Round 16 saw the Goannas welcome back players of the glory days of the club, as well as our values sponsors, for what was a big day for the club at the new Blacktown Olympic Park facility.
The Under 18’s took to the field first against the Power and were looking to chalk up their third win of the year. With a number of the team now having experience with senior footy, there was quiet confidence amongst the group about a favourable result. Unfortunately this was not the case, but the team gave it a good shot, and gave the Power a bit of a scare in the last quarter. Ryan Johnston was the best on ground for the team, with Peter Martinoli, Blake McFarlane, Matt Martland, Jarryd Smith and Ethan Dean all having excellent games.
A number of these players then backed up for Division 4’s game against UNSW/ES. In a game against the second placed team, the boys put on a wonderful and courageous display. Whilst the scoreline showed a comfortable victory to UNSW, those who were the to watch will agree that the game seemed much closer than that. In an encouraging sign for the clubs future, the best players for the game were the Under 18 boys backing up, with Ethan Dean, Jarryd Smith, Ryan Johnston, Cameron Smith, Tim Watson and Scott Nolan all showing they are ready for the next step.
With some good momentum building, Division 3 were confident of notching their first win for the season, and welcomed back some key players to further boost their confidence. However, it was not to be, and despite the match being an even contest, the Power were able to make the most of their entries inside 50 to record the victory.
Adam Townsend was best on ground with a hard running display all day, whilst Jason Wilson and Nathan McLean got plenty of the ball in the middle. Peter Zuvela was strong up forward, Nathan Grainger had a great return from a shoulder injury, and Patty McBriarty showed he has missed nothing in his first outing in the blue and gold for nearly 2 years.
In the match of the day, Division 2, in 3rd place, took on the undefeated ladder leaders. The Goannas came into the match on the back of a 6 game winning streak, and were ready to match it with a team they will have to go through to win the premiership. The boys dominated the first 5 minutes of the game, but were not able to convert this on the scoreboard, whilst the Power did and opened up a handy lead at quarter time. From there on in, it seemed no matter what the Goannas did, it was always matched by the Power and couldn’t make inroads into the margin. The Goannas will walk away from the loss with now knowing what they need to do to win this years flag, and now have 2 weeks to get it right before finals. Brett Rizzo was the best for the Goannas on the day, with a strong performance at both ends of the ground, with skipper Andrew Munns also a rock down back. Sireli Fifita, Anthony Bishop and John Maniscalco kept trying to provide run and drive from the middle all day, and Troy Balzan was strong up forward, kicking 2 goals.
Last Modified on 20/10/2009 08:35