SYDNEY AFL CATCH-UP WEEKEND 2016
Article by Michael Shillito
Wet weather and a late ground closure earlier in the season meant a catch-up game in Premier Division was required; and so St George and Manly made their way to Olds Park on Saturday afternoon.
For the Dragons, the game was an opportunity to move into outright second place and tighten their grip on a double-chance spot in the finals. For Manly, a win would move them into the top five.
Some midweek rain had softened up the ground, but the sun was out on game day; and a blustery wind would help dry the ground out. But that same wind would make it difficult to judge the movement of the ball, and shooting at goal from long range would be problematic.
During the early exchanges, it was the locals who would struggle with the conditions. Around the ground they had Manly�s measure in the contests, and were clearly superior at ground level. But when it came to shots at goal, time and again the ball would sail inexplicably wide of the big sticks. The possession tally was easily running the Dragons� way, but they would only manage three goals to two to show for it; and a 12-point lead at quarter time.
But the weight of possession would take its toll in the second term, and the longer the quarter went the more dominant the Dragons became. Countless scoring opportunities saw enough of them being converted, and the Giants found themselves under increasing scoreboard pressure as the quarter drew on. Four goals to one stretched the Dragons� lead out to 32 points at half time; but the tally of 18 scoring shots to four told the story of the lopsided possession stats. This was a St George side building towards peak form and maintaining a solid buildup to the finals; and the Giants struggled to get the ball into their forward 50.
As one-sided as the first half was in general play, the premiership quarter was even more so. The Dragons stepped up another gear, still not always kicking straight but kicking often enough to shut the Giants out of the contest. Six unanswered goals extended the lead to 73 points by three quarter time; the Dragons putting on a comprehensive display of the brand of footy that will see them as major challengers when the playoffs come around.
By three quarter time the game was safely won, and the pressure was eased in the last term. It wasn�t a quarter that reached any great heights, going through the motions as the clock counted down to the time the Dragons could return to the rooms and sing the song. But the Dragons weren�t giving any respite to the Giants and still won the quarter, kicking two goals to one to blow the final margin out to 83 points.
Xavier Stevenson spearheaded the charge up forward to finish with four goals, and along with Daniel Napper and Daniel Tomlins featured among the Dragons� best. For the Giants, Robert Whitton, Sam Wicks and Levi Brain worked hard on what would be a challenging day.
The win mathematically guarantees St George�s participation in the finals, and sees them a game plus percentage ahead of third-placed North Shore; and the double-chance in the finals is looking good for the Dragons. For Manly, the size of the loss means that the Giants� percentage has fallen below that of UTS; the Giants now a game plus percentage out of the five. And with the Giants having the bye next week, if Pennant Hills and UTS can get wins next week, the finals become very hard to reach.
Next week sees a round of four matches. One game that could potentially be critical for determining how the finals shape up is at Ern Holmes Oval with Pennant Hills hosting North Shore. East Coast can wrap up the minor premiership if they defeat Wests at Picken Oval.
UTS will be looking to return to form when they take on UNSW-ES in the Eastern derby at the Village Green, while St George take on Sydney Uni at Olds Park on Sunday afternoon. Manly have the bye.
St George 3.6 7.11 13.17 15.21 (111)
Manly-Warringah 2.0 3.3 3.4 4.4 (28)
Goals : St George � X Stevenson 4, A Wynn 2, M Griffiths 2, D Lycakis 2, J West, E Shaw, P Sain, D Donohue, N Shaw. Manly � J Lander, D Dickerson, L Behagg,J Osborne.
Best : St George � D Napper, D Tomlins, X Stevenson, J Mudge, B Guthrie, N Shaw. Manly � R Whitton, S Wicks, L Brain, C D�Souza, E Burke, E Kaporis.
At Olds Park, Saturday 23rd July 2016.
THE RUN HOME
Four rounds remain in the home and away season.
