SYDNEY AFL ROUND 13 - Miracle Comeback at Henson Park
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito
It can be a cliche in football, but the saying that a game is never over till the final siren was lived out in remarkable style in the top-of-the-table clash between Western Suburbs and the East Coast Eagles at Henson Park on Sunday. After a totally dominant display by Wests during the opening quarter and early in the second to run to a 10-goal lead, the Eagles slowly pegged them back and pulled off an amazing last-minute win.
These were the top two teams in the competition, with a long break between them and third place; but neither was coming into the game on a winning streak. East Coast in their last start had gone down to Campbelltown by a kick, while Wests had been held to a draw at Wollongong. And this game would also be a thriller, although no-one would have thought so for most of the day.
The match had originally been scheduled for Picken Oval, but a wet week had caused the ground to be closed; playing havoc with the Magpies' training plans. Henson Park had some dramas of its own, with some matches that had been scheduled for the ground on Saturday having to be postponed when the rugby league goalposts were left up. But the posts went down on Saturday night, the holes sanded over and the ground was in good shape for the game.
Wests were kicking to the Sydenham Road end in the first quarter, and raced out of the blocks to establish an imposing lead. A 50m penalty to Joel Minichiello gave the Magpies first blood, and another 50m penalty a minute later could have added another; but Absolum's shot was off target. But it hardly seemed to matter, as the Magpies found loose players everywhere, taking advantage of some appalling lack of manning up by the Eagles to take a series of uncontested marks. A cross from Absolum found Cole for goal number 2, Dwain Watkins was left unattended to shark the crumbs of a marking contest for number 3. A free from a ball-up infringement set up Andy Eurell. Cole and Absolum both found themselves on their own to mark uncontested within easy goal-scoring distance. An advantage rule play-on for Clout set up Cole for another; and a 50m penalty to Cal McGuirk moments before the siren saw the Magpies lead by 51 points at quarter time. It had been all one-way traffic, with the Eagles looking barely competitive.
The second quarter began as the first finished, with the Magpies continuing to dominate. A free to Andy Eurell saw the Magpies add to their lead, and just a minute later Withers set up a running Clinton McGrath to put the lead over 10 goals. The Eagles finally got on the board when Gus Seebeck crumbed a loose ball, but Troy Cole's 4th goal just a minute later restored the lead. And as the clock ticked into time-on, Cole kicked his 5th; and with a 65-point lead, all the indications were that the Magpies were heading towards top spot. In the final minute of the first half, Ben Physick and Trent Stubbs both scored goals; but with a 12 goal to 3 lead at the long break the Magpie mood was upbeat while the Eagles retreated to their rooms looking downcast.
But, as if the teams had swapped jumpers during the break, it was East Coast who looked the better side when the game re-started. The East Coast runners, who had barely got a kick in the first half, were winning the races to the ball. The defence, which had repeatedly turned the ball over and failed to go man on man during the first half, tightened up and refused to allow the Magpies any loose ball. And the tide began to turn, although it was slow going. Stubbs got an early goal from the pocket, but scoreboard pressure was hard to come by. For much of the quarter the ball was camped on the Eagles' forward line but they were unable to penetrate the goal line. Ben Physick got his second goal during the quarter, and a mark and goal by Stubbs on the three-quarter time siren cut the margin to 36 points. But although the Eagles had won the quarter, the gap of 35 points still looked too big a mountain to climb.
Into the final quarter, the Eagles continued to press, making the tiring Magpie runners chase them for possession. Brad Ure shrugged a tackle to get a goal back, but although the Eagles were the fitter side and were coming back strongly, the clock was ticking away; and it wasn't till the 15 minute mark that the Eagles were able to add another. It came with a clever snap on the run by Jon Vlatko, using the right-hand forward pocket, the area where most of East Coast's goals would come from. At 18 minutes, Ben Physick marked 25 metres out but his set shot missed. Was that East Coast's last roll of the dice?
But the Eagles forced the turnover from the kick-in, a clever snap by Stubbs over his shoulder cutting the lead back to 15 points. By now the clock had ticked into time-on, and the Magpies hit the boundary line. But Ure pounced on the boundary throw-in to snap truly and the margin was back in single figures. An Eagle centre break saw the ball sail forward to Gux Seebeck, and with his mark and goal the margin was suddenly back to 3 points. Would there be enough time to complete the miracle? The Eagles again won the ball out of the centre, driving it forward to Skuse on the impossible angle, but with no time to line up his shot blazed away and the ball went out on the full. From the free, the Magpies went wide to the flank next to the light tower and out of bounds went the ball.
