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Thread: North Shore are premiers for 2007

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    North Shore are premiers for 2007

    SYDNEY AFL GRAND FINAL - Bomber Blitz

    Saturday 15th September 2007 dawned a fine and sunny day, a contrast to the quagmire of last year's grand final. Henson Park looked a treat, with the Sydney AFL logo painted on the hill and the car park extending around the southern hill. The largest crowd to attend a Sydney AFL grand final for several years was on hand, creating a magnificent atmosphere for what was to be an absorbing game of football.

    St George have had some success in recent years, and other than 2005 have made the grand final every year since the turn of the millennium. But the premiership has eluded them, their most recent flag having been in 1993. With a strong win against Pennant Hills in the second semi, the Crows had a strong side to challenge for this title. North Shore had played in 6 grand finals in a row until 2005 but missed out last year. But 2007 saw the Bombers fight back to make the top 4, and with wins over Campbelltown and Pennant Hills during the finals had returned to the biggest stage in Sydney football this season.




    The Bombers won the toss and kicked to the scoreboard end in the first term; and the first goal was to come their way when Michael Cowell was paid a free in the goalsquare. But the Crows were to look the stronger side in the first term, with Troy Cole twice getting on the scoreboard. The Crows led by 14 points, but two late goals to the Bombers cut the margin back to 3 points at the first change.

    The second term saw a key turning point when St George's Dan Lowry earned the wrath of the umpires after a clash with Mark Livy, with Lowry being shown a red card. For Lowry, who has already been suspended twice this season, it was a disappointing end to an interrupted season. For Livy, the result of the collision was a broken nose; and although he was to return to the field in the second half with his face strapped, the strapping was clearly inadequate with the Bomber captain being frequently blood-ruled over the remainder of the match. On the field, a 4 goals to 2 quarter saw the Bombers hit the lead and take a 13-point margin into the long break.




    Early in the third quarter, the Bombers threatened to run away with the match. The Fitzgerald brothers were running riot in the midfield, and were well supported by Ryan Davis who was playing the game of his life. By the 14 minute mark, after former captain Matthew Parker got on the goalkicking list, the lead had blown out to 23 points. But this match was far from over and the Crows would hit back hard. With Gavin Raper forcing the turnovers in the backline, Scott Richmond and Declan Donohue getting plenty of the ball and Troy Cole looking a target up forward with 5 goals; the Crows made a charge. In the next 10 minutes, Peter Dugmore, Brad Percy and Troy Cole kicked goals. After each goal, the St George supporting contingent on the hill sang out "O When the Saints Go Marching In", contributing to a feeling that the Crows had recaptured the momentum. There was only a kick in it; but the siren sounded, giving North Shore a chance to regroup.



    Sydney football has had plenty of close grand finals in recent years, and with only 4 points the margin at the last change there was another one unfolding here. The Crows were still behind, but had a spring in their step as they moved into their huddle. North Shore, with Parker and Kulk having their legs in ice, Livy on and off to have his nose re-strapped, were effectively down to 1 on the bench. Could they hang on, or would they be swallowed by the Crows' juggernaut? St George coach Craig Tognolini and his Bomber counterpart Michael Hosking pleaded with their charges for one final effort, that they would regret it if they looked back on a quarter where they could have performed heroics but didn't.

    8 minutes into the last term, and two North Shore behinds later, the margin was exactly one goal. The Crows had looked for Dugmore, but he was well held by Ron Wason. But a short chip inside the forward circle found Brad Percy 30 metres out directly in front. A chance to level the scores; but agonisingly, Percy's kick would hit the post. Had the goal gone through, and the Bombers lost their lead, the whole momentum of the game could have changed. But it didn't, and from the kick-in the Bombers raced the ball downfield to find Michael Sawyer who banged through a goal to give the Bombers some vital breathing space. At the 14 minute mark, Peter Dugmore had a chance to get the goal back from 40 metres on an angle, but he also missed. And when Chris McLachlan landed his third goal as the clock ticked into time-on, the contest was over and the premiership cup was heading to Gore Hill.




