SYDNEY AFL ROUND 8 - Demons Win the Yard Way
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
The final weekend of autumn was one of overcast skies and patchy showers. But unlike last weekend, Gore Hill was kept open this time and the North Shore v Pennant Hills match went ahead as scheduled. It was a heavy track, one for the mudlarks, but after an absorbing struggle for much of the day the Demons pulled away in the closing stages to take out a 31-point victory. In the absence of Pennant Hills' senior coach Michael Cousens, who was interstate for the weekend, club stalwart Chris Yard took the coaching reigns and would enjoy the distinction of a victory in his debut as a senior coach.
But it was North Shore who had the better of the opening stages of the game. Kicking to the Highway end in the first term, the Bombers got the opening centre break, taking the ball inside the 50m where James Brain went flying over the Demon defence to pull down a contender for mark of the season. Kicking truly, the Bombers were off to a flying start, and it got better for the Bombers with Tom Elkington forcing a turnover before snapping truly from 40 metres. David Ferrier got one back for the Demons from 25 metres, but the Bombers were away again when Daniel Kulk was unable to hold a mark, only for the ball to spill to Lachlan Pryor for a running goal. And when Elkington snapped his second, the Bombers were holding a 20-point lead and looking good. But the Demons had the better of red time, a 1-out mark to Kieran Wright 15 metres out and then a snap over the shoulder from a tight angle a few minutes later saw the margin cut back to just 6 points at quarter time.
7 goals had been scored in the first quarter, and both sides traded goals in the opening 5 minutes of the second term. But as the clouds darkened the sky and the players began to feel the effects of a slippery ball and the muddy field, the game tightened. From end to end the ball travelled, but both sides stood their ground. It was a tactical arm wrestle, with the ball finding its way from 50m line to 50m line but unable to travel further, neither side prepared to concede any momentum to their opponents. But late in the quarter the Demons began to get the upper hand, breaching the Bomber defensive line. But their attacking efforts could only manage points until Gaggin finally found the big sticks just seconds before the siren to give the Demons the lead for the first time.
During the second quarter the skies had been closing in, and simultaneously with the siren sounding, the heavens opened; the rain during the break and in the early stages of the third term the heaviest it would be all day. The ball, by now as slippery as a cake of soap, was hard to mark and both sides had to tackle hard and handle the ball as best they could. A free kick for over the shoulder to Andrew Marsh restored the lead for North Shore only for Josh Duncan to goal on the run to give the Demons the lead back a few minutes later. Midway through the quarter, a slips-catch mark and to Matt Carey and a grubber to Damian Dell'Aquila gave the Demons a sniff, but in time-on Andrew Marsh was brought down; and despite limping badly as he took his free kick he converted to cut the margin to just 10 points at the last change.
A match that had been an enthralling contest was still in the balance in the last quarter. First goal would be of critical importance, and the longer the wait for the first goal went, the more important the goal would be. The Demons had some golden opportunities to score it, but a second grab at a marking contest by Kieran Wright was ruled to be out of bounds, and in the next minute Wright somehow managed to miss from 20 metres out. The Bombers took the ball forward, but were unable to penetrate their 50m line.
It took 19 minutes before a goal was scored in the final quarter. When it finally came, it was Matthew Carey who stood up and was counted, prevailing in a marking contest 30 metres out and kicking truly. From the centre break, Scott Myers went for a run down the wing before kicking on the run from the 50m line, his goal putting the result beyond doubt. And Matthew Carey put the icing on the cake in the dying seconds with a soccer goal. The Demons had taken a 31-point victory in a match that, for much of the contest, looked set to be considerably closer. But their greater ability to last the distance each quarter extended the margin; with the Bombers unable to score during time-on in either of the first 2 quarters and unable to score at all during the final term. Matt Carey kicked 3 goals for the Demons, while Josh Duncan and Luke Turner were among their best. For the Bombers, Damien Allen and Sam Carruthers were solid contributors all day.
Campbelltown moved into the top 5 with a hard-fought win over a determined Balmain side at Monarch Oval. The game was in the balance for much of the day, with the Blues leading by just 1 point at half-time and 4 points at three-quarter time. But a 3 goals to 1 final quarter was enough to get the Blues home by 16 points. Shanan Kershaw kicked 5 for the Blues, while Mark Edwins and Brenton McAllister had good games for the Blues. For Balmain, Janis Blums and Marcus Bujch were among their better players.
