SYDNEY AFL ROUND 4 - Top Spot is Black and White as Bombers See Red
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
Into Round 4, and the undefeated Wests took on North Shore at Picken Oval. It was a glorious sunny day, the ground looking a treat as the players took to the field for a clash that would take just moments for its pivotal turning point.
Adam Lord scored the opening goal for North Shore in the opening minute, but just 2 minutes later it was cancelled out by a 50m penalty to Matt Withers. But as the goal went through, some aggression was played out on the forward line. It was only for a few seconds, but that was enough for the umpire to run in and show North Shore's Daniel Dickerson a red card. Already his game was over, and the Bombers would be a man short for the next 15 minutes. The resultant free kick saw Matt Eurell kick his first goal, and the Magpies were beginning to build momentum.
While the Bombers were a man short, the Magpies created a big lead. Withers marked 40 metres out on a slight angle for his second, and Matt Eurell on the opposite pocket did the same to maintain pace with Withers. A chip across the face of goal found Troy Cole, and Clint McGrath on the run added another. Late in the quarter, the game back to 18-a-side, the Bombers fought back with 3 goals in time-on, youngster Sam Carruthers taking a speckie surrounded by a massive pack on the forward line for a rare North Shore highlight; but a grubber from Eurell for his third shortly before the siren ensured the Magpies would remain comfortably on top.
The second term saw the Magpies extend their lead further. Two more to Eurell, effortlessly disposing of any opponents the Bombers could throw at him, kept them ahead. Dane Williams on the run, and a mark in the pocket and set shot to Nathan Scarfo from a tight angle, were the Magpies' contributions in a quarter when only a 50m penalty to Jamie O'Dell could net the Bombers a major score. With the Magpies holding a 36-point lead at the long break, it would be a long way back for North Shore.
The early stages of the third term saw the Bombers play their best football for the match. Adam Lord, wearing an unfamiliar number 8, outmarked two opponents for his second, and an even better mark from Elkington cut the margin to 23 points. But the limited availability of interchange, with Dickerson sent off and Ben Attwood and Lachlan Pryor injured, took its toll and the Bombers would not score another goal for the day. Instead, a soccer goal to Troy Cole gave the Magpies a steadier; and with McGuirk unmarked a minute later for another goal, the Bombers' catch-up football from earlier in the quarter was undone. A double from Troy Cole, followed by Eurell's 6th and 7th goals, put the result beyond doubt well before the quarter was finished - Eurell's raised hand in celebration after his effort on the run signalling beyond any doubt that the game was safe for the Magpies.
The final quarter saw both sides going through the motions, with the result already wrapped up for Wests. The final margin of 76 points was a warning to the rest of the league that the Magpies side of 2009 was a side that means business and has high hopes for the season. The Magpies remain top of the ladder, undefeated with a percentage not far short of 300; while the Bombers remain stranded on 4 points, with a poor percentage and with plenty of work to do to get back into finals contention.
East Coast Eagles also remain undefeated, after their 69-point win over Balmain at Drummoyne Oval. The Eagles struggled against inaccuracy early, but an 8 goals to 2 second quarter saw the Eagles break away from the Dockers and set up a match-winning lead. The Dockers refused to concede without a fight, and won the last quarter, but didn't have the firepower to match a red-hot East Coast lineup. Seebeck, Skuse, Rogers and Sankey all kicked 3 for the Eagles, while Shane Ryan and Jack Dimery were among their best. For Balmain, Nick O'Brien kicked 3 goals, while Janis Blums and Dan Brian played solid games.
Campbelltown broke through for their second win of 2009 when they defeated Sydney Uni by 1 point in a thriller at Monarch Oval. The Students, after a 5 goals to 2 opening quarter, had the lead for most of the game and led at every change; but the Blues were playing with greater resolve this week and scored enough goals at critical stages of the game to never let the Students' lead get too far out of reach. At the last change the Students were leading by 14 points, but the Blues had the stamina to last the distance; scoring 4 goals to 2 to take the lead late in the game and score a morale-boosting win. Luke Coughlan scored 3 for the Blues, while Dale Chivers and Raymond Love were among their best. For Sydney Uni, Angus Scott and Ryan Close kicked 4 while Ben Mankarious and Brydon Coles were prominent.
