Article and photos by Michael Shillito
During the off-season, much of the focus is on getting ready for the opening round. And for half the teams, their faith in how the season would unfold grows stronger after a first-up win. But for the teams who lose their opening round match, it’s important to bounce back in round 2. There’s plenty of desperation, and plenty of hard work to be done.
Such was the case for both Campbelltown and North Shore when they clashed at Monarch Oval on Saturday afternoon. The Blues had been well beaten by Wests in the opening round, while North Shore had gone down to Sydney Uni.
A wet night in the south-west had turned Monarch into a slow track, but the players from both sides didn’t look to be having too many problems with the conditions in the opening quarter. It was a term in which the lead changed hands several times, neither side able to get on top of the other. With four goals to three in the opening term, the Blues led by three points at quarter time.
But after a positive opening term by both sides, the game became bogged down in the second quarter. A quarter with numerous ball-ups, plenty of errors and turnovers as the clouds again closed in and a flukey, inconsistent breeze was blowing. The Blues, kicking to the school end during the second term, had the better of play around the ground; but neither side could manage a goal in an error-plagued quarter that saw the Blues seven points clear at the long break.
North Shore coach Jon Hayres blasted his charges during the half-time break; his spray, delivered from inside the indoor sports centre, being audible from the boundary fence. And when the Bombers returned to the field, they wasted no time in firing into action. It took just a couple of minutes for the Bombers to regain the lead. The Blues were left shell-shocked by the Bomber onslaught, and the home side would not score in the third term. With five goals for the quarter, the Bombers had turned the deficit into a 23-point lead at three quarter time; and were looking good.
But, as if they thought the job was already done, the Bombers slowed to a walk in the final term. The Blues, on the other hand, regrouped during the three quarter time break. It took a while for there to be a score in the final quarter, but three goals in quick succession saw the margin cut to five points, with still plenty of time to steal a winner.
North Shore were forced to defend grimly in the final few minutes, while the Blues found themselves full of running and were creating plenty of space on the vast expanses of the Monarch surface. With just seconds to play, a set shot from a tight angle gave the Blues an opportunity to snatch back the lead. But, agonisingly, the ball slammed into the post. And the Bombers hung on for dear life to take the game by three points and get their 2014 campaign under way.
Matt Adamson, Daniel Schacher and Michael Voyage gave solid service to the Bomber cause all day; while for the Blues, Jeconiah Peni, Cameron Gordon and Paul Green were impressive.
The defending premiers unfurled their premiership flag, and then in the Grand Final replay demolished last year’s runners up. So it was with Hawthorn on Friday night, and so it was for Manly at Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon when they recorded a convincing 90-point win over Pennant Hills.
Keen to make a statement from the start, the Giants were relentless in the first half. Their defence was magnificent, denying the Demons any prospect of easy scoring opportunities. And at the other end of the ground, the scoreboard was ticking over with regularity. Five unanswered goals in the opening term set up a 30-point lead at the first change; and after a run of five goals to one in the second quarter, the lead was out to 55 points at half time.
Already the game looked to be safely won for the Giants, and the pressure eased in the third quarter. But there was no way back into the contest for the Demons. Although they would score two goals in the third quarter, the Giants had the answers with a haul of four for the quarter, extending the lead to 67 points at three quarter time.
The Giants could smell a chance for a percentage boost and a key psychological blow against a team who is likely to again be one of their rivals at the business end of the season. And so the blowtorch was re-applied in the last quarter, and a run of six goals to two in the final quarter blew the final margin out to 90 points.
Brayden Fowler was an irrepressible force on the Giants’ forward line, helping himself to eight goals for the afternoon; and along with James Brain and Calum Johnston was among the Giants’ best. It was a difficult afternoon for the Demons, their heaviest defeat in many years; but Tim Wales, Benjamin Urwin and Ted Widmer continued to persevere all day.
The Giants, with their big win, maintain their undefeated status and a share of the competition lead; while the Demons are in the group of teams with one win and one loss.
Two teams who have high hopes of being around at the business end of the season, but who went down in their opening round matches, clashed at Olds Park on Saturday afternoon when St George hosted UTS. And it was the Dragons who would get their campaign back on track as they recorded a hard-fought 15 point win against the Bats.
