Article & Photos by Michael Shillito
April had turned into May, but the horrible weather for footy grounds continued. As grounds began sinking under water, the Mayday call saw matches relocated. All the Premier Division matches were played, but again through the divisions there were plenty of matches called off.
Sydney’s north-east had copped the worst of the storm damage; and Weldon Oval was closed all week; forcing the local derby between Manly and North Shore to be moved to Blacktown. But even the showpiece ground in the west had been affected by the weather, with puddles across the ground as the rain bucketed down.
Manly had returned to their best form last week, and continued their momentum in an impressive opening quarter. Wasting little time in getting themselves on the scoreboard, it was a Giant procession to the forward line. In an opening quarter that was more free-flowing than the conditions suggested it should, the Giants took control of the contest around the ground and incursions into the North Shore forward 50 were few and far between.
North Shore came to Blacktown with one goal in mind, defeating their local rivals in Premier Division for the first time. But alas for the Bombers, one goal was all they would score for the day. It came midway through the first quarter, Lain Genovesi being at the end of one of the few coherent passages of play the Bombers would pull off in the opening term. But Giants forwards Anthony Roberson and Brayden Fowler had already individually passed that mark during the quarter; a term that delivered a return of five goals to one in favour of the Giants and a 26-point lead at quarter time.
Already by quarter time, the game looked safely won for the Giants, and so it would turn out to be. The first quarter produced the highest-standard football for the day, while the ball was still new and not so hard to handle. But by the second quarter it was a slippery ball, and as the rain set in again, an even more slippery ground. But the Giants continued to pile on the pressure and the lopsided flow of possession and position continued to run their way. Two unanswered goals in the second term opened up a 41-point margin at the long break. 
The third quarter followed a similar theme to the second. The Bombers struggled to even get the ball anywhere near their forward 50, the Giants’ defence was relentless. And although conditions were tricky and scoring shots were rare, the Giants were getting the bulk of them to extend their dominance. Two unanswered goals in the third term saw the lead extended to 52 points at the last change.
The last quarter never reached any great heights, with Manly scoring the only goal to run out 61-point winners. Brayden Fowler was a star on the forward line to finish with four goals, while around the ground, Damien Bonney, Sam Batten and James Brain picked up plenty of possession to keep the Giants in control of the contest. The Giants fell across the line in their first round and were beaten in the second; but the last two weeks has seen them return to their dominant best and their hopes of a premiership three-peat remain strong.
Ethan Harvey, Pat Codling and Evan Davis toiled hard for North Shore. But by any measure, this was a disastrous day for the Bombers. It’s been many a long year since they’ve been held to a solitary goal in a game. Second last on the ladder, and with the bye next week, it will be a long wait before the Bombers can work to put things right.
The match between UTS & Sydney Uni was switched to a twilight fixture at Henson Park. It was a clash between two teams going into the match with a win and a loss; and there wouldn’t be much separating the two sides all evening.
The first quarter was a slog, both sides struggling to control the ball in greasy conditions. There were already plenty of dirty guernseys being worn as players worked to the bottom of packs in a desperate bid for possession and to deny their opponents use of the ball. It was two goals to one in the first term in favour of the Bats, and a five-point lead at the first change.
UTS were getting on top around the ground during the second quarter. A break in the weather led to some more open footy than was on display in the first term, and much of it was played within the Bats’ 50 metre zone. But a combination of some inaccurate finishing and some desperate defence by the Students prevented the Bats from obtaining full reward for effort. At the other end, the Students didn’t have many scoring chances, but made the most of their opportunities. Three goals apiece in the second quarter, but with the Bats keeping the scoreboard ticking over, the lead was doubled to ten points at half time. 
By now, day had turned into night and the conditions were notably harder in the premiership quarter. Where the Bats had been on top, they found themselves struggling to get the ball forward, and would only manage one scoring shot for the quarter. The Students were on the attack for much of the term, but some wayward finishing up forward would cost them. But late in the quarter the Students found the big sticks; and with two goals to one for the quarter, took the lead by one point at three quarter time.
It had become a thriller, an uncompromising clash in which no quarter was asked or given. An arm-wrestle where two closely-matched opponents vied for supremacy. But the Students were able to come up with the edge when it mattered, two goals to one for the quarter, and get away with a seven-point win.
Lachlan Maples, Tom Elkington and Aron Everett were standout contributors for the Students; while the Bats were well served by the efforts of Josh Maddox, Ben Nethersole and Jason Fleming. But it was Sydney Uni who emerged with the premiership points, moving into the top five for the first time this season.
