Division 1
Mac Uni Warriors 6.4.40 defeated by Manly 11.13.79
The Warriors took on Manly away in a crucial game for a top 3 spot and double chance at stake. We welcomed back numerous players after injury and leave with arguably our strongest side all year selected on paper.
Unfortunately the paper side didn’t perform to their potential on the patchy grass at Pittwater. Despite a good warm up and calm focussed approach in the change rooms, Manly came out the better and kicked 2 quick goals.
To our credit we kicked the next 2 goals through Josh Murphy and Brett Harland however that was as close as we got before Manly blew us off the park. Their commitment to win contested ball was impressive and ability to run both ways showed how much this game meant to them.
It was one of those days when finding best players was hard to come by however Andrew Polkinghorne was by far our best player as he led well, provide strong 2nd and 3rd efforts whilst harassing opposition ball carriers all day. Donnie Ollington down back was probably the only other standout as he consistently battled with his head over the ball and provided a real physical presence to Manly.
Scott Cations kicked 3 last quarter goals to make the score look respectable however full credit to Manly for their win and probable top 3 spot by the end of Round 18. The Warriors will need to do a lot of work on the training paddock this week to bounce back against Sydney University at home on Saturday in the final home and away game of the season.
Best on Ground: Andrew Polkinghorne, Donnie Ollington, Brodie Cooper, Dylan Brogan, Dean Connors, Scott Cations
Division 3
Mac Uni Warriors 16.14.110 defeated East Coast Eagles 7.8.50
Best on Ground: David Marsh, Gavin Nixon, Nate Jackson, Simon Lawrenson, Geoff Clarke, Mark Bell
Division 4
Mac Uni Warriors 5.8.38 defeated by Manly Wolves 6.11.47
The penultimate round of the season saw the Warriors trek out to North Narrabeen to take on the Manly Wolves. These two teams had a history of close battles so we were expecting a hard fought game against a quality opposition.
The Wolves showed they had turned up to play right from the start as they controlled the early running against a shell shocked Warriors side. The Wolves had the ball up our end and threatened to take a significant early lead, but our backline, led by Burnsy and Stapo, managed to limit the damage to one goal. As the quarter wore on however, things started to even out a little bit. A goal against the run of play to Rove was cancelled out by the Wolves before Hilly ran down a Wolves player allowing Robbo to goal from the subsequent spillage. The quarter time score showed us to be behind by 3 points, a flattering result to say the least.
It seemed that by the second quarter the boys had started to switch on a bit more and the game developed into a very even scrap. Ugly football in windy conditions contributed to a lack of scoreboard pressure from both teams as it became clear that this game was going down to the wire. In the midfield we were starting to break even as Docker, Pottsy and Jockey really knuckled down. With the game being played largely in between the 50 metre arcs, there was limited opportunities for our forward line however every time it went down there, Steve provided a reliable option, taking several contested marks. A goal to Steve and another to Butch allowed us to take the lead, up by a slender margin of 3 points at the long change.
The third quarter was a carbon copy of the second, tough uncompromising football from two teams that were not giving an inch. In fact, until Steve registered his second in the dying minutes no goals were scored in what was an unfashionable yet enterprising third term. The boys started attacking the football like men possessed, however the quality of disposal was still lacking, meaning that turnovers were abundant. Addo continued to toil manfully in the ruck after Party was ruled out of the game early and his contribution was exceptional. A 10 point lead was taken into the last quarter by a tiring but determined Warriors outfit.
An early goal to the Wolves cut the margin to within a kick early in the last and it was game on. But a 2 man bench and a surging opponent were proving difficult for the Warriors to control. Our recent history of losing close games looked as if it might be overturned with the ball in our forward 50 with 5 minutes to go, but alas, Manly made a quick transition to kick a goal up the other end. In a desperate final few minutes we just could not quite find the winner we needed, and when a Manly long bomb found the target with a minute remaining it was all over.
A good effort from the boys but not quite enough against a good quality opposition, our finals hopes now hang in the balance with a must win game against Sydney Uni next week to prove crucial.
Best on Ground: Ben Staples, Clint Addison, Andrew Robertson, Stephen Mann, Tim Lawson, Ben Chapman
Division 4
Mac Uni Kookas 2.5.17 defeated by Southern Power 18.13.121
Best on Ground: C Day, A Kent, A Harch, M Chaplin, M DeAlwis
U18 Challenge Cup
Mac Uni Warriors 4.6.30 defeated by Manly Wolves 9.12.66
Best on Ground: A. Stewart, D. Martin, J. Simpson, N. Coaldrake, T. Morris, J. Botica-Graham
Last Modified on 17/08/2010 08:20