East Coast Eagles maintained their unbeaten streak and ladder leadership with a comprehensive 80-point win over Wollongong at Bruce Purser Oval. The Lions went into the match on a high after their victory last week, but were quickly brought back to earth by a ruthless East Coast side that had little difficulty in recording another victory. The Eagles won every quarter, their best being the third term when a 7 goals to 2 term blew away any hopes the Lions may have had of working their way back into the game. Gus Seebeck continued his purple patch up forward with a 6 goal haul, while Adam Byerlee and Jon Vlatko had solid games. For the Lions, Tom Heath with 3 was their only multiple goalscorer, while Adam McConnochie and Michael Dombroski tried hard all day.
Sydney Uni returned to form when the Students took out the university derby over UNSW-ES at the Village Green. The Students got on top in the second term, but an inaccurate 2.8 return for the quarter saw the lead restricted to 21 points when the run of play indicated it should have been more. But the third term put the result beyond doubt, when the miserly Sydney Uni defence kept the Bulldogs scoreless to take the lead out to 36 points. After that the cue was put back in the rack and the Bulldogs would win the last quarter, but the Students' 26 scoring shots to 10 was a reflection of their superiority over the course of the day. Former coach Daniel Archer was magnificent in a best-on-ground performance for Sydney Uni, while Brydon Coles and Ben Mankarious were also prominent. Although the Bulldogs were badly beaten, Jon Bradfield and Mike Beardsley continued to put in their best efforts all day.
Western Suburbs moved 2 games clear in second place when the Magpies condemned St George to their 6th straight defeat with a 61-point win at Henson Park on Sunday. A flying start for Wests set the tone for the afternoon, and after an 11 goals to 2 first half they were already 58 points clear at the long break; and although the second half was closer the result was already beyond dispute. Mark Withers, Troy Cole and Ben Absolum all kicked 3 for the Magpies, while Lyn Roehrig and Stephen Hudson were prominent around the ground. For the Dragons, Rod Craig and Tim Addison were among their best.
The long weekend will see a bye for most teams; except that some catch-up fixtures will be played for teams where ground closures have forced games to be postponed. And, as I'll be in Victoria over the long weekend, this column will take a week off next week before a bumper edition the following weekend including the results of the postponed fixtures as well as that weekend's results.
Pennant Hills 3.4 5.11 8.13 11.16 (82)
North Shore 4.4 5.8 7.9 7.9 (51)
Goals : Pennant Hills - M Carey 3, J Gaggin 2, K Wright 2, D Dell'Aquila, S Myers, J Duncan, D Ferrier. North Shore - A Marsh 2, T Elkington 2, L Pryor, J Brain, J Webster.
Best : Pennant Hills - J Duncan, L Turner, A Crisfield, D Dell'Aquila, A Richardson, D De Looze. North Shore - D Allen, S Carruthers, J Webster, L Pryor, B Fitzgerald, T Strudwick.
At Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 30th May 2009.
Campbelltown 4.2 6.5 8.5 11.8 (74)
Balmain Dockers 2.2 6.4 7.7 8.10 (58)
Goals : Campbelltown - S Kershaw 5, I Sumner 2, B Reid, M Morey, B Yakimov, F Brown. Balmain - N O'Brien 2, J Blums, E Davis, D Turner, R Officer, D Bourke, L Mitchell. Best : Campbelltown - M Edwins, B McAllister, S Kershaw, M Moore, L Lothian, I Sumner. Balmain - J Blums, M Bujsh, J Miller, B Knight, B Jones, N O'Brien.
At Monarch Oval, Saturday 30th May 2009.
East Coast Eagles 5.6 10.10 17.14 19.19 (133)
Wollongong 2.0 5.2 7.3 8.5 (53)
Goals : East Coast - G Seebeck 6, B Rogers 2, B Bourke 2, T Stubbs 2, A Byerlee 2, R Bilkey, B Physick, G Garner, M Johnston, D Spiteri. Wollongong - T Heath 3, M Toussis, M Jefferis, M Thomson, B Hanson, J McInnes.
Best : East Coast - G Seebeck, A Byerlee, J Vlatko, M Skuse, M Maher, M Johnston. Wollongong - A McConnochie, M Dombroski, T Heath, K Ewen-Chappel, D Jefferis, G Bartlett.
At Bruce Purser Oval, Saturday 30th May 2009.
Sydney University 3.4 5.12 7.15 7.19 (61)
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 2.2 3.3 3.3 5.5 (35)
Goals : Sydney Uni - A Scott 2, B Mankarious, A Lee, S Crichton, C Walsh, M Killcoat. UNSW-ES - J Bradfield 2, R Underwood, S Rutland, M Beardsley.
