SCAFL 2005 Merimbula RSL Premiership Season
Round 13 - 16 July, 2005
Round Thirteen of Sapphire Coast AFL saw the top four teams secure the points and extend the gap to fifth spot on the Ladder. In warm and at times blustery conditions the matches were all well contested at a standard that continues to impress. Front Runners Tathra were pushed by a determined Diggers outfit, while Eden nearly staged the upset of the round. The Seahawks continued to show how strong they are at "Fortress Hanging Rock", while in Reserves action, Tomago River had an emotional win on the siren when Rodney Wellington, who played under adverse conditions, kicked the winning goal.
Narooma 14.11 defeated Eden 12.16
The 3rd placed Narooma versus last placed Eden clash was the surprise highlight of Round 13 in Sapphire Coast AFL.
Played in "Spring-like" conditions at Eden, the match began as expected, with Narooma dominating into a slight breeze for the first quarter. Narooma ended the quarter with a comfortable four goal lead. This continued into the 2nd quarter, but the Whalers should never be discounted and threw caution to the wind in the 3rd quarter, closing the gap to just 5 points.
With ten minutes to go in the match Eden looked all set for a big upset as they kicked past the Narooma side and established a 2 goal lead. However, the Narooma side began to run the ball around the field and Eden lost shape through the midfield with less than six minutes to go. Sadly for the Whalers, this resulted in a momentum shift that allowed Narooma to kick the final three goals and win a heart stopper by just 7 points.
Goals were available in lots of five for this match, with Leigh Prior and Damien Cameron bagging five each for the Whalers. While Shane Powell and Aaron Campbell also bagged five each for the Narooma side.
Tathra 10.4 defeated Diggers 8.11
At Berrambool Oval, Diggers took on Top of the table Tathra, in a clash that saw two sides separated by 20 points on the Seniors Ladder. But reputations count for little on the playing fields and the lowly placed Diggers took the early ascendancy by two goals in the 1st Quarter.
The Diggers extended that lead in to the main break and it was only in the 3rd Quarter that Tathra showed Premiership potential by kicking five goals to nil.
The final Quarter was a closer affair with both sides kicking 2 goals, but in the wash up, inaccurate kicking cost the Diggers the chance to roll the competition front runners.
Tathra's Andrew Browne scored five goals to be the best of the scorers for the match.
Batemans Bay 13.21 defeated Merimbula 8.7
It was Marlins turn to head to Hanging Rock, where the Bay were determined to cement a place in the Top Four. The trip to the Bay is daunting at the best of times and this was to prove no different for the men from Merimbula.
A devastating 3rd Quarter by the Seahawks sealed the win when they kicked six goals to the Marlins one.
Ryan Crosby scored four goals for the Seahawks with Dwayne Gentner showing his class slotting 3 between the big ones, as did Haden Ward. Jason Miller and Luke Taylor were the main goal-scorers for the Marlins with two apiece.
Tomago River 12.11 defeated Pambula 12.6
Tomago River Reserves came onto the field wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for Rodney Wellington and his family, after his mother passed away the day before this match.
It was very fitting then, that after four full quarters the match was poised with one point separating the teams and the ball was in Wellingtons' hands within kicking distance of the goal.
Wellington calmly took the kick and on the siren, slotted the ball between the goalposts to secure a come from behind win by five points for the Tomago River side.
ROUND 14 - SATURDAY, 23 JULY, 2005
Pambula v Eden
Diggers V Batemans Bay
Tathra V Merimbula
Narooma v Tomago (Reserves)
Last Modified on 20/07/2005 17:17