Article by Michael Shillito, Photos by Leigh Gazzard
After a week off last week, it was back into the Premier Division action; with a full round of matches played on Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t a round that produced any major surprises, and so the ladder remains in similar shape to last week. Manly remains a game plus percentage clear on top. Pennant Hills are comfortably in second. It’s a very tight squeeze between Wests and St George for the double-chance; while Sydney Uni complete the top five.
The only game between teams in the top five was at Sydney Uni No 1, with the fifth-placed Students playing host to fourth-placed St George. Played in sunny but cold conditions, there was plenty of attacking flair being displayed early in the contest.
The Students had returned to the winning list at their last start, and were full of confidence and full of running during the early exchanges. The scoreboard was ticking over freely in the first quarter as the Students attacked hard but the Dragons were coming up with answering goals when needed to keep themselves within striking distance. With five goals to three in a high-scoring first quarter, the Students held a ten-point quarter time lead.
But when the teams emerged from the huddles for the second quarter, it was the Dragons who lifted another gear and before long had become the clearly superior team around the ground. And the scoreboard reflected their dominance, as the quarter time deficit was quickly erased and they began to establish a handy lead. It was St George at their best, with a return of six goals to one for the quarter, and a 21-point lead at the long break.
The third quarter was a much tighter and more defensively-minded period, a contrast to the free-flowing football on display early. Easy possessions were hard to come by, goals even harder. The Students scored the only goal of the quarter, cutting the margin to 17 points at three quarter time. The home side had recovered from the second quarter onslaught and strove hard in the final quarter to regain the lead. But St George would not be denied, and defended grimly against the late Student surge. The Students won the last quarter, three goals to two; but the Dragons hung on for a nine-point win.
Jordan West, Ben Sharp and Nicolas Shaw were best for the Dragons; while the Students were well served by the efforts of Lachlan Maples, Glenn Smith and Alex Dyson. The Dragons extended their gap ahead of Sydney Uni to four games, ending any mathematical chance of the Students grabbing the double-chance in the finals. The Students remain in the top five, despite having lost more games than they’ve won.
But St George’s win wasn’t enough to climb up to third place and the double-chance. Wests maintain third place, with a superior percentage to the Dragons, after the Magpies completed a 41-point win over North Shore at Picken Oval.
This game was North Shore’s last roll of the dice for their hopes of being in the finals this year, and early on they took the fight up to the Magpies. A low-scoring first quarter saw plenty of hard, tough, physical football; with little separating the two teams around the ground in a tightly-contested term. Each side scored two goals, with the home side leading by two points at the first change. But after an even first quarter, the Magpies took the upper hand in the second, beginning to create some space around the ground and getting on top in the midfield. And the scoreboard reflected the state of play; as the Magpies kicked four unanswered goals for the quarter to lead by 27 points at half time.
But the Bombers weren’t giving up, and during the third quarter they lifted their game and put the Magpies under plenty of pressure. It wasn’t always pretty football to watch, but North Shore were taking the fight up to the Magpies. Two goals to one in the third term cut the margin to 20 points, and when the Bombers scored an early goal in the final quarter, a comeback win wasn’t out of the question.
It wasn’t to be, as the Magpies steadied. A finals-bound team, they had absorbed the pressure long enough; and as the clock ran down, the Magpies had the decisive answers when they were needed. With the last four goals of the game, they ended up doubling the Bombers’ score; keeping themselves in third place.
Taylor Williamson took control of proceedings on the forward line to finish with four goals, and along with Levi Sands and Marcus Linsen were among the Magpies’ best. Tim Bransgrove, Matt Adamson and Dale Fitzgerald toiled hard all afternoon for the Bombers. Had the Bombers been able to run the Magpies down and take the game, they’d have been just two points behind the Students on the ladder. But, unable to do so, they remain six points behind and with a poor percentage; their finals hopes all but ended.
At the top of the ladder, Manly have been near unstoppable this season, only dropping one game. And there was little to cause them any anxious moments at Trumper Park, as they led from start to finish to record an 85-point win over UTS.
Keen to make an impression from the start, the Giants got the early jump and ensured the Bats would be chasing the game. Full of running, forcing the turnovers, and finding plenty of scoring options; it was all Manly in the first quarter as they set up what was already a match-winning lead. Six unanswered goals set up a 39-point advantage at quarter time.