Olds Park remained open and the match between St George and UNSW-ES went ahead as scheduled. It would be a match in which an absorbing and evenly-contested first half would be followed up by a strong premiership quarter by one of this year’s genuine finals contenders.
The Bulldogs made much of the early front-running around the ground, and should have made more of the opportunities they created. It was four goals apiece in a free-flowing and entertaining opening quarter, with the Bulldogs leading by five points at quarter time. But they wasted plenty of chances up forward, and had they been able to take advantage of their chances, they could have opened up a bigger lead and changed the complexion of the game. But it wasn’t to be. 
UNSW-ES were playing some good football, and held the Dragons out superbly during the second term. The Dragons began to lift around the ground and pump the ball into their forward 50 more often, but the Bulldog defence was equal to the task. Each side scored two goals in the second term, and as the teams returned to the rooms at half time, the Bulldogs were holding onto a two point lead.
But when the teams returned to the field for the second half, it didn’t take long for the momentum of the game to switch. The Dragons soon hit the front and began to assert themselves with a run of scoreboard pressure. St George players who had been well held during the first half began to break free and pick up possessions with regularity. The weather may have made Olds Park a dead track, but there was plenty of life in the Dragons during an inspired third term in which they kicked five goals to one, turning the half time deficit into a 24-point three quarter time lead.
There was no way back into the contest for the Bulldogs. Not for a lack of effort, and they threw everything they had into the contest in the last quarter. The Bulldogs would win the quarter, with two goals to one; but it wasn’t enough to convey any sense of a comeback or to put doubt into the Dragons’ minds as the clock counted down to a St George win.
In the end, the margin was 16 points; keeping the Dragons undefeated since the opening round and keeping the Bulldogs with one win for the season to date. Chris Frangos, David Lycakis and Eli Prescott impressed for the Dragons; while the Bulldogs received excellent service from Tim Widmer, Jack McAnespie and Jeremy Daniher.
The match between Pennant Hills and East Coast at Mike Kenny Oval was originally scheduled as a night game before being brought forward to the afternoon. But it still had the feel of a night game, with dark clouds overhead. It was wet and muddy; but it was the Eagles who would make better use of the conditions to take a hard-fought 28-point win.
The Demons were the only undefeated team going into this round, but they were unable to trouble the goal umpire in the first quarter. The Eagles were able to score two goals; but much of the quarter was a slog in tricky conditions, in which clean jumpers were hard to come by and clean possessions even harder. At quarter time, the Eagles were on top with a 16-point lead. 
The heavens had opened again, making the game even more treacherous in the second term. There was plenty of fumbling of the slippery ball, plenty of tackling and packs forming around the ball; but marking the ball was near to impossible and even keeping hold of it was challenging enough. It was far from pretty to watch for much of the term. But the Eagles would consolidate their advantage by scoring the only goal of the quarter to lead by 22 points at the long break.
The Demons would finally break their goal drought in the third term, but their one goal wasn’t enough to keep up with the three that the Eagles would piece together during the third term. It’s a star-studded Eagles team this year, keeping many of the players who were in their NEAFL team last year; and although the conditions weren’t to their liking, they were still more than equal to the task of repelling any Demon forward presses and ensuring there was no way for the home side to get back into the contest.
The margin was 35 points in favour of the Eagles at the last change and the game was safely won. The Demons refused to give in, and with two goals to one, would win the last quarter and restore some respectability on the scoreboard. But there was no doubt this was the Eagles’ day; setting up a three-way tie at the top of the ladder, and thanks to their imposing percentage, moving to the top of the ladder for the first time since 2011.
Andrew Browning, Stuart Turner and Kieran Emery were ball magnets all day for the Eagles. For the Demons, Tom Angel, Ranga Ediriwickrama and Damian Dell’Aquila were their best.
So after four rounds, East Coast have joined the top four from last year as the top five in this year’s ladder. All have only lost one game; and already it looks likely those teams could be the final five. In that context, matches between those teams could well be season-defining. East Coast v St George at Kanebridge next week looks like one that could be pivotal to how the season unfolds.
And everyone in Sydney footy will be hoping for better weather in the lead-up to and during next weekend. The horrible weather has made it hard for teams not just to find game venues, but also to find somewhere to train. And through the other divisions a backlog of games has built up, and there are players who are champing at the bit for a game.
Last Modified on 04/05/2015 10:08
