Article & Photos by Michael Shillito
A wet Friday made way for a sunny Saturday; and as footballers from around the city made their way to the grounds, there would be plenty of highlights ahead. In Premier Division there weren’t any major upsets, there were matches where the underdog teams took the fight up to their more highly-fancied rivals.
UTS’s home clash with Pennant Hills, originally scheduled for Waverley Oval, was moved to Trumper Park. Spurred on by a vocal home crowd, the Bats put plenty of pressure on the Demons and it wasn’t until the last quarter that the visitors finally managed to shake off their determined opponents.
The Bats threw a physical contest up early, and the Demons were made to work hard for every possession during the early exchanges. But the Demons did manage to create some scoring opportunities; and with three goals to one and a 12-point lead at quarter time, there was little to suggest at that stage that there would be any significant deviation from the form book.
But the Bats lifted their intensity even further in the second term, and the Demons were suddenly looking vulnerable. The home side had their tails up and the run of play was going their way. It was the Bats inspired as they began to exert some scoreboard pressure, with three goals to one for the quarter; hitting the front late in the quarter and taking a two-point lead into the long break.
The Demons quickly regained the lead in the third term, but the Bats weren’t giving up without a fight. There was plenty of determination in the Bats’ effort, as they strove for their third win of the season to stay in the top five. It was tough, tight, high-stakes football; with the Bats matching it with the Demons around the ground. But the Demons were able to manage three goals for the quarter while holding the Bats to one, and at three quarter time the Demons were nine points ahead.
But after three quarters of tight football, something had to give; and the game opened up in the last quarter. Suddenly running players were able to get hold of the ball, forwards were able to shake off their defensive counterparts, and the scoreboard began to tick over more often. The Bats had fought bravely for three quarters, and would score a further three goals in the last quarter. But the Demons had seen off the challenge, and suddenly the forward line clicked into gear and found the big sticks. Six Demon goals in the last quarter was enough to ensure a 24-point win. 
On a day when goals were hard to come by, Stephen Wray’s four goal haul was the difference between the two sides. Around the ground, it was the experienced hands of Ranga Ediriwickrama, Seb Parker and Aaron Crisfield who led the way for the Demons and helped them get over the line in what had become a danger game. The Bats were beaten but far from disgraced, accumulating more scoring shots than the Demons but unable to convert them into goals as well; with Josh Maddox, Ben Nethersole and Kaizaad Mehta getting plenty of possessions to keep the home side in the contest.
It was Ladies Day at Gore Hill Oval as North Shore hosted St George. The Bombers and the Dragons have had some good battles in recent seasons, and early on it looked like another fascinating battle was unfolding. The Bombers had struggled for goals in recent weeks, but were finding a way to the forward line in the first term. Inaccurate kicking would come back to haunt the Bombers as they missed some kickable shots in the first term; but three goals to two would open up a nine-point lead to the home side at quarter time.
But the Bombers would have liked to have built up more of a buffer while they were on top in the first term; as the Dragons got on top around the ground during the second quarter and the North Shore lead was quickly evaporated. It was high-scoring, free-flowing football; keeping the crowd entertained and the coaches marvelling at the running games of their teams but frustrated when opponents weren’t always kept in check. But the class of the Dragons had risen to the fore, with a run of six goals to three for the quarter, and an eight-point St George lead at half time.
There wasn’t much in it at half time; but the game was blown apart in the premiership quarter. The difference between a young, rebuilding home side and a peaking visiting team with aspirations to figure prominently in the finals was all too apparent as the Dragons turned on their dominant form and the Bombers were unable to keep up. Six goals to two was a reflection of what was happening around the ground in a quarter where St George were making a statement; that they’re fully intent of being up there with the high-flyers at the business end of the season. By three quarter time, the lead was out to 36 points and the contest was safely won.
North Shore never dropped their head, and kept working hard during the final quarter. This was no capitulation by the Bombers, and they were able to get the scoreboard ticking over during the last quarter. But the damage was done, the Dragons were on a roll, and were cruising to victory. A marathon high-scoring quarter went in favour of St George by five goals to four; and the final siren sounded to give the visitors a 46-point win. 
Nick Ryan spearheaded the Dragon charge to finish with four goals. Jake Brown had a debut to remember for St George, picking up plenty of the ball in a best-on-ground performance; while Bryce Addison and Shannon Randell also featured prominently. Pat Codling, Ted Strudwick and Chris Murphy worked tirelessly all day for the Bombers, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their fifth loss on the trot.
Meanwhile at Weldon Oval, Manly’s quest for a premiership three-peat remains on track; with the Giants having a comfortable afternoon and easily accounting for Sydney Uni as they cruised to a 55-point win.
