Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
Since joining Premier Division, it’s been smooth sailing for Manly. Winning the premiership in their first season was a result beyond their wildest dreams. And as they began the defence of their title in 2014, they’ve hit the ground running. Last year they caught us all by surprise; this year the weight of expectation is on them, but doesn’t seem to have worried them so far. Big wins over St George and Pennant Hills got the season off to a flying start. They’ve changed their name from Wolves to Giants, but still wear the familiar maroon with the white sash.
In the third round, it was a short road trip for a local derby, with the Giants travelling to Gore Hill to take on North Shore. The Bombers went into the season on the back of a loss to Sydney Uni and a narrow win over Campbelltown. It was a clash between two teams with hopes of figuring prominently at the business end of the season.
It was a wet and windy Saturday, making ball-handling difficult and turning many games into scraps. But thankfully most grounds around the league remained open; and although some games through the divisions had to be moved, all Premier Division matches went ahead as scheduled.
The game started with all the intensity and physical pressure you’d expect from a tightly-fought derby. Two goals apiece were scored in the opening quarter, with the Giants leading by two points at the first change. There were few easy possessions, plenty of solid bumps, and plenty of passion in this encounter; and tempers boiled over as the quarter time siren sounded, all-in for some pushing and shoving.
By the time the second quarter got under way, the rain had stopped and the sun briefly emerged. And the second term would be close to the best quarter of football we’ve seen in this league so far this season. It was an arm-wrestle, neither side conceding an inch as they worked desperately around the ground, both sides looking for supremacy but failing to find it. Again it was goal for goal, with the Bombers finding the big sticks three times and the Giants twice. When the half time siren sounded, it was North Shore by three points; and most people present were thinking this one would go down to the wire. But it wasn’t to be.
The third quarter is known as the premiership quarter. This is where games can be torn apart, and where the top contenders break away from their opponents. 
And so it was to prove this time. The sun had gone, the rain was back; and the lights had been switched on to ease the darkening conditions. And the Giants stepped up their intensity to compound the gloom for the Bombers. The Bombers had matched it with the Giants in the first half, but were left behind as Manly showcased the skills and pressure which has taken them to premiership glory. And the scoreboard would reflect the one-sided nature of the quarter, with the Giants adding five unanswered goals to turn the half-time deficit into a 29-point lead.
The game was beyond doubt at the last change, and the heavy ground had taken its toll. There were tired legs in both sides in the last quarter, the intensity was gone; and it was mainly going through the motions in an error-plagued last term as the players slogged through the miserable conditions. One goal apiece in the final quarter before the siren sounded and hot showers beckoned.
The Giants had maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 32-point win. Lachlan Kilpatrick, Thomas Thurgarland and Angus Buncle were the Giants’ best. For the Bombers, Selby Lee-Steere, Zac Manley and Nick Foster had worked tirelessly; but with a 1-2 record, and that win being far from convincing, the Bombers will be looking to regroup over the Easter break to get back among the top contenders for 2014.
Two teams looking for their first win of 2014 faced off at Trumper Park when UTS hosted Campbelltown on Saturday afternoon. And it would be the Blues who would break their duck with a well-earned 23-point win. 
There was plenty of desperation early, and plenty of lead changes, during a closely contested first quarter. Three goals apiece, with the Bats leading by a point at quarter time. But when the teams emerged from their huddles for the second quarter, the Blues took control of the contest. Racing the ball forward, kicking directly on the short ground and finding targets up forward, it didn’t take long for the trend to become apparent. With eight goals to two in a high-scoring second term, the Blues took a stranglehold on the match as they led by 36 points at half time.
The Bats tried to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the third term and attempted to work their way back into the contest. But the Blues had the answers, and any challenge was quickly snuffed out. Three goals to each team in the third term and the margin was 39 points at the last change. The game was safe, and although the Bats won the final quarter, the Blues had done enough to take their first win of the season.
Campbelltown had plenty of avenues to goal, with Matt Edwins and Chris Gordon making the most of their chances to finish with four goals each. Taran Etto, along with Gordon and Edwins, were prominent around the ground for the Blues. Adam Baker contributed up forward for the Bats to finish with five goals from limited opportunities; and along with Joshua Maddox and Justin Kenna was among UTS’s best.
UNSW-ES hosted Pennant Hills at the Village Green on Saturday afternoon, with the Bulldogs looking to continue their unbeaten run so far in 2014. And it was looking good for them early as they got off to a flying start. With plenty of run in the damp conditions, the Bulldogs looked to be in control as they kicked five goals to one to lead by 21 points at the first change.
