SYDNEY AFL ROUND 7 - Expect the Unexpected

 

There are no certainties in football. It's an old cliche, but applicable after a remarkable weekend of Sydney AFL action. The Premier Division results included an upset of monumental proportions, a thriller, a postponement, a dominant opening and an undefeated team continuing to go from strength to strength.

Wet weather during the week led to late changes with the fixturing on Friday. Ern Holmes Oval was closed, with Pennant Hills' game against Balmain transferred to Henson Park on Sunday afternoon. Defending champions Pennant Hills, after defeats in their opening two games, had strung together a 4-match winning streak and went into the match in strong form. Balmain, who have struggled to produce their best form consistently in recent seasons, were looking for their second win of the season.

But, getting off to a flying start, the Dockers indicated that they had come to play and there would be no easy pickings here. The Dockers kicked 5 goals to 2 in the opening quarter to lead by 18 points at quarter time, and were still 13 points ahead at half time. The Demons came out hard after the restart, but the Dockers held on against the Pennant Hills onslaught, and fought back to kick 4 goals to 3 in the quarter, extending their lead to 22 points at the last change. And with the sniff of victory in their nostrils, there was to be no letting go; and despite the Demons throwing every attacking effort they had at Balmain, the Dockers stood their ground to record a remarkable 14-point win.

Nick O'Brien kicked 3 goals for Balmain, while Nick Todd and James Miller were among their best players. Wins in recent seasons have been elusive for the Dockers, but for the second season in a row they have claimed the scalp of the defending champion; and now find themselves just one game outside the top 5. For Pennant Hills, Kieran Wright was a focal point up forward with 5 goals, while Alistair Richardson was their best. It was a disappointing loss for the Demons, still developing their best 2009 lineup after several of last year's side moved on to try their luck at higher levels of the game; but with a constantly emerging list, future success never seems to be far away from Pennant Hills.

 

Even more effected by the wet weather were North Shore and Campbelltown. At lunchtime on Friday, Gore Hill Oval had been given the green light to host the Bombers v Blues match. But continuing rain on Friday evening and overnight saw that decision reversed and the ground closed; but by then it was too late to arrange an alternative venue. The match is postponed to a future date to be determined, probably in the June long weekend.

 

The other matches for the round went ahead as scheduled. At North Dalton Oval, Wollongong held on for their first win of the season, taking out a 9-point victory over local rivals St George. In a low-scoring and sometimes scrappy contest, the Lions had the better of the first half, scoring 5 goals to 1 to lead by 22 points at half-time. After the break, the Dragons came out showing more desperation and working hard to make their way back into the contest, but inaccurate finishing undid much of their good work. The Dragons scored 3.6 to 1.2 for the quarter, and despite their having the better of much of the quarter they still found themselves 6 points down at the last change. But the lead would elude them, with Wollongong holding on for dear life during a tense final term to record a well-earned victory.

It was the Illawarra club's first win over St George since entering Premier Division in 2005, and a key morale-booster for the season. But for the Dragons, it was a disappointing loss; the club having not had a win since Round 2. Graeme Batty and Ken Ewen-Chappel kicked 2 for the Lions, Ewen-Chappel and Shane Davis being their best players. For the Dragons, Josh Barrett kicked 2 goals while Stephen Wilsen and Ben Maddern were prominent around the ground.

 

The keenly-anticipated battle for 2nd spot between Wests and UNSW-ES under lights at Henson Park was over almost before it started. The Magpies got off to an explosive start, blowing the Bulldogs away by scoring 9 goals in the opening term while keeping the Bulldogs scoreless. Leading by 57 points at the first change, the game already looked safe, but after an even second quarter the Magpies removed any doubt of their dominance with a 5 goals to 1 third quarter. The final winning margin was 81 points, a reflection of the Magpies' dominance throughout the night.

The Magpies now find themselves in outright second place, while the Bulldogs survive in third position because of Pennant Hills' loss. Cal McGuirk kicked 4 goals for the Magpies, while Dwain Watkins and Shane D'Arcy picked up plenty of the ball around the ground. For the Bulldogs, Marc O'Regan scored 3 goals, while ruckman Earl Shaw continued his impressive season in the centre bounces.

 

The remaining result of the round saw undefeated East Coast Eagles effortlessly continue their winning streak against an undermanned Sydney Uni side. The Eagles got on top early, 5 unanswered goals in the first quarter putting them in a comfortable position for the remainder of the night. And by winning every quarter and holding the Students to just 3 goals for the game, the Eagles never allowed the Students any opportunity to get back into the contest, taking the match by 63 points.

Continuing his purple patch up forward, Gus Seebeck scored 5 goals for the Eagles, while Kristian Pearson and Mark Maher were among their best. Tim Barton and Nathan Hayward were among the Students' best, but it was another game in which Sydney Uni's best plans came unstuck; a season which promised much so far delivering little. Only percentage keeps the Students off the bottom of the ladder.