The clock was still running, surely only a few seconds left. From the throw-in, the hit-out found Skuse who ran inside the 50, snapped and scored. The Eagle players celebrated, their fans in the grandstand did too as the Eagles had hit the front in a game that, for the most part, looked like they would get thrashed. The ball went up in the centre, was bottled up for a secondary bounce; and then the siren sounded. The Eagles had pulled off the most unlikely of victories and hugged in celebration, while the stunned Magpies collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and shock in having snatched defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
The Eagles remain top of the table, 6 points clear of Wests; the Magpies, despite the loss, remain comfortably in second place. Trent Stubbs kicked 4 for the Eagles, while Jon Vlatko and Ed Wilson were among their best. For the Magpies, Troy Cole scored 5 goals while Mark Withers and Daniel Lambert were solid contributors all day.
The round started on Saturday with another relocated game, as North Shore's home game against Wollongong was relocated to Bruce Purser Oval. The Bombers got off to a flying start, with an 8 goals to 2 first quarter Although the Lions outscored the Bombers for the remainder of the game they were unable to peg back the deficit and the Bombers were able to snap their losing streak and get back into the finals race. Despite the Lions finishing full of running during a marathon final quarter the Bombers were able to hold them out to complete a 19-point victory. Ron Wason and Ashley Naylor each kicked 3 for North Shore, while Ted Strudwick and Adam Ziino played good games for the Bombers. For Wollongong, Clint Wells kicked 4 while Aidan Riley and Adam McConnochie were prominent ball-winners.
UNSW-ES increased their chances of retaining the double-chance for the finals when the Bulldogs were 78 points too good for St George at the Village Green. Like Wests and North Shore, the Bulldogs also got off to a flying start with an 8-goals first quarter; but unlike the Magpies and Bombers the Bulldogs went on with the job for the remainder of the match. The Dragons briefly threatened to lift in the third term, and won that quarter, but the Bulldogs put the issue beyond doubt with a 7 goals to 2 final term. Jon Bradfield was in awesome form with 7 goals in a best-on-ground performance, and was well supported by Brad Abbott with 5 and 4 apiece from Leigh Lavery and Ben Sutton. For the Dragons, coach Shane Demir kicked 4 while Tim Addison continued to put in a solid effort all day.
Sydney Uni snapped their losing streak when the Students overcame Campbelltown by 23 points under lights at Sydney Uni on Saturday night. After a see-sawing first half, the Blues led by 7 points at half-time. But the premiership quarter belonged to the Students, the home side scoring 7 goals to 3 to hit the front and lead by 16 points at the last change. And despite the Blues' desperate efforts to peg back the deficit during the last term, the Students extended their lead to take the points and remain in 6th place on the ladder. Mark Egan kicked 4 for the Students, while Tom Young and Ben Mankarious played strong games. For the Blues, Lindsay Bassani scored 4 goals, while Ian Sumner and Owen Love were among their best.
Pennant Hills avenged their shock loss to Balmain earlier in the season, and did it in style, when the Demons demolished the Dockers by 103 points at Mahoney Park on Sunday. A 9 goals to 1 opening quarter got the Demons off to a flying start, and there was to be no let-up to the pressure all day. The Demons led by 64 points at the last change, before another 9-goal quarter extended the lead to 3 figures. Co-captains Alistair Richardson and Charlie Richardson (no relation) were dominant figures, Alistair kicking 5 goals and Charlie 4. Kieran Wright also kicked 4 for the Demons, while Brant Jack was among their best. For the Dockers, Nick O'Brien kicked 3 while James Miller was their best.
East Coast Eagles 0.3 3.7 6.9 12.12 (84)
Western Suburbs 8.6 12.6 12.8 12.9 (81)
Goals : East Coast - T Stubbs 4, G Seebeck 2, B Physick 2, B Ure 2, M Skuse, J Vlatko. Wests - T Cole 5, A Eurell 2, C McGuirk, J Minichiello, C McGrath, D Watkins, B Absolum.
Best : East Coast - J Vlatko, E Wilson, M Skuse, T Stubbs, R Bilkey, B Ure. Wests - M Withers, D Lambert, S D'Arcy, J Simpson, B Bedwell, D Linsen.
