Round 2 Match Reports
Division 2
Mac Uni 30.20.201 beat Campbelltown 0.1.1
The Warriors took on Campbelltown at Monarch Oval for the first time since 1983 in which we were reliably informed by the MUAFC Almanac "Wrighty" that we kicked 12 goals 29 behinds that day, Butch Uglow kicked 4 goals and 2 posters whilst falling short of a win by 4 point.
After a strong win against the Goannas in Round 1 we were confident of a win against the Blues who dropped their first game to the Dockers. With 5 changes made to the team from Round 1 we welcomed back Hamma Mangal, Stuart Newman from Swans Reserves and Tim Scoular whilst newcomers Tim Shirt and Jason Lyall played their first games in Warriors colours.
New recruit Brett Harland was the standout for the day kicking 10 goals up forward and he was assisted by Jason Lyall who kicked 7 in his debut. The onballers continue to provide good use of the footy to the forwards and they were led well by ageless Troy McMurrich who consistently put the ball on the chests of Dean Connors and Hamma Mangal.
Vice Captain Justin Whyte continued his strong early season form picking up numerous possessions off the wing and would have had 25 plus possessions by games end. Others who found a fair bit of the ball were Ben Akmens and Tim Scoular whilst Brodie Cooper enjoyed some well earned time up the ground on the wing. Further highlights of the day were Phil hare at CHF in the last quarter and Dean Connor's high flying mark.
The senior sides are showing great depth at present with all winning both games thus far and with up to 5-7 first grade squad members playing reserve grade this weekend the competition for spots is extremely tight.
The strong win now sees the Warriors take top spot on the ladder and looking forward to the Round 3 clash against old rivals Syd Uni away on Saturday.
Best on Ground: Brett Harland, Justin Whyte, Jason Lyall, Hamid Mangal, Dean Connors, Timmy Scoular
Division 3
Mac Uni 16.10.106 beat Penrith 9.6.60
Warm conditions greeted us as we got to the foot of the mountains to take on Penrith in our Round 2 clash which saw the return of Lee Jefferies to the coaching box. After their game being postponed last week because of rain, Penrith were itching to get out and have a run and there were no such ground conditions this week with the track rated somewhere around the very dry and hard mark.
Looking to get on the board early as we were kicking with a 1-2 goal breeze it was Penrith that came out and had the first goal on the board. Finally we settled down and started to get some cleaner possession through the midfield which was delivered to the focal point up forward in Astro who was causing headaches for the opposition. At quarter time we went in leading 4.1.25 to 2.0.12, thanks to the solid defence by Hobo and the crew down back who repelled many a forward attack from Penrith.
After the break the Warriors came out and used the ball to much greater effect into the breeze. Inches and Sticks were getting plenty of the ball through the middle corridor and with much sharper disposal we were able to hit targets up forward. A 5 goal to 1 quarter saw us go in with a handy lead at half time.
In the second half we continued to get first use of the ball out of the centre through the strong ruck work of Claw and Lloydy (the player formally known as Hobo), and the aggressive ground work of the likes of Marshy, Mighty and Jockey. By this time Penrith had resorted to double teaming, sometimes triple teaming, Astro and this freed up Butch who relishes a one-on-one encounter and he was able to keep the scoreboard ticking over with three goals for the day. At the end of that quarter we had put on another 4 goals to their one to lead 13.9 to 4.5 at the final change.
Maybe it was to firmness in the ground taking a toll on our legs but we didn't run out the game as well as we would have liked. Penrith looked to finish the game off strongly and we didn't match their intensity. Gunns continued to thwart a number of their forward attacks, driving the ball forward as he had done all day. Scotty Cations, playing his first game for the club, kicked a nice crumbing goal (his second for the day) and will be much better for the run.
Best on Ground: Cameron Inchley, Simon Lawrenson, Jeff Hardman, Gavin Nixon, Michael Hobern, Sam Millard
Division 4
Mac Uni 23.16.154 beat Penrith 6.2.38
Round two saw the warriors venture out to Greygums for a clash against the Penrith Rams. Playing against a side that played in a division higher last year we knew we were in for a tough and physical contest.
In the first quarter we were kicking into a slight breeze but despite this were able to open the scoring within the first minute. We were getting in and under the packs, being harder at the ball then the opposition and this allowed us to dominate the clearances and give our forwards plenty of opportunities. Despite having all the play however, we were only a goal up late in the first quarter but a clever goal on the run from Forder gave us a 2 goal buffer at quarter time.
The second quarter was Warriors footy at its best as we showed just how damaging our side can be. The boys applied great pressure and really started playing for each other , typified by Kiwi who applied a great shepherd to allow Gareth to slam home his first goal for the day. With Tommy and Hobby getting over their opponents in the ruck, we were able to give our on-ballers first use of the ball and Westy and Andy gave great service and delivered with precision further up field. Our forward line, led by Stumpy and Smiley, had plenty of space due to a lot of quick ball and with some accurate goal kicking we were able to finish with a ten goal quarter and a commanding 76 point lead going in to half time.
The third quarter proved to be a tighter affair, with the Rams coming out of the sheds fired up and ready to gain some respect. While we did have a lot of ball once again, there was a bit more perceived pressure and that combined with a congested forward line meant that we were restricted to two goals for the quarter. When the Rams did press forward however, our backline, led by Whistler, Mick and Burkey were able to thwart every challenge that they were presented with. Once again we kept Penrith goalless and this allowed us to extend our lead going into the final change.
The last quarter saw us finish off a good four quarters off football. Despite the heat and having only one fit man on the bench the boys continued to assert their dominance, slamming through 7 goals for the quarter to end up 116 point winners by the time the final siren sounded.
Best on Ground: Gareth Smith, Mark McKibbin, Peter Leaney, Chris Hayes, Andrew Smail, Rowan Pryor
U18 Challenge Cup
Mac Uni 6.7.43 lost Penrith 14.12.96
Our first away trip of the year saw us travel to Penrith and we managed to get out of the blocks early against a team playing its first game of the season. Unlike the previous game we managed to find the middle of the posts and went to qtr time leading by 11 pts.
The second qtr saw Adam (Napoleon) Brockway, Peter (Frosty) Frost and Mark McKinnon continue on with their great hustle and 2nd and 3rd efforts but it saw us go into half time down.
The start of the 3rd saw us stay in the sheds and Penrith came out and kicked 6 goals which would be the turning point in the game and from there on Penrith kicked away to win the game.
Tim (Diesel) Morris, Sam Lehman and Cameron Poole all backed their first round efforts with consistent performances again.
A positive note was that ALL players improved on their first weeks effort which was pleasing to see and our persistence was a credit to the boys work ethic.
Best on Ground: Tim Morris, Sam Lehmann, Adam Brockway, Peter Frost, Cameron Poole, Andrew McKinnon
Last Modified on 24/04/2009 09:03