Premier Division Preliminary Final
St George Dragons v Pennant Hills Demons- Blacktown 3.15pm Sunday
It is sudden death from here on in as three sides remain in contention for the AFL Sydney Premier Division title.
Manly-Warringah won straight through to the Grand Final after defeating St George by 18 points in their Semi Final last weekend.
St George will be keen to atone for their loss and can look mainly at their midfield to remedy the situation. They turned the ball over too easily and were beaten again by the hungry Wolves’ middle men.
Blake Guthrie is one who can hold his head high after doing a good job on Manly’s best player, Tyrone Armitage.
Their score was very similar to the draw they had with Manly late in the regular season. Alex Wynn will again be important as a mid-sized forward to relieve the pressure on Jason Saddington and Nick Ryan.
Andrew Sharp was again important for the Dragons and will have a big task this weekend.
Pennant Hills were by their own admission very lucky to survive against a plucky North Shore outfit.
The Demons were heavily backed given the injury woes and form of the North Shore side but trailed for most of the game, only for a long bomb by Kieran Wright and a strong last half by Luke Bilbe to help them over the line.
There are no issues with their attack but they did leak goals from stoppages against the Bombers. Jack Davis and Sam Carruthers were two to cause headaches inside 50 in what was a smaller Bombers’ line-up without Daniel Roberts and Sam Mason.
Terry Mudge was happily sunning himself on the far hill whilst the two sides went at it in a very physical encounter- one of the best finals games in recent seasons.
The Demons will need more from their big names. Players such as Aaron Crisfield, Tim Wales and Wright were kept relatively quiet while Ranga Ediriwickrama was streaky but managed three goals.
Peter Barnes and Cameron Smith have been impressive in the last fortnight. Sam Widmer is also a likely type who can ruck and play half-forward.
Both sides will have had a light week on the track in what has been a testing season where easy matches have been less frequent.
Again the ledger between the two sides stands at one win each with Pennant Hills regaining form after a string of losses against the Dragons in the last round of the regular season.
Recent Encounters
Round 18- Pennant Hills 15.14.104 def. St George 13.10.88 @ Mike Kenny Oval
Round 5- St George 11.14.80 def. Pennant Hills 10.16.76 @ Olds Park
Prediction
As mentioned both sides had big tests last week- St George in the heat, and Pennant Hills in a physical affair. The side able to dominate the clearances and use the ball better will win. It is a toss of the coin job but in terms of a prediction, Pennant Hills have more improvement and more experience in key positions.
Pennant Hills by 8 points
Other Observations
Division One Preliminary Final- UTS vs UNSW/ES
It was a turn up in Division One with UNSW/ES causing one of the bigger upsets against a very inaccurate Holroyd-Parramatta. Troy Luff turned back the clock with a five-goal best-on-ground performance. He is still seeking that elusive first premiership and will face another hurdle in a physical UTS side that pushed competition favourites, Southern Power.
Prediction: UTS by 16 points
Division Two Grand Final- Manly-Warringah vs Sydney University
The best two sides of the regular season have won through to the Grand Final in Division Two. Manly-Warringah will start solid favourites after winning straight through to the Grand Final but will be without key player Blake Brendan through suspension. Matthew Rawle is a focal point up forward. Sydney University, who defeated a good side in Western Suburbs last week, will have every chance in a two-horse race and it will be highest premiership for the club this season if they get up.
Prediction: Manly-Warringah by 22 points
Division Three Grand Final- Blacktown vs Randwick City
Blacktown are one of the biggest favourites in any of the grades to win this weekend after a dominant season which has only seen them lose twice. Ash Moeller kicks goals for fun up forward and they have some very good ball users around the ground. Randwick City themselves have only lost a handful of games this season but will need to do better than their last encounter with Blacktown in the Qualifying Semi Final a fortnight ago. They can gain confidence out of the club’s first premiership in Division Five last weekend.
Prediction: Blacktown by 34 points
Division Four Grand Final- Pennant Hills vs Sydney University
Pennant Hills finished second after the regular season after the club decided to field a third grade side. Their highlight of the season was Barnaby Howarth’s 100th game but it is obvious they have kept the momentum going since then. Sydney University have done very well to come from fourth place to qualify for the Grand Final. Pennant Hills will start favourites but with a few ex-Premier Division players running around for the Students, who knows what the final result will be.
Prediction: Pennant Hills by 20 points
Under 18s
UNSW/ES will start favourites against Illawarra that have come through from fourth place to qualify for the Preliminary Final. Illawarra- last year’s Grand Finalists, deserve respect and could produce a run similar to St Ignatius a few years ago when they came from fifth to claim the title. Abe Davis and Alex Foote hold the key for the Bulldogs.
Prediction: UNSW/ES by 17 points
In the Division Two clash, Holroyd-Parramatta will start slight favourites over Macquarie University who will chasing their second premiership after their success in Women’s Division Two last week. The young Goannas are the last remaining hope for the club this season. Manly-Warringah awaits the winner in the Grand Final.
Prediction: Holroyd-Parramatta by 8 points
Last Modified on 12/09/2013 13:18