    The result was a triumph for North Shore and for coach Michael Hosking. After a tough 2006 season when the Bombers missed the finals, Hosking made plenty of changes to his team, turning to a youth policy to turn the team's fortunes around. Seven players in the premiership side were still in their teens; with one of them, Ryan Davis, taking out the Podbury Medal for best on ground. And with two under-18s teams making the finals this season, a further production line of young talent will be looking to force their way into this side next season.

    For St George, it was a disappointing end to the season, but the Crows have had much to be proud of in 2007. Craig Tognolini, in his first season as a senior coach, has built a strong side that looks set to be a contender for higher honours for the next few years at least. The multi-pronged forward line of Dugmore, Ahmat, the Wilsen brothers, Percy and Troy Cole has caused headaches for many opposition defences this season; while the form of Donohue and Craig in the midfield and Raper and Shineberg in defence is also critical to the team's success. A premiership in 2007 was not to be, but the Crows look likely to challenge strongly for the title in 2008.


    But this was the Year of the Bomber. The North Shore side came forward to collect their medallions and the cup, presented from the grandstand as the crowd gathered below. It was the launch of celebrations that continued long into the night. Another season of sensational football was over.



    North Shore   3.0   7.3   10.8   12.15 (87)

    St George   3.3   5.8   9.10   9.12 (66)

    Goals : North Shore - C McLachlan 3, T Hill 2, T Sawyer 2, M Parker, A Lowes, B Barnes, M Cowell, R Meldrum. St George - T Cole 5, P Dugmore 2, S Richmond, B Percy.

    Umpires - D Anderson, N Lessels, A Lewis.

    At Henson Park, Saturday 15th September 2007.


     





    The Reserve Grade grand final was a thriller, with East Coast Eagles hanging on to beat Pennant Hills by just 1 point. The Eagles held a narrow lead for much of the day, but a long-range shot that just squeezed in for a behind mid-way through the last quarter to extend the lead to 13 points was to prove critical. Two goals to the Demons reduced the margin to just 1 point, and there was still 3 minutes to go. The Demons pressed forward again, looking for the match-winning goal or even a point to force extra time; but the Eagles' defence was magnificent under pressure and hung on for dear life. 15 year-old Daniel Spiteri was awarded Best on Ground after what had been a thrilling contest.

    East Coast Eagles   2.2   6.4   10.5   11.7 (73)

    Pennant Hills   1.4   4.6   8.9   10.12 (72)

    Goals : East Coast - M Petersen 4, J Mann 2, L Madden, A Moeller, T Kear, D Spiteri. Pennant Hills - S Myers 3, L Bilbe 2, J Myers, J Gaggin, N Wright, D Kolarik, P Barnes.




    The North Shore Wildcats went into the under-18s grand final undefeated; but it threatened to come horribly unstuck for them early when Pennant Hills started magnificently to keep the Wildcats scoreless in the first quarter. But the Wildcats steadied and worked their way back into the contest, hitting the lead late in the third quarter. By then, the Demons had nothing more to give after their strong start; and a series of 50 metre penalties in the last term helped the Wildcats to pull away and take out a 34-point victory in a match that for much of the day looked set to be much closer.

    North Shore Wildcats   0.0   2.3   5.9   10.11 (71)

    Pennant Hills   3.3   4.5   5.6   5.7 (37)

    Goals : Wildcats - A Scott 2, B Seymour 2, M Thompson 2, M Wilson, J Casperonn, L Redman, A Buncle. Pennant Hills - L Lothian 2, D Jacob, J Polglase, A Govender.

     

    Sydney football's top players were showcased at the Phelan Medal presentation, as the votes for the league's best and fairest player were counted. Pennant Hills eased some of the disappointment of missing out on this year's grand final when Charlie Richardson polled strongly late in the season to win the medal with 16 votes; 1 vote clear of team-mate Alistair Richardson and St George's Peter Dugmore and Scott Richmond. Other winners were Jason Philp (Southern Sharks, Snow Medal, 1st Division Seniors), Tim Physick and Tim Kear (both East Coast Eagles, Sanders Medal, Premier Division Reserves), Jack Scully (St George, Kealy Medal, Under 18s Premier), Steven Powell (Macquarie Uni) Andrew Cochrane (Manly) and Anthony Leach (UTS) (McFarlane Medal, First Division Reserves), Tyrone Armitage (Manly-Warringah, Hart Medal, Under 18s Challenge) and Adam Westwood (South-West Sydney, Armstrong Medal, Second Division).

