SYDNEY AFL ROUND 13 2015
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito

As the working week drew to a close, the weather around Sydney deteriorated. And with the wet weather, the ground closures began to wreak havoc across the fixtures.
Through the divisions, there were plenty of games called off. And this time round, even Premier Division wasn�t immune, as Weldon Oval was ruled out as a venue; with the Manly v UTS game postponed till the wet weather spare weekend in early August.
The remaining three Premier Division games went ahead, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. With no major upsets; the final five, and the order of teams within it, looks to be all but locked in.

The Saturday game was played at Kanebridge Oval, with top side East Coast Eagles playing host to Wests. The Magpies had won their match last week to climb off the bottom of the ladder; but it didn�t take long for it to be all too clear that there would be no repeat this time round.
Conditions were heavy, the ball was slippery. But it looked like the Magpies were playing with a wet ball and the Eagles with a dry one. The conditions didn�t worry the home side at all, and their skills and pace seemed barely affected. But the same couldn�t be said of the Magpies, who struggled to get a clean touch of the ball and turned it over all too freely. And with six unanswered goals in the first quarter and a 37-point lead at quarter time, the contest already looked done and dusted.
The Magpies staged a mini-fightback in the second term, attempting to bridge the gap and work their way back into the contest. But they didn�t have the firepower to match it with the Eagles, the pace wasn�t there and the Eagles had the answer to any challenge the Magpies would mount. And although the Magpies did manage three goals in the second quarter, the Eagles replied with four and extended the lead to 45 points at the long break.
The Magpies had shown some fighting spirit during the second term, but the third term saw the Eagles assume complete control. Making a mockery of the conditions, the Eagles had no trouble in controlling the ball, running forward and presenting attacking options. The scoreboard began to tick over with regularity, as time and again the Eagles knew the optimum route to goal and carried it through with precision. With eight unanswered goals in the third term, the margin had been stretched to 95 points at three quarter time.
It was eight goals to none again in the last. This was a well-drilled team going through their paces, the Magpies being nothing more than cannon fodder against the relentless Eagle juggernaut. The final siren delivered an emphatic 144-point win for the Eagles.
There were no shortage of players putting their hand up to get on the goal-scoring list; with Andrew McConnell�s seven goals and Trent Stubbs� five leading the way; McConnell and Stubbs, along with Jack Dimery being among the Eagles� best. It was a comprehensive performance by the competition leaders, who haven�t lost since the opening round; and it�s hard to see who�s going to beat them over the rest of this season.
The lights had taken over by the end of the game, and it was a dark day for the Magpies. Ryan Speed, Josh Robinson and Taran Etto tried hard all day; but it was one of those days where nothing was going right. And with the loss, it�s now mathematically locked in; the Magpies will not be playing finals in 2015.

The remaining two games were played on Sunday. The weather had cleared, the sun was shining, but conditions were still tricky.

Sydney Uni took on Pennant Hills at Blacktown No 2. The ground had held up reasonably well, no mud in the centre wicket square; although it was a dead track with plenty of surface water.
The Demons got the early jump, taking control in the first quarter. It wasn�t always pretty to watch, but efficiently they got the job done. Three goals to one was the scoreboard reward for their efforts, as they denied the Students any easy use of the footy and ground their way to a 12-point quarter time lead.
The second quarter was an arm-wrestle for much of the term. The ball travelled from end to end, slowly and uneasily. The pressure was high, the tackling was tough, and clean possessions were hard to come by. Two desperate sides refusing to give an inch, putting their opponents under pressure. But as the clock ticked into time-on, the Demons broke the shackles and broke away. After a long goal-less passage of play, the Demons scored three late goals to set up a match-winning 30-point lead at the long break.
The Students had only scored one goal in the first half, and would only manage one more in the third. The premiership quarter was again dominated by Pennant Hills, the Demons defending resolutely to keep the Students out, while creating targets at the other end. The Demons would score four goals for the quarter, running the ball at will and sitting pretty with a 50-point advantage at the last change.
The game was safely won, and the defensive pressure that had dominated the first three quarters was relaxed in the final term. At last it was a more free-flowing game, nowhere near as physical as the early play had been. And the Students would salvage some pride from what had until then been a disappointing afternoon as they outscored the Demons by five goals to three to cut the final margin to 40 points.
James Dunn, Michael Talbot and Sam Widmer were prominent performers for the Demons on a day when they weren�t able to produce their most convincing football but still won easily. The Demons sit comfortably in second place; and being a long way behind first but even further ahead of fourth, look set to play in the double-chance Qualifying Final.
The Students found wiling workers in tough conditions in Sam Sleigh, Tom Elkington and Allister Clarke. It was a day when they were well short of the standard they set in their thrilling draw against the Demons early in the season. But with both UTS and North Shore not playing this weekend, the 14-point break in the ladder that keeps the Students comfortably in the top five remains intact.