Pennant Hills extended their winning streak to 2 games when the Demons took out a 60-point win over Wollongong at Ern Holmes Oval. The Demons took control early in the contest, an 11 goals to 2 first half locking the Lions out of the contest early. The Lions fought back to win the third quarter, but never looked likely to challenge the Demons, a 4 goals to 1 final quarter being the icing on the cake for the Demons. Kieran Wright scored 4 goals and Brant Jack 3 for the Demons, while Matt McCamey and Luke Bilbe were strong contributors. For the Lions, Mitchell Thompson and Matthew Adamson were among their best.
An entertaining, high-scoring contest at Olds Park on Sunday afternoon saw the undefeated UNSW-ES come from behind to defeat St George by 13 points. The Dragons looked set to cause a boilover when they led by 32 points at half time; but the Bulldogs worked their way back into the contest with a 5 goals to 1 third term to reduce the margin to 7 points and then hit the front during the last quarter. Brad Abbott was in scintillating form, scoring 10 goals in a best-on-ground performance; while Mike Beardsley and Ryan Underwood were prominent around the ground. For the Dragons, Nathan Smith kicked 4 and Shaun Wicken 3, while Michael Holmes and Pat McBride were among their best.
Western Suburbs 7.7 11.7 17.15 19.16 (130)
North Shore 4.2 5.7 7.9 7.12 (54)
Goals : Wests - M Eurell 7, M Withers 3, T Cole 3, C McGuirk 2, C McGrath 2, N Scarfo, D Williams. North Shore - A Lord 2, S Carruthers 2, J O'Dell, L Pryor, T Elkington.
Best : Wests - D Watkins, M Kassem, C Noordhof, T Cole, E Kassem, A Fiddler. North Shore - S Carruthers, J O'Dell, R Wason, C Holmes, A Lord, D Allen.
Umpires - S Richardson, B Hissey, D Anderson. At Picken Oval, Saturday 2nd May 2009.
East Coast Eagles 3.7 11.10 16.17 18.21 (129)
Balmain Dockers 2.1 4.3 6.3 9.6 (60)
Goals : East Coast - G Seebeck 3, M Skuse 3, B Rogers 3, M Sankey 3, S Ryan 2, A Byerlee 2, M Maher, J Vlatko. Balmain - N O'Brien 3,
D Ryan 2, R Officer 2, D Turner, A Abraham.
Best : East Coast - S Ryan, J Dimery, M Skuse, M Maher, K Pearson, J Vlatko. Balmain - J Blums, D Brian, D Turner, R Officer, N O'Brien, D Ryan.
At Drummoyne Oval, Saturday 2nd May 2009.
Campbelltown 3.2 7.4 9.6 13.11 (89)
Sydney University 5.4 7.10 10.14 12.16 (88)
Goals : Campbelltown - L Coughlan 3, B Yakimov 2, C Lees, T Wright, S Kershaw, D Chivas, N Hills, R Love, M Moore, C Munro. Sydney Uni - A Scott 4, R Close 4, M Egan, J McGuirk, D Archer, C Garry.
Best : Campbelltown - D Chivas, R Love, I Sumner, B McAllister, C Cochrane, C Lees. Sydney Uni - B Mankarious, A Scott, B Coles, M Thompson, D Archer, T Roberts.
At Monarch Oval, Saturday 2nd May 2009.
Pennant Hills 5.0 11.4 14.6 18.10 (118)
Wollongong 1.2 2.3 7.7 8.10 (58)
Goals : Pennant Hills - K Wright 4, B Jack 3, D De Looze 2, M Carey 2, S Myers 2, S Widmer 2, L Bilbe 2, A Richardson. Wollongong - T Heath 2, K Ewan-Chappel 2, J Tier, J Ayre, D Jefferis, M Hogan.
Best : Pennant Hills - M McCamey, L Bilbe, D Witt, D Dell'Aquila, A Richardson, K Wright. Wollongong - M Thompson, M Adamson, J Weavers, A McConnochie, K Ewan-Chappel, C Wells.
