It was a good weekend of Premier Division action where two matches were decided by less than a goal including North Shore’s surprise win against UNSW/ES on Sunday.
There were no changes at the top however with Manly and East Coast recording dominant wins to remain one-two on the ladder.
Sydney University vs St George @ Henson Park- 4.30pm
The most intriguing match of the weekend will feature the sides fourth and fifth on the ladder.
Neither have been convincing and haven’t claimed a scalp yet- the closest was Sydney University who drew against Pennant Hills.
St George got a fright at home last week against a dogged UTS. Two goals in time on in the final quarter only saw them home by two points.
Blake Guthrie was best in a midfield with Ben Hodgson also playing well. Declan Donohue was important in an under-sized forward line given the absence of Nick Ryan, kicking three goals.
In a boost for the Dragons, they are set to regain ruckman Jordan West. He is probably the second best ruck in the competition behind Andrew Browning.
Sydney University failed to trouble East Coast in last week’s Match of the Week, eventually falling short by 71 points.
They need a better start this week, only managing one goal for the whole of the first half.
Aron Everett was best in the ruck for the Students. David Johnson and Glenn Smith are key players this week.
Playing at the same venue in similar conditions should help the Students.
Danny’s Prediction: Sydney University by 9 points
Pennant Hills vs Western Suburbs @ Mike Kenny Oval- 2.30pm
The elephant in the room is that this is Pennant Hills’ first Premier Division game in a month- their last hit out being on May 23 against UTS.
If you’re Western Suburbs, there is no better time to face what is a very well-balanced outfit; something which you can’t say about Western Suburbs at the moment.
The Magpies are almost on their last bite of the cherry half-way through the season, being two and a half games behind the fifth placed side.
They lost by 75 points to Manly-Warringah on the weekend, with their defence unable to handle the steady stream of inside 50 entries.
In a positive, Vasili Romanas was best for the Magpies, with fellow youngster, Taran Etto also industrious against the mighty Manly midfield.
Pennant Hills love playing at home and with the lack of club Premier Division games, a few of their stars were able to have a hitout with the Senior Representative squad.
The names of Ranga Ediriwickrama, Sam Zikman, Kieran Wright and Matt Carey also bobbed up on the Division One team sheet last weekend.
They are too dangerous and too consistent compared to the Magpies who are struggling to put a score on the board.
Danny’s Prediction: Pennant Hills by 21 points
UTS vs North Shore @ Waverley Oval- 2.10pm
UTS would have been shattered with their fadeout late against St George on the weekend.
The loss now sees them sit a game and a half behind fifth place, equal in sixth with their opponents this weekend in North Shore.
North Shore haven’t beaten anyone above them but showed strong resolve in holding off a fast-finishing UNSW/ES last Sunday at Village Green.
For a side who usually struggled to score, they opened up on the small deck last week with Daniel Roberts a real focal point with seven goals.
In the middle, Sam Carruthers and Ted Strudwick were able to get enough of the football to make an impact in attack.
UTS only had four goal kickers and interestingly, the top two were small forwards James Howard and Adam Baker (four each).
Ben Nethersole is a key down back and will probably get the job on Roberts.
Josh Maddox continues to be one of the best players for UTS and will be important in the midfield for the Bats in a must-win game for both sides.
Danny’s Prediction: UTS by 17 points
East Coast vs UNSW/ES @ Kanebridge Oval- 2.10pm
It will be a tough road trip for UNSW/ES not only because of the might of their opposition but also due to the memories from last year’s final round.
A win at the same venue would have seen the Bulldogs earn a finals berth ahead of Sydney University but they produced one of their worst efforts of the year against the last-placed side.
The world has turned since then and East Coast are now a class outfit with the club pulling their senior side out of NEAFL.
They were far too good last weekend for Sydney University with Jamie Vlatko best afield with four goals.
Dean Costello and Jack Dimery saw plenty of it across half-back as the best attacking team of the competition again cracked the century.
The Bulldogs fell just short in a game where they started favourites against North Shore.
Unfortunately it was also a day where Ted Widmer (50th game) and Josh Parmenter (100th) brought up milestones.
They were better in attack with James Pascoe leading the attack across half-forward with four goals.
Jordan Lampi and Joel Robbie were busy in the midfield and will have their hands more than full this weekend.
Danny’s Prediction: East Coast by 85 points
Last Modified on 19/06/2015 09:10
