Article & Photos by Michael Shillito
It’s early days in the new season, but already there’s signs that this could be one of the most even seasons in many years. Already there’s only two undefeated teams, and one of them is last year’s wooden spoon team. And only two are yet to taste victory, and they both made the finals last year.
At Gore Hill Oval, North Shore took on UNSW-ES. The Bombers had won in their opening round while the Bulldogs had been defeated; but the tables were turned as the Bulldogs took control from the start to record a comfortable 67-point win.
The Bulldogs wasted no time in getting themselves on the scoreboard, and drew twin flags from the goal umpires four times in the first quarter while the Bombers were held goal-less. A 22-point lead to the Bulldogs at quarter time was comfortable enough; but the floodgates would open in the second quarter.
The second term was vintage UNSW-ES, the best football they’ve played for a couple of years; while North Shore were left to chase the game. Seven goals to two was the scoreboard for the quarter, and with a 45-point advantage at the long break; there was little doubt that the Bulldogs would break through for their first win of the season.
And so it would be. The Bombers lifted in the third quarter, and play around the ground wasn’t as one-sided as it was in the first half. But the Bulldogs had their tails up and weren’t letting go; and for all the North Shore effort they could only manage three goals for the quarter while conceding five, and by the last change the margin was out to 64 points.
The Bulldogs could have extended the margin further in the last quarter, but the intensity of the game had dropped off and their kicking radar had deserted them. An inaccurate return of 3.10 for the last quarter kept the scoreboard ticking over; and although the Bombers managed four goals in the final term, the Bulldogs won the quarter. 
Jordan Lampi proved to be a handy focus for the Bulldogs in attack to finish five goals; and along with Tim Widmer and Kirk Lower was among their best in what was a morale-boosting result for the Bulldogs. It wasn’t a great day for the Bombers; but youngsters Matt Wilson, Darcy Baron-Hay and Matt Buskariol, two Premier Division debutants and a second-gamer, kept persevering all day.
St George, after going down on the road in the first round, had their first home game at Olds Park on Saturday afternoon. Their opponents were Sydney Uni, who were making their first appearance for the season after their opening round bye. It would be an absorbing contest that would remain in the balance until the final minutes.
With a larger than normal roll-up of past players at the game, to celebrate Stephen Wilsen’s 200th game and to honour the memory of life member Bob Sterling, the Dragons had plenty to play for. And they were looking good in the first quarter, a tight passage of play in which the Dragons kicked four goals to two to lead by 12 points at quarter time.
But the Students, keen to get their season off to a good start, had plenty to motivate them; and they fought back hard in the second quarter. The game opened up and the goals flowed more freely as the quarter progressed, with the Students recording five of them to the Dragons’ three. And as the teams returned to the rooms at half time, it was St George holding the advantage by a point.
The premiership quarter was a beauty, two teams evenly matched around the ground throwing the best they had at each other. There were plenty of changes in the lead, plenty of highlights around the ground as both threw the challenge to each other and came up with the responses when they were needed. It was entertaining footy, five goals apiece; and the three quarter time break came with Sydney Uni leading by one point and a thrilling contest was on offer.
The game was there to be won, and both sides continued to throw everything they had at it. But as the quarter drew on, the momentum swung St George’s way, and the Dragons were able to take control in the latter stages of the match. Kicking away in the final minutes of the match, the Dragons finished with five goals to two for the quarter to take a hard-earned 16-point victory.
Eli Prescott, David Lycakis and Declan Donohue were standout contributors for the Dragons on a day when they were tested hard by the Students but came up with the result they wanted. For the Students, Matthew Powys was dangerous up forward to finish with five goals; and along with Daniel Frawley and David Johnson was among their best.
In Manly’s first two seasons in Premier Division, they defeated Pennant Hills in the Grand Final. And the Demons were again the Giants’ opponents at Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon as they unfurled their premiership flag and a clash between two opening round winners got under way.
A low-scoring opening quarter saw some tight football around the ground, with the Giants kicking two goals to one for the quarter to lead by nine points at quarter time.
The home side took the upper hand during the second quarter, with many of their dual-premiership heroes featuring prominently as they played the type of footy that took them to the ultimate glory. It was three goals to one for the quarter, taking the Giants to a 17-point advantage at half time.
But when the teams returned for the third quarter, it was the Demons who came out firing. The Demons kept the ball on their forward line for much of the quarter, and although they weren’t always at their optimum accuracy when shooting for goal, they kept the scoreboard ticking over. The Giants could only manage one scoring shot, a goal, in the premiership quarter. But at the other end, the Demons ran through four goals for the quarter, turning the deficit into a seven-point three quarter time lead.
Having had their hearts broken by Manly over the past couple of seasons, the Demons had a sniff of revenge, and they weren’t letting go. The Giants worked hard in the last quarter, attempting to snatch back the lead; but the Demons held them out and the Demons remained in front on the scoreboard during the final term. There was never much in it, but the Demons had the answers and this was their day.
The final siren sounded, and the Demons had taken a seven-point win. It had been closely-contested football for much of the day. Two sides that had fought out the last two Grand Finals, and it would seem likely that they will again feature prominently when this year’s finals series comes around. 
Theo Moraitis proved his value up forward for the Demons to finish with four goals. Around the ground, Kieran Wright, Michael Talbot and Moraitis made valuable contributions to the Demon cause. Wills Brassil, Jack Hawkins and Connor Pettersson worked hard all day for the Giants on a day they were beaten but far from disgraced.
Two sides that had lost by a kick in the opening round faced off at Picken Oval on Saturday afternoon when Wests hosted East Coast. But after first-round thrillers, this would be a one-sided contest, as the Eagles controlled the game from start to finish.
From the outset, the Eagles were sending the ball into their forward line. Their accuracy may not have been at the level they were looking for, with some opportunities squandered in a return of 4.7 for the quarter. But with their defence tight and scoring opportunities few and far between for the Magpies, it was enough to lead by 24 points at quarter time.
But the radar was fine-tuned at the first change, and the Eagles found their target in the second quarter with six straight goals. The Magpies were matching it around the ground with their highly-rated opponents, and also managed six scoring shots for the quarter, three of them goals. But by the time the half time siren sounded, the Eagles held a 39-point lead; and were looking solid.
The third term was all East Coast, with many of their big name ex-NEAFL featuring prominently around the ground as they signalled themselves as genuine contenders for this season. It was seven goals to two for the quarter, a 74-point lead at the last change; and a growing sense of momentum and confidence was forming in the Eagle camp. 
The Eagles ran out of legs in the last quarter last week, but with such a big lead this time around there were no fears of history repeating. The sting had largely gone out of the game during the last quarter, but even going through the motions, there was no doubt the Eagles were back to their best. Three goals to one in the final quarter saw the final margin stretch to 88 points and lift the Eagles into an imposing percentage.
Scott Pierce cut holes in the Magpie defence to finish with seven goals and Andrew McConnell four; while around the ground, McConnell, Trent Stubbs and Andrew Browning were ball magnets all day. Josh Robinson, Taran Etto and Ryan Speed toiled tirelessly all afternoon for the Magpies, continuing to put effort in on a day when the run of play wasn’t going their way.
So after two rounds, we have two undefeated teams, two without a win; and five who have a win and a loss. Still a long way to go, but the results so far this season have shown that there’s not that much separating the teams and this could well be a very even competition this year.
With ANZAC Day falling on a Saturday, we have an ANZAC round next week; when our AFL Sydney clubs will not just be battling for competition points, but on the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing will be looking to honour those who fought in the wars.
Last Modified on 20/04/2015 11:37
