Division 1
Mac Uni Warriors 7.16.58 Defeated by Manly 12.8.80
The Warriors took on the undefeated Manly at home in a game that would show where they are at against the competitions benchmark. Manly have had a strong year and the Warriors were quietly confident of an upset after a great last start win against Sydney Uni who then knocked off UTS the following week. The late notice of a long weekend catch up game caught a few out with holidays & exams proving troublesome in selecting our strongest side. We were, however, really happy with the inclusions in the side and none more so than Mark Rice making his return from knee surgery.
It was a typical opening quarter against one of the top sides with Manly getting the early jump and leading by a goal at the first break. Patrick Sobb was trying his best in the ruck on his own and Scott Cations was dangerous up forward whether with the ball or applying defensive pressure. The 2nd quarter was all Manly with the undefeated side showing they were a class above and will take some stopping come finals time. The Warriors let Manly run riot due to a drop in defensive pressure and failing to control the ball when they did have it.
We really showed how dangerous this young side can be in the 2nd half. With an aim of winning each quarter by a few goals and snatching an upset victory the players responded. Defensive pressure increased, the backline switched on turnover and contested marks up forward all started to come together. Unfortunately we could not kick enough through the middle of the sticks and kicked 5 goals 13 behinds for the whole of the 2nd half. The Warriors outscored Manly 18 scoring shots to 8 during this time and gives us some real belief that we can match it with the best in Division 1. Highlight of the day must be Andrew Polkinghorne’s superb World Cup Soccer strike from 25m straight through the big sticks. It was probably our most accurate shot for the day.
The Warriors now take on Wests Magpies on Saturday afternoon at 2.30pm with 2’s, 3’s & 18’s taking on Southern Power whilst the 4ths are away to Moorebank.
Go Warriors and Kookas!
Best on Ground: Scott Cations, Mark Rice, Dylan Brogan, Brodie Cooper, Andrew Polkinghorne, Patrick Sobb
Division 3
Mac Uni Warriors 12.21.93 defeated Pennant Hills 5.3.33
No report
Best on Ground: S. Willoughby, M. Bell, G. Nixon, P. Le Breton, N. Jackson, J. Bell
Division 4
Mac Uni Warriors 11.8.74 defeated by UTS 16.4.100
Round 10 was delayed by a week and the Warriors charged out onto a lush looking Northern Oval to take on the might of the UTS Bats. The Bats were seething after a couple of straight losses and were keen to take vengeance on our boys.
The first quarter proved to be a tight, low scoring affair as both teams showed tenacity and fight in the middle of the ground. Dave, Jockey and Docker were all fighting hard for the ball giving much needed grunt, and when we did find our way into open space Steve got on the end of a well weighted pass and slotted the goal from a tight angle to put us on the board first. UTS though, not to be outdone, managed the next two before we equalised to send the teams into the first change dead level.
The second quarter saw the game open up slightly as the ball moved from one end of the ground to the other seemingly at will. It was goal for goal throughout the quarter as our full forward line clinically finished the work being done further up the ground. Bourkey as usual was giving us first use by winning all the taps and Jimmy Brackin started to work into the game nicely getting involved around the ground. Once again we were all even going into the long break with 6 goals apiece.
The third quarter is often termed the ‘premiership quarter’ but sadly for the Warriors this is where it started to come unstuck. After holding firm up to this point, our backline seemed to struggle under the mountain of pressure it was under and let in 6 goals to UTS. Up the other end tumbleweeds could have been floating across our forward line, as the ball barely ventured there. A no-goal third term put us in deep trouble as we went into the final quarter down by 33 points.
This game was far from over though, and the Warriors came out with much zest in the final term, taking it right up to the Bats. A couple of early goals from Steve and Butch brought us to within 3 goals but it seemed that every time we got one back UTS would reply straight away. Gareth finished a strong game with a superb running goal and everyone put in the last term but unfortunately it was not enough, as we ended up going down by 26 points to a spirited UTS side.
For the second week in a row, the third quarter was our Achilles heel, in fact, we have only lost two quarters in the last two games but amazingly have lost both games. We really need a full four quarter performance against the Power this week to restore order and get back on the winners list.
Division 4
Mac Uni Kookas 3.4.22 defeated by Auburn 26.19.175
No report
Best on Ground: T. Kallio, A. Kent, C. Day, C. Lewis, A. Palmer, G. Perez
U18 Challenge Cup
Mac Uni Warriors 9.6.60 defeated by Manly Wolves 14.11.95
No report
Best on Ground: S. Wood, B. Sewell, A. Stewart, A. Brockway, D. Skin, D. Bourke
Best on Ground: G. Smith, D. Munday, C. Hayes, J. Brackin, M. Bourke, S. Powell
Last Modified on 17/06/2010 10:03