At Henson Park, Sunday 12th July 2009.
North Shore 8.2 9.11 11.15 15.17 (107)
Wollongong 2.3 4.4 6.7 13.10 (88)
Goals : North Shore - R Wason 3, A Naylor 3, J Watters 2, B Fitzgerald 2, L Pryor 2, B Attwood, J Brain, D Allen. Wollongong - C Wells 4, T Bartlett 2, D Jefferis 2, A Perger, T Heath, G Batty, M Thomson, J McInnes.
Best : North Shore - T Strudwick, A Ziino, L Pryor, R Wason, B Fitzgerald, S Carruthers. Wollongong - A Riley, A McConnochie, J Weavers, K Ewen-Chappel, D Goodley, C Wells.
At Bruce Purser Oval, Saturday 11th July 2009.
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 8.2 14.6 17.6 24.11 (155)
St George 4.0 nbsp; 5.3 9.6 11.7 (73)
Goals : UNSW-ES - J Bradfield 7, B Abbott 5, L Lavery 4, B Sutton 4, P Kefalas 2, A Henderson, M Beardsley. St George - S Demir 4, S Wicken 2, B Addison 2, J Shineberg, T Addison, J Barrett.
Best : UNSW-ES - J Bradfield, L Lavery, M Beardsley, R Underwood, B Sutton, S Rutland. St George - T Addison, A Buttling, D Donohue, M Milner, N Smith, S Richmond.
At Village Green, Saturday 11th July 2009.
Sydney University 4.2 6.4 13.5 17.11 (113)
Campbelltown 2.1 7.5 10.7 13.12 (90)
Goals : Sydney Uni - M Egan 4, A Lee 2, B Coles 2, T Young 2, S Crichton 2, G Stevens, B Mankarious, N Hayward, N Thompson, C Walsh. Campbelltown - L Bessani 4, S Kershaw 3, O Love 2, M Morey, D Chivas, S Doherty, M Moore.
Best : Sydney Uni - T Young, B Mankarious, N Barton, C Kendrick, A Lee, C Walsh. Campbelltown - I Sumner, O Love, M Edwins, S Kershaw, C Lees, M Morey.
At Sydney Uni No 1 Oval, Saturday 11th July 2009.
Pennant Hills 9.2 11.8 16.12 25.18 (168)
Balmain Dockers 1.5 3.7 6.8 9.11 (65)
Goals : Pennant Hills - A Richardson 5, C Richardson 4, K Wright 4, B Beaston 3, D Dell'Aquila 2, D De Looze, M Aitken, J Moraitis, S Widmer, L Bilbe, A Crisfield, T Angel. Balmain - N O'Brien 3, D Turner 2, D Brian 2, D Ryan, D Hall.
Best : Pennant Hills - B Jack, A Richardson, C Richardson, D De Looze, D Smith, M Thomas. Balmain - J Miller, N O'Brien, D Turner, D Napper, N Todd, D Brian.
At Mahoney Park, Sunday 12th July 2009.
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts %age Streak East Coast Eagles 13 12 0 1 1,532 768 48 199.48 W1 Western Suburbs 13 10 1 2 1,443 824 42 175.12 L1 Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 13 9 0 4 1,377 1,185 36 116.20 W4 Pennant Hills 13 7 0 6 1,201 945 28 127.09 W2 Campbelltown 13 7 0 6 1,069 1,209 28 88.42 L1 Sydney University 13 5 0 8 1,098 1,164 20 94.33 W1 North Shore 13 5 0 8 1,102 1,308 20 84.25 W1 St George 13 4 0 9 1,001 1,475 16 67.86 L1 Wollongong 13 3 1 9 818 1,257 14 65.08 L1 Balmain 13 2 0 11 849 1,355 8 62.66 L6
First Division:
Wollongong 10.5 (65) d North Shore 8.16 (64)
UNSW-ES 25.11 (161) d St George 6.6 (42)
UTS 14.12 (96) d Pennant Hills 6.2 (38)
Manly-Warringah 12.14 (86) d Sydney Uni 6.15 (51)
East Coast Eagles 8.9 (57) d Western Suburbs 7.9 (51)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - UTS (100, 280.90%), Manly-Warringah (84.62, 195.91%), East Coast (69.23, 146.30%), UNSW-ES (69.23, 126.93%), Sydney Uni (58.33, 150.23%), Pennant Hills (38.46, 95.87%), North Shore (30.77, 80.71%), Wests (26.92, 57.87%), Wollongong (26.92, 51.58%), St George (0, 30.82%).
