wolves then got their act together to hit back and then dominate a majority of the game although the Stingrays made the Wolves work hard for their goals. Best for the Wolves included Michaela Ekman, Kaya Lyons, Kate Lawson and Melissa Bibby. For the Stingrays Renee Sochor, Courtney Gum and Melissa Breuker did very well. The Stingrays are slowly bridging the gap between the top 4 sides while the Wolves showed how keen they were to retain the Compass Cup for another year. The end score was Western Wolves 14.8.92 to Stingrays 6.5.41.
Ladder analysis as we lead into our break is that Balmain takes the sole position on top of the ladder as Newtown had the bye. Sydney University moves to sole 3rd on the table whilst 4th and 5th spots are virtually tied with the Wolves and Stingrays on 152%. Southern Power remains sole 6th, the Shamrocks move to sole 7th, the Saints 8th and Mac Uni 9th.
Round 10 Previews
After the long break, all teams will be physically and mentally refreshed for the second half of the season as we play the flip side of round 5. 3 games will be at Mahoney on one day whilst the other game is a road trip for the Newtown Breakaways to Wollongong. The first game at Mahoney at 9am will be the Shamrocks versus the Stingrays. Last time, the Stingrays jumped the Shamrocks and fought off a late resurgence to win by 27 points. We think another close game is in the offering to show the improvement on the two sides. If the Shamrocks want to dream of making the semi-finals again, this match is a must-win match whilst the Stingrays will be keen to assure themselves of semi-finals contention.
The second game at 11am is the match of the round featuring 3rd place Sydney University hosting 1st placed Balmain Dockers. Last time the margin was 45 points by the Dockers and this match should be a good indicator of where both sides are at in 2010. The third game is at 1pm where the Western Wolves host the Southern Power. Last time it was 64 points between the two sides and it'll be interesting to see where the clubs have been since then.
Finally Wollongong Saints host Newtown Breakaways down in the Illawarra region. Last time Newtown gave a footballing lesson by 260 points and personally despite the lack of pockets of UOW 3, I see a revitalised Wollongong Saints giving Newtown a sufficient challenge this time around.
Last Modified on 06/06/2010 18:54