Little separated the two teams in the early exchanges. It was an arm-wrestle in which the defences of both sides were tight and easy possessions were hard to come by. The lead changed hands several times, with the Bats kicking three goals to two in the first quarter to lead by five points at quarter time.
The Dragons took the upper hand in the second quarter. The game opened up, and the Dragons were able to get their game plan going. And with a run of six goals to three for the quarter, St George held a 16-point lead at the long break.
But the game was far from over, and the Bats hit back hard in the third quarter. Getting more of the ball, putting the Dragons under pressure, and soon they were back in the contest. They were unable to take the lead, but came close; and with three goals to two they had won the quarter and the margin was back to eight points at the last change. The Bats continued to challenge in the last quarter, but the Dragons held firm. And although the Bats got close, they couldn’t take the lead. And in the latter stages of the match, the Dragons kicked away; finishing with four goals to three to win the last quarter and close out the match.
Nick Ryan was the focal point up forward for the Dragons, finishing with four goals. Around the ground, Alex Wynn, Karl Merson and Pat McBride were picking up plenty of the ball. Scott Tregoning, Tom Zilm and Nicolas Kerber were among the Bats’ best. The Dragons have a win and a loss, while the Bats are yet to record their first win for the season.
Wests had enjoyed a big win in their opening round, and were looking to retain their unbeaten status when they travelled to Bruce Purser on Saturday afternoon to take on Sydney Hills Eagles. But the Magpies didn’t have everything their own way, and were given a scare by the Eagles during a hard-fought opening half.
The Eagles, looking to open their 2014 account, came out with a fighting spirit and there were no easy possessions for the Magpies. Only three goals were scored in a tightly-contested opening term, with the Magpies leading by five points at quarter time. And the Eagle resistance continued in the second term, as the home side took the lead. Full of running, they kicked four goals to two in the second term, and it was the Eagles with a six point advantage as the teams came into the rooms at half time.
But that first half was as far as the Eagles could match it with the Magpies, and they would not score a goal in the second half. Magpie players who were barely sighted in the first half began to exert an influence during the premiership quarter; and as they lifted around the ground, the scoreboard was ticking over. Six unanswered goals turned the deficit into a 30-point three quarter time lead.
The sting had largely gone out of the game in the final quarter, a defensive affair that never reached any great heights and neither goal umpire had cause to pull out the twin flags during the quarter. Five behinds apiece, and the 30-point margin remained intact when the final siren sounded.
Taylor Williamson, Andy Eurell and Matt Round had been best for Wests; while the Eagles received excellent service all day from Aaron Savage, Zac Johns and Aaron Drinkwater. It hadn’t always been convincing, but the premiership quarter was enough to get the Magpies over the line.
The round was completed at Henson Park on Sunday afternoon, with a university derby as Sydney Uni took on UNSW-ES. Constant rain, heavy at times, made it difficult for either side to control the ball, and for much of the day it would be a slog.
The Bulldogs had the better of the early exchanges around the ground, but although scoring was hard to come by, two goals to one for the quarter opened up a seven point quarter time lead; and the Students were never able to get the lead for the remainder of the afternoon. The second quarter was a scrap, just one goal apiece as the slippery ground dragged both sides below the level they would have been expecting to play at.
The lead for the Bulldogs would remain at seven points at half time, and they would get the ascendancy around the ground in the third term. But the rain was getting heavier, and the pressure and error count continued to climb. The Bulldogs created plenty of scoring chances but for much of the quarter could only manage behinds. Only one goal would come to the Bulldogs, while the Students would also get one against the run of play.
It was a ten point lead to the Bulldogs, but the Students were unable to peg that lead back in the last quarter. Despite their best efforts, the Bulldog defence held firm, and the Students could only penetrate the goals once in the final term. At the other end, the Bulldogs scored two to extend the final margin to 16 points.
Abayna Davis, David Batten and Tim Widmer had toiled magnificently to get plenty of Bulldog possessions in tough conditions; while David Johnson, Sam Sleigh and Jacob Swarts had been among the Students’ best. It hadn’t been a pretty game, the conditions didn’t allow it to be. But for the Bulldogs, four valuable competition points keeps them in a share of the ladder leadership; while the Students are in the group with one win and one loss, their favourable percentage keeping them in the top five.
Last Modified on 07/04/2014 12:29