At Ern Holmes Oval, Saturday 2nd May 2009.
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 5.5 7.7 12.10 19.13 (127)
St George 4.5 12.9 13.11 17.12 (114)
Goals : UNSW-ES - B Abbott 10, P Kefalas 2, R Underwood 2, B Woods 2, S Pech, E Carroll, A Henderson. St George - N Smith 4, S Wicken 3, J Shineberg 2, S Wilsen 2, D Carey 2, P McBride, D Rixon, A Buttling, J Barrett.
Best : UNSW-ES - B Abbott, M Beardsley, R Underwood, J Robbie, E Shaw, M O'Regan. St George - M Holmes, P McBride, N Smith, D Donohue, R Talbot, B Maddern.
At Olds Park, Sunday 3rd May 2009.
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts %age Streak Western Suburbs 4 4 0 0 491 171 16 287.13 W4 East Coast Eagles 4 4 0 0 499 188 16 265.43 W4 Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 4 4 0 0 511 313 16 163.26 W4 Pennant Hills 4 2 0 2 335 302 8 110.93 W2 St George 4 2 0 2 402 405 8 99.26 L1 Campbelltown 4 2 0 2 237 370 8 64.05 W1 Sydney University 4 1 0 3 370 376 4 98.40 L2 North Shore 4 1 0 3 344 476 4 72.27 L1 Wollongong 4 0 0 4 237 525 0 45.14 L4 Balmain 4 0 0 4 201 501 0 40.12 L4
First Division:
North Shore 13.8 (86) d Western Suburbs 6.8 (44)
Pennant Hills 18.16 (124) d Wollongong 2.4 (16)
Manly-Warringah 13.8 (86) d Sydney Uni 7.15 (57)
UTS 12.13 (85) d East Coast Eagles 4.7 (31)
UNSW-ES 12.11 (83) d St George 4.9 (33)
Ladder - UTS (16, 353.33%), UNSW-ES (16, 170.11%), Sydney Uni (12, 171.81%), Manly-Warringah (12, 167.51%), North Shore (8, 136.21%), Pennant Hills (8, 123.85%), East Coast Eagles (4, 93.84%), Western Suburbs (4, 32.52%), Wollongong (0, 40.26%), St George (0, 29.42%).
Second Division:
Balmain 21.10 (136) d East Coast Eagles 3.5 (23)
Sydney Uni 20.22 (142) d Campbelltown 1.2 (8)
Southern Power 22.14 (146) d Manly-Warringah 5.6 (36)
UTS 9.13 (67) d Holroyd-Parramatta 6.6 (42)
Macquarie Uni 25.16 (166) d Camden 1.4 (10)
Ladder (Match Rato) - Macquarie Uni (100, 581.00%), Southern Power (100, 339.26%), UTS (75, 151.69%), Balmain (50, 174.38%), Holroyd-Parramatta (50, 82.64%), East Coast Eagles (50, 55.46%), Sydney Uni (33.33, 114.01%), Manly-Warringah (25, 55.81%), Camden (0, 35.29%), Campbelltown (0, 11.46%).
Third Division:
Pennant Hills 16.8 (104) d Southern Power 10.18 (78)
UTS 31.21 (207) d Holroyd-Parramatta 3.0 (18)
UNSW-ES 23.12 (150) d Penrith 5.7 (37)
NorWest Jets 16.18 (114) d Moorebank Sports 5.4 (34)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 433.70%), UTS (100, 374.14%), NorWest Jets (100, 273.91%), Pennant Hills (75.00, 126.85%), Macquarie Uni (66.67, 112.56%), Moorebank Sports (0, 46.56%), Southern Power (0, 40.90%), Penrith (0, 39.73%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 19.17%).