Meanwhile at the Village Green, in considerably heavier conditions than at Blacktown, UNSW-ES took on St George. And it would be a devastating first half by the Dragons that would ensure their fifth win on the trot.
From the start, it was clear the Dragons were intent on dominating the contest. There were Dragons at the bottom of every pack, every one of them getting their jumper dirty as they determinedly contested every possession. The defence was mean, denying the Bulldogs scoring chances. And although St George didn�t always get the ball forward, when they did there were opportunities to put on scoreboard pressure. Five unanswered goals to St George set up a 29-point quarter time advantage.
It was more of the same in the second. The Bulldogs never really looked like scoring a goal, going into the sheds at half time without a major score on the board. The Dragons were made to work hard, but got the job done when they needed to; and with another three goals without reply in the second term, held a 47-point advantage at the long break.
Although conditions weren�t to the Dragons� liking, the Dragons were more than adequate in adapting to the conditions; and were a gulf in class ahead of the struggling Bulldogs. The third quarter would be more of the same as the Dragons ground out another three goals. The Bulldogs would finally break their goal drought during the third term, but their solitary goal wasn�t enough to stop them trailing by 58 points at three quarter time.
The pressure valve of the first three quarters had been largely released in the final quarter, a term of footy that never reached any great heights. But the Bulldogs did manage to salvage something from the game by winning the last quarter, three goals to two; but the Dragons wouldn�t be too concerned at releasing the pressure as they had done enough to wrap up a 54-point victory.
Jake Brown, Daniel Rixon and Blake Guthrie made stand-out contributions for the Dragons; and with the win they remain comfortably in fourth spot. And with four games separating them from UTS and North Shore, their place in the finals is all but assured.
Jeremy Daniher, Alex Foote and Matt Round worked hard all day for the Bulldogs. But it was just another day in a forgettable season for the Bulldogs, who have won just once so far this season and remain stuck on the bottom of the ladder.

Next week sees Sydney Uni having the bye, and it�s the last chance for UTS and North Shore to make a move and keep themselves in finals contention. UTS have a tough clash against East Coast at Trumper Park, while North Shore travel to Picken Oval on Sunday for a winnable clash against Wests.
Pennant Hills will take on UNSW-ES at Mike Kenny Oval; while there�s an enticing clash at Weldon Oval with Manly hosting St George. The Dragons were the only team to beat the Giants last year; and if they can do it again on Sunday the double-chance in the finals will be within reach.


East Coast Eagles 6.2 10.4 18.8 26.10 (166)
Western Suburbs 0.1 3.1 3.3 3.4 (22)
Goals : East Coast �
A McConnell 7, T Stubbs 5, L Hupfield 3, Jamie Vlatko 3, K Merson 2, A Savage, J Dimery, B Anderson, Jon Vlatko, S Reed, T Baker. Wests � D Clout, T Charles, P Bevan.
Best : East Coast � T Stubbs, J Dimery, A McConnell, B Anderson, B Bourke, A Savage. Wests � R Speed, J Robinson, T Etto, B Van der Nieuwenhof, P Bevan, T Charles.
At Kanebridge Oval, Saturday 18th July 2015.

Pennant Hills 3.1 6.4 10.8 13.13 (91)
Sydney University 1.1 1.4 2.6 7.9 (51)
Goals : Pennant Hills �
C Owen-Auburn 2, L Bilbe 2, T Moraitis 2, N Hey, T Edmonds, S Widmer, J Dunn, A Crisfield, D Dell�Aquila, T Wales. Sydney Uni � T Elkington 2, Z Fyffe 2, J Lewington 2, W Stratford.
Best : Pennant Hills � J Dunn, M Talbot, S Widmer, D Dell�Aquila, S Wray, C Owen-Auburn. Sydney Uni � S Sleigh, T Elkington, A Clarke, O Osborne, L Maples, J Swarts.
At Blacktown ISP No 2, Sunday 19th July 2015.

St George 5.3 8.5 11.7 13.10 (88)
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 0.4 0.6 1.9 4.10 (34)
Goals : St George �
J Brown 3, S Ryan 2, S Randell, T Preece, J Doughty, B Addison, D Sanderson, N Kenny, A Brooks, A Wynn. UNSW-ES � N Reinhard 2, T Widmer, K Latham.
Best : St George � J Brown, D Rixon, B Guthrie, B Kilpatrick, D Tomlins, J West. UNSW-ES � J Daniher, A Foote, M Round, N Reinhard, J Wachman, J McAnespie.
At Village Green, Sunday 19th July 2015.

