Article & Photos by Michael Shillito
We’re two-thirds of the way through the Premier Division home and away season. But even with six rounds to go, it’s already looking like the final five is settled. Although phrases like “still mathematically possible” are bandied around, the reality is that it would take something truly extraordinary for a team that is currently outside the top five to force their way in.
All four games in round 12 were played on Saturday afternoon. Despite apocalyptic forecasts of an Antarctic vortex, the games were played in pleasant sunshine with little in the way of wind to detract from the conditions.
North Shore hosted Sydney Uni at Gore Hill in a match the Bombers had to win to keep any realistic finals hopes alive. It was a game that was in the balance at half time before the premiership quarter would prove pivotal to the outcome.
The first quarter would be one of tight and tough football, no quarter asked or given as two desperate sides denied each other any easy use of the footy. Neither side was looking comfortable under pressure; and although the Students managed two goals to one to lead by seven points at the first change, it looked like an even contest was developing.
The Bombers hit the front early in the second quarter, and would lead for much of the term. It was a more open contest in the second quarter than in the first, both sides testing their attacking options and creating opportunities. The Bombers scored four goals for the quarter to three by the Students; but the third was valuable to the University side in enabling them to take the lead into the half-time break, a two-point advantage.
It was looking like a close and tight contest at half time. But a devastating burst from the Students when the third quarter got under way would snatch the game out of North Shore’s reach. The third quarter was Sydney Uni at their best, as midfielders who had struggled to make an impact in the first half became more prominent; and forwards began to create options that hadn’t been there in the first half. And it wasn’t long until the scoreboard was ticking over, reflecting Sydney Uni’s clear superiority around the ground during the quarter. Six goals to one for the quarter extended the lead out to 32 points at the last change, and the game looked safely won.
And so it would be. The last quarter wasn’t one that reached any great heights, the Students seemingly happy to put their cue in the rack and take the win. They would extend their lead, kicking three goals to one, before the siren finally sounded to wrap up a 43-point victory.
Will Stratford spearheaded the Sydney Uni charge to finish with four goals; while Matthew Powys, Danny Frawley and Tom Elkington made key contributions around the ground for the Students. Mitch Wright, Anthony Treacy and Nathan Lomas worked hard all afternoon for the Bombers.
Just three weeks ago, only half a game separated the Students and the Bombers. But three wins on the trot for the Students and three losses for the Bombers has blown the gap out to 14 points; and although it’s still mathematically possible to bridge that gap, it would take something out of the ordinary. And with the Bombers having the bye next week, it’ll be another week after that before they can start to make up that ground.
Pennant Hills returned to their formerly familiar surrounds at Ern Holmes Oval for their clash against Manly. And it would be a thriller, with Pennant Hills coming from behind to snatch a dramatic win.
The Giants burst out of the blocks, and in the early exchanges looked like running away with the contest. The Demons would manage the occasional fightback, but for much of the opening term the Giants were dominant around the ground. Five goals to three in the opening term would see the Giants leading by 14 points, and could have easily been leading by more.
There didn’t look to be any prospect of a Demon fightback in the second term. The Giants turned on some of their relentless defensive football, denying the Demons any coherent use of the football and putting on continual pressure. Scoring wasn’t easy to come by for the Giants, and was near on impossible for the Demons; as for much of the quarter the ball was under packs or bottled up near to the narrow boundary lines. And with the only two goals for the quarter, the Giants held a 29-point half time lead. 
It had been high-pressure football, and that would continue in the third quarter. Both sides were at times able to shake off the defensive pressure and move the ball forward; but the high stakes would count against both sides, as plenty of scoring shots that should have been goals missed the target. Late in the quarter the Demons lifted, and would win the quarter by three goals to two; but a 21-point margin at three quarter time still looked too much ground to make up.
But the final term would see the tables turned. The Pennant Hills backline was magnificent, and for their first time in their Premier Division existence the Giants would be held score-less in a quarter. At the other end, the Demons slowly but surely chipped away at the deficit. Time was running down, but the Demons’ fourth goal for the quarter was enough to get the Demons into the lead, holding out through the tense final moments to win by six points.
When the game was there to be won, Sam Zikman stood up on the forward line and delivered four goals for the Demons. Around the ground, the efforts of Damian Dell’Aquila, Michael Talbot and Tom Angel played an important role in getting the Demons over the line. For Manly, Jackson Pola-Smith contributed four goals; while Gareth Benbow, Max Carter and Tom Beckett were the Giants’ best.
The win sees Pennant Hills move ahead of Manly into second. But with the Demons and Giants being a long way behind first, and a long way ahead of second; it’s highly likely that the two teams that have met in the last two Grand Finals will meet again in the Qualifying Final.