 

Balmain Dockers   5.3   7.7   11.12   13.13 (91)

Pennant Hills   2.3   5.6   8.8   11.11 (77)

Goals : Balmain - N O'Brien 3, D Bourke 2, D Ryan, D Turner, B Clarke, N Todd, R
Officer, C Wallace. Pennant Hills - K Wright 5, A Richardson, D Dell'Aquila, S Myers, L Bilbe.

Best : Balmain - N Todd, J Miller, N O'Brien, D Napper, B Clarke, J Blums. Pennant Hills - A Richardson, K Wright, S Widmer, D Dell'Aquila, A Crisfield, D Ferrier.

At Henson Park, Sunday 24th May 2009.

 

North Shore v Campbelltown - Postponed.

 

Wollongong   3.4   5.5   6.7   7.10 (52)

St George   0.3   1.7   4.13   5.13 (43)

Goals : Wollongong - G Batty 2, K Ewen-Chappel 2, D Jefferis, D McClure, T Heath. St George - J Barrett 2, S Wilsen, A Cuthbert, D Carey.

Best : Wollongong - K Ewen-Chappel, S Davis, A McConnochie, D McClure, M Thompson, A McKenzie. St George - S Wilsen, B Maddern, R Bennett, T Addison, L Davis, A Cuthbert.

At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 23rd May 2009.

 

Western Suburbs   9.3   15.5   20.8   21.13 (139)

Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs   0.0   6.1   7.3   9.4 (58)

Goals : Wests - C McGuirk 4, T Cole 3, A Eurell 2, S Blizzard 2, B Absolum 2, S Hudson, M Withers, B Bedwell, C Noordhof, E Kassem, L Roehrig, C McGrath, B Mumme. UNSW-ES - M O'Regan 3, A Abbott 2, E Shaw 2, P Kefalas, J Coulloupas.

Best : Wests - D Watkins, S D'Arcy, T Lambert, M Withers, J Simpson, B Noordhof. UNSW-ES - E Shaw, A Gulden, S Rutland, M O'Regan, A Pech, J Bradfield.

At Henson Park, Saturday 23rd May 2009.

 

East Coast Eagles   5.2   8.6   12.7 13.13 (91)

Sydney University   0.2   2.4   2.7   3.8 (26)

Goals : East Coast - G Seebeck 5, M Sankey 2, T Stubbs 2, T Baker, L Stanford, R Smyth, D Spiteri. Sydney Uni - A Lee, A Scott, S Crichton.

Best : East Coast - K Pearson, M Maher, B Physick, R Bilkey, S Ryan, E Wilson. Sydney Uni - T Barton, N Hayward, C Clarebrough, J Champion de Crespign, B Coles, L Higgins.

At Bruce Purser Oval, Saturday 23rd May 2009.

 

 PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstPtsMR%ageStreak
East Coast Eagles770086735128100.00247.01W7
Western Suburbs76018433942485.71213.96W2
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs75027826632071.43117.95L1
Pennant Hills74036874981657.14137.95L1
North Shore63035416231250.0086.84W2
Campbelltown63034065661250.0071.73L1
St George7205564812828.5769.46L5
Balmain7205455755828.5760.26W1
Sydney University7106559715414.2978.18L5
Wollongong7106401728414.2955.08W1

 

First Division:

East Coast Eagles 9.9 (63) d Sydney University 5.9 (39)

North Shore v Manly-Warringah - Postponed.

Wollongong 8.15 (63) d St George 7.8 (50)

UNSW-ES 13.8 (86) d Western Suburbs 8.9 (57)

Uni of Technology, Sydney 16.5 (102) d Pennant Hills 11.4 (70)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - UTS (100, 229.51%), Manly-Warringah (83.33, 169.03%), Sydney Uni (71.43, 172.11%), UNSW-ES (71.43, 131.09%), East Coast Eagles (57.14, 136.97%), Pennant Hills (42.86, 108.37%), North Shore (33.33, 100.23%), Wollongong (28.57, 62.28%), Western Suburbs (14.29, 35.69%), St George (0, 34.05%).

 

Second Division:

Sydney University 14.10 (94) d East Coast Eagles 7.3 (45)

UTS 19.14 (128) d Camden 3.5 (23)

Campbelltown 10.10 (70) d Manly-Warringah 8.7 (55)

Southern Power 8.13 (61) d Macquarie Uni 4.5 (29)

Holroyd-Parramatta 17.10 (112) d Balmain 6.8 (44)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 354.59%), Macquarie Uni (85.71, 310.69%), UTS (71.43, 200.00%), Holroyd-Parramatta (71.43, 122.30%), Sydney Uni (50, 127.17%), Balmain (28.57, 85.30%), Manly-Warringah (28.57, 67.26%), East Coast Eagles (28.57, 41.68%), Camden (16.67, 40.64%), Campbelltown (14.29, 28.91%).

