Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
We’ve reached the half-way point of the home and away season; and already the top five that will be competing in this year’s finals looks set. Although we still have as much home and away football to come as what we’ve already had; it’s hard to see how anyone from outside the top five can displace one of the current finals-placed teams.
The top four certainly look secure, with more than three games separating fourth from sixth. And the difference between fifth-placed Sydney Uni and sixth-placed North Shore was displayed as a stark reality at Blacktown International Sportspark No 2 on Saturday afternoon.
Had the Bombers been able to defeat the Students, they’d have moved into the top five. But it didn’t take long for it to be clear that wasn’t going to happen.
It was a North Shore home game, but it didn’t feel like one. Overnight rain had seen Gore Hill Oval contentiously closed; the game moved to Blacktown No 2. And the injury-decimated North Shore team that took the field quickly looked out of their depth as the Students took an early lead. The Bombers stayed in touch for about 15 minutes; but by quarter time the Students had seven goals to two on the scoreboard, a 32-point lead, and it was clear it was going to be a long afternoon for the Bombers.
It was a blowout, and the Students continued their relentless drive in the second term as they kicked the first four goals; and even with the Bombers getting two back in time-on, it was a 46-point lead to the University team at the long break. The Bombers put up some resistance in the third term, holding the Students to three goals while managing two themselves, and it was a 51-point margin at the last change.
Sydney Uni’s NEAFL team had been playing on the other oval, and by the last quarter, that team’s players had arrived at the No 2 oval to support their Premier Division team. And they enjoyed what they saw, as North Shore’s resistance had crumbled and the Students added six unanswered goals in the final term.
The 89-point win was spearheaded by the boot of Evan Smith, who marked at will and kicked eight goals in a best-on-ground performance, with Kyle Underwood contributing four goals. Sam Orton and Glenn Smith also made prominent contributions for the Students. On a tough afternoon for the Bombers, Matt Adamson, Selby Lee-Steere and Sam Carruthers continued to try hard all day. 
The result snapped a three-game losing streak for the Students, maintaining their position in the top five; six points clear of North Shore. Even though there’s still nine rounds to go, it’s looking likely that the Students will be the first NEAFL-aligned club to play Premier Division finals.
North Shore hang on to sixth place, despite having just three wins from their first nine games. A six-point gap to make the finals is not insurmountable; but an urgent turnaround in injuries and form is required if the Bombers can turn their mathematical finals chances into reality.
At the top of the table, Manly remain undefeated; while Wests find themselves in the top three. The Magpies hosted the Giants at Picken Oval on Saturday afternoon and put up some steady resistance, but in the end, the Giants were still able to record a comfortable win.
The Magpies put the Giants under pressure, tackling hard and stopping the Giants from getting comfortable on the damp Picken Oval surface. But the Giants were their own worst enemy in the opening term, spraying several kickable shots at goal wide of the big sticks. A return of 1.8 for the quarter was frustrating for the Giants, and despite holding a seven-point lead, the Giants were feeling the pressure. And that intensified as the Magpies took the lead in the second term.
Last year, it was Wests who ended the Manly winning streak, piling on the pressure with their intensity. And, for one of the few times this year, Manly were feeling the pinch as the Magpies weren’t making it easy for them. But the Giants steadied as the second quarter progressed, and with some late goals, finishing with four goals to two for the quarter, the Giants held an 18-point half time advantage.
Manly had survived the scare they were given early in the second term; and in the third they defended resolutely to lock the Magpies out of the game. There were only two goals scored during the premiership quarter, but the Giants scored both of them to extend their lead to 32 points at the last change. The pressure valve had been turned off in the last quarter, and with five goals to two the final margin was 52 points. 
For all the Magpies’ resistance early, the Giants more than doubled their score to keep their undefeated status and their imposing percentage intact. Undefeated at the half-way point, a percentage over 250 – who’s going to beat the Giants?
Brayden Fowler was again impressive up forward to finish with five goals. Around the ground, James Brain, Connor Pettersson and David Stroud were ball magnets. Yannick Milligan-Saville, Lindsay Scown and Clinton McGrath were tireless in their efforts for the Magpies; who remain in third place on percentage, but still have to find something more at the business end of the season to challenge the Manly juggernaut.
St George have been quiet achievers this season, keeping themselves comfortably in the top five; and on Saturday afternoon the Dragons cemented their status as probably finallists with their fourth win on the trot. But the Dragons had to hang on against a third quarter surge by UNSW-ES before they could claim the victory.
In windy conditions at Olds Park, the Dragons raced out of the blocks but poor accuracy in front of goal would hold them back. The scoreboard was ticking over with regularity, but by only a point at a time as the Dragons scored 3.7 in the first term; enough to lead by 16 points at quarter time. A low-scoring second term, with two goals to one in favour of the home side, extended the lead to 24 points at the long break.