St George hosted top side East Coast Eagles at Olds Park, hoping for a win to keep in touch with the top three. Throwing caution to the wind, it would be a high-scoring shootout; but the Eagles would have the superior firepower to kick away to a comfortable win.
The floodgates were open as the match got under way, the scoreboard operator and the goal umpires kept busy through a free-flowing opening quarter in which 11 goals were kicked. It was entertaining football to watch, as midfielders found plenty of room to move and run and forwards were free to lead and mark to create scoring opportunities. But the Eagles looked to have the edge, with seven goals to four for the quarter, and an 18-point quarter time lead.
The attractive football continued in the second quarter, and the Dragons were matching it with the Eagles around the ground. The Eagles remained in front throughout the second term, but the Dragons weren’t letting them get too far in front; and after an entertaining quarter that the Dragons won by five goals to four, the Eagles’ lead had been cut to 13 points at half time.
The Eagles tightened the screws after half time, working to shut the Dragons down, defending harder and stopping the easy possessions of the first half. The pressure was more intense and the Dragons found it more challenging to get onto the scoreboard. The Dragons did manage to penetrate the Eagle defence to score two goals in the third term, but the Eagles found scoring easier at the other end to draw twin flags from the goal umpire four times and extend the lead to 27 points at three quarter time.
The Dragons had put in a gallant fight against the Eagles, but by the last quarter had nothing more to give. The Eagles had the answers to any challenge put up; and there was no way back into the contest for St George in the final term. The Eagles were on top, they’d seen off the Dragon challenge, and took control of the contest during the final quarter. Four goals to one stretched the final margin to 46 points in a game that, in the first half, looked poised to be much closer.
Andrew McConnell was unstoppable for the Eagles, kicking five goals in a best-on-ground performance. Jamie Vlatko with four goals, and Jack Dimery, also had influential roles in the Eagles’ victory. The Eagles sit comfortably in top spot, having not lost a game since the opening round. They would need to drop two games to lose the minor premiership, having already played Pennant Hills, Manly and St George twice.
The Dragons were well served by the efforts of Bryce Addison, Daniel Napper and Brayden Kilpatrick. The loss sees them two games outside third place; and although their finals spot looks safe, it’s likely they’ll be in sudden death when the time for the playoffs come.
Meanwhile at Trumper Park, UTS played host to Wests. For the Bats, the result would be a possibly fatal blow to their finals ambitions. For the Magpies, it was Bevan Heaven.
In recent weeks the Magpies had played credible football against higher-ranked opponents, but had been unlucky not to get wins to show for their efforts. But this time they looked the stronger side as they got the contest under way. The Magpies were ferocious at the ball in the early contests, and the Bats were unable to match their intensity as Wests ran in four goals to one in the opening quarter to lead by 18 points at quarter time. 
UTS fought back in the second term, putting the pressure back onto their Magpie opponents. The Bats had struggled to get their game going in the first quarter, but were looking better after quarter time as they found ways to pump the ball into their forward line with more fluency than they had managed early. But they were never able to stop the flow of ball into the Magpie forward zone; and so it would be a more high-scoring term of footy. The Bats had the edge for the quarter, scoring four goals to three; but the Magpies still had a nine-point advantage at half time.
Just one win from their first ten games, but the Magpies had a sniff of doubling that tally. They were in front, but needed a quarter of dominance to consolidate their lead and put the game out of their opposition’s reach. And the premiership quarter would deliver this for the Magpies. Putting in their best football of the season to date, it was a sight for the Wests’ faithful to savour; a season’s worth of frustrations blown away with a quarter where the running players found space, the forwards found leads and markers found the sit to pull down the ball from the sky. And the scoreboard would reflect the growing confidence of the Magpies, as they would score seven goals to three in the third term to extend their lead to 39 points at the last change.
It was one quarter of top football from the Magpies that wrapped up the win. The last quarter was nothing special, with the Bats scoring two goals to one during a term when the Magpies were counting down to celebration time. When it came, the Magpies sung their song with much enthusiasm. In a season where little has gone right, finally they had something big to celebrate.
Paul Bevan was the dominant force for the day. Ten years after being part of the Swans’ drought-breaking premiership, Bevan put in the best game he’s played since joining the Magpies this season; finishing with ten goals in a best-on-ground effort. Taran Etto and Josh Robinson also played their part in getting the Magpies to a win.
For the Bats, Josh Maddox, Jason Fleming and Bradley Harricks were among their best. But the loss puts the Bats three and a half games behind Sydney Uni; and even with a game in hand their hopes of making their first finals appearance in Premier Division are slipping away.
Last Modified on 13/07/2015 12:46