 

Third Division:

Macquarie Uni 15.12 (102) d Southern Power 4.8 (32)

UNSW-ES 6.9 (45) d NorWest Jets 5.7 (37)

Penrith 12.14 (86) d Pennant Hills 9.7 (61)

Moorebank Sports 20.24 (144) d Holroyd-Parramatta 4.4 (28)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 369.27%), UTS (83.33, 247.19%), NorWest Jets (83.33, 208.75%), Macquarie Uni (66.67, 131.48%), Pennant Hills (42.86, 96.88%), Penrith (40, 67.93%), Moorebank Sports (33.33, 88.05%), Southern Power (0, 43.68%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 22.92%).

 

Fourth Division:

UNSW-ES 17.15 (117) d Macquarie Uni 6.3 (39)

Sydney Uni 6.11 (47) d NorWest Jets 6.4 (40)

UTS 11.19 (85) d Camden 4.3 (27)

Manly-Warringah 13.10 (88) d Penrith 8.10 (58)

Moorebank Sports 12.11 (83) d Holroyd-Parramatta 5.7 (37)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Sydney Uni (100, 362.75%), UTS (85.71, 220.28%), Manly-Warringah (71.43, 133.00%), NorWest Jets (57.14, 215.74%), Macquarie Uni (57.14, 129.44%), UNSW-ES (57.14, 126.01%), Holroyd-Parramatta (28.57, 50.74%), Penrith (16.67, 58.39%), Moorebank Sports (16.67, 39.77%), Camden (0, 19.45%).

 

Under 18s Premier:

North Shore v Campbelltown - Postponed

Wollongong 11.6 (72) d St George 6.9 (45)

Western Suburbs 10.9 (69) d UNSW-ES 6.4 (40)

East Coast Eagles 8.13 (61) d St Ignatius Riverview 3.4 (22)

Pennant Hills 20.16 (136) d Balmain 4.3 (27)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (100, 289.50%), East Coast Eagles (85.71, 219.12%), Pennant Hills (71.43, 198.75%), Wollongong (66.67, 134.05%), St George (57.14, 138.78%), St Ignatius Riverview (33.33, 61.98%), UNSW-ES (28.57, 70.13%), Balmain (28.57, 54.84%), Campbelltown (16.67, 54.69%), Western Suburbs (14.29, 40.96%).

 

Under 18s Challenge:

Southern Power 8.20 (68) d Macquarie Uni 0.4 (4)

Sydney Uni 4.12 (36) d East Coast Eagles 5.5 (35)

Penrith 21.9 (135) d Manly-Warringah 6.7 (43)

Moorebank Sports 26.8 (164) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.1 (13)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 203.81%), Sydney Uni (83.33, 282.30%), Penrith (80, 164.07%), Moorebank Sports (66.67, 157.23%), Pennant Hills (66.67, 103.68%), Manly-Warringah (28.57, 64.97%), Macquarie Uni (16.67, 46.20%), Holroyd-Parramatta (16.67, 30.53%), East Coast Eagles (0, 73.41%).

 

NEXT WEEK'S FIXTURES (Lurker's Kiss of Death in bold)

Saturday 30th May

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v Wollongong (2:10pm)

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Pennant Hills (2:10pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Balmain (2:10pm)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Sydney University (2:30pm)

Sunday 31st May

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v St George (2:10pm)

 

First Division

Saturday 30th May

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v Wollongong (12pm)

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Pennant Hills (12pm)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Sydney Uni (12:30pm)

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v UTS (2:30pm)

Sunday 31st May

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v St George (12pm)

 

Second Division

Saturday 30th May

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Balmain (12pm)

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v UTS (12:30pm)

Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Holroyd-Parramatta (2:10pm)

St Pauls Oval - Sydney Uni v Camden (2:10pm)

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v Macquarie Uni (5pm)

 

Third Division

Saturday 30th May

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v UTS (10:30pm)

Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)

Bensons Lane - NorWest Jets v Macquarie Uni (2:10pm)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Moorebank Sports (2:10pm)

UNSW-ES has the bye.

 

Fourth Division

Saturday 30th May

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v UTS (10:30am)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Holroyd-Parramatta (10:30am)

Bensons Lane - NorWest Jets v Macquarie Uni (12pm)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Moorebank Sports (12pm)

St Pauls Oval - Sydney Uni v Camden (12pm)

 

Under 18s Premier

Saturday 30th May

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v Wollongong (10am)

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Pennant Hills (10am)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Balmian (10am)

Sunday 31st May

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v St George (10am)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v St Ignatius Riverview (10am)

 

Under 18s Challenge

Saturday 30th May

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v Pennant Hills (8:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Moorebank Sports (10am)

Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Holroyd-Parramatta (10am)

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v Macquarie Uni (7pm)

Sydney Uni has the bye.