The Dragons were looking comfortable at half time, and would score another three goals in the third quarter. But for much of the term they found themselves defending grimly, as the Bulldogs found their second wind and hit back hard. Five third quarter goals to the Bulldogs cut the margin to just 11 points at the last change, and as the Bulldogs went into their huddle at three quarter time, they could sense an opportunity to bring their long losing run to an end.
But it wasn’t to be, as the Dragons regrouped during the three quarter time break and the defence steadied to stop the leakage of goals. The Bulldogs could find the big sticks only once in the last quarter, while the Dragons helped themselves to three goals to extend the final margin to 24 points.
Dominic Killworth, Justin Maldigiri and Nicolas Shaw were prominent around the ground for the Dragons. With their fourth win in a row, they sit in fourth place, just a small percentage gap behind Wests. The Bulldogs found willing contributors in Joel Robbie, Ryan Plant and Jeremy Daniher. But the loss, their sixth in a row, sees them continue to slide down the ladder; and it would take something special for them to work their way back into finals contention from here.
Pennant Hills haven’t done too much wrong in the first half of the season; and their loss to the undefeated Manly is the only time they’ve tasted defeat so far in 2014. But the Demons were made to work hard to maintain that record, after they were pushed by a determined Campbelltown side at Mike Kenny Oval on Saturday afternoon.
It was a low-scoring opening term, with the Demons kicking the only two goals to lead by 13 points at the first change. But as the teams changed ends for the second quarter, the Blues sprang to life and caused some anxious moments for the Demons. It wasn’t long before the Blues had snatched the lead, as they kept the scoreboard ticking over in the second quarter. Six goals to three to the Blues, playing some inspired football to take an unlikely seven point lead into the sheds at half time. 
The Demons were under threat, and the scent of an upset was brewing. But the Demons steadied during the half time break, and as the third quarter got under way, they worked to erase the deficit and eliminate the threat of a boilover result. It wasn’t always convincing, and restoring the lead took time; but four goals to one in favour of the Demons was enough to turn the deficit into a 12-point lead at the last change. And there would be no way back for the Blues in the final quarter as the Demons tightened the screws; a run of five goals to one in the final term extending the final margin to 30 points.
It was far from the Demons’ best performance of the year, and at times the pressure of the Blues had them in trouble. But in the end, the Demons had done enough to take the points; keeping themselves in second place, six points ahead of Wests and St George. Sam Zikman kicked four goals for the Demons; while around the ground, Tim Wales, Damian Dell’Aquila and Lloyd Shepherd were among their best. The Blues found solid service from Jeconiah Peni, Taran Etto and Cameron Gordon; but with just two wins for the season, time is already running out for the Blues to mount a finals charge.
The remaining round 9 game was also played on Saturday afternoon, with Sydney Hills Eagles hosting UTS Bats at Bruce Purser Reserve. Both clubs haven’t had the success they were hoping for so far in 2014; but the Bats made the first step in the long road to salvaging their season with a 20-point victory.
Both teams went into the game having won one game so far this season; and little separated the two sides in the early exchanges. It was a slog in slippery conditions, where the ball was hard to control and scoring shots were hard to come by. Two goals apiece were scored in the opening term, with the Bats ahead by two points at quarter time. And the game still looked evenly matched in the second term, but the Bats took the upper hand with three goals to two, extending their lead to ten points at half time.
The Eagles needed to lift their intensity in the third term to stay in the contest, and they gave it their best shot; but inaccurate finishing in front of goals would cost them dearly. A return of 2.5, when straighter kicking would have potentially given them the lead, was an opportunity lost that they would lament. Although around the ground the Eagles were more than matching it with the Bats, the visitors would score three goals in the term, winning the quarter and leading by 13 points at the last change.
The Eagles kept working hard, but there was no way they could snatch back the lead and pull off the come-from-behind result. Whenever they attempted to challenge, the Bats would have the answering goal to snuff out any prospect of an Eagle win. Three goals to two for the quarter was enough for the Bats to take the match by 20 points; leap-frogging UNSW-ES and Campbelltown on the ladder to move up to seventh place, but still half a game behind sixth-placed North Shore and two games out of the top five. 
Adam Baker was cooking up some useful scoring opportunities for the Bats, finishing up with five goals; while Joshua Maddox, Thomas Sundberg and Leigh Meyrick were prominent around the ground. For the Eagles, Aaron Drinkwater, Jared Madden and Jordan McPherson battled tirelessly; but the loss keeps the Eagles stuck on the bottom with just one win in the first half of 2014.
There’s still a long way to go this season. With as much football still to come as we’ve already had, mathematically it’s impossible for anyone to be out of finals calculations yet. But there’s some enormous gaps in the ladder already opening up; and unless some stunning reversals of form come very quickly in the next few weeks, the final five could well be settled long before the playoffs come around.
Last Modified on 19/06/2014 09:49
