SYDNEY AFL CATCH-UP ROUND (5a) 2013
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito

A weekend was set aside in the draw to catch up on games washed out in the first five weeks; a contingency that was needed as the heavens opened on the morning of round 3, causing three games in that round to be postponed. And so half the Premier Division teams were called into action last weekend.

Saturday started as a sunny day, but some dark clouds rolled in late in the afternoon, with a brief shower falling on Wollongong. But by the time the night clash between Illawarra and Sydney Uni started, the rain had stopped; and although the ground was damp, there was nothing in the conditions to prevent the teams from playing to their best ability.
Illawarra came into the game being yet to taste victory in 2013. Despite competitive performances in all four of their games so far, leading at the last change last week, they had been unable to be in front when the final siren rang. Meanwhile, Sydney Uni had posted impressive wins in their first two matches before losing their next two.
An early jump by the Students saw them take the lead, and they would not be headed. After just a minute, James Braico centred a free kick from the boundary, finding Nick Lye on a better angle. Michael Higgins sharked a ball-up to snap another; and then Gabriel Robbie marked 25 metres out to add the Students? third.
After the early onslaught, the Lions steadied and prevented the Students from continuing that run; and the Students would not goal again for the quarter. At the other end, James Adamson snapped over his shoulder to give the Lions a goal to cut the margin to 11 points at the first change.
The Students had got the lead, and they tried to add to their margin in the second term. At times during the quarter they threatened to run away to an unassailable lead; but the determined Lions were hanging in there, conjuring up answering goals against the run of play. For all the Students? efforts to run away with the contest, it was four goals apiece for the quarter and 13 points separated the sides at the long break.
The Lions were within striking distance, and desperately attempted to get into the contest during the third term. Matching themselves against anything the Students threw at them, the Lions stood their ground and refused to concede easy possessions; making the Students work harder. But, for all their hard work, they were unable to peg back the deficit. Three goals apiece for the quarter saw the Students 14 points to the good at three quarter time.
But the Lions were unable to go on with the job in the last quarter. The Students had the lead, and although it was a narrow margin, it was enough for them to tighten the screws in the last quarter and lock the Lions out of the contest. It was a defensive quarter, with the Students kicking the only three goals; as again the Lions had been in the game for much of the match but were unable to complete the deal.
The final margin was 33 points, enough to keep the Students in the top five but leave the Lions winless. Michael Higgins kicked five goals for the Lions in a best on ground performance, while Kyle Underwood and Scott Snodgrass were also influential. For the Lions, Joshua Tier, David Goodley and Joshua David-Wright were among their best.

At Monarch Oval, North Shore maintained their undefeated status, and the ladder leadership, when the Bombers completed a 59-point win over Campbelltown.
A lacklustre opening term in blustery conditions saw the Bombers nine points ahead at the first change; with North Shore looking in control as they shut the Blues down in the second term, holding them scoreless while adding three goals to move 28 points clear at half time. And with two goals in the first five minutes of the third term, the Bombers looked set to be cruising to victory.
But, out of nowhere, the Blues lifted and caused North Shore some anxious moments during the third term. With the next four goals of the game, the Blues cut the margin back to 22 points at the last change and looked to have built some momentum.
But the final term saw the Bombers steady and the Blues were unable to keep up with the run of the Bombers in the final term. Seven goals to one for the final term was enough for a percentage-boosting win for the Bombers; but in reality for much of the day the contest was considerably closer than the final scores indicated.
Daniel Roberts was again unstoppable on the forward line, scoring seven goals; while Jarrod Shattock spearheaded the final quarter run-on with four goals, all scored in the last quarter. Shattock, Roberts and Tom McMahon were North Shore?s best. Hamish Sherwood, Matt Edwins and Bryce Joynson picked up plenty of the ball for Campbelltown.

St George continued their rise up the ladder with their third win on the trot, but were made to work for it by a determined Wests side at Picken Oval; with the game in the balance for three quarters before the Dragons took control in the last.
The first term was evenly contested around the ground, but the Magpies had the edge on the scoreboard with a six-point lead at quarter time. In the second quarter, the Dragons were getting more of the ball around the ground; but some wasteful finishing would prevent them from applying scoreboard pressure on the Magpies. A return of 1.7 for the quarter, while holding the Magpies to one point, saw the Dragons six points to the good at the long break.
The third quarter was goal for goal, an arm wrestle in which two sides desperate for a win tried hard but tried in vain to assert themselves. By three quarter time, the Dragons had a four-point lead; and the game looked set to be a thriller.
But in the final term, the Dragons took control of the contest and the Magpies had nothing more to give. St George scored four unanswered goals in the last quarter, blowing the final margin out to 32 points. Three even quarters had set the game up for a close finish, but the superior finishing of the Dragons in the final term was decisive.
Ben Sharp, Pat McBride and Blake Guthrie were pivotal to the Dragons? success, particularly in the final quarter. For the Magpies, Yannick Milligan-Saville, Levi Sands and Kyall Walford were among their best.

