Match One: New England Nomads 12.7.79 def Inverell Saints 11.9.75 at Bellevue Oval
The top of the table clash in Armidale did not disappoint with the Nomads prevailing in one of the matches of the season so far by just 4 points. Despite less than ideal footy conditions, both sides put on a wonderful exhibition of local AFL, with the match results in doubt right up until the final siren. Early on, it looked as though the Nomads would run away with this game, totally dominating a sluggish Saints outfit. However, despite the early dominance, they lead by just a straight kick at the first break. The Saints may have been buoyed by being so close and started to play some footy in the second, piling on 5 goals for the quarter to the Nomads 3 to take a handy 5 point lead into the long change. During the half time break, the heavens opened and made winning the footy all the harder, and in the third it was the Nomads who wanted the ball more and again dominated large parts of the play. The Saints on the other were wasteful in front of goal and found themselves behind by 6 points once again with a term to play. The last quarter play was all at the Saints end early in the period, but Simon Stubbs’ sixth goal looked to break the Saints resolve when he put the Nomads 10 points clear with 5 minutes to play. However the Saints once again responded, kicking another and setting up a frantic last 3 minutes. The Nomads however held their nerve, and recorded a 4 point victory. Stubbs kicked 6 for the home side, with Shaun Cusack a constant threat kicking 3 majors. Stubbs and Cusack were also the Nomads best, with half back Zac Economou strong in restricting the Saints forward line. For the Saints, Mike Gould, Dan Boney and Nick Baird all slotted 3 majors each. Tom Williams was their best, with Leigh Turner and Nick Reid also playing well. Both teams now have the weekend off next weekend, with the Saints holding a slender lead on top of the ladder by percentage.
Match Two: Muswellbrook Cats 11.8.74 def Tamworth Swans 10.12.72 at Werriman Field
This was another match that had huge ramifications on the make up of the top 4, and they battled out another thriller for the round. The Cats managed to hold on to a 2-point win, and create a log jam in the middle of the ladder ahead of their huge clash against the Roos next weekend. The game started with both clubs trading goals in the early going, but it was the Cats who were able to capitalise best, slotting 4 straight majors to start the match compared to the Swans 2 goals 1 behind. However, the Swans took control of general play in the second quarter, kicking four goals to one for the term and took a 7 point lead into the long change. Both coaches would have been happy with the commitment of their teams, but knowing the job would have been half done would have been urging them forward in the second half. The game opened up a little in the third quarter, with both teams finding avenues to goal, with the Cats having the better of the term but the Swans still held a slender 2-point lead with a quarter to goal. Perhaps buoyed by running toward the scoring end in the last, the Swans might have felt confident of holding the Cats off, but were wasteful going forward and could record only one goal, six behinds for the quarter. In what was a low scoring last term, the Cats managed two goals of their own to snatch a 2-point win. Stu McAdam proved he’s still as reliable as ever, kicking 3 goals for the victors. Adrian Batterham, Jarrod Brayburn and Jai Pursell were the best for the Cats. For the Swans, Gavin Knee slotted 6 majors, with Paul Tapper their only other multiple goalkicker with 2. Ross Fraser was their best, with Knee and Nathan Keam also strong. The Swans now head into the bye at 2 and 3, whilst the Cats now welcome Jason Akermanis to the fold for their huge clash against the Roos next weekend.
Match Three: Gunnedah Bulldogs 15.11.101 def by Tamworth Kangaroos 19.18.132 at Wolseley Oval
The last match of the weekend was another important clash in the make up of the ladder. The Dogs would have keen to put the disappointment of last week’s forfeit behind them, while the Roos desperately needed to get their 2012 campaign back on track. In the end, both teams may have been happy with the result, but it was the Roos who came out the victors by 31 points. They set the win up in the first term, where they kicked 6 goals to the Bulldogs one to open up a handy early lead. Knowing that his team needed something of a confidence boost, Tim Cotter would have been urging his players on in the second, but the Dogs refused to lie down, and managed to chip away at the early lead to find themselves down by 28 at the long break but by no means out of the contest. The Roos needed a big third quarter to put the game to bed, and did just that, slotting another six majors in the Premiership quarter to the Bulldogs three, and blew the lead out to 45 points at the last change. However, Errol Lather’s men are nothing if not determined, and the boys from Gunnedah won the last quarter convincingly, bringing the margin back to 31 points at the final siren. Dan Overeem continued on his impressive start to the season, kicking 4 goals with Cotter kicking 3. Overeem was his team’s best, with Brock Quinn and Carl Frazier also having strong games. For the Dogs, Chris Gee kicked 5 of his own, with Ben Middlebrook and Russell Maddison also managing 3 majors in support. Gee was in his team’s best, with Matt Pengilly and Andrew George also prominent. The Dogs now have the weekend off, whilst the Roos will head south to battle an Akermanis-led Cats next weekend.
Last Modified on 01/10/2012 10:23