SYDNEY AFL ROUND 5 2013
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
The season is still in its early stages, but already it looks as if this season will be far more even than last year. Several clubs which were fancied for finals this season currently find themselves well outside the top five.
The trend towards blowouts which so plagued Premier Division last season has evened out considerably. In this round, no Premier Division match had a margin over 30 points.
It was Umpiring Appreciation Round, and to acknowledge the work of our game-day officials, both sides lined up and shook hands with the umpires before each match commenced. Umpiring can be a thankless and challenging task, but without them there would be no game.
Two undefeated teams, North Shore and Western Suburbs, faced off at Gore Hill on Saturday evening. After a warm day, the clouds had closed in for a dark and cold night. A night darker than expected, with only the top row of lights in the light towers working in the first half.
The first quarter, played under natural light, didn’t look like it would lead to a close contest. The Magpies scored two early goals; but the Bombers soon got their running game going and the Magpies were chasing the run of the Bombers as they ran the ball from end to end with ease.
Danny Roberts was looking dangerous with two first quarter goals, but was matched by youngster Jake Monk; with a sensational goal curling in the swirling breeze in the opening minute of the second term to put the Bombers 32 points in front.
But the Magpies weren’t going to go down without a fight. Lifting their work rate around the ground, contesting harder for every possession, they began to slowly but surely work their way back into the contest. It took a few attempts to get goals on the board, with four behinds in quick succession; but eventually the goals began to flow, enabling the Magpies to win the quarter and reduce the margin to 23 points at half time.
The Bombers had threatened to run away, but were pegged back by the Magpies. And Wests would keep coming in the third term, putting the Bombers under pressure. When the Bombers were in attack, the Wests’ defence was outstanding, particularly Matthew Lemme who picked up a stack of possession.
The Magpies found a handy target up forward in Rory Miller; confident in the marking contest and reliable with the boot. A run of five goals to two in 20 minutes of the third term finished with Miller kicking truly after a mark from 40 metres out; and the margin was back to six points. A couple of minutes later, the Magpies had a chance to level the score with a set shot from a tight angle, but the kick sailed wide.
The Bombers from the kick-in ran the ball the length of the field, with Ron Wason landing a long-range goal to ease the Bomber pressure. Another would follow in the final seconds of the quarter, opening up a 17-point lead; but more importantly for the Bombers, killing the Magpie momentum.
Had the Magpies been able to take the lead, the flow of the game may have been different. But the Bombers had steadied; and although the margin was only three goals, it looked like Western Suburbs’ chance was gone.
And that’s how it would prove, as the Bombers scored five goals to three to take the game by 30 points. It wasn’t North Shore’s best performance of this season to date; but good enough to take the points. Their dominant first quarter meant that they had enough of a buffer to prevent the Magpies from taking the lead during their third quarter charge. But despite falling to their first loss of the season, Western Suburbs look a team vastly improved on last season and have a positive future in front of them.
Jake Monk kicked four goals for the Bombers in a best on ground performance, while Tom McMahon and Brendan Fitzgerald were also prominent. For the Magpies, Rory Miller finished with five goals; while Scott Lear, Matthew Lemme and Levi Sands were among their best.
It was a thriller at Olds Park on Saturday afternoon as St George played host to Pennant Hills.
Pennant Hills made the early front-running, attacking the goals with regularity in the first term, but would live to regret their inaccurate finishing. The Demons scored 4.7 for the quarter, leading by 17 points at quarter time when the lead could have been considerably greater. And the scoring opportunities for the Demons would dry up in the second term, with the Dragons holding the Demons goal-less for the quarter while scoring two goals to cut the margin to three points at half time.
From there, it was goal for goal, with the lead changing hands several times over the remainder of the game. There were plenty of goals to go round in the third term, with the Dragons taking the lead by two points at three-quarter time. Then there were two goals apiece in the last term as the game went down to the wire.
In the end, it was the Dragons who would be holding the package of victory when the music stopped; taking a thrilling four-point win. Michael Milner, Ben Sharp and Ryan Bennett had been influential in making the win happen for the Dragons. For the Demons, James Dunn kicked four goals to be their best, while Luke Bilbe and Ben Unwin also got plenty of touches.
Manly-Warringah are enjoying their promotion to Premier Division, and the Wolves find themselves top of the table in their new competition; remaining undefeated after five rounds with a 22-point win over Sydney Hills Eagles at Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles are yet to taste victory in 2013, but started positively with four goals in the first term to lead by 10 points at the first change. And they kept the Wolves at bay in the second term, defending resolutely to still be in front when the teams returned to the rooms at half time.