When the two sides last met, in the final round last season, the Students were unable to score a goal. And that trend would continue in the first quarter, as the visitors wouldn’t draw twin flags from the goal umpires. Down the other end, the Giants brought up full points four times, the end result of some dominance from the midfield that created no shortage of scoring opportunities. With a 26-point lead at the first change, the contest already looked heading to an easy Giants win.
But the Giants wouldn’t dominate any of the remaining quarters as much as they had the first. The Students broke their goal drought in the second term and would score two for the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stem the Manly momentum. The Northern Beaches side had the form and on-field strength to keep on top around the ground, and their return of three goals for the term saw them heading into the rooms at half time with a 32-point advantage.
The Students worked hard in the third term, throwing everything they had into preventing the scoreboard from blowing out further. But the Giants were able to come up with the answers to any challenge the Students would throw up. It was a tough, uncompromising quarter of footy, the Students playing their best football for the day but it wasn’t enough against a well-drilled Manly side that remains one of the favourites for the 2015 title. The Giants had the answers and were able to come up with goals when needed, three to two for the quarter; and a three-quarter time lead of 39 points.
The Giants had seen off the Sydney Uni challenge, and the final quarter saw the goals flow more freely. Most of the sting had gone out of the contest, and it was a Manly procession in the final term as they pumped the ball into the forward line with regularity and kept the ball in their forward 50 for long periods of time in the final term. With a run of five goals to two for the last quarter, the final margin was stretched to 55 points.
The Giants were well served by twin targets up forward, with Brayden Fowler and Jackson Pola-Smith forming a handy partnership at the attacking end to finish with five goals apiece. Around the ground, Robert Whitton, Wills Brassil and Gareth Benbow featured prominently. Lachlan Maples, Jacob Swarts and Monty Krockmal toiled hard all day for the Students; but overall they didn’t have the firepower to match it with the rampant Giants.
The last match for the round was played on Sunday at Picken Oval, with Wests hosting UNSW-ES. The conditions were sunny but with a bit of chill in the air. No wind to speak of, and there was nothing in the conditions to explain the low-scoring nature of play in the opening term. 
Instead, it was relentless pressure, along with plenty of desperation, that forced so many turnovers. The Magpies were looking for their first win of the season, the Bulldogs their second. The stakes were high, the confidence not so much. Plenty of pressure was applied, and both sides found it hard to get any form of coherent game plan going.
The Magpies scored the only goal of the first quarter, leading by five points at the first change. But having seen off any danger of being jumped at the start, the two sides played more enterprising footy in the second term, a far better spectacle than the first. The Bulldogs took the lead during the second quarter, but the Magpies fought back with some late goals; and after each side had three majors for the quarter, the crowd were roaring much louder than the siren to signal a nine-point lead to the Magpies at the long break.
The premiership quarter would prove to be the difference between the two sides. Wests had assembled plenty of new faces this year, many of them highly-rated; but it’s taken time for them to gel as a team unit. But the third quarter finally showed glimpses of what the Magpies are capable of as they turned on their best football for the year to date. The route to goal for the Bulldogs was closed, while the Magpies began to hit their targets more often. There were missed shots, but enough possessions to ensure the scoreboard would tick over more often. And with four unanswered goals for the quarter, the home side took a 36-point lead into the last change.
Victory looked assured for the Magpies, and so it would prove to be. They were a much-improved side compared to how they started; but some poor finishing in the final term would net them only a single goal from seven scoring shots. With four goals in the final term, the Bulldogs would win the last quarter, but this was the Magpies’ day; a 23-point win a fair reward for the effort they had put in and a result that got them off the bottom of the ladder.
Taran Etto, Ben Zoppo and Paul Bevan were standout contributors for the Magpies; while the Bulldogs found reliable servants in Jordan Latham, Kane Lampi and Jack McAnespie.
A look at the ladder now sees nine teams, which look set to be in groups of three. Manly, East Coast and Pennant Hills have opened up a gap at the top; and on form would likely be the teams to get the double-chance when the finals come around.
Sydney Uni, St George and UTS have a fight between them for the remaining two finals spots. The remaining three teams, UNSW-ES, Wests and North Shore, have each recorded one win against each other; and after the upcoming break will need to get a winning streak going if they wish to get into finals contention. 
Premier Division will take a break for two weeks before resuming in mid-June. Next weekend was set aside for catch-up games, but we’ve managed to get every Premier Division game in during the first seven weeks, so the spare weekend wasn’t required. There will be matches played in the other divisions, where matches have been scheduled and to catch up on some postponed games.
Then on the long weekend, there’s catch-up games in the other divisions. The top players in the AFL Sydney competition will also be in action in this year’s Rep fixture, against AFL Canberra in Blacktown.
With no Premier Division games to be played in the next two weeks, this column will also take a break; and will return to bring the action in round 8.
Last Modified on 25/05/2015 09:31
