Article by Michael Shillito
With the final five, the positions within the five, and the wooden spoon already locked in, the final round of the Premier Division home and away season wasn’t one that would be season-defining. But it was a round that would see three of the finals teams go into the finals with winning momentum; and one non-finalist team finish their season on a high with the scalp of a finals-bound club.
Minor premiers East Coast, after a dominant season, had the bye in the final round.
Defending premiers Manly finish the home and away season in second place. The Giants, thanks to a flying start, were untroubled in their final round home and away game and took out a 76-point win over UNSW-ES at Weldon Oval on Saturday afternoon.
From the start, it looked a mismatch as the Giants faced little opposition in moving the ball from the centre into their forward 50 with regularity. The scoreboard was ticking over rapidly as the forward presses came time and again, and the Bulldogs were powerless to stop the Giants in full flow. Seven goals to two in the first quarter opened up a 32-point lead at the first change.
A lower-scoring second quarter would follow, as the Bulldog defence tightened and they worked harder to stop the goals flowing so quickly. It would have some success, as they reduced the Manly scoring to four goals in the second; but with the Bulldogs only able to manage one themselves, the locals were out to a 53-point lead at the long break.
The third quarter wasn’t one that reached any great heights. The Bulldogs were outgunned and didn’t have the firepower to match it with the Giants, but they gave it their best shot in the third quarter; and had they kicked straighter they may have had something to show for their efforts on the scoreboard. But instead they kicked 1.4, and any chance to make a dent in the deficit was gone as the Giants would score three goals at the other end. With a 63-point lead on the scoreboard at three quarter time, the home side was cruising to victory.
The pressure was off in the last quarter, and the game was a more attacking and free-flowing display in the final term. It was the Bulldogs’ last chance to fly the flag in 2015, and they would have their most productive quarter for the afternoon with three goals. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the high-flying Giants from winning the quarter, as the finals-bound side would score five goals in the quarter.
In the end, it was a 76-point Manly win. Brayden Fowler controlled the forward line to finish with four goals; while around the ground Harrison Koch, Anthony Robertson and Angus Buncle picked up plenty of possessions. The Giants, with back-to-back premierships behind them, are the only team to have beaten East Coast this season. It would take something special to do it again during the finals, but it’s not impossible.
Joseph Byrnes, Alex Foote and Jeremy Daniher featured prominently for the Bulldogs; but it was another loss for the UNSW-ES side, their 14th in a row. Only one win for the season and the dreaded wooden spoon come their way after a season when they would have expected better. But there’s some good young talent coming through the club, with their Under 19s making it through to the finals and you can expect to see those players make an impact at Premier Division level next season.
Pennant Hills finished third, and will play Manly in next week’s Qualifying Final. The Demons returned to their best form on Saturday afternoon when they dominated proceedings against North Shore to record a commanding 116-point win at Mike Kenny Oval.
The Demons were always favourites to win, but they didn’t have everything their own way in the first quarter. The Bombers were putting some physical pressure on, and it took some time for the Demons to fully get on top. But they would outscore the Bombers by four goals to two, and lead by 15 points at the first change.
But it was in the second term when the Demons really got going, and the Bombers were unable to keep up with them. The pace of the midfield was turned on, and numerous targets began to present themselves on the forward line. The Bombers didn’t have the firepower to stop the Pennant Hills’ run and the scoreboard quickly began to reflect the lopsided nature of proceedings around the ground. Seven goals to one in the second quarter saw the Demons extend their lead to 48 points at half time.
The third quarter went to the Demons by four goals to one. The Bombers put up more pressure than they showed in the second term, stemming the flow of goals to a small extent; but not enough to get back into the contest. It was a finals-bound side at their peak against a rebuilding side counting down to the end of the season; and the home side had a 64-point lead at the last change.
By the last quarter, North Shore’s resistance had faded and it was as if the season had already come to an end for them. The Demons controlled the ball, scoring at will and dominating in all facets of the game while the Bombers were left to chase behind the rampaging Demons and unable to match it with them. Ten goals to two in a dominant last quarter saw the margin blow out to three figures and Demon momentum restored ahead of the finals.
In the end it was a 116-point win for the Demons. The goal-scoring was shared around, with twelve Demons getting on the scoreboard; Matt Carey, Theo Moraitis and Nick Hey scoring four goals apiece. Around the ground, Damian Dell’Aquila, Matt Carey and Tom Angel were getting the ball at every opportunity and ensuring a continual flow of possession for the Demons. Next week they’ll be playing Manly, the team who beat them in the last two Grand Finals; but having beaten the Giants twice this season, they’re back in top form and ready for the challenge of striving for a third win against the Northern Beaches rival for the season.
Matt Varjavandi, Jake Saunders and Ben Parks battled hard for North Shore. But this game was their eighth straight loss, the second by over 100 points. A young and rebuilding team, it was a tumultuous season for North Shore; and it’s been many a long year since they’ve had a season with just three wins. But, like UNSW-ES, they have a strong Under 19s team that will feature prominently in the finals; and those young players will surely make an impression in Premier Division in seasons to come.
