This weekend acts as a Wet Weather Round with three Premier Division matches to be played.
The AFL Sydney Match of the Week will see Illawarra hosting Sydney University at North Dalton Park this Saturday at 6.10pm.
There were reports of ice on the ground as Illawarra played in the same timeslot last week against Campbelltown. Seriously though, there was a strong breeze blowing that made scoring difficult especially to one end of the ground.
Illawarra were kept scoreless for two quarters and eventually this cruelled their chances as Campbelltown came over the top to claim a seven-point victory.
Illawarra are still winless but have been competitive in all of their matches to date. Jeremy Daniher has been a welcome addition given the loss of Ryan Price and Ethan Hailey. Daniher has been their best player each week and will require close attention from Sydney University. Jacob Brookfield has come on and is an impressive junior.
Sydney University were also on the losing side of the ledger against a resurgent UTS. The Students were in front heading into the final quarter at home with all the momentum but could only manage one goal to UTS’ five.
They now sit mid-table with a 50% win/loss ratio. Their best players last week were Tom Ayton and the enigmatic Alex O’Dea. One less thing for Illawarra to worry about is that former Balmain player, Gerard Wilkie went through the Premier Division side last weekend but will be stepping up to the NEAFL side this weekend.
An intriguing clash looms at Monarch Oval with Campbelltown hosting the unbeaten North Shore. Campbelltown are one of the most improved sides in Premier Division this season and currently sit in the top five. They cut their run fine against the Lions but came home strong with eight scoring shots in the final term.
Taran Etto is one of the bright sparks so far this season with the youngster impressing with each round. Matthew Edwins was again strong for the victors and looms as the Blues’ most important player this weekend.
North Shore are the competition favourites as it sits currently after a strong showing against decent opposition. Jon Hayres is an astute coach and has his players singing from the same hymn book.
They defeated another potential contender in Western Suburbs by five goals in an enterprising affair last weekend. Jake Monk with four goals earnt a Rising Star Nomination and is one of a batch of impressive youngsters coming through the ranks.
Brendan and Dale Fitzgerald also performed strongly while Jared Shattock has added strength in the middle.
The final match of the weekend sees another tight encounter between Western Suburbs and St George. The Magpies sit higher on the ladder but the Dragons made some ground after their heart-stopping win against Pennant Hills.
There was not much between the two sides all year and it could well prove to be a character-building win for Terry Mudge’s side given the youth in the squad.
Michael Milner was again resolute down back, while Ben Sharp and Ryan Bennett were others to impress.
The Magpies would not have lost too many supporters with their fight against a top notch opponent in North Shore.
If you rewound to last year, the Magpies would’ve been blown off the paddock but they have been more competitive under Kevin Eynaud.
Scott Lear and Mathew Lemme were strong for the Magpies and especially Lemme has added more consistency to his game this year. Levi Sands and Josh Zoppo are class players and represent the future for the Magpies.
Remember you can follow the conversation and all up-to-date match scores via our Twitter feed at @AFLSydney.
Last Modified on 09/05/2013 12:07
