Not many people would have thought Manly-Warringah would be top of the table and unbeaten heading into Round 7 of the AFL Sydney Premier Division season.
What makes their feat even more impressive is the fact they are the most successful debutant in Premier Division at this stage of the year since North Shore in 1903.
They could face their toughest test this weekend when they face St George this Sunday at Weldon Oval.
The Dragons are up and about after their ten-goal win over Balmain at Henson Park last Sunday. Coach, Terry Mudge has been happy with his troops after their tough early start to the season and currently sit fifth equal with Sydney University.
Blake Guthrie played his best game with the club last Sunday and was well supported by Ben Hodgson and high-flying Paul Sain who adds versatility and marking power down forward. Andrew Sharp was also superb down back and is an elite athlete.
The Wolves overcame a tightly fought duel against Campbelltown in the south-west last weekend. They led throughout but couldn’t fully shake the tenacious Blues to prevail by 26 points. Calum Johnston and Harrison Koch were best for the Wolves. They also gain a slight advantage from the eight-day break.
The AFL Sydney Match of the Week is against two sides desperate for a week in Balmain and Illawarra at Henson Park.
Both sides were far from their best last weekend, losing by a cumulative margin of 258 points.
Balmain were never in it against the Dragons. They were good when they had it but could not get their hands on the pill for long periods. In a strange move, Selby Lee-Steere played as an on-baller with Kristian Ericson playing as the main ruckman. Ericson was best alongside Jerome Farrell.
Illawarra were cruelled by wedding bells as well as Pennant Hills last weekend. A number of players were absent at a wedding and the lack of depth was pounced on by the Demons as they heaped on thirteen goals and nineteen scoring shots in the opening term. Expect a better showing this weekend but Balmain should win.
There are some interesting Saturday clashes with Sydney University playing North Shore at Sydney Uni Oval.
The Students maintained their spot in the top five with a deserved win over Western Suburbs. Many pundits had the Magpies favourites after their improved showing at the start of the season but Dom Vincent and big Cal Kennedy went about changing that with strong showings in a 33-point win.
North Shore suffered their first loss of the year with a four-point loss against a potential bogey side in UTS. From reports, the Bombers were out-enthused by the physical Bats line-up. They will be keen to reverse the trend in another potential danger game given the good vibes at Sydney University at the moment with the NEAFL side in winning form.
UTS are in a log-jam in the middle of the ladder and can improve their placing on the ladder with a win against Campbelltown at home.
Straight kicking wins games and it was a case in point last weekend as despite kicking six less scoring shots, the Bats with 12.1 managed to collect the four points over the Bombers.
It was undoubtedly the club’s best win in what has been a spasmodic season to date. Justin Kenna and David Lavender were strong for the Bats last weekend.
Campbelltown had their chances against the Wolves and need to be more dangerous in attack to get wins on the board. Matt Edwins again led from the front with Kyle Sommerville and Bryce Joynson also impressive.
Sydney Hills Eagles have a tough ask registering their first win of the season away to Pennant Hills. They lost by 97 points against UNSW/ES, with the margin extended upon at each break. The young players have a ways to go to prove their worth in the main grade with experienced heads Gus Seebeck and Ryan Fitton best for the struggling Eagles.
Pennant Hills had one of their easiest days on the paddock last weekend against Illawarra. It won’t be as easy this weekend but it is likely to be another strong win heading towards the long weekend break. Luke Bilbe kicked nine against the Lions with Alex Goodall and Damian Dell’Aquila being treated during the week for leather poisoning.
After a strong start to the year, Western Suburbs have dropped back to the pack and need to regain momentum against defending premiers, UNSW/ES.
The Magpies would be disappointed by their loss to Sydney University last weekend. They were within striking distance at each change but could not get the biscuits against the Students.
They were well-served by the returning Marcus Linsen from overseas and Kyall Walford.
The Bulldogs continue to roll along and sit in third after a big win over the Eagles. Josh Parmenter continued his great start to the season along with Tom Heath and skipper, Peter Kefalas.
As always, you can follow the conversation and keep up to date with scores via the @AFLSydney twitter feed.
Last Modified on 23/05/2013 15:30
