Campbelltown Blues were edged out in a thriller at Monarch Oval on Saturday Afternoon. Taking perennial finals contenders – North Shore, the Blues were gallant in their efforts to pull off what would unquestionably have been the upset of the round. In what proved to be an enthralling encounter, the Campbelltown faithful we kept glued to their seats, while both teams desperately played close contested football in an effort to wear each other down. In the end the experienced squad of North Shore were able to take the points but the Campbelltown Blues earned plenty of respect for the quality of football they played.
In hot, humid and heavy conditions at Monarch Oval, Macquarie Fields, Campbelltown and North Shore played tight, contested football in a neck and neck tussle. The Blues led at both quarter time and half time by less than a goal. North Shore came out firing in the 3rd quarter and kicked 4 goals to take the lead going into the big break. The feeling in the Campbelltown camp was still positive and they remained optimistic they could win this game and send a clear message to the rest of the competition that Campbelltown were not to be underestimated in 2014.
The 4th quarter was a real tussle and Campbelltown drew back to within a goal. During the last five minutes Campbelltown had all the play in their forward line but were unable to land the final blow with several near misses, one hitting the post. Despite being held goalless in the final term, North Shore held on to win by 3 points.
Jeconiah Peni and Hamish Sherwood continued their outstanding form this season. Both have massive work rates and battled hard all day. Cameron Gordon dominated in the ruck and youngster’s Nathan Lomas and Aidan Bell once again proved that they are well and truly up to playing Premier Division football at the Senior level.
Coach Neil Brunton felt his team made great progress this week after a disappointing Round 1 loss. “We (Campbelltown) are a young developing side and it was great to see such a pleasing performance from all 22 players who took the field. Everyone played committed football today and stuck to their role."
Last Modified on 09/04/2014 18:34