SYDNEY AFL ROUND 12 2013
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
Little in sport is certain. It’s something we love about our game, that it’s unscripted and can throw up surprises. And there was plenty of the unexpected last weekend, as AFL Sydney threw up the boilover of the season.
It was a rare Sunday game at Gore Hill, as North Shore took on Campbelltown. The Bombers don’t often go down at home, and were playing for top spot. The Blues hadn’t beaten the Bombers for four years, most games between the two sides during that time hadn’t been close; and the Blues were well outside the top five.
But the form book was thrown out the window, in one of the most unexpected results in recent years; as Campbelltown pulled off a remarkable win.
The Bombers went into the game knowing they needed to win by around 63 points to go to top of the ladder. By quarter time, the question wasn’t whether the Bombers would win by over ten goals, but whether they would win at all. Second to the ball throughout the early exchanges, the Bombers found themselves chasing the game as an enthusiastic Campbelltown side attacked the ball and got the early jump.
Four unanswered goals gave the Blues a 22-point lead at quarter time. But the Bombers fought back in the second term. The North Shore kicking radar wasn’t working, with several kickable shots sailing wide of the big sticks; but a run of four goals to one for the quarter cut Campbelltown’s lead to one point at the long break.
By the time the players returned to the field for the third quarter, the shadows had grown longer and the floodlights were beginning to replace the natural light. But as the temperature grew colder, the on-field action was heating up. In a topsy-turvy quarter of footy, the Bombers took the lead for the first time in the game before the Blues regained the initiative. And late in the quarter, scores were levelled and the teams moved into their huddles at the last change tied up at 53 points apiece.
One goal apiece in quick time started the last quarter, but the drama was getting more intriguing with every passing minute. Matt Edwins had a goal disallowed, and the Bombers had a let-off. But tempers were getting frayed, and moments later there was plenty of push-and-shove in the forward pocket next to the fence; players from both sides rushing in to fly the flag for their team.
In a pack, a free kick was picked out to Matt Withers. The goal was put through and the Blues were back in front. And midway through the quarter, Alphonse Jambarufo burst through the forward line with the ball, slamming it through. The Blues were 11 points ahead. Jambarufo raised his arms, performing an act of celebration worthy of an FA Cup final as his team-mates raucously swarmed around him with a roar of approval.
Campbelltown had played with spirit to get themselves into a strong position; but the job wasn’t done yet. For the next several minutes, the ball was camped on the North Shore forward line, as the Bombers put the Campbelltown defence under relentless pressure. The Bombers pressed hard, but could only manage behinds. Three of them in a row. Other forward thrusts repelled with some desperate spoiling and marking in the backline as the defence held firm.
Eventually the resistance cracked, and Zac Manley marked 40 metres out; then stepped back and kicked truly. The margin was back to two points. The Bombers came forward again, snapping a point. But the clock was ticking, time was running out.
The Blues avoided the turnover, but only just; and kicked to the wing. Looking for the mark that would propel the ball back forward for North Shore, two Bombers collided. One of them, Charlie Callander, hit the deck. The ball went forward for the Blues, and Mark Withers marked 40 metres out. We knew there wasn’t long to go.
But Callander was hurt, and the stretcher was called. He had played a great game for the Bombers, but was carried off. When time was blown back on, Withers lined up his shot and the siren sounded. The Blues had pulled off the seemingly impossible win; and celebrated loudly as they got around each other to celebrate the moment.
Withers’ shot was a point, but the missed kick didn’t matter. Campbelltown had pulled off the result they had come for. They had shown great spirit and self-belief, and that was enough to get them over the line.
Matt Edwins kicked four goals for the Blues; while Alphonse Jambaruso, Matt Withers and Paul Green had been their best. For the Bombers, Charlie Callander, John Gray and Doug Hadden had put in solid service all day. For Campbelltown, their best win for many years; and a sign that after struggling for many years, they may be turning the corner. For North Shore, it was an opportunity lost for a share of the ladder leadership.
On Saturday afternoon, Pennant Hills returned to their former home at Ern Holmes Oval. A bumper crowd was on hand as the Demons took on ladder leaders Manly; and they would be entertained by a contest that would have plenty of twists and turns.
The first half was goal for goal, an arm-wrestle; as two of the competition’s front-runners battled for supremacy. Scores were level at the first change, and at half time the Wolves had a five-point advantage.
The Demons took the lead during the third quarter, but the Wolves had the answers. An entertaining quarter saw the brakes taken off the scoring on both sides, and five goals apiece were scored; the Wolves six points to the good at three quarter time. The game was in the balance, and it was Pennant Hills who would rise to the occasion in the last quarter. Manly’s scoring opportunities dried up in the last quarter as the Demon defence held firm, and the Wolves were unable to manage a goal. At the other end, the Demons kicked four goals to take the lead and make their way to victory.
The final margin was 15 points; the Demons’ sixth win on the trot and the Wolves’ second loss in a row. Matt Carey scored five goals for the Demons; while Cameron Smith, Damian Dell’Aquila and Thomas Edmonds picked up plenty of the ball. For the Wolves, Tyrone Armitage, Jacob Graham and Harrison Koch were among their best.