Second Division:
Sydney Uni 25.21 (171) d Campbelltown 4.2 (26)
UTS v Southern Power - postponed.
Manly-Warringah 23.7 (145) d East Coast Eagles 3.7 (25)
Holroyd-Parramatta 16.12 (108) d Balmain 5.7 (37)
Macquarie Uni 22.28 (160) d Camden 2.2 (14)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 437.54%), Macquarie Uni (92.31, 315.75%), UTS (75, 220.60%), Holroyd-Parramatta (69.23, 147.41%), Sydney Uni (50, 126.99%), Manly-Warringah (33.33, 78.77%), Balmain (30.77, 72.86%), Camden (23.08, 45.19%), East Coast (23.08, 38.07%), Campbelltown (7.69, 22.87%).
Third Division:
Moorebank Sports 21.27 (153) d Holroyd-Parramatta 1.4 (10)
UTS v Southern Power - postponed
UNSW-ES 21.19 (145) d Penrith 5.4 (34)
NorWest Jets 21.24 (150) d Penrith 3.2 (20)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 305.28%), NorWest Jets (90.91, 293.16%), UTS (81.82, 212.47%), Macquarie Uni (63.64, 156.48%), Moorebank Sports (50, 108.38%), Pennant Hills (33.33, 73.06%), Penrith (25, 58.30%), Southern Power (9.09, 42.50%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 18.00%).
Fourth Division:
Moorebank Sports 14.13 (97) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.6 (18)
Sydney Uni 9.15 (69) d Penrith 5.12 (42)
Macquarie Uni d Camden - forfeit
UTS v UNSW-ES - postponed
NorWest Jets 12.7 (79) d Manly-Warringah 7.6 (48)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Sydney Uni (92.31, 301.18%), UTS (75, 221.72%), NorWest Jets (73.08, 283.59%), UNSW-ES (66.67, 135.20%), Macquarie Uni (57.69, 126.02%), Manly-Warringah (53.85, 128.45%), Moorebank Sports (46.15, 103.86%), Holroyd-Parramatta (23.08, 40.22%), Penrith (15.38, 45.25%), Camden (0, 12.29%).
Under 18s Premier:
North Shore 18.14 (122) d Wollongong 6.3 (39)
UNSW-ES v St George - postponed
St Ignatius Riverview v Campbelltown - postponed
Pennant Hills 20.16 (136) d Balmain 3.2 (20)
East Coast Eagles 21.20 (146) d Western Suburbs 4.2 (26)
Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (91.67, 280.28%), East Coast (84.62, 231.63%), Pennant Hills (76.92, 233.82%), St George (75, 202.36%), Wollongong (69.23, 133.25%), UNSW-ES (25, 72.47%), Balmain (23.08, 43.51%), Campbelltown (18.18, 49.16%), St Ignatius Riverview (16.67, 49.50%), Wests (15.38, 29.61%).
Under 18s Challenge:
Moorebank Sports 14.12 (96) d Holroyd-Parramatta 5.6 (36)
East Coast Eagles d Manly-Warringah - forfeit
Sydney Uni 13.21 (99) d Penrith 10.6 (66)
Pennant Hills v Southern Power - postponed.
Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (90.91, 218.53%), Sydney Uni (90, 289.57%), Penrith (75, 192.93%), Moorebank Sports (66.67, 131.56%), Pennant Hills (54.55, 99.40%), East Coast (27.27, 92.94%), Manly-Warringah (18.18, 47.44%), Macquarie Uni (18.18, 38.02%), Holroyd-Parramatta (9.09, 29.77%).
THE RUN HOME:
With Pennant Hills' win over Balmain, it now becomes mathematically impossible for the Dockers to make the finals; while the sword of Damocles hangs over Wollongong unless they can win all their remaining games and some unusual other results happen.
With 5 rounds to go, East Coast and Wests are guaranteed of finishing in the top 5. The Eagles have a 6-point advantage for the minor premiership, while the Magpies are a further 6 points ahead of third-placed UNSW-ES. The Bulldogs now have a 2-game buffer for the double chance, with Pennant Hills and Campbelltown completing the top 5.