East Coast sit three games clear on top of the ladder, although they still have their second bye to come. But their next two games are against non-finallists Wests and UNSW-ES, and wins in those games will wrap up the minor premiership.
St George sit in second place, one game clear of North Shore and with a far superior percentage. The Dragons have challenging games against Pennant Hills and North Shore to come, but the other games are against non-finallists Sydney Uni and Wests. It�s hard to see them dropping out of the top three from here.
North Shore are in third, a game clear of Pennant Hills; but the Bombers have a tough run home. This week�s game against Pennant Hills at Ern Holmes is pivotal to the finals. A North Shore win would open up a two-game break ahead of the Demons, but a Pennant Hills win would draw the two sides level on wins with a very tight percentage differential. But with North Shore�s remaining games after that being against Manly, St George and East Coast, if the Bombers go down on Saturday they are likely looking at sudden death in the finals.
Pennant Hills have hit some form in recent weeks, and a big win next week would see them move ahead of North Shore. They�ve got a couple more tough opponents in St George and Manly to come before a likely win against Sydney Uni in the last round.
UTS are level on games with Pennant Hills, but their three-game losing streak and low percentage of less than 100 could be problematic for them. But they have a good run-home, with games against the three confirmed non-finals teamsin the next three weeks before an all-important game against Manly in the last round.
Manly are a game behind Pennant Hills and UTS with a poor percentage, and the bye next week sees them at risk of falling further behind if the Demons and Bats win. And with games against finals challengers North Shore, Pennant Hills and UTS to come, the Giants are at serious risk of missing the finals unless they can string some big wins together in the last three weeks.
The remaining games for teams still in finals contention are:
East Coast (48, 173.51%) � Wests (Picken), UNSW-ES (Kanebridge), Bye, North Shore (Mortgage Choice)
St George (36, 189.85%) � Sydney Uni (Olds), Pennant Hills (Mike Kenny), North Shore (Olds), Wests (Picken)
North Shore (32, 127.58%) � Pennant Hills (Ern Holmes), Manly (Mortgage Choice), St George (Olds), East Coast (Mortage Choice)
Pennant Hills (28, 122.25%) � North Shore (Ern Holmes), St George (Mike Kenny), Manly (Weldon), Sydney Uni (Syd Uni No 1)
UTS (28, 99.19%) � UNSW-ES (Village Green), Sydney Uni (Syd Uni No 1), Wests (Trumper), Manly (Trumper)
Manly (24, 95.94%) � Bye, North Shore (Mortgage Choice), Pennant Hills (Weldon), UTS (Trumper)
Black - Confirmed finallists
Play Won Draw Lost For Agnst Pts %age Strk East Coast 13 12 0 1 1,192 687 92.31 173.51 W10 St George 12 9 0 3 1,234 650 75 189.85 W2 North Shore 12 8 0 4 939 736 66.67 127.58 W4 Pennant Hills 12 7 0 5 912 746 58.33 122.25 W3 UTS 12 7 0 5 977 985 58.33 99.19 L3 Manly 13 6 0 7 898 936 46.15 95.94 L2 UNSW-ES 13 3 0 10 727 1,241 23.07 58.58 L3 Sydney Uni 12 2 0 10 669 1,001 16.67 66.83 L5 Wests 13 2 0 11 743 1,309 15.38 56.76 W1
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:
St George 6.9 (45) d Western Magic 2.9 (21)
UTS 13.8 (86) d Southern Power 4.9 (33)
Holroyd-Parramatta 11.9 (75) d Balmain 5.6 (36)
Macquarie Uni v East Coast � result not available
Ladder � UTS (44, 150.92%), Macquarie Uni (40, 165.57%), St George (38, 136.40%), Sydney Uni (34, 114.84%), Western Magic (32, 135.44%), Holroyd-Parramatta (30, 110.28%), Pennant Hills (28, 105.54%), Southern Power (18, 68.26%), Balmain (12, 65.92%), East Coast (0, 38.07%).
