Pennant Hills and Balmain will battle in this Sunday’s Preliminary Final at Blacktown International Sports Park for the right to play UNSW/ES Bulldogs in the AFL Sydney Premier Division Grand Final.
Premier Division
Pennant Hills Demons vs Balmain Dockers- 3.15pm
Pennant Hills will have a fight on their hands if they are to book a rematch with UNSW/ES Bulldogs in a week’s time for the Premier Division Grand Final.
Last week, the Demons suffered a harrowing five point loss to the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs held the lead for the majority of the match but Pennant Hills kept on coming and had a chance in the dying stages to claim a win only for the desperation of Josh Parmenter to come to the fore, thwarting a final assault from the Demons.
Runner-up in the Phelan Medal count, Kieran Wright showed his worth with arguably a best on ground performance against the Bulldogs. His presence across half-back will make Balmain think twice when they enter inside 50. He is sure to play an important role reducing the impact Balmain star, Ben Taggart has on the contest.
Mitch Crawford bobbed up in the forward line to kick three goals. Along with Stephen Wray, they are dangerous propositions that will require the attention of the Balmain defence led by the evergreen Kristian Pearson.
Luke Bilbe again was one of the better players and his impact on the ruck and also relieving up forward (two goals last weekend) will be crucial to the Demons chances. Seb Parker will be a vital cog in defence and is celebrating his 150th senior match with the Demons.
Balmain continued their run along the tightrope with a twenty-point win over North Shore. They have come through both Elimination finals with wins in close encounters. This should serve them well against a well-primed outfit.
They played well as front-runners and took their chances better than North Shore despite both sides registering the same amount of scoring shots.
With seven representatives in the AFL Sydney Team of the Year, one doesn’t have to look far for the class in the Dockers’ ranks.
Jerome Farrell is one of those who stood up well under pressure across the back-half. At the other end of the ground, young Brad Plug stood up with three goals to show why he is one of the up-and-coming stars in the Sydney competition.
Coaches Garry Bull and Craig White have the luxury to heavily rotate their midfield with a number of players able to fill inside and outside roles. Matt Round, Leigh Conway and Gerard Wilkie continued their strong finals series with good performances in the middle-third against the Bombers.
They need a bit more against the Demons and look to Craig White to provide it. He polled heavily in the Phelan Medal count and has been brewing for a big performance.
This match promises to be worth the price of admission alone if the last encounter is anything to go by.
Previous Encounter
Round 7- Pennant Hills 10.12.72 def. Balmain 10.9-69
Teams
PENNANT HILLS
B: C. Smith, M. McCamey, S. Parker
HB: S. Wray, T. Widmer, K. Wright
C: A. Nixon, T. Wales, M. Crawford
HF: N. Campbell, D. Witt, B. Jack
F: D. Dell'Aquila, L. Bilbe, M. Carey
R: S. Widmer, A. Crisfield, A. Goodall
Int: P. Barnes, B. Jack, H. Angel, J. Barty
Emg: R. Watts, J. Dunn, T. Edmonds
In: J.Barty
Out: J.Dunn
BALMAIN
B: D. Brian, K. Pearson, J. Fretwell
HB: T. Stevens, C. Bolt, J. Farrell
C: J. Cass, J. Monk, T. Matson
HF: L. Conway, S. Lee-Steere, C. White
F: A. Hill, B. Taggart, A. Cottrell
R: K. Ericson, G. Wilkie, M. Round
Int: J. Kennedy, B. Plug, T. Luff, T. Mabon
Emg: A. Azhar, W. Blackburne, S. Bowen
No Change
Last Modified on 14/09/2012 09:57