Another remarkable story from the day at Ern Holmes was in the Division Four game. Former club captain and rep captain Barnaby Howarth, had played 96 games for the Demons before suffering a stroke in 2005. It took eight years of rehabilitation until he was able to play again; but four games in Division Four took Howarth to the 100th game that had looked out of reach for so long. Howarth will retire now, his rehabilitation complete; but will remain a part of the Pennant Hills club that he remained involved with during his long time of not being able to play.
It was only two years ago that Sydney Hills Eagles and Balmain were playing off in the Grand Final. But the introduction of the NEAFL, and the movement of players, has seen both these clubs move down the Premier Division ladder; and it was a clash of 10th v 11th this time. But despite being well outside finals contention, the two clubs played an entertaining clash that would go down to the wire.
The first quarter was evenly contested around the ground, but the Dockers’ accurate finishing would work to their advantage as they led by nine points at the first change. In the second term, the Dockers made what would be the decisive break; a run of three goals to one putting them to a lead of 24 points at half time.
The Eagles had some work to do to get back into the contest, but would be unable to penetrate the Balmain defence during the third term. When they were able to create chances, the kicks would be unsuccessful; and all the Eagles would have to show for their efforts in the quarter were five behinds. At the other end, two Docker goals saw them lead by 33 points at the last change.
The game looked dead and buried, but the Dockers had tired themselves out and had nothing more to give in the last quarter. At the other end, the Eagles came to life. Players who had been quiet for three quarters began to exert an influence and suddenly the Eagles had control of the game. They came back hard late in the game, looking to peg back the deficit. Six goals to one for the quarter had cut the margin to just three points before the siren sounded; a sound that brought relief to the Dockers and heartbreak for the Eagles, who had fought back so hard only to fall a kick short.
Rhys Chin, Kristian Ericson and Selby Lee-Steere had been ball magnets for the Dockers; while Aaron Drinkwater, Cameron Arndt and Yoshi Harris had worked tirelessly or the Eagles.
The chance to be in the top five was on the line at Olds Park on Saturday as St George hosted Western Suburbs. And thanks to a quick start, the Dragons had enough of a buffer to hold out anything the Magpies could throw at them before prevailing by 19 points.
It was a run of five goals to one in the opening term that would launch the platform upon which St George’s win would be built. A 26-point margin at quarter time meant that, although the Magpies would play some good football over the rest of the day, they would always be playing catch-up football.
The Magpies kept fighting during the second term, with three goals to one to cut the margin to 17 points at half time. Continuing to attack in the third quarter, the Magpies scored five goals in an attempt to get back into the contest; but the Dragons had four answering goals to make sure they stayed in front. Ten points was the margin at the last change, but the Magpies could get no closer as the Dragons had the answers to every challenge that was thrown their way, scoring three goals to two for the quarter.
Ben Jones, Stephen Wilsen and Andrew Sharp were St George’s best, while the Magpies were well served by the efforts of Brenton Mumme, Elliott Harper and Stephen Hudson. With the win, the Dragons’ fourth in a row, they remain in the top five.
Saturday afternoon at Waverley Oval saw a clash of the eastern suburbs universities as UTS played host to UNSW-ES. When the two sides played at the Village Green earlier in the season, the Bulldogs unfurled their premiership flag. And this time, they would do their chances of earning another flag no harm as they cruised to a 52-point win.
The Bulldogs got off to a flying start, six goals to one in the opening term putting them 26 points ahead at quarter time. The Bats were under pressure, and some inaccurate kicking wasn’t helping their cause. A run of four goals to three in the second term extended the margin to 32 points at half time.
The Bats tried to work their way back into the contest in the third term, but the Bulldogs had the answering goals to snuff out any challenge the Bats would throw their way. Three goals to two in favour of the Bulldogs was bad news for UTS, with the 37-point margin at the last change too big a gap for the Bats to overcome. A return of four goals to two in the final term, pushing the margin out to 52 points, was the icing on the UNSW-ES cake.
Jeremy Kiel was pivotal on the Bulldog forward line, finishing with four goals; while around the ground, Henry Mason, Peter Kefalas and Hayden Nichols were getting plenty of the ball. The Bulldogs find themselves in fourth place, only percentage behind second. On another challenging afternoon for the Bats, Jonathan Spragg, Jacob Prince and Tom Nixon kept working hard. But the Bats, among the premiership favourites before the season started, are three games outside the top eight and their finals chances are in serious danger of slipping away.
Sydney Uni remain in the race for the finals, and the Students gave their percentage a handy boost when they recorded a 97-point win over Illawarra at Sydney Uni No 1 Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Keen to record a big win, the Students burst out of the blocks and set up a match-winning lead in the first quarter, a run of eight goals to one putting the home side 41 points ahead at the first change. It was another disappointing opening from an Illawarra side that are still looking for their first win in 2013. But the Lions tried hard to get back into the game during the second term, frustrating the Students with a low-scoring quarter that would produce one goal apiece and see the Students holding a 45-point win at the long break.
The Students were back on top in the third quarter, and the Lions were unable to keep up. A run of six goals to one extended the margin to 81 points at three-quarter time. By then, the sting had gone out of the contest, and the Students were in cruise control in the final term as they kicked three unanswered goals.
Gabriel Robbie was the focal point of the Students’ many forward movements, finishing with five goals for the afternoon; while Ronan Geraghty, Rory Avis-Foster and Michael Higgins were among their best. For the Lions, Tom Green, Tom Walsh and Nathan Wright continued to strive tirelessly.
