SYDNEY AFL ROUND 14 2013
Article by Michael Shillito
There’s a clear gap between the top five and the rest of the Premier Division clubs; and unless something remarkable happens during the remainder of the home and away rounds, we already know who the final five will be.
But the order of those top five teams remains up for grabs, and as we went into round 14, all five of those teams were level on games; with not much percentage separating them. Any game between teams in the top five is critically important; and there was one on Saturday afternoon at the Village Green as UNSW-ES played host to St George.
Saturday was bright and sunny, a mild day for July. Great conditions for footy and with the stakes so high, a good contest was expected. And the game, particularly the first half, didn’t disappoint.
The Dragons made the early front-running, but some missed shots at goal prevented them from getting full reward for effort. Despite having eight scoring shots to three for the first quarter, the Dragons only led by ten points at the first change. And they would be under pressure in the second term as the Bulldogs lifted their intensity. Dragon shots sailed wide of the goals, while at the other end the Bulldogs were hitting their targets and getting the ball between the big sticks. The game was in the balance as the teams went into the rooms at half time, with the Dragons holding a six point advantage.
In the football vernacular, the third term is often referred to as the premiership quarter. Games can be won and lost during the period immediately after half-time; and that was certainly the case this time. The Dragons emerged from the sheds with a relentless drive, and the Bulldogs were unable to match it. The Bulldogs found no way to penetrate the miserly Dragon defence, and could get only one behind for the quarter. The Dragons scored four goals, extended their lead to 33 points at the last change.
The game was safely won, but there was no letting up the pressure by the Dragons. The race for percentage remains all-important; and the Dragons went on with the job in the last quarter to take the match by 43 points.
Daniel Cox, in his second Premier Division game, had a match to remember and was best on ground; while Jordan West and Paul Sain were also prominent for the Dragons. For the Bulldogs, Tim Widmer, Hayden Nichols and Joel Robbie were key contributors.
The Dragons’ win, their seventh in a row, maintains their share of the ladder leadership; and on percentage are in third place. The defeat for the Bulldogs means they drop a game behind the top of the table, finding themselves in fifth place.
At Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon, Manly returned to the winning list and maintained their share of the ladder leadership when the Wolves were far too good for Illawarra, taking the match by 96 points.
The Wolves were the hottest of favourites going into the match, with the Lions yet to taste victory in 2013. And from the opening term, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be the game the Lions made the breakthrough win. The Wolves were quickly on the scoreboard, and scored five goals to two in the opening term to lead by 22 points at quarter time. The second quarter was even more one-sided, the Wolves kicking seven goals to two for the quarter and holding a 48-point lead at the long break.
It had been a disastrous first half for the Lions, and scoring chances were hard to find. But when they did get the ball forward, they were able to get goals; and they would add two more in the third term while holding the Wolves to one goal. But that stat was as much due to the Wolves’ wayward finishing in front of goals as the Illawarra pressure as the home side kicked 1.7 for the quarter. And when the Wolves regained their goalkicking radar in the final quarter, the goals began to flow again; seven of them in the last term.
In the end, the Wolves took the match by 96 points, remaining in the top group of teams on the ladder and holding onto second place. Hayden Washington kicked six for the Wolves and Tyrone Armitage five; while Jack Lynch, Ryan Wearne and Lachlan Kilpatrick were their best.
For the Lions, all seven scoring shots were goals. But while it may have been a pointless game for the Lions, Luke Rutter, Ken Ewen-Chappell and Jacob Brookfield worked hard all afternoon.
Pennant Hills extended their imposing winning streak to nine games on Saturday afternoon, when the Demons comfortably defeated Balmain by 55 points at Mike Kenny Oval.
There wasn’t much in it during the opening quarter, an entertaining and evenly-contested term of football that finished with the Demons eight points ahead. Although the Dockers continued to contest around the ground, the Demons looked to have the answers as they kicked three goals to two in the second term, extending the margin to 13 points at half time.
The Dockers, although behind on the scoreboard, were reasonably satisfied with their efforts in the first half. In the context of a disastrous season against a red-hot Pennant Hills side, they had contested hard and put the Demons under pressure during the first half. But it all went horribly wrong for the Dockers when they returned to the field for the second half. The Demons dominated proceedings in the premiership quarter, leaving the Dockers behind as they were first to the ball and pumped it to the forward line with regularity. Six goals to one to the Demons opened up a 44-point lead at three quarter time.
The game was well and truly safe, and the sting had gone out of the game in the final quarter; but the Demons continued to attack hard, and with five goals to three in the last quarter they would maintain their imposing ladder-leading percentage.
Ranga Ediriwickrama stamped his authority over proceedings, kicking five goals in a best-on-ground performance; while Aaron Crisfield and Camerson Smith also picked up plenty of the ball for the Demons. For the Dockers, Leigh Conway, Shelby Lee-Steere and Kristian Ericson were their best.
