Article by Michael Shillito
When the fixtures for this season were made, Saturday was set aside as a weekend to catch up on games lost when the inevitable rain and ground closures would occur during the season.
In Premier Division, there had been one game postponed; and so the two most recently admitted Premier Division clubs, Manly and UTS played off at Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon. As expected, the Giants took the win, but not before the Bats gave them an almighty scare.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, nothing like the conditions two weeks ago that had caused the game to be postponed. Weldon Oval was in good shape, but heavily used with four games played on the ground on the day.
It’s nothing unusual for Manly games to be low-scoring, high-pressure affairs where the tackling is hard and Manly’s opponents are forced into turnovers and struggle to get the ball into their forward 50. But this time, the Bats were taking the fight up to the Giants, giving them a taste of the same. Incursions into either team’s forward zone were rare during a tense opening term, but the Bats made better use of theirs, scoring two goals to one to take a surprising five point lead at quarter time.
The Giants took the lead in the second quarter, but this was not going to be an easy game for the defending champions. Although the Bats were unable to manage a goal in the second term, they kept the game tight and the Giants weren’t able to run away with the contest. But they did succeed in drawing twin flags from the goal umpires three times to lead by ten points at the long break.
Into the premiership quarter, and the Giants attempted to set up a match-winning lead. But their goalkicking radar wasn’t working as effectively as perhaps it should. Several kick-able shots sailed wide of the big sticks as the Giants kicked an inaccurate 2.7 for the quarter. At the other end, the Bats kept fighting and the Giants were never able to run away with the contest. With the Bats scoring two goals during the third quarter, the Giants’ lead was held to 16 points at the last change.
With the Giants scoring two goals in the last quarter, they looked safe. But the Bats weren’t going to go down without a fight, and kept coming during the final term. Four times in the last quarter, UTS goaled; and with each goal the Bats’ confidence grew that they could pull off what would be the boilover of the season. Into time-on, and the margin was back within a kick. Full of running, full of determination; but the Bats’ run was left just too late. The siren sounded and Manly had hung on for a narrow five-point win.
Saved by the bell, Manly had the efforts all day of Jack Parker, James Brain and Max Carter to thank for setting up the win. It had been far from convincing; but the Giants had done just enough to take the points. Heartbreak for the Bats, who had come so close; and a win may have set them up for a late charge to the finals. But it wasn’t to be. But on a day when the Bats had put up a gallant fight, Kaizaad Mehta, Jason Fleming and Jordan Law were standout performers.
Last Modified on 03/08/2015 09:12