Manly v UTS � Postponed.

 Play
Won
Draw
Lost
For
Agnst
Pts
%age
Strk
East Coast
12
11
0
1
1,492
524
91.67
284.73
W11
Pennant Hills
12
9
1
2
854
712
79.17
119.94
W2
Manly
11
8
0
3
1,008
653
72.73
154.36
L1
St George
11
7
0
4
915
992
63.64
92.24
W5
Sydney Uni
12
6
1
5
934
867
54.17
107.73
L1
UTS
10
3
0
7
675
832
30
81.13
L1
North Shore
11
3
0
8
684
1,045
27.27
65.45
L3
Western Suburbs
12
2
0
10
681
1,137
16.67
59.89
L1
UNSW-ES
11
1
0
10
650
1,131
9.09
57.47
L9
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:
Balmain 14.10 (94) d Holroyd-Parramatta 5.9 (39)
Southern Power 12.6 (78) d UTS 5.5 (35)
Macquarie Uni 4.8 (32) d East Coast 4.7 (31)
Pennant Hills 9.7 (61) d Sydney Uni 4.10 (34)
UNSW-ES v St George � postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Balmain (91.67, 172.18%), UTS (75, 112.50%), Pennant Hills (69.23, 129.91%), Macquarie Uni (58.33, 114.93%), Sydney Uni (53.85, 112.88%), St George (50, 105.37%), Southern Power (46.15, 79.53%), East Coast (30.77, 92.66%), Holroyd-Parramatta (25, 79.98%), UNSW-ES (0, 51.25%).

Division Two:
Manly v Western Suburbs � postponed
North Shore 12.7 (79) d Moorebank 10.3 (63)
Camden 9.6 (60) d Blacktown 7.8 (50)
Penrith v Randwick City - postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Camden (92.31, 178.83%), Manly (63.64, 109.33%), Blacktown (61.54, 127.92%), Moorebank (53.85, 106.19%), North Shore (38.46, 78.81%), Penrith (33.33, 103.44%), Wests (33.33, 68.42%), Randwick City (18.18, 64.38%).

Division Three:
East Coast 13.6 (84) d NorWest 5.10 (40)
Western Suburbs 7.6 (48) d Balmain 5.12 (42)
UNSW-ES v Gosford � postponed
Pennant Hills 11.10 (76) d Sydney Uni 10.10 (70)
Penrith v UTS � postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � UTS (100, 193.17%), Sydney Uni (75, 176.17%) Penrith (75, 146.96%), NorWest (53.85, 117.97%), Pennant Hills (50, 115.30%), Balmain (41.67, 78.66%), Wests (38.46, 63.15%), East Coast (35.71, 79.30%), Gosford (18.18, 52.55%), UNSW-ES (16.67, 69.89%).

Division Four:
Moorebank v Wollondilly � postponed
Manly v Holroyd-Parramatta � postponed
Camden 15.14 (104) d Blacktown 9.5 (59)
Sydney Uni v Macquarie Uni � postponed
Southern Power 9.6 (60) d Randwick City 8.6 (54)
Campbelltown 7.10 (52) d North Shore 5.9 (39)
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Holroyd-Parramatta (81.82, 153.57%), Wollondilly (69.23, 138.12%), Macquarie Uni (66.67, 195.85%), Camden (64.29, 124.69%), Manly (63.64, 115.92%), Sydney Uni (58.33, 93.10%), Campbelltown (53.85, 125.54%), Southern Power (42.86, 104.51%), North Shore (33.33, 62.24%), Blacktown (32.14, 74.22%), Randwick City (19.23, 70.34%), Moorebank (18.18, 42.52%).

Division Five:
Randwick City v Camden � postponed
Holroyd-Parramatta 24.11 (155) d Balmain 2.1 (13)
Sydney Uni 8.4 (52) d Pennant Hills 7.7 (49)
Penrith v UTS - postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � UTS (88.89, 379.92%), Penrith (81.82, 154.33%), UNSW-ES (72.73, 193.37%), Holroyd-Parramatta (69.23, 154.43%), Pennant Hills (58.33, 137.29%), NorWest (45.45, 106.81%), Sydney Uni (45.45, 96.14%), Camden (33.33, 62.32%), Randwick City (18.18, 49.60%), Balmain (9.09, 27.94%).