North Shore have struggled with a rising injury toll in recent weeks, but the Bombers maintained their share of the ladder leadership at Waverley Oval on Saturday afternoon. But they had to survive a scare from a determined UTS side before they could finally snatch the vital competition points.
The Bombers went down to the Bats at Gore Hill earlier in the season, and the first half was far from comfortable. The Bombers were never able to kick away during the first term, and although they were leading by seven points at the first change, they soon found themselves behind on the scoreboard in the second term.
After that victory over the Bombers several months ago, the Bats’ season had unravelled, and five losses on the trot had seen the Bats crash out of finals calculations. But this was a day they were determined to fight back and regain the spark that had gone missing; and with five goals to two in the second term, the Bats found themselves nine points ahead at the long break.
Although the Bats won’t be playing finals this season, they were sensing the chance to claim the scalp of one of the top teams for the second time this year, and at times during the third term they looked poised to pull off the result. But the Bombers dug deep, kicking key goals when they were needed to draw level at the last change. The final quarter was a thriller, but the Bombers had lifted around the ground. Although an inaccurate return of 2.6 for the last quarter made it harder than it needed to be, the Bombers regained the lead in the final term and breathed a sigh of relief when the final siren sounded with the Bombers four points ahead.
Daniel Roberts celebrated his return to the Bombers’ lineup with a five goal haul; while the contributions around the ground of Sam Carruthers, Zac Manley and Dale Fitzgerald were pivotal to getting the Bombers over the line. Joel Minichiello, Augustine Porter and Morgan Davis were tireless contributors for the Bats; who were gallant in defeat, but their losing streak now runs to six games as a season that promised much has delivered little.
It’s a long shot that any team from outside the current top five can make their way into the finals. But Sydney University kept themselves in the race, doing it comfortably with a 64-point win over Sydney Hills Eagles at Sydney Uni No 1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Students, knowing they needed a win to keep themselves in contention, wasted little time in making an impression on the contest. Every score the Eagles could muster was doubled by the Students, as they raced out of the blocks to lead by 21 points at the first change. The second term was even more one-sided, as the Students had little difficulty in getting the ball from the centre of the ground to the forward line, while the Eagles missed a string of kickable shots at goal at the other end.
By half time, the Students were 45 points ahead. It’s been a tough season for the Eagles at Premier Division level this season, and just once have they sung their song in the rooms after the game. But in the third term, the Eagles dug deep to salvage something from the contest. There were nine goals on offer in a free-flowing quarter of football, and the Eagles scoring five of them, they had at least won the quarter and cut the margin to 35 points at three quarter time. But the Students regained their momentum in the final quarter, and with six goals to one, the victory for the home side was a comfortable one.
Charles Shaw finished with five goals and James Howard four for the Students; while Jack Caspersonn, Rory Avis-Foster and Jethro Braico were ball magnets all afternoon. Alex Sneddon kicked four for the Eagles, and along with James Gordon and Theo Gavuri was among their best. The Students are still two games plus plenty of percentage behind the Dragons, and it’s unlikely they’ll make the finals from here; but this win keeps their slim chances alive.
The second half of the season has seen Campbelltown, struggling for so long in Premier Division, showing signs of turning the corner and starting to become a competitive force again. And the Blues continued their impressive recent form, winning their fourth game out of the last five; a 48-point result against Western Suburbs at Monarch Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The first quarter was a high-scoring shootout, an entertaining affair in which there were plenty of goals on offer as the runners from both sides found plenty of room to move on the massive Monarch ground. Seven goals to one for the opening term saw the Blues 20 points clear at quarter time, and by the long break the lead had been extended to 27 points.
The Blues had a handy lead, and the focus then switched to preventing any chance of a Magpie comeback. Tightening the screws, the game became more defensively focussed in the third term, and the scoring chances dried up. But the Blues were still on top around the ground, winning the contested ball and kicking two goals to one to lead by 34 points at three-quarter time. By then the game was safe, but the Blues had the sniff of another win and continued to run out the game strongly during the last quarter and preventing the Magpies from getting any easy disposals.
With the 48-point result, the Blues continue their impressive recent form. Four wins out of five, the only defeat being by a kick to the ladder-leading Pennant Hills. Matt Edwins was at his brilliant best, kicking five goals to be easily best on ground; while Bryce Joynson and Taran Etto were also in good form for the Blues. And just as pleasing as the result for Campbelltown was the return of Shanan Kershaw, back in the Blues’ side for the first time since an injury that was feared to be career-ending early in 2011.
For the Magpies, Marcus Linsen, Brenton Mumme and Elliott Harper were their best. But the loss was a disappointing result for the Magpies, their third in a row; and one which leaves their finals hopes as only achievable by the slimmest of unlikely mathematical permutation of results.
Four rounds remain, and the battle for top spot and the double-chance in the finals remain wide open. Clashes between the teams within the top five are of critical importance; and there’s a mouth-watering one coming up at Gore Hill on Saturday when North Shore host Pennant Hills.
Last Modified on 30/07/2013 09:25