Division Two:
Randwick City 13.21 (99) d Sydney Uni 8.8 (56)
North Shore 15.15 (105) d UTS 3.5 (23)
Penrith 7.7 (49) d Manly 5.5 (35)
Ladder � Camden (52, 257.77%), Penrith (52, 207.30%), North Shore (48, 144.34%), UNSW-ES (40, 129.46%), Manly (32, 121.49%), South-West Sydney (28, 113.73%), Randwick City (20, 65.36%), Wests (16, 62.69%), Sydney Uni (12, 43.63%), UTS (0, 42.95%).
Division Three:
Campbelltown 7.15 (57) d Penrith 5.4 (34)
Holroyd-Parramatta 10.13 (73) d Balmain 7.4 (46)
Wollondilly 6.8 (44) d Pennant Hills 4.9 (33)
Ladder � Wollondilly (60, 325.48%), Pennant Hills (56, 381.64%), NorWest (40, 185.67%), Campbelltown (28, 92.74%), Penrith (24, 61.17%), Balmain (16, 62.62%), Holroyd-Parramatta (16, 59.25%), East Coast (0, 23.45%).
Division Four:
Sydney Uni 16.16 (112) d Randwick City 0.0 (0)
St George 21.11 (137) d Western Magic 2.7 (19)
UTS 12.17 (89) d Southern Power 2.5 (17)
Manly 7.8 (50) d Macquarie Uni 6.6 (42)
Ladder � Camden (44, 166.47%), North Shore (44, 155.57%), Macquarie Uni (40, 291.05%), Sydney Uni (40, 196.02%), UTS (40, 186.70%)), St George (40, 163.55%), Manly (28, 94.29%), UNSW-ES (24, 107.16%), Western Magic (16, 72.10%), South-West Sydney (12, 50.25%), Southern Power (4, 41.87%), Randwick City (0, 12.05%).
Division Five:
Campbelltown 10.14 (74) d Penrith 7.7 (49)
Balmain 17.14 (116) d Holroyd-Parramatta 1.5 (11)
Sydney Uni 19.20 (134) d Macquarie Uni 4.2 (26)
Ladder � Pennant Hills (52, 514.79%), UNSW-ES (48, 372.58%), UTS (40, 161.52%), NorWest (40, 142.90%), Sydney Uni (32, 118.93%), Macquarie Uni (28, 115.80%), Balmain (24, 81.05%), Campbelltown (24, 69.80%), Penrith (16, 63.40%), Camden (12, 52.68%), Holroyd-Parramatta (8, 39.49%), South-West Sydney (8, 24.20%).
Under 19s One:
North Shore 17.13 (115) d South Coast 2.2 (14)
UNSW-ES 12.6 (78) d St George 6.4 (40)
Ladder � North Shore (40, 365.68%), St George (36, 175.93%), UNSW-ES (32, 100.56%), South Coast (28, 162.71%), Sydney Uni (28, 131.46%), Pennant Hills (24, 94.58%), Manly (12, 38.46%), East Coast (8, 53.28%), Camden (8, 48.30%).
Under 19s Two:
Western Magic 6.4 (40) d St George 5.4 (34)
West Sydney Magpies 9.14 (68) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.7 (19)
Ladder � St George (36, 172.37%), Western Magic (36, 158.75%), North Shore (32, 158.76%), West Sydney Magpies (24, 109.75%), Campbelltown (14, 52.25%), Holroyd-Parramatta (2, 36.48%).
Women Premier Division:
Macquarie Uni v Auburn � result not available
Ladder (Match Ratio) � Sydney Uni (91.67, 418.58%), UNSW-ES (91.67, 357.14%), Newtown (58.33, 172.85%), Macquarie Uni (27.29, 37.99%), Power Wolves (25, 44.61%), Auburn (0, 16.60%).