The ladder now sees all teams having played five games. North Shore and Manly are the only undefeated teams; with UNSW-ES, Wests and Sydney Uni completing the top five. And with those washed out games now having been made up, we have a full round of games next weekend.

Sydney University 3.1 7.4 10.6 13.11 (89)
Illawarra 1.2 5.4 8.4 8.8 (56)
Goals : Sydney Uni ?
J Howard 5, J Robbie 2, S Snodgrass, N Lye, M Higgins, G Smith, K Underwood, J Braico. Illawarra ? M Thomson 2, C Cook 2, R Wells, J Hogarth, J Adamson, J Tier.
Best : Sydney Uni ? M Higgins, K Underwood, S Snodgrass, R Kennedy, J Howard, N Lye. Illawarra ? J Tier, D Goodley, J David-Wright, T Walsh, J Nugent, T Green.
Umpires ? L Turner, L Hall, D Garroway.
At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 11th May 2013.

North Shore 2.4 5.5 8.8 15.10 (100)
Campbelltown 1.1 1.1 5.4 6.5 (41)
Goals : North Shore ?
D Roberts 7, J Shattock 4, P Codling, J Monk, L Clancy, J Harry. Campbelltown ? M Withers, J Watts, A Jambarufo, M Edwins, D Linsen, B Martin.
Best : North Shore ? J Shattock, D Roberts, T McMahon, S Carruthers, J Harry, C Murphy. Campbelltown ? H Sherwood, M Edwins, B Joynson, D Linsen, J Bottin-Noonan, P Mahina.
Umpires ? C Barr, A Rutherford, L Mcdonald.
At Monarch Oval, Saturday 11th May 2013.

St George 2.2 3.9 6.12 10.18 (78)
Western Suburbs 3.2 3.3 6.8 6.10 (46)
Goals : St George ?
P Sain 2, B Jones 2, N Ryan 2, A Wynn, M Graham, D Napper, D Lycakis. Wests ? M Eurell 2, C Bolt 2, L Sands, B Wilson.
Best : St George ? B Sharp, P McBride, B Guthrie, P Sain, D Gilbert, S Wilsen. Wests ? Y Milligan-Saville, L Sands, K Walford, J Zoppo, C Lyons, S Hudson.
Umpires ? C Fletcher, D Deigan, F Kalayzich.
At Picken Oval, Saturday 11th May 2013.

 Play
Won
Draw
Lost
For
Agnst
Pts
%age
Strk
North Shore
5
5
0
0
542
309
20
175.40
W5
Manly
5
5
0
0
467
275
20
164.82
W5
UNSW-ES
5
4
0
1
435
378
16
115.08
W1
Western Suburbs
5
3
0
2
566
385
12
147.02
L2
Sydney Uni
5
3
0
2
456
392
12
116.33
W1
St George
5
3
0
2
378
393
12
96.18
W3
Pennant Hills
5
2
0
3
406
340
8
119.41
L1
Campbelltown
5
2
0
3
401
413
8
97.09
L1
UTS
5
2
0
3
419
445
8
94.16
W1
Balmain
5
1
0
4
371
624
4
59.46
L2
Illawarra
5
0
0
5
305
451
0
67.63
L5
Sydney Hills
5
0
0
5
297
638
0
46.55
L5


Black - Confirmed finallists
Green - Currently in a finals position, but not yet guaranteed a place in the finals
Blue - Not currently in a finals position, but still a chance to qualify
Purple - Will not be competing in the finals
Red - Wooden spoon, probable relegation


Division One:
UNSW-ES 12.12 (84) d UTS 11.6 (72)
Holroyd-Parramatta 13.6 (84) d Pennant Hills 9.3 (57)
Macquarie Uni 10.10 (70) d St George 3.8 (26)
Ladder ? Macquarie Uni (16, 152.16%), Southern Power (16, 151.65%), St George (16, 116.46%), Holroyd-Parramatta (12, 162.77%), UTS (12, 117.38%), UNSW-ES (12, 90.63%), Penrith (8, 104.97%), North Shore (4, 74.25%), Pennant Hills (4, 62.10%), Sydney Hills (0, 44.03%).