Best : Sydney Uni - D Archer, B Coles, B Mankarious, T Young, M Egan, J Champion de Crespign. UNSW-ES - J Bradfield, M Beardsley, J Coulloupas, A Rodrigues, S Rutland, J Kiel.
At Village Green, Saturday 30th May 2009.
Western Suburbs 6.2 11.6 15.10 16.15 (111)
St George 1.1 2.2 5.4 7.8 (50)
Goals : Wests - M Withers 3, T Cole 3, B Absolum 3, D Clout 2, B Bedwell, M Eurell, C McGuirk, C McGrath, D Williams. St George - J Shineberg 2, R Talbot, N Smith, S Wilsen, S Windle, N Charlwood.
Best : Wests - L Roehrig, S Hudson, T Cole, M Withers, D Lambert, G King. St George - R Craig, T Addison, A Cuthbert, R Talbot, S Richmond, P McBride.
At Henson Park, Sunday 31st May 2009.
Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Pts | MR | %age | Streak | |
East Coast Eagles | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 404 | 32 | 100.00 | 247.52 | W8 |
Western Suburbs | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 954 | 444 | 28 | 87.50 | 214.86 | W3 |
Pennant Hills | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 769 | 549 | 20 | 62.50 | 140.07 | W1 |
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 817 | 724 | 20 | 62.50 | 112.85 | L2 |
Campbelltown | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 480 | 624 | 16 | 57.14 | 76.92 | W1 |
North Shore | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 592 | 705 | 12 | 42.86 | 83.97 | L1 |
Sydney University | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 620 | 750 | 8 | 25.00 | 82.67 | W1 |
St George | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 614 | 923 | 8 | 25.00 | 66.52 | L6 |
Balmain | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 513 | 829 | 8 | 25.00 | 61.88 | L1 |
Wollongong | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 454 | 861 | 4 | 12.50 | 52.73 | L1 |
First Division:
East Coast Eagles 23.22 (160) d Wollongong 2.3 (15)
North Shore 8.9 (57) d Pennant Hills 6.6 (42)
UNSW-ES 8.8 (56) d Sydney University 6.8 (44)
Uni of Technology Sydney 7.10 (52) d Manly-Warringah 6.10 (46)
Western Suburbs 12.4 (76) d St George 8.5 (53)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - UTS (100, 214.25%), UNSW-ES (75, 130.72%), Manly-Warringah (71.43, 158.31%), East Coast (62.5, 172.63%), Sydney Uni (62.5, 160.09%), North Shore (42.86, 103.37%), Pennant Hills (37.5, 104.59%), Wollongong (25, 50.55%), Western Suburbs (25, 42.55%), St George (0, 37.33%).
Second Division:
Balmain 19.13 (127) d Campbelltown 2.8 (20)
UTS 8.9 (57) d Manly-Warringah 5.5 (35)
Southern Power 7.11 (53) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.6 (18)
Sydney Uni 17.10 (112) d Camden 5.6 (36)
Macquarie Uni 7.19 (61) d East Coast Eagles 3.7 (25)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 350.20%), Macquarie Uni (87.5, 304.88%), UTS (75, 196.06%), Holroyd-Parramatta (62.5, 112.53%), Sydney Uni (57.14, 143.56%), Balmain (37.5, 104.55%), Manly-Warringah (25, 66.72%), East Coast (25, 41.62%), Camden (14.29, 39.40%), Campbelltown (12.5, 27.13%).
Third Division:
UTS 14.12 (96) d Pennant Hills 4.6 (30)
Southern Power 8.15 (63) d Holroyd-Parramatta 0.1 (1)
NorWest Jets 12.12 (84) d Macquarie Uni 8.2 (50)
Moorebank Sports 9.8 (62) d Penrith 4.8 (32)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 369.27%), UTS (85.71, 255.56%), NorWest Jets (85.71, 201.72%), Macquarie Uni (57.14, 117.83%), Moorebank Sports (42.86, 95.04%), Pennant Hills (37.5, 85.29%), Penrith (33.33, 66.13%), Southern Power (14.29, 53.93%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 21.46%).
Fourth Division:
Manly-Warringah 12.13 (85) d UTS 4.7 (31)
UNSW-ES 22.15 (147) d Holroyd-Parramatta 3.6 (24)
NorWest Jets 11.14 (80) drew Macquarie Uni 12.8 (80)
Moorebank Sports 18.14 (122) d Penrith 3.5 (23)
Sydney Uni 29.24 (198) d Camden 1.2 (8)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Sydney Uni (100, 442.45%), UTS (75, 177.60%), Manly-Warringah (75, 143.22%), UNSW-ES (62.5, 149.70%), NorWest Jets (56.25, 192.82%), Macquarie Uni (56.25, 125.09%), Moorebank Sports (28.57, 57.30%), Holroyd-Parramatta (25, 44.58%), Penrith (14.29, 57.18%), Camden (0, 16.52%).
