Round 5 Match Reports
Division 2
Mac Uni 17.11.113 beat Manly Wolves 8.2.50
First grade took on the strong northern beaches club Manly Wolves at home on Saturday night and were looking to make it 4 wins out of 4 for the day and for the first time in the clubs history after 18's, 3rds and 2's all had great wins.
We welcomed back 3 key players with one of them CHF Tim Scoular who was looking at continuing on his good form after playing a great game for the Swans Reserves the week before at fullback on one of the best full forwards in the Canberra league.
The first half of the game was a real dog fight with both sides struggling to handle the wet ball after heavy dew settled onto the ground. We grabbed a 3 goal lead by quarter time and spoke to the players about playing the whistle and continuing to put your head over the ball.
Manly really gave it to us in the 2nd quarter and despite playing most of the quarter a man down we managed to kick 3 goals to match the Wolves 3 goals and ensure we still had a 19 point lead at half time. Highlight for the half was Ben Akmens great running goal from 50m just before half-time which really pumped the boys up.
The second half saw the Warriors kick 10 goals 9 behinds to the Wolves 4 goals 1 behind and push their winning margin out to 63 points. There were plenty of ice packs in the rooms afterwards in what was clearly our toughest game yet.
The forward line continues to kick 100+ points a week with Brett Harland kicking another 5 and ever reliable Craig Barnes in the forward pocket contributing another 3 goals while Mick Twohig kicked 3 second half goals at full forward.
The first grade side is really starting to take shape and to have players such as Craig Barnes, Phil Hare, Troy McMurrich & Cameron Inchley in the side is great for the coaches as they bring experience and leadership while allowing us to dedicate more time to focus on improving the games of the younger warriors Dyl Brogan, Brodie Cooper, Paul Jackson, Luke Gemmill & Brett Harland.
Our backline is proving to be one of the best in the competition with the guys only conceding an average of 30 points per game after 5 rounds. Led by Phil Hare & Brodie Cooper the boys have welcomed the addition in recent weeks of Cameron Inchley & Carter Mullins who have provided experience and instructional voice.
Finally our best player for the day was skipper Carter Mullins whose game on the half back flank was a good as you will see. His run, voice, tackling, foot skills and leadership were first class and it was a welcome return to form for the skipper who played the first 3 games at half forward.
The Warriors now have a tough two game stretch with UTS away next Saturday followed by the unbeaten Southern Power at home.
Best on Ground: C. Mullins, B. Akmens, D. Connors. B. Harland, H. Mangal, P. Jackson
Division 3
Mac Uni 12.17.89 beat Pennant Hills Demons 7.4.46
Back on home soil, the Warriors were looking to continue the successes of the earlier grades when we took on Pennant Hills. Conditions were perfect for football and a lift from our previous outing would be required against Penno who were sitting fourth on the ladder at 3 and 1.
The intensity was there from the first bounce and we were able to get first possession out of the centre and create opportunities up forward. Razzle was everywhere in there getting plenty of the ball and consistently hitting the target. He was ably assisted by Donnie and Summer who created many inside 50's (14 in total for quarter) whilst also applying plenty of pressure when we weren't in possession. The result of this, combined with resolute defence, was that 4 of Penno's 5 inside 50's for the quarter were marked by Warrior defenders. Quarter time saw us with a handy 3 goal lead - 4.2 to 1.2. The highlight of the quarter was Damo, in his return game, getting his first major for the season. Welcome back Captain.
Penno came out after the break with increased intensity, and as they started to win more of the stoppages, greater pressure was placed on the Warriors backline. Their big guy was causing a few headaches and we did well to only concede 2 goals for the quarter. At the other end, Gunns and Ricey were getting their hands on the balls and kicking a couple of much needed goals. We went to the sheds leading 6.6 to 3.3.
The third term saw both teams come out and throw their bodies into the contest as they tried to gain the ascendancy. Rooster continued to drive the ball into our attacking 50 where both Croc and Gunns were holding their marks. Astro was superb when moved into defence and many a Penno attack was thwarted by his timely spoils. Our defenders were quick to jump on the loose ball and send it back forward. The lead could have been more with the Warriors kicking 4.6 to 2.1 for the quarter.
With the big home crowd getting increasingly vocal the boys wanted to finish the game off strongly. Summer continued to create space with his run through the middle creating many opportunities for his team mates, including Croc who finished with three goals for the day. Gunns was ever-present up forward kicking his third for the match. A number of blazing shots at goal didn't allow us to capitalise on the bulk of our possession and if not for some timely marks on the last line of defence to Kinky we may have conceded more goals. Mac Uni managed 2.6 to Penno 2.1 for the quarter and sealing a good team win.
Best on Ground: G. Nixon, D. Avery, D. Ollington, M. Tharme, M. Rice, C. Edwards
Division 4
Mac Uni 10.10.70 beat Manly Wolves 8.11.59
Round 5 saw the Warriors taking on arch rival Manly in what was our first home game in a month. After conceding a heavy defeat to the same side last year the boys were keen to atone and looking for revenge.
The first quarter started well, as the boys applied some early forward pressure, and we were rewarded with an early goal to Andy. After this however we went back into our shell and Manly managed to kick away and grab the lead going into quarter time.
The second quarter was a torrid affair as both sides smashed each other in the middle. While not much scoring was being done, we were gradually clawing our way back into the game and an increased intensity, as well as shutting down some key opposition players, allowed the game to tighten up considerably. Jism was playing a great game in the middle and Tomi was giving great service in the ruck. This combined with a couple of late goals allowed us to reduce the margin to a flattering two goals at the main break.
Everyone came out firing in the second half and improvements in football basics as well as some far better ball use allowed us to gain control of the game. Butch moved to full forward and had an immediate impact, combining well with Stumpy, and when Slime brought down a big grab and goaled we were back in front. With Storky and Whistler repelling any opposition forays into their forward line and Worker organising the middle, the forward line were able to capitalise on the work of the boys upfield and a five goal quarter resulted, allowing us to take a handy lead into the last change for what was sure to be a tense finish.
The last quarter started with a continuation of the third as we continued to press hard. An early goal increased our lead to what should have been a comfortable 22 point buffer but the game was far from over. The Manly side fought back with a couple of goals and were really starting to come hard at us, but thankfully the boys stood up to the challenge. Pup and Marshy provided some hard heads over the ball when needed, and although all the boys were out on their feet, they managed to hang on for a much deserved win.
Best on Ground: J. Seabrook, B. Stork, S. Matthewman, T. Kallio, R. Pryor, A. Davies
U18 Challenge Cup
Mac Uni 10.11.71 beat Manly Wolves 9.16.70
Saturday saw us back at home after being on the road for the last couple of weeks and saw us kick start a great day for the Warriors with our first win of the season.
At every change in the game there was a minimal margin in what was a close tussle all day and a game that was played in great spirit by both teams.
In what was a tense last quarter and being down by a goal at 3 quarter time both sides went goal for goal for the quarter but with approx 30 seconds left Sam Lehman goaled on the run from just inside 50 to kick a goal that put us in front and saw the hill erupt.
The most pleasing aspect for us was that we had a real team performance with a lot of the guys really standing up and playing great footy, now we just need to develop consistency over 4 quarters.
Mark (Bish) Bishop down back with help from Jamie Van Lueewen had good games while Josh Noney and Brad (Fish) Fisher were working hard through the spine. Andy Mckinnon relished a run in the forward line kicking 3 goals and was well supported by Luke Woodman.
Best on Ground: M. Bishop, A. McKinnon, L. Woodman, J. Noney, B. Fisher, J. Van Leeuwen