But the Demons hit back hard in the second term. It didn’t always work for the Demons, and they missed plenty of shots they should have kicked. But as they began to pump the ball forward more often, weight of opportunities began to have an effect as the goals began to flow. With four goals to one for the quarter, the Demons pegged the Bulldogs’ lead back to two points at half time.
The third quarter was goal for goal, as two sides that looked evenly-matched around the ground kept working hard and searched in vain to build some momentum. There were three goals apiece for the quarter, the Bulldogs leading by three points at three quarter time. At that stage, it was anyone’s guess who would finish with the four points. But it didn’t take long in the last quarter for the Demons to take control, snatching the lead and running away with the contest as the final term progressed. The Bulldogs had led for most of the day, but with the Demons kicking six goals to two in the last quarter, the match finished as a 22-point win for Pennant Hills. 
Stephen Wray was a drop of golden sun on a gloomy day, kicking six goals for the Demons in a best-on-ground performance; while Alex Goodall and Aaron Crisfield picked up plenty of the ball around the ground. For the Bulldogs, Jeremy Daniher, Nicholas McGann and Ryan Farrelly kept putting in the hard yards all day. The Demons return to the winning list, while the Bulldogs taste defeat for the first time in 2014.
The two NEAFL-aligned clubs, Sydney Hills Eagles and Sydney Uni, faced off at Bruce Purser Reserve on Saturday evening, in wet and windy conditions not conducive to quality football. Instead, it was a scrappy affair for much of the evening, the endeavour being far greater than the limited skill the tricky conditions would allow.
The Students got on top early, making the most of the play during the early exchanges before the ball became too wet and slippery. Four goals to one in the opening term got the Students off to a flying start, opening up a 19-point lead at quarter time. Day turned into night during the second quarter, and with the heavens opening, it was hard enough to see through the torrential rain and even harder to control the ball. The Students would kick the only two goals scored in the second term, leading by 27 points at half time.
The Eagles scored a goal in the third term, but it was a rare highlight in what was proving to be a tough night for the home club. The Students kicked three at the other end during the premiership quarter, stretching the lead to 40 points at three quarter time. The contest was as good as over, but the Students had the sniff of a percentage-booster and shut down any prospect of the Eagles getting anything back on the scoreboard during the final term. And with three unanswered goals in the final quarter, it finished as a 58-point win for Sydney Uni.
Sam Sleigh, Montgomery Krochmal and Joshua Smith boosted their mudlark credentials, being the Students’ best. For the Eagles, Matthew Scholz, Harrison Bond and Nick Crowe toiled hard all evening for the Eagles; but with just two goals to show for their efforts, it had been a miserable evening for the Eagles as the Uni defence had been dominant all night.
It was a thriller at Picken Oval on Saturday afternoon, with Wests taking on St George. A contest between two evenly-matched teams finished as a heart-stopper, with the two teams sharing the points for the first draw of 2014. 
The wet conditions early made it difficult for both sides to adapt their game, but it was the Magpies who would have the better of the early exchanges. The home side would kick the only two goals of the first quarter, to lead by 14 points at quarter time. As the sun emerged in the second term, the Dragons began to lift, but the Magpies had the answers to any challenge the visitors would throw up during the second term. It was three goals apiece in the second quarter, with the home side maintaining a ten-point lead at the long break.
Although the Magpies continued to run hard in the third term, some poor finishing in front of goal would cost them dearly. A return of 2.5 for the quarter would prevent them from gaining reward for effort, and the Dragons would make them pay. Some late goals to the Dragons, to finish with three goals for the quarter, saw the Wests lead reduced to ten points at the last change.
It was a thriller, and the Dragons kept coming back hard in the last quarter. The Magpies managed two goals in the last quarter, but spent much of the term defending desperately against the surging St George midfield as they raced the ball forward with regularity. And the defence would crack, and the Dragons banged four goals in during the last quarter to level the scores. The Magpies had led all day, but the Dragons had pegged them back. The final desperate stages of the match saw the Dragons put the equalising goal through as the final siren sounded.
And so the game would finish as a draw, the first of the season. For the Magpies, it would be the first time they wouldn’t collect the four points, but they remain undefeated. Matt Round, Lindsay Scown and Yannick Milligan-Saville had been prominent performers all day for the Magpies. The Dragons after three rounds have the full set of a win, a loss and a draw. Karl Merson, Pat McBride and Stephen Wilsen had been among the Dragons’ best.
An interesting statistical oddity from this game is Matt Round was the only player from either side to kick one goal but not kick a second – every other goal-scorer from either side kicked two, none of them kicked a third.
Premier Division will take the week off over the Easter break, and this column will also take a break. We’ll be back in two weeks time to review the ANZAC weekend’s matches.
Last Modified on 14/04/2014 09:30