Under 18s Premier:
East Coast Eagles 21.5 (131) d Wollongong 3.7 (25)
North Shore 9.12 (66) d Pennant Hills 5.9 (39)
Campbelltown 11.11 (77) d Balmain 5.8 (38)
St George 24.15 (159) d Western Suburbs 1.3 (9)
UNSW-ES 12.8 (80) d St Ignatius Riverview 4.6 (60)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (100, 269.87%), East Coast (87.5, 245.85%), Pennant Hills (62.5, 174.81%), St George (62.5, 173.75%), Wollongong (57.14, 103.99%), UNSW-ES (37.5, 79.55%), Campbelltown (28.57, 66.53%), St Ignatius Riverview (28.57, 58.69%), Balmain (25, 54.32%), Wests (12.5, 34.00%).
Under 18s Challenge:
Pennant Hills 10.11 (71) d Manly-Warringah 6.12 (48)
Penrith 15.12 (102) d Moorebank Sports 5.5 (35)
Southern Power d Holroyd-Parramatta - forfeit
East Coast Eagles 13.18 (96) d Macquarie Uni 0.5 (5)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 241.95%), Sydney Uni (83.33, 282.30%), Penrith (83.33, 180.83%), Pennant Hills (71.43, 110.31%), Moorebank Sports (57.14, 127.87%), Manly-Warringah (25, 65.29%), East Coast (14.29, 99.72%), Macquarie Uni (14.29, 40.00%), Holroyd-Parramatta (14.29, 26.95%).
NEXT ROUND'S FIXTURES (Lurker's Kiss of Death in bold):
Saturday 6th June
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Campbelltown (2:10pm)
Saturday 13th June
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v St George (2:10pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Western Suburbs (2:30pm)
Sunday 14th June
Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v North Shore (2:10pm)
North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v Campbelltown (2:10pm)
First Division:
Saturday 6th June
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Manly-Warringah (12pm)
Saturday 13th June
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney Uni v St George (12pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v East Coast Eagles (12pm)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Western Suburbs (12:30pm)
Trumper Park - UTS v North Shore (2:30pm)
Sunday 14th June
North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v Manly-Warringah (12pm)
Second Division:
Saturday 6th June
Harrington Park - Camden v Sydney Uni (2:10pm)
Saturday 13th June
Trumper Park - UTS v Campbelltown (12:30pm)
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Sydney Uni (2:10pm)
Harrington Park - Camden v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)
Charles McLaughlin Reserve - Holroyd-Parramatta v Macquarie Uni (2:30pm)
Sunday 14th June
Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v Manly-Warringah (12pm)
Third Division:
Saturday 6th June
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Penrith (2:10pm)
Saturday 13th June
Trumper Park - UTS v Penrith (10:30am)
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v UNSW-ES (12pm)
Charles McLaughlin Reserve - Holroyd-Parramatta v Macquarie Uni (12:30pm)
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Pennant Hills (2:10pm)
NorWest Jets have the bye.
Fourth Division:
Saturday 6th June
Harrington Park - Camden v Sydney Uni (12pm)
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Penrith (12pm)
Saturday 13th June
Trumper Park - UTS v Penrith (8:30am)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Sydney Uni (10am)
Charles McLaughlin Reserve - Holroyd-Parramatta v Macquarie Uni (10:30am)
Harrington Park - Camden v NorWest Jets (12pm)
Rosedale Oval -Moorebank Sports v Manly-Warringah (12pm)
Under 18s Premier:
Wednesday 3rd June
Henson Park - St Ignatius Riverview v Wollongong (7pm)
Saturday 6th June
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Campbelltown (10am)
Friday 12th June
Village Green - UNSW-ES v East Coast Eagles (7:30pm)
Saturday 13th June
Riverview First - St Ignatius Riverview v St George (10am)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Western Suburbs (10:30am)
Sunday 14th June
Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v North Shore (10am)
North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v Campbelltown (10am)
Under 18s Challenge:
Saturday 6th June
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Penrith (10am)
Saturday 13th June
Charles McLaughlin Reserve - Holroyd-Parramatta v Macquarie Uni (8:30am)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Penrith (8:30am)
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Sydney Uni (10am)
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Manly-Warringah (10am)
East Coast Eagles have the bye.