St George are in fourth place, and will be playing sudden-death footy for as long as they remain in the finals. But they go into the playoffs with a three-match winning streak under their belts, and were given a solid hit-out in the last round before recording a 15-point win over Wests at Olds Park on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams recorded eight scoring shots in the first quarter, but that statistic flattered Wests; while the scoreboard showed a truer reflection of general play in the first term. In reality it was St George who made most of the early running and were creating better opportunities. And with six goals to two in the opening term, leading by 20 points at quarter time, the Dragons were looking good.
The Dragons seemed comfortable, and there was nothing in the second term to suggest any Magpie revival was imminent. The Magpies were playing better football, and managed three goals during the second; but the Dragons had the answers every time. And with four goals of their own, and a 26 point advantage at the long break, everything seemed to be going near enough to plan for the home side.
But when the teams returned to the field for the third term, suddenly the Magpies sprung to life. The pressure was turned on, and Magpie players who had been well held during the first half began to exert a greater influence on proceedings. The momentum had swung, and now it was the Dragons who were made to work to hold back the tide. An afternoon of bright sunshine was seeing the shadows lengthening across the ground and the Magpies support was growing louder as an opportunity was sensed. There was a lot of ground to make up, but with five goals to two in the third term, the margin was reduced to nine points at the last change.
But the Magpies were never able to take the lead, and the Dragons had enough of a buffer to hold them out. The three quarter time break gave the Dragons a chance to steady, and tighten up the defence. Try as they did, overcoming the deficit would be a bridge too far for the Magpies; and the Dragons defended grimly when the Magpies moved the ball forward. And with three goals to two in the final term, the Dragons saw off the challenge and recorded a 15-point victory.
The Dragons’ win was built on the hard work around the ground of Blake Guthrie, Nathan Kenny and Jack Hill. It wasn’t a classic St George masterpiece game, but it was good enough to take the points and ensure they would take a winning momentum into the finals.
The Magpies found willing workers on the day in Brenton Mumme, Yannick Milligan-Saville and Taran Etto. But the game was in some ways a microcosm of their season; a slow start, then surging home in the second half but the deficit was too great to make up. As it was for the year, with the Magpies being the last Premier Division team to win a game, and by the time they hit their straps in the second half of the year it was too late to make a run for the finals. But their stronger second half of the year will raise hopes in the Magpie camp that if they can keep the bulk of their team intact next season they have what it takes to be competitive against the top teams.
The upset result of the last round was at Sydney Uni No 1 on Saturday afternoon. The Students will be in the finals next week, but non-finalists UTS finished their season with the satisfaction of knocking off a finals team when the Bats took out a 23-point win.
The first quarter was goal for goal, two determined sides striving for an advantage over the other but being unable to find one. It was a quarter of shifting momentums and lead changes, with each side scoring three goals; and the Bats leading by a point at quarter time.
The Bats took the upper hand in the second quarter, getting a greater share of possession and keeping the ball on their forward line; setting up a lead that the Students would never be able to make up. The Bats could have led by more, and there were some missed shots that should have been kicked; but four goals to two was enough to open up an 18-point lead at half time.
The Students were unable to bridge the gap during the premiership quarter. They created chances, and converted three of them into goals. But the Bats were able to come up with the answering goals when they were needed, and with four goals of their own during the quarter would extend the lead to 25 points at the last change. The Students had their chances to get closer, but the Bats’ defence rose to the challenge when called into action and the Students were unable to make a dent in the half time deficit during the quarter.
The Bats had the scent of victory in their nostrils, and they weren’t letting go in the final quarter. It was a free-flowing quarter of footy, and the Students would win the quarter with a return of four goals to three. But when the siren sounded, it was UTS who would find themselves 23 points ahead; earning themselves the right to finish their season by singing the team song and having the off-season feeling of positive momentum after finishing the season on a high.
On the Bats’ forward line, the Students’ defenders were blowing against the momentum of Daniel Breese, who finished with seven goals in a best-on-ground performance. Bradley Harricks and Nick Morling also featured prominently around the ground.
It brought to a close the Bats’ season. A sixth-placed season, and their first finals appearance in Premier Division continues to elude them. There were plenty of highlights, including wins over Pennant Hills and Sydney Uni in the last three rounds. But some near misses; with losses to Sydney Uni by seven points, St George by two points and Manly by five points making them perhaps wonder what might have been.
For Sydney Uni, Glenn Smith, David Johnson and Erol Sertbas picked up plenty of the ball to keep the Students in the contest. It wasn’t enough to take the points; but the Students will be in next week’s finals, taking on St George in a sudden-death elimination final. It’s the second year in a row in which Sydney Uni have made the finals despite having lost more games than they won. But last year, they were able to find form when it mattered to win their first knock-out final. Will history repeat?
We’ve known for many weeks what the finals lineup was likely to be; and sure enough that’s how it’s unfolded. East Coast with the week off, Manly playing Pennant Hills in the Qualifying Final and St George playing Sydney Uni in the Elimination Final. It’s been a long wait, but finally the time for the playoffs has come.
Last Modified on 31/08/2015 09:07