Fourth Division:
UTS 21.17 (143) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.3 (15)
Manly-Warringah 11.7 (73) d UNSW-ES 9.5 (59)
Sydney Uni 28.10 (178) d Penrith 6.4 (40)
Macquarie Uni 22.12 (144) d Camden 4.7 (31)
NorWest Jets 14.14 (98) d Moorebank Sports 8.3 (51)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - NorWest Jets (100, 410.61%), Sydney Uni (100, 352.14%), UTS (75, 297.64%), Macquarie Uni (75, 215.00%), Manly-Warringah (75, 141.63%), UNSW-ES (25, 55.90%), Holroyd-Parramatta (25, 47.78%), Moorebank Sports (0, 35.53%), Penrith (0, 25.00%), Camden (0, 16.60%).
Under 18s Premier:
East Coast Eagles 16.12 (108) d Balmain 6.6 (42)
St Ignatius Riverview 10.15 (75) d Campbelltown 3.8 (26)
North Shore 22.15 (147) d Western Suburbs 2.3 (15)
Pennant Hills 19.15 (129) d Wollongong 4.5 (29)
St George 23.15 (153) d UNSW-ES 5.3 (33)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (100, 309.56%), East Coast Eagles (75, 200.68%), Pennant Hills (75, 197.34%), St George (75, 172.49%), Wollongong (66.67, 98.17%), Balmain (50, 78.42%), St Ignatius Riverview (33.33, 54.46%), Campbelltown (25, 57.69%), UNSW-ES (0, 43.52%), Western Suburbs (0, 37.31%).
Under 18s Challenge:
Southern Power 13.14 (92) d Manly-Warringah 3.6 (24)
Sydney Uni 17.13 (115) d Penrith 3.1 (19)
Moorebank Sports 10.10 (70) d East Coast Eagles 9.12 (66)
Pennant Hills 14.20 (104) d Holroyd-Parramatta 3.2 (20)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Moorebank Sports (100, 267.33%), Southern Power (100, 177.60%), Sydney Uni (66.67, 238.99%), Penrith (66.67, 82.68%), Pennant Hills (50.00, 87.28%), Holroyd-Parramatta (33.33, 60.52%), Manly-Warringah (25.00, 64.23%), East Coast Eagles (0, 58.38%), Macquarie Uni (0, 41.11%).
NEXT WEEK'S FIXTURES (Lurker's Kiss of Death in bold):
Saturday 9th May
North Dalton Park - Wollongong v Balmain (2:10pm)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v St George (2:30pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Campbelltown (2:30pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v North Shore (4:10pm)
Bruce Purser Reserve - East Coast Eagles v Western Suburbs (6:30pm)
First Division:
Saturday 9th May
North Dalton Park - Wollongong v UTS (12pm)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v St George (12:30pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Manly-Warringah (12:30pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v North Shore (2pm)
Bruce Purser Reserve - East Coast Eagles v Western Suburbs (4pm)
Second Division:
Saturday 9th May
Mahoney Park - Sydney University v Balmain (10am)
Bruce Purser Reserve - East Coast Eagles v UTS (10:30am)
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Camden (2:10pm)
Gipps Rd Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Campbelltown (2:30pm)
University Oval - Macquarie University v Manly-Warringah (6:10pm)
Third Division:
Saturday 9th May
Bruce Purser Reserve - NorWest Jets v UTS (12:30pm)
Gipps Rd Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Penrith (12:30pm)
University Oval - Macquarie University v Pennant Hills (4pm)
Sunday 10th May
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Moorebank Sports (2pm)
Southern Power has the bye.
Fourth Division:
Saturday 9th May
Bruce Purser Reserve - NorWest Jets v UTS (8:30am)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Camden (8:30am)
Gipps Rd Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Penrith (10:30am)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v Moorebank Sports (12pm)
University Oval - Macquarie University v Manly-Warringah (2pm)
Under 18s Premier:
Saturday 9th May
North Dalton Park - Wollongong v Balmain (10am)
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v St George (10:30am)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Campbelltown (10:30am)
Bruce Purser Reserve - East Coast Eagles v Western Suburbs (2:30pm)
Sunday 10th May
Riverview 1st - St Ignatius Riverview v North Shore (10am)
Under 18s Challenge:
Saturday 9th May
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v East Coast Eagles (8:30am)
Gipps Rd Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Penrith (8:30am)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v Moorebank Sports (10am)
University Oval - Macquarie University v Manly-Warringah (2pm)
Southern Power has the bye.
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