Division Two:
Camden 12.12 (84) d UTS 4.12 (36)
Western Suburbs 18.12 (120) d Auburn 7.5 (47)
Sydney Uni 22.12 (144) d Illawarra 1.1 (7)
Manly 15.12 (102) d UNSW-ES 4.9 (33)
Moorebank 10.12 (72) d Balmain 6.11 (47)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Sydney Uni (100, 502.19%), Wests (100, 275.94%), Manly (100, 185.40%), Camden (66.67, 166.03%), Moorebank (60, 165.27%), UNSW-ES (50, 116.86%), UTS (33.33, 117.56%), Illawarra (16.67, 36.64%), Balmain (0, 22.78%), Auburn (0, 20.89%).

Division Three:
Blacktown 31.21 (207) d Campbelltown 2.2 (14)
Gosford 12.10 (82) d Southern Power 5.8 (38)
NorWest 14.12 (96) d Penrith 6.8 (44)
Western Suburbs 15.7 (97) d Randwick City 11.11 (77)
Sydney Uni 15.11 (101) d Macquarie Uni 5.9 (39)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Sydney Uni (100, 209.38%), Blacktown (80, 303.32%), Gosford (60, 127.47%), NorWest (50, 109.54%), Randwick City (50, 102.38%), Wests (50, 91.70%), Macquarie Uni (40, 56.07%), Penrith (33.33, 91.71%), Southern Power (33.33, 91.15%), Campbelltown (0, 19.01%).

Division Four:
Sydney Uni 18.10 (118) d Pennant Hills 3.4 (22)
North Shore 5.9 (39) d Macquarie Uni 5.7 (37)
UNSW-ES 15.11 (101) d Manly 10.6 (66)
Moorebank 11.15 (81) d UTS 7.11 (53)
Sydney Hills 12.8 (80) d Holroyd-Parramatta 4.9 (33)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Moorebank (100, 206.90%), Sydney Uni (80, 240.18%), UTS (80, 172.27%), UNSW-ES (80, 143.24%), Sydney Hills (50, 89.51%), Holroyd-Parramatta (40, 100.32%), Pennant Hills (40, 66.82%), Manly (20, 63.66%), North Shore (16.67, 46.34%), Macquarie Uni (0, 37.76%).

Division Five:
Holroyd-Parramatta 11.8 (74) d Moorebank 7.10 (52)
Randwick City 16.7 (103) d Sydney Uni 6.4 (40)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Camden (100, 570.59%), Randwick City (100, 221.43%), UTS (80, 134.08%), Sydney Uni (60, 161.51%), Holroyd-Parramatta (60, 87.66%), Southern Power (40, 85.58%), Blacktown (40, 73.77%), UNSW-ES (20, 58.19%), Penrith (0, 44.97%), Moorebank (0, 30.49%).

Under 18s One:
Sydney Hills 13.4 (82) d Western Suburbs 8.6 (54)
Sydney Uni 14.7 (91) d Illawarra 9.7 (61)
Pennant Hills 14.14 (98) d UNSW-ES 7.6 (48)
Southern Power 12.4 (76) d Macarthur Giants 6.14 (50)
St George 11.9 (75) d St Ignatius Riverview 11.7 (73)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Pennant Hills (100, 272.19%), UNSW-ES (75, 164.66%), Sydney Uni (75, 153.78%), Illawarra (60, 170.45%), St George (60, 90.50%), North Shore (50, 159.43%), Sydney Hills (40, 117.80%), Wests (40, 76.10%), Riverview (40, 73.95%), Southern Power (20, 50.45%), Macarthur (0, 20.31%).

Under 18s Two:
Holroyd-Parramatta d Sydney Hills ? forfeit
Manly 18.7 (115) d Penrith 5.5 (35)
Ladder (Match Ratio) ? Holroyd-Parramatta (100, 234.21%), Macquarie Uni (100, 209.72%), Manly (75, 262.91%), Moorebank (50, 111.59%), Penrith (50, 92.69%), Balmain (25, 88.24%), Sydney Hills (0, 23.29%), Randwick City (0, 18.13%).