But the premiership quarter saw the Wolves lift their intensity, and the under-manned Eagles were unable to keep up with them. A run of five goals to one for the quarter shifted the momentum to the Wolves, giving them the lead for the first time in the game and lifting them to a 21-point advantage at three quarter time. And although the Eagles matched it with the Wolves around the ground in the final quarter, they were unable to make any dent in the deficit as the Wolves completed their fifth straight victory.
Anthony Robertson kicked four goals for the Wolves in a best-on-ground performance, while Harrison Koch and Eric Burke also got plenty of the ball. For the Eagles, Stephen Doyle got four goals while Yoshi Harris, Cameron Arndt and Damien Charleston were among their best.
An explosive final quarter in last year’s Grand Final saw UNSW-ES power away against Balmain to take out the premiership. And history would repeat on Saturday at Village Green, as the Bulldogs again finished the stronger to defeat the Dockers.
The Dockers were rocked by the defection of several key players over the off-season, and copped a few thumpings in the early rounds; but have lifted in recent weeks. And they would take the fight up to the Bulldogs, peppering the goals in the first term to lead by four points at quarter time and refusing to let the Bulldogs dominate proceedings in the second term. Although the Bulldogs took the lead, the Dockers held them out, and there were only three points in it at half time.
The Dockers weren’t finished yet, and they regained the lead in the third term. Playing their best footy of the year to date, the Dockers found some confidence and rhythm that had deserted them early; and held hopes of pulling off an upset result as they led by eight points at the last change.
But, as was the case in last season’s Grand Final, the final quarter saw the Bulldogs step up another gear. Finding running players, pumping the ball forward, and the goals began to flow. Six goals to one in the final quarter turned the deficit into a 22-point win.
Jeremy Kiel was powerful up forward for the Bulldogs to finish with five goals; while around the ground Alex Henderson, Josh Parmenter and James Pascoe were among the Bulldogs’ best. For the Dockers, Adam Cottrell contributed four goals, while Selby Lee-Steere, Wayd Blackburne and Josh Cass worked hard all day.
By the time the sun set over Wollongong on Saturday night, a bitterly cold southerly buster had blown in; and the night match between Illawarra and Campbelltown at North Dalton Oval would be affected by the tricky, blustery conditions.
Illawarra were kicking with the wind in the first quarter, and scored four goals while keeping the Blues scoreless. The Blues’ turn with the wind in the second term saw them rack up plenty of scoring shots; but it was difficult to kick accurately in the breeze, and the Blues scored 4.9 for the quarter, enough to take the lead by six points at the long break.
Neither team had scored at the southern end in the first half; but Campbelltown secured the upper hand in the third term. Although the Lions regained the lead, the Blues scored two crucial goals into the wind. Although the Lions’ five goals with the wind was the best return for the game, they were only 11 points ahead at the last change.
Like chasing down a small target in the last innings, the Blues had plenty of nervous moments in the last quarter, and would miss plenty of shots at goal. But they managed to take the lead, and force the Lions into their second scoreless quarter of the game. Despite scoring one goal less than the Lions; the Blues’ ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over, even with behinds, was enough to sneak away with a seven-point win and move into the top five.
Rising star nominee Taran Etto continued his meteoric rise with a best-on-ground performance; while Matthew Edwins and Bryce Joynson were also influential. On a night when goals were hard to come by, Matthew Thomson scored four for the Lions, while Jeremy Daniher, Jacob Brookfield and Ken Ewen-Chappell continued to toil hard all night.
University pride was on the line at Sydney Uni No 1 on Saturday afternoon, as Sydney Uni played host to UTS. It would be another game that was in the balance for three quarters before the Bats took control in the final term.
The first quarter was goal for goal, with the Students leading by three points at the first change. But the Bats were quick to take the lead in the second term, pumping the ball quickly down towards the goals at the small campus ground with regularity as they kicked five goals for the quarter to lead by 16 points at the long break.
But as strong as the Bats looked at half time, the Students had other ideas; and found a way back into the contest in the third quarter. With five goals to one for the quarter, the Students took the lead; and with a 10-point advantage at the last change, the game looked set to be a thriller.
The game was up for grabs, and the last quarter would see UTS take the initiative and grab the competition points on offer. Five goals to one for the quarter was a reflection of the running game that the Bats got going in the last quarter, as they powered home to victory and brought their three-game losing streak to an end.
The final margin was 21 points. David Lavender scored four goals for the Bats; while Tom Zilm, Samuel Way and Morgan Davis were influential around the ground. Tom Ayton, Alex O’Dea and Max Carter were among the Students’ best.
Next weekend is the first wet weather day for the season. The three Premier Division games that were postponed in the round 3 washouts will be played then, along with some scheduled games and some catch-up fixtures in the other divisions.
