SYDNEY AFL ROUND 2 - Blues Saved By The Bell
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito.

After the 5-header to open the season, the Sydney AFL competition went to the traditional home & away structure; with all teams in all grades in action over the weekend. For Wests and Campbelltown, it was a Sunday afternoon clash at Wagener Oval in a match that was scrappy at times but went down to the wire for a thrilling finish.

A heavy lunchtime thunderstorm had made the ground soft, but by the time the senior match was to start the rain had nearly finished; and by the second quarter the sun was to emerge. And it was Campbelltown, kicking to the scoreboard end, who made the early front-running. Two behinds on the board within the first 5 minutes, and after the Wests' kick-in was not 15 metres, the Magpie defender was pinged for a throw when attempting to clear a Campbelltown tackle. Ben Reid made no mistake; and just moments later, after a lucky bounce game him a chance of possession while severely outnumbered, a clever soccer snap bent like Beckham to give the Blues a flying start.

At the 12 minute mark, Chris Lees set up a running Shanan Kershaw; and it was looking good for Campbelltown. Wests got the centre break and a free was paid in the pocket to Lynn Roehrig. Eid Kassem banged through a goal, but advantage wasn't paid and the ball had to go back to Roehrig, who missed his shot.

The Magpies began to lift and create opportunities, but the goals weren't coming. In a frustrating end to the first term for the home side, they were to end with 5 points for the quarter. But the goal-scoring drought was to be broken early in the second term, after a clever checkside snap from Cal McGuirk.

The game opened up in the second term, and initially it was the Blues who benefitted; first by debutant Brazill being unmarked in the goal square, and then Reid grabbing a throw-in to shoot from the pocket to give the Blues a 25-point lead. But Wests weren't finished, a set shot from Matt Eurell giving him welcome relief after some earlier missed shots, the Dave Linsen backing his judgement to run through a pack and score.

The pendulum had swung the Magpies' way, with the home side now getting a greater share of possession; which was turned into scoreboard pressure when Daniel Penfold positioned himself perfectly to receive a pass and deflect the Blue spoilers 25 metres out. Kicking truly, the margin was cut to 6 points. Against the run of play, a 50m penalty and long bomb to Shanan Kershaw gave the Blues some breathing space; but Withers, with a free for holding, cut the margin to just 5 points at the long break.

No favours were asked or given during a hard-fought third quarter, when the tackling became tighter, manning-up on opposition forwards was stronger and scores became harder to come by. Matt Eurell and Trent Wright traded early goals, but no more were to be forthcoming till deep in time-on, when the pace of Adam Fiddler set up a leading Withers to give the Magpies a the narrowest of leads at the last change.

And so it came down to a thrilling last quarter. A run of points followed by a snap by Fiddler extended the Magpie advantage to 10 points. Chris Lees had been in the contest all day, winning plenty of possession, and a strong mark and goal cut the margin. An even better mark, flying over the pack from close range, gave Lees a chance to give the Blues the lead, but his shot went wide. Instead, as the clouds closed in and the sky grew darker, it was Daniel Fraser who got to give the Blues the lead after Wright found him unmarked in the square.

By now, the Wests Supporters Club on the outer wing were in fine voice. Some were wearing WSC t-shirts, one was wearing a Batman cape, and the atmosphere around the ground had become tense as a cliff-hanging finish was unfolding. And when Eid Kassem set up a running Mark Mendola at the 14 minute mark, the locals were back in front.

Campbelltown continued to attack, but were forced into short handballs as a series of smothers and tackles denied the Blues attacking opportunities. But suddenly, seemingly un-noticed, Luke Coughlan gave his opponent the slip to present himself unmarked in the square; and the Blues were back in front. And when Chris Lees marked and goaled, the Blues held a 9-point lead as the clock ticked into time-on.

When the game was there to be won, it could so easily have been Cameron French to become the hero for the Magpies. Twice he marked 30 metres out on the slightest of angles. His first shot easily sailed through, and his second looked good off the boot but swung away to narrowly miss; and so Campbelltown were still in front. Time was running out, but the Magpies regained possession on centre wing. Firing the ball to the forward 50, Eid Kassem found possession, but before he was able to line up a shot or look for an attacking option, the siren sounded to give Campbelltown a thrilling 2-point victory.

At Gore Hill Oval on Saturday, North Shore unfurled their premiership flag; but their celebrations turned sour when Pennant Hills demolished the title-holders with a comprehensive 80-point victory. A 7 goals to 1 second term set the tone for the day, wiping out a promising open for North Shore and sending a message to the Sydney AFL competition that Pennant Hills mean business for 2008. Nick Campbell topped the goalscoring with 4, while Collingwood Scholarship player Scott Reed was the Demons' best.

8 straight goals in the opening term set the scene for UNSW-ES's convincing 87-point win over Balmain at Drummoyne Oval. Experienced forwards Brad Abbott with 9 and Troy Luff with 5 were the leading goalscoring contributors, but it was hard to find a Bulldog player who was beaten on the day; while the Dockers still have some work to do to get their game plan moving with the cohesion they are looking for.

