AFL Sydney Premier Division - SEMI FINAL
Manly-Warringah have continued their fairytale season- booking their place in the AFL Sydney Premier Division Grand Final with an 18-point win over St George.
The match was close for most of the day but Manly always had the lead on a hot day at Blacktown International Sports Park.
Missing Hayden Washington as their key forward didn’t seem to bother the Wolves as they generated plenty of opportunities.
Ultimately inaccurate, the Wolves did enough to book their berth in the Grand Final, a deserved award after finishing clear as minor premiers.
David Stroud and Connor Pettersson were superb in the middle of the field, with Harrison Koch playing a key role down back.
In a tense final term, St George were only able to generate one scoring shot. Blake Guthrie was industrious all day and did a good job tagging Tyrone Armitage, while Andrew Sharp was strong in defence.
The Elimination Semi Final at Henson Park on Sunday afternoon had it all- goals, physicality and two sides desperate to keep their season alive.
Despite starting underdogs and without three of their best players in key forwards, Sam Mason and Daniel Roberts, and representative player, Dale Fitzgerald; the Bombers were on from the opening bounce.
In an entertaining first quarter, the Bombers held a narrow lead which they maintained going into half-time. Ron Wason was proving a tower of strength in the defensive half against a side boasting the best attack in the league.
North Shore continued to show their superiority in the third term with Doug Hadden, Jared Shattock and Sam Carruthers getting plenty of the ball. Young Daniel Schacher was proving to be a reliable key forward in the absence of Mason and Roberts, with Jack Davis also kicking a couple of smart goals.
The last quarter brought out the best in Pennant Hills. The ball was constantly in dispute but in the end the cream rose to the top. The highlight was a strong contested mark by Luke Bilbe and a long bomb by Kieran Wright from outside 50 that brought the Demons supporters to their feet.
The final siren signalled the end of North Shore’s season- the second year they went out in straight sets, but on this occasion they can hold their head high knowing they featured in one of the best finals matches in recent memory.
The Demons eventually got home on the back of Nick Campbell and Cameron Smith- who was again brilliant for the winning side.
Pennant Hills will be battered and bruised but have a week to recover before they face St George in the Preliminary Final at Blacktown.
MANLY WARRINGAH WOLVES v. ST GEORGE DRAGONS
Manly Warringah Wolves 4.4, 7.8, 10.12, 11.19 (85)
St George Dragons 1.3, 5.5, 9.7, 10.7 (67)
GOALS,
Manly Warringah Wolves : T. Armitage 2, T. Thurgarland 2, L. Kilpatrick 2, N. Bosschieter 2, R. Wearne 1, R. Hart 1, C. Pettersson 1
St George Dragons : J. Saddington 3, A. Wynn 3, P. Sain 1, N. Ryan 1, M. Graham 1, D. Cox 1
BEST,
Manly Warringah Wolves : D. Stroud, H. Koch, C. Pettersson, W. Brassil, T. Thurgarland, R. Wearne
St George Dragons : B. Guthrie, A. Sharp, B. Sharp, S. Wilsen, M. Graham, B. Addison
GROUND: Blacktown ISP
NORTH SHORE BOMBERS v. PENNANT HILLS DEMONS
Pennant Hills Demons 3.4, 7.7, 9.10, 14.12 (96)
North Shore Bombers 4.2, 8.3, 12.6, 14.6 (90)
GOALS,
Pennant Hills Demons : R. Ediriwickrama 3, L. Bilbe 3, M. Carey 3, B. Jack 1, S. Widmer 1, M. Vile 1,
A. Richardson 1, K. Wright 1
North Shore Bombers : D. Schacher 4, J. Davis 3, S. Carruthers 2, B. Fitzgerald 1, J. Shattock 1, J. Gray 1,
L. Hayres 1, B. Sykes 1
BEST,
Pennant Hills Demons : N. Campbell, L. Bilbe, C. Smith, J. Dunn, S. Widmer, P. Barnes
North Shore Bombers : D. Hadden, R. Wason, J. Gray, S. Carruthers, D. Schacher, J. Shattock
GROUND: Henson Park
DIVISION ONE – SEMI FINALS
Southern Power 10.15 (75) defeated UTS Bats 7.11 (53)
UNSW/ES Bulldogs 9.11 (65) defeated Holroyd Parramatta Goannas 5.17 (47)
DIVISION TWO – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sydney University 10.9 (69) defeated Western Suburbs Magpies 8.5 (53)
DIVISION THREE – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Randwick City Saints 11.7 (73) defeated Nor-West Jets 8.4 (52)
DIVISION FOUR – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sydney University 13.4 (82) defeated UTS Bats 6.5 (41)
DIVISION FIVE – GRAND FINAL
Randwick City Saints 13.8 (86) defeated UTS Bats 6.7 (43)
UNDER 18 DIVISION ONE – SEMI FINALS
Illawarra Lions 13.10 (88) defeated St George Dragons 3.13 (31)
Pennant Hills Demons 11.14 (80) defeated UNSW/ES Bulldogs 5.10 (40)
UNDER 18 DIVISION TWO – 2nd SEMI FINAL
Manly Warringah Wolves 17.8 (110) defeated Holroyd Parramatta Goannas 5.7 (37)
WOMEN’S DIVISION ONE – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Balmain Dockers 5.2 (32) defeated UNSW/ES Stingrays 2.8 (20)
WOMEN’S DIVISION TWO – GRAND FINAL
Macquarie University 7.11 (53) defeated Southern Power 4.1 (25)
Last Modified on 09/09/2013 10:27