Under 19s One:
South Coast 8.8 (56) d East Coast 5.7 (37)
Pennant Hills 8.7 (55) d Sydney Uni 5.5 (35)
UNSW-ES v North Shore � postponed
Manly v St George � postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Pennant Hills (100, 254.20%), UNSW-ES (79.17, 143.83%), North Shore (66.67, 142.14%), St George (58.33, 136.93%), Manly (33.33, 84.14%), Sydney Uni (30.77, 75.32%), South Coast (30.77, 72.54%), East Coast (3.85, 34.21%).

Under 19s Two:
Southern Power 8.5 (53) d Western Suburbs 7.10 (52)
Penrith v Holroyd-Parramatta � postponed
Moorebank v Pennant Hills � postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Holroyd-Parramatta (90.91, 497.01%), Wests (75, 179.38%), Penrith (72.73, 224.17%), Moorebank (45.45, 73.99%), Pennant Hills (45.45, 64.05%), Southern Power (33.33, 61.26%), Campbelltown (0, 17.32%).

Women Division One:
Western Wolves 3.17 (35) d Southern Power 1.2 (8)
Sydney Uni v Wollongong � postponed
UNSW-ES v Macquarie Uni � postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Sydney Uni (88.89, 324.00%), Newtown (70, 224.67%), Western Wolves (66.67, 167.38%), UNSW-ES (66.67, 147.18%), Macquarie Uni (33.33, 69.88%), Southern Power (18.18, 28.29%), Wollongong (11.11, 25.04%).

Women Division Two:
All matches postponed.


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

Premier Division:

Saturday 25th July
Trumper Park � UTS v East Coast (2:10pm)
Mike Kenny Oval � Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (2:30pm)
Weldon Oval � Manly v St George (2:30pm)
Sunday 26th July
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v North Shore (2:10pm)
BYE � Sydney Uni.

Division One:
Saturday 25th July
Trumper Park � UTS v East Coast (12pm)
Mike Kenny Oval � Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (12:30pm)
Gipps Rd Oval � Holroyd-Parramatta v St George (2:30pm)
Gwawley Oval � Southern Power v Balmain (2:30pm)
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Sydney Uni (3:10pm)

Division Two:
Saturday 25th July
Weldon Oval � Manly v Blacktown (12:30pm)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v North Shore (2:30pm)
Harrington Park � Camden v Moorebank (2:30pm)
Sunday 26th July
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v Randwick City (12pm)

Division Three:
Saturday 25th July
Mike Kenny Oval � Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (10:30am)
Mahoney Park � Sydney Uni v Balmain (12pm)
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v Penrith (12pm)
Adcock Park � Gosford v East Coast (2:10pm)
Waverley Oval � UTS v NorWest (2:10pm)

Division Four:
Saturday 25th July
Gipps Rd Oval � Holroyd-Parramatta v Blacktown (12:30pm)
Gwawley Oval � Southern Power v North Shore (12:30pm)
Harrington Park � Camden v Randwick City (12:30pm)
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Moorebank (1pm)
Monarch Oval � Campbelltown v Sydney Uni (2pm)
Weldon Oval � Manly v Wollondilly (5:10pm)

Division Five:
Saturday 25th July
Greygums Oval � Penrith v Camden (8:30am)
Mahoney Park � Sydney Uni v Balmain (10am)
Gipps Rd Oval � Holroyd-Parramatta v Randwick City (10:30am)
Waverley Oval � UTS v NorWest (12pm)
Mike Kenny Oval (Lower) � Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (2:30pm)

Under 19s One:
Saturday 25th July
Weldon Oval � Manly v East Coast (8:30am)
Gore Hill Oval � North Shore v Sydney Uni (12pm)
Mike Kenny Oval (Lower) � Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (12:30pm)
North Dalton Oval � South Coast v St George (4:10pm)

Under 19s Two:
Saturday 25th July
Gipps Rd Oval � Holroyd-Parramatta v Moorebank (8:30am)
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v Campbelltown (10am)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v Pennant Hills (10:30am)
BYE � Southern Power.

Women Division One:
Saturday 25th July
North Dalton Oval � Wollongong v Newtown (10am)
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Sydney Uni (10am)
Picken Oval � Western Wolves v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)
BYE � Southern Power.

Women Division Two:
Saturday 25th July
Waverley Oval � UTS v Newtown (10am)
Weldon Oval � Manly v Blacktown (10:30am)
Adcock Park � Gosford v Auburn (12pm)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v UNSW-ES (12:30pm)
BYE � Moorebank.