They weren’t finished yet, and the one-sided nature of the contest continued in the second term. The Bats managed to break their goal drought, but it was a rare moment of respite from the relentless Giant juggernaut. Four goals to one in the second term, the Giants leading by 55 points at half time; and it had been another convincing display from the irresistible Manly machine.
With the game safely won, the third term wasn’t one that reached any great heights; but the Giants still maintained their clear superiority, with a run of three goals to one and a 72-point lead at the last change. And in the last quarter, the Giants’ biggest frustration came from themselves as they attacked the goals non-stop during the final quarter but could only manage an inaccurate 3.8. The Bats scored two goals in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an 85-point margin.
Brayden Fowler continued his impressive season up forward to finish with six goals; while around the ground, the form of Connor Pettersson, Levi Brain and Lachlan Kilpatrick was pivotal in setting up the Giants’ win. Frank Boland, Justin Kenna and Sam Way had been best for the Bats; but it was another disappointing afternoon for the Bats.
Pennant Hills are only a game behind Manly, and the Demons ensured the double-chance in the finals with a comprehensive 81-point win over UNSW-ES at Mike Kenny Oval.
The Bulldogs had won at their last start, and were looking for another win to keep their finals hopes alive. And in the early exchanges the Bulldogs took the fight up to the Demons. It was goal for goal during a closely-contested opening term; as the two sides each scored three goals, and it was a three-point lead to Pennant Hills at quarter time.
But the Bulldogs’ resistance came to an end as the quarter time siren sounded, and they would not score another goal for the afternoon. The Demons established themselves as the superior side in the second quarter, their four unanswered goals extended the margin to 29 points at the long break. The third term was a shocker, with the Demons spraying shot after shot wide of the mark to finish with an inaccurate 1.6; but still extending their lead to 40 points at three-quarter time.
When the teams lined up for the final quarter, it was time for the Demons to finally take full control of the contest. The Bulldogs had nothing more to give, and the Demons put on a display of dominance that they’ll be hoping to replicate when the business end of the season comes around. Finding targets, tackling hard, and finding plenty of loose runners to propel the ball forward. And six unanswered goals would result, doubling the margin during the final quarter as the game became a one-sided demolition.
In the end, the margin was 81 points; a fair reflection of the Demons’ superiority. Sam Zikman has been in impressive form up forward, and continued that run with a four-goal haul. Around the ground, Ranga Ediriwickrama, Kieran Wright and Matt Carey were ball magnets for the Demons. Spencer Krochmal, Alex Foote and Jeremy Daniher worked hard all afternoon for the Bulldogs; but it was a disappointing loss and one that all but ends any hope of participating in this year’s finals.
With Sydney Uni having lost their game, Campbelltown had a chance to go within half a game of the top five. But the chance was lost when the Blues went down to Sydney Hills Eagles for the second time this year; the bottom side recording a 62-point win at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday afternoon.
The first quarter was evenly contested in general play, but a disturbing trend was developing for the Blues when they were unable to convert their time with the ball into scoreboard pressure. No goals but seven behinds were on the board for the Blues at quarter time; while the Eagles had managed two goals and an eight-point quarter time lead.
It was cold and windy, but the wind alone doesn’t explain the inaccurate return of both sides. Instead, it was a combination of pressure that both sets of defenders applied to their opposing forwards, as well as some indifferent finishing in front of goals. The Eagles held the Blues to just one point for the second term, but they could have made more of their opportunities. A wayward 2.10 for the quarter saw the Eagles lead by 29 points at half time, when the game could have been well and truly decided by then.
But that deficit was too much for the Blues to look a chance to reel in. The Blues, goal-less in the first half, broke their duck in the third quarter, but for each of the two goals they could conjure up in the third term, the Eagles had the answer. A 30-point margin was in place as the teams gathered for three-quarter time.
It had been low-scoring and inaccurate football for three frustrating quarters. But the last quarter saw the Eagles finally achieve the rewards that had beckoned for so long. Finally the kicks were finding the gap between the big sticks; and after so much inaccuracy earlier in the contest, the Eagles kicked seven straight goals in the last term. It was the Eagles’ best football this year, as they held the Blues to a single goal for the last quarter to blow the final margin out to 62 points.
Scott Pierce spearheaded the Eagle charge to finish with six goals; and along with Jordan McPherson and Dean Costello was among the Eagles’ best. For the Blues, Dave Linsen, Taran Etto and Hamish Sherwood made prominent contributions.
Last Modified on 04/08/2014 09:25