     

    POSTSCRIPT:

    I can't believe the season's over already - it seems like only yesterday the season got underway. But in the months since then, we've seen some great football climaxing in yesterday's see-sawing grand final.


    At the end of the season, North Shore will be celebrating after their success. St George will be disappointed, but can reflect with a great deal of pride at the gains the club has made in 2007. For the other clubs, there were plenty of positives to come out of the season; and hopes will be high that with the right moves over the off-season they can climb higher in 2008.

    While it's easy to be critical, the league isn't going as badly as some think.
    Only a few years ago, we were regularly getting pumped by the Canberra and Riverina leagues in rep games - but our most recent rep games against the Riverina leagues went comfortably Sydney AFL's way. And the game at Manuka in June showed the gap between our league and AFL Canberra's is narrowing.
    When I took over from Troy Garner doing the front page articles on here in 2004, we had 8 teams in Premier Division. We're now up to 10. Wollongong have shown themselves to be worthy of inclusion; despite only winning 3 games this season, to finish in the top-4 in the Club of the Year championship is a tribute to the set-up down there. And with North Dalton now having the best surface in the comp, and with the new lights; it would be an attractive place to recruit players to. Sydney Uni in their first season back had a sharp learning curve, but look to be headed in the right direction. I heard a whisper they're looking to field an under-18s team next season, which would build a junior base for the club.


    Our league, in many ways, has become a haven for junior development. In 2004, the league had a quota of under-23s players that every club had to play in each game. Even with no such legislated quota this season; there is not one game from any club this year that would not have complied with the quota had it still been in place. In 2004, we had one under-18s competition with 11 teams and a series of seriously lopsided games. Now we have 2 strong competitions, with teams better matched to their own levels.

    2004 was the first year the Sydney AFL used Henson Park for the finals, and from 2005 onwards it has also hosted other showpiece games. It's been a good facility for the league - the only downside has been the condition of the playing area, but that is due to be resurfaced. The Showgrounds also came online as a Sydney AFL venue this season, and it's another venue that has plenty of potential. An additional venue at Blacktown is also being developed that looks promising. North Dalton now looks a top venue, and the Eagles' new ground which is currently under construction at Kellyville looks like being a beauty. It's great for the game to have more quality venues like these becoming available.

    To the players and coaches from all the clubs, thank you for putting on some great football. There's been plenty of excitement, plenty of drama and some sensational games. Every player and every club had highlights and lowlights - but every kick you made, every mark you took, every tackle you laid, kept the torch of football burning strongly this season.
    Thanks also to the other team in action every week - the umpires. It's easy to be critical, and yes I have seen some shocking calls this season. But the nature of our game is that it's easy to notice the few errors they make during a game but not to notice the vast majority of calls they get right. They do a great job overall, and without them there'd be no game.
    To the presidents and committees of each club, thank you for your efforts in keeping their clubs in as good shape as they can. And particularly to the volunteers. Every club has them - wonderful people whose tireless efforts week in week out help keep the clubs and game days running smoothly.
    Thanks also to BeeEmmAre, Jacks, Johno74, Caroline Searcy, Spider Everitt and the rest of the Digital Sports team and Aurora TV for the must-see Wednesday night Sydney AFL TV show. They do a first-class job every week. Thanks also to the Sydney AFL website - plenty more news stories this week, doing a great job in keeping information about our competition updates.
    On this site, thank you to the readers and the good message board contributors whose intelligent contributions and passion for their club and for game creates a forum for good footballing discussion.
    I've enjoyed the footy this season. It's been a lot of fun, and I'll definately miss it during the off-season. Bring on 2008, when hopefully the football will be better than ever.
    Last edited by ScottH; 15th March 2008 at 08:31 PM.

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