The Demons and the Blues play each other this week. The loser could potentially find themselves only hanging on by one game to a position in the top 5; but with challengers Sydney Uni and North Shore taking on the top 2 this weekend, it would take an upset result to reduce the gap between 5th and 6th.
In Premier Division, the remaining matches for the teams still in contention are:
East Coast Eagles (48, 199.48%) - North Shore (Gore Hill), Balmain (Bruce Purser), St George (Olds Park), UNSW-ES (Bruce Purser), Wollongong (North Dalton).
Western Suburbs (42, 175.12%) - Sydney Uni (Picken Oval), St George (Olds Park), UNSW-ES (Village Green), Balmain (Drummoyne), Pennant Hills (Blacktown).
UNSW-ES (36, 116.20%) - Balmain (Village Green), Campbelltown (Monarch), Wests (Village Green), East Coast (Bruce Purser), Sydney Uni (Syd Uni No1).
Pennant Hills (28, 127.09%) - Campbelltown (Ern Holmes), Wollongong (North Dalton), North Shore (Ern Holmes), St George (Olds Park), Wests (Blacktown).
Campbelltown (28, 89.32%) - Pennant Hills (Ern Holmes), UNSW-ES (Monarch), Wollongong (Monarch), North Shore (Monarch), St George (Olds Park).
Sydney University (16, 91.71%) - Wests (Picken Oval), North Shore (Gore Hill), Balmain (Drummoyne), Wollongong (Syd Uni No1), UNSW-ES (Syd Uni No1).
North Shore (16, 81.56%) - East Coast (Gore Hill), Sydney Uni (Gore Hill), Pennant Hills (Ern Holmes), Campbelltown (Monarch), Balmain (Gore Hill).
St George (16, 70.30%) - Wollongong (Olds Park), Wests (Olds Park), East Coast (Olds Park), Pennant Hills (Olds Park), Campbelltown (Olds Park).
Wollongong (14, 63.48%) - St George (Olds Park), Pennant Hills (North Dalton), Campbelltown (Monarch), Sydney Uni (Syd Uni No1), East Coast (North Dalton).
NEXT WEEK'S FIXTURES (Lurker's Kiss of Death in bold):
Saturday 18th July
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)
Olds Park - St George v Wollongong (2:10pm)
Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v Sydney University (2:10pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Balmain (2:30pm)
Sunday 19th July
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Campbelltown (2:10pm)
First Division
Saturday 18th July
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v East Coast Eagles (12pm)
Olds Park - St George v Wollongong (12pm)
Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v Sydney Uni (12pm)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v UTS (12:30pm)
Sunday 19th July
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Manly-Warringah (12pm)
Second Division
Satirday 18th July
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Balmain (2:10pm)
Harrington Park - Camden v Campbelltown (2:10pm)
St Pauls Oval - Sydney Uni v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)
Charles McLaughlin Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Manly-Warringah (2:30pm)
University Oval - Macquarie Uni v UTS (2:30pm)
Third Division
Saturday 18th July
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Moorebank Sports (12pm)
Charles McLaughlin Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Pennant Hills (12:30pm)
University Oval - Macquarie Uni v UTS (12:30pm)
Sunday 19th July
Village Green - UNSW-ES v NorWest Jets (2pm)
Penrith has the bye.
Fourth Division
Saturday 18th July
Charles McLaughlin Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Manly-Warringah (10:30am)
University Oval - Macquarie Uni v UTS (10:30am)
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Moorebank Sports (10:30am)
Harrington Park - Camden v Penrith (12pm)
St Pauls Oval - Sydney Uni v NorWest Jets (12pm)
Under 18s Premier
Saturday 18th July
Village Green - UNSW-ES v Balmain (8:30am)
Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v East Coast Eagles (10am)
Olds Park - St George v Wollongong (10am)
Sunday 19th July
Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Campbelltown (10am)
St Ignatius Riverview v Western Suburbs postponed till 25th July.
Under 18s Challenge
Saturday 18th July
Charles McLaughlin Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Manly-Warringah (8:30am)
University Oval - Macquarie Uni v Pennant Hills (8:30am)
Gwawley Oval - Southern Power v Moorebank Sports (10am)
St Pauls Oval - Sydney Uni v East Coast Eagles (10am)
Penrith has the bye.
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