Women Division One:
Western Magic 9.11 (65) d Wollondilly 0.1 (1)
Ladder (Match Ratio) � UTS (100, 1049.59%), Wollongong (100, 941.41%), Western Magic (72.73, 305.41%), Manly (69.23,155.80%), Penrith (66.67, 155.04%), South-West Sydney (50, 68.19%), Pennant Hills (38.46, 82.15%), Newtown (27.27, 55.43%), UNSW-ES (9.09, 19.17%), Wollondilly (8.33, 9.65%), Campbelltown (8.33, 5.68%).
NEXT WEEK�S MATCHES
Premier Division:
Saturday 30th July
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v East Coast (2:10pm)
Ern Holmes Oval � Pennant Hills v North Shore (2:30pm)
Village Green � UNSW-ES v UTS (2:30pm)
Sunday 31st July
Olds Park � St George v Sydney Uni (2pm)
BYE � Manly.
Division One:
Saturday 30th July
Ern Holmes Oval � Pennant Hills v Balmain (12:30pm)
Waverley Oval � UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (2pm)
Gwawley Oval � Southern Power v East Coast (2:30pm)
Sunday 31st July
Olds Park � St George v Sydney Uni (12pm)
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Western Magic (1pm)
Division Two:
Saturday 30th July
Picken Oval � Western Suburbs v Sydney Uni (10am)
Village Green � UNSW-ES v UTS (12:30pm)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v North Shore (2:10pm)
Pioneers Park � Randwick City v South-West Sydney (2:10pm)
Harrington Park � Camden v Manly (3pm)
Division Three:
Saturday 30th July
Ern Holmes Oval � Pennant Hills v Balmain (10:30am)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
Monarch Oval � Campbelltown v East Coast (2pm)
Bensons Lane � NorWest v Wollondilly (2:10pm)
Division Four:
Saturday 30th July
Gwawley Oval � Southern Power v North Shore (9:30am)
Waverley Oval � UTS v St George (10am)
Pioneers Park � Randwick City v South-West Sydney (11:40am)
Blacktown ISP No 2 � UNSW-ES v Sydney Uni (12:30pm)
Harrington Park � Camden v Manly (1pm)
Sunday 31st July
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Western Magic (11am)
Division Five:
Saturday 30th July
Ern Holmes Oval � Pennant Hills v Balmain (8:30am)
Harrington Park � Camden v Penrith (9am)
Blacktown ISP No 2 � UNSW-ES v Sydney Uni (10:30am)
Bensons Lane � NorWest v South-West Sydney (12pm)
Waverley Oval � UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
Sunday 31st July
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v Campbelltown (3pm)
Under 19s One:
Wednesday 27th July
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval � Sydney Uni v North Shore (7:30pm)
Saturday 30th July
Mike Kenny Oval � Pennant Hills v North Shore (10:30am)
Village Green � UNSW-ES v Sydney Uni (10:30am)
Harrington Park � Camden v East Coast (11am)
Sunday 31st July
Olds Park � St George v Manly (10am)
BYE � South Coast.
Under 19s Two:
Saturday 30th July
Monarch Oval � Campbelltown v Holroyd-Parramatta (10am)
Picken Oval � West Sydney Magpies v North Shore (12pm)
Sunday 31st July
Olds Park � St George v Western Magic (4:30pm)
Women Premier Division:
Saturday 30th July
Gwawley Oval � Power Wolves v Sydney Uni (11:30am)
Mona Park � Auburn v Newtown (2pm)
Sunday 31st July
University Oval � Macquarie Uni v UNSW-ES (9am)
Women Division One:
Saturday 30th July
Mike Kenny Oval � Pennant Hills v Newtown (8:30am)
Greygums Oval � Penrith v UNSW-ES (10am)
Monarch Oval � Campbelltown v Western Magic (12pm)
Rosedale Oval � South-West Sydney v UTS (12pm)
Hannaford Oval � Wollondilly v Wollongong (5pm)
BYE � Manly.
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