As they have done all season to date, Manly-Warringah sit on top of the AFL Sydney Premier Division ladder. With this said, their reign is under threat after their unbeaten run was broken by sixth-placed Western Suburbs on a wet weekend of football last weekend.
Their tough month continues with a trip to Village Green to take on the defending premiers, UNSW/ES in the AFL Sydney Match of the Week. Manly didn’t field their strongest side with Tyrone Armitage out injured last weekend. They have troops to come back in the way of Pettersson, Kovacevic and Stroud.
Wils Brassil and Anthony Robertson will be crucial in the centre duals for the best defensive side in the competition.
UNSW/ES were at their defensive best at the very wet Village Green. They kept their opponents, Sydney University scoreless to half time. Tom Williamson had a day out in the conditions- kicking four goals, while small forward Ben Way was another to lap up the conditions.
This could well shape up to be the match of the year to date with some enticing battles over the park. Both sides will endeavour to play an attacking brand of football but the contested possessions will be pivotal to the final result.
Another match with big implications on the final ladder will be the battle between sixth and seventh- Western Suburbs and UTS at Picken Oval.
Western Suburbs have now notched a couple of scalps, beating both Manly and UNSW/ES this year. The conditions probably suited their contested brand of play but their improvement was noticeable after a disappointing display against Pennant Hills the week before.
The strong early favourite for the Rising Star, Levi Sands was pivotal in the final result and seems to have overcome a rib injury. Another player injured the week before, Marcus Linsen was also strong against the Wolves. Mathew Lemme has made a massive difference as the general down back.
For their opponents, UTS, this is a must win. They are one game out of the top five and are have to play a catch-up game against one of the form sides in St George. They were totally outclassed by Pennant Hills after quarter-time and for many who expected them to jump up the ladder after an improved showing last year, they have not delivered to date.
The Bats are a work-man like outfit and need more out of their middle-tier players for the rest of the year if they are to break into the finals for the first time in Premier Division.
North Shore were another of the top two sides to fall against a lowlier opponent, albeit an improving one in St George. Like UTS, they fell away after quarter-time, only managing two goals to St George’s nine.
Jared Shattock was best in a disappointing result for the Bombers, while defenders Chris Murphy and Tom McMahon were again consistent.
This weekend they should return to the winners list against Illawarra. The Lions lost their mini grand-final against another winless side in Sydney Hills Eagles at home.
Injuries and the loss of key players over the off-season have put Illawarra back as they again focus on their Under 18s for club success this finals series.
Jeremy Daniher and Nathan Wright were again best for the Lions last week.
Campbelltown have some momentum behind them after their win last week but will find the going tough against the form side of the competition currently in Pennant Hills.
The Blues registered one of their better wins with a strong second half display the catalyst behind their win over Balmain. They only conceded one second half scoring shot (a goal) against the Dockers with David Linsen best for the victors. Matthew Withers was also enigmatic up forward with five majors.
Pennant Hills made it five wins in a row with a 89-point demolition of finals contender, UTS at Mike Kenny Oval last weekend.
The Demons had no less than thirteen goal kickers with young Tom Edmonds and Matthew Thomas featuring in the best. They have a great spread and boast the best attack by some distance in the league which makes it hard for opposition coaches to nullify and shut down dangerous players.
The final Saturday game sees Sydney Hills trying to make it two in a row against St George.
Sydney Hills have improved in the last few weeks and were rewarded in kind with their first win of the season. The goal kickers were best in their win over Illawarra with Tim Kear (four goals) and William Bradley (two) impressing with their attacking skills.
St George are up and about after their best win of the season against second-placed North Shore. It was a big day for the club with the Olds Park clubhouse opening and 20th year premiership reunion.
The challenge for Terry Mudge and his players is to keep this effort up against a side they are expected to comfortably beat. Dean Gilbert earned a Rising Star Nomination with his display in the 38-point win. Jordan West and the ageless Steve Wilsen were also dominant in the win.
The Sunday game sees Balmain host Sydney University at Henson Park.
Even though they won’t be playing, there should be some spice with Ben Taggart and Gerard Wilkie the most notable players to cross from the Dockers to Sydney University over the off-season.
Their loss has seen Balmain really struggle to put together a four quarter performance this year. A case in point was last weekend against Campbelltown where they led at half-time only to struggle to hit the scoreboard in the second half.
Sydney University need to win to continue to entertain finals aspirations. Their percentage is fine but yet they sit two games out of the top-five. Their defence needs to become more assured as they boast the four most points against in the league.
They will start somewhat favourites in this clash with Brendan Norton and Dominic Vincent again important to the final result.
Last Modified on 28/06/2013 21:21