Women Div 1:
Balmain 16.10 (106) d Newtown 0.0 (0)
Sydney Uni 14.55 (99) d Wollongong 0.0 (0)
Ladder ? Balmain (16, 320.65%), Sydney Uni (12, 318.52%), UNSW-ES (12, 213.01%), Western Wolves (4, 54.03%), Newtown (0, 43.21%), Wollongong (0, 25.23%).

Women Div 2:
Macquarie Uni 18.12 (120) d UTS 0.0 (0)
Ladder ? Macquarie Uni (16, 8783.33%), Southern Power (16, 621.05%), UTS (8, 64.15%), Penrith (8, 64.13%), Auburn (0, 25.32%), Randwick City (0, 8.27%).


NEXT WEEK?S MATCHES (Lurker?s Kiss of Death in bold):

Premier Division:
Saturday 18th May
Monarch Oval ? Campbelltown v Manly (2:10pm)
Mike Kenny Oval ? Pennant Hills v Illawarra (2:30pm)
Gore Hill Oval ? North Shore v UTS (4:10pm)
Bruce Purser Reserve ? Sydney Hills v UNSW-ES (4:40pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval ? Sydney Uni v Western Suburbs (4:40pm)
Sunday 19th May
Henson Park ? Balmain v St George (2:30pm)

Division One:
Saturday 18th May
Mike Kenny Oval ? Pennant Hills v Southern Power (10:30am)
Gore Hill Oval ? North Shore v UTS (2pm)
Greygums Oval ? Penrith v St George (2:10pm)
Macquarie Uni Oval ? Macquarie Uni v Holroyd-Parramatta (2:10pm)
Bruce Purser Reserve ? Sydney Hills UNSW-ES (7:10pm)

Division Two:
Saturday 18th May
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval ? Sydney Uni v Western Suburbs (11:30am)
Trumper Park ? UTS v Auburn (2:10pm)
Rosedale Oval ? Moorebank v Manly (2:30pm)
Sunday 19th May
Henson Park ? Balmain v Camden (12:30pm)
Village Green ? UNSW-ES v Illawarra (2:10pm)

Division Three:
Saturday 18th May
Greygums Oval ? Penrith v Gosford (12pm)
Monarch Oval ? Campbelltown v NorWest (12pm)
Pioneers Park ? Randwick City v Macquarie Uni (2:10pm)
Mahoney Park ? Sydney Uni v Western Suburbs (2:30pm)
Waratah Oval ? Southern Power v Blacktown (2:30pm)

Division Four:
Saturday 18th May
Mike Kenny Oval ? Pennant Hills v Macquarie Uni (8:30am)
Bruce Purser Reserve ? Sydney Hills v Manly (9:30am)
Mahoney Park ? Sydney Uni v Holroyd-Parramatta (10:30am)
Rosedale Oval ? Moorebank v UNSW-ES (10:30am)
Gore Hill Oval ? North Shore v UTS (12pm)

Division Five:
Saturday 18th May
Mahoney Park ? Sydney Uni v Holroyd-Parramatta (8:30am)
Rosedale Oval ? Moorebank v Penrith (8:30am)
Pioneers Park ? Randwick City v Camden (12pm)
Trumper Park ? UTS v Southern Power (12pm)
Sunday 19th May
Village Green ? UNSW-ES v Blacktown (12pm)

Under 18s One:
Saturday 18th May
Gore Hill Oval ? North Shore v Southern Power (10am)
Monarch Oval ? Macarthur Giants v St Ignatius Riverview (10am)
Bruce Purser Reserve ? Sydney Hills v UNSW-ES (11:30am)
Mike Kenny Oval ? Pennant Hills v Illawarra (12:30pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval ? Sydney Uni v Western Suburbs (7:10pm)
BYE ? St George.

Under 18s Two:
Saturday 18th May
Rosedale Oval ? Moorebank v Manly (12pm)
Macquarie Uni Oval ? Macquarie Uni v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
Sunday 19th May
Henson Park ? Balmain v Randwick City (8:30am)
BYE ? Sydney Hills, Penrith.

Women Div 1:
Saturday 18th May
Mahoney Park ? Sydney Uni v UNSW-ES (12:30pm)
Picken Oval ? Western Wolves v Newtown (2:30pm)
Sunday 19th May
Henson Park ? Balmain v Wollongong (10:30am)

Women Div 2:
Saturday 18th May
Greygums Oval ? Penrith v UTS (10am)
Pioneers Park ? Randwick City v Auburn (10am)
Macquarie Uni Oval ? Macquarie Uni v Southern Power (10am)