It was a far closer contest at North Dalton Oval. A determined third quarter charge by Wollongong had cut Sydney Uni's lead to just one point at the last change. But the Students were able to steady in the last term and take a well-earned 14-point win. The Lions had plenty of goalscorers, but lacked a spearhead to focus their forward thrusts towards, while Sydney Uni's Mark Egan provided a handy focal point to get the Students over the line and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

At Olds Park on Sunday afternoon, St George held a 13-point half-time lead against East Coast; but the Eagles had the better of the second half to cruise to a 33-point victory. Ben Rogers with 5 goals, and the run of Ryan and Stanford, played key roles in getting the Eagles' 2008 campaign back on track after a disappointing round 1 showing; while St George's Peter Dugmore was again prominent up forward with 5 goals.

Campbelltown   3.5   6.7   7.9   11.13 (79)

Western Suburbs   0.5    5.8   7.10   10.17 (77)

Goals : Campbelltown - B Reid 3, C Lees 2, S Kershaw 2, D Fraser, J Brazill, T Wright, L Coughlan. Wests - M Withers 2, M Eurell 2, A Fiddler 2, C McGuirk, D Linsen, D Penfold, M Mendola.

Reserves - Wests 12.7 (79) d Campbelltown 2.1 (13)

At Wagener Oval, Sunday 13th April.

Pennant Hills   4.1   11.7   16.16   24.19 (163)

North Shore   4.5   5.4   7.5   13.5 (83)

Goals : Pennant Hills - N Campbell 4, D De Looze 3, M Aitken 3, M Carey 2, P Carey 2, C Setford 2, J Duncan 2, L Bilbe 2, M McCarney, R Ediwickrama, S Reed, K Wright. North Shore - D Kulk 2, M Livy 2, A Sutton 2, B Fitzgerald 2, A Lord, B Attwood, T Strudwick, N Egan, R Wason.

Reserves - Pennant Hills 19.14 (128) d North Shore 5.5 (35)

At Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 12th April.

Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs   8.0   14.4   17.8   25.12 (162)

Balmain   2.2   5.3   8.3   12.3 (75)

Goals : UNSW-ES - B Abbott 9, T Luff 5, D Coupe 2, S Rutland 2, M Collett, E Carroll, B Sutton, P Kefalas, T Linehan, A Rodrigues, O Sidlo-Jones. Balmain - R Officer 3, D Napper 2, D Turner 2, N Darvill 2, R Doran 2, J Dickens.

Reserves - UNSW-ES 24.13 (157) d Balmain 6.1 (37)

At Drummoyne Oval, Saturday 12th April.

Sydney University   5.2   6.5   9.7   14.11 (95)

Wollongong   1.6   3.8   8.12 11.15 (81)

Goals : Sydney Uni - M Egan 5, B Mankarious 2, A Lee 2, J Carr 2, S Crichton, M Healy, R Wood. Wollongong - D Posch 2, G Batty 2, J Weavers, K Temple, M Adamson, S Dowling, S Dennis, S Davis, T Bartlett.

Reserves - Sydney Uni 20.12 (132) d Wollongong 6.0 (36)

At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 12th April.

East Coast Eagles   2.4   5.9   8.12 nbsp;  14.17 (101)

St George   3.1   8.4   9.6    10.8 (68)

Goals : East Coast - B Rogers 5, S Ryan 2, R Smyth 2, M Petersen, A Floyd, A McLennan, M Sankey, M Johnston. St George - P Dugmore 5, D Donohue 2, D Williams, J Horder, D Taylor.

Reserves - East Coast 8.10 (58) d St George 6.5 (41)

At Olds Park, Sunday 13th April.

 

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Pts	%age	Streak
Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs	2	2	0	0	256	147	8	174.15	W2
Pennant Hills	2	2	0	0	276	163	8	169.33	W2
Sydney University	2	2	0	0	229	152	8	150.33	W2
Western Suburbs	2	1	0	1	190	154	4	123.38	L1
East Coast Eagles	2	1	0	1	173	162	4	106.79	W1
St George	2	1	0	1	135	161	4	83.85	L1
Campbelltown	2	1	0	1	159	190	4	83.68	W1
Wollongong	2	0	0	2	156	208	0	75.00	L2
North Shore	2	0	0	2	143	230	0	62.17	L2
Balmain	2	0	0	2	146	296	0	49.32	L2

First Division:

Penrith 19.7 (121) d Camden 15.13 (103)

Southern Sharks 19.16 (160) d NorWest Jets 1.0 (6)

Uni of Technology, Sydney 11.14 (80) d Manly-Warringah 9.6 (60)

Macquarie University 17.20 (122) d Holroyd-Parramatta 7.7 (49)

Reserve Grade

Camden 12.10 (82) d Penrith 9.10 (64)

Southern Sharks 20.6 (126) d NorWest Jets 5.6 (36)

UTS 16.11 (107) d Manly-Warringah 5.11 (41)

Holroyd-Parramatta 15.12 (102) d Macquarie Uni 11.8 (74)

Second Division:

Macquarie Uni 12.7 (79) d UNSW-ES Whales 8.14 (62)

Sydney Uni Red 16.13 (109) d Holroyd-Parramatta 1.7 (13)

Moorebank Sports 15.17 (107) d Manly-Warringah 1.7 (13)

Sydney Uni Blue 10.9 (69) d UNSW-ES Bulldogs 7.9 (51)

Pennant Hills 12.10 (82) d UTS 6.9 (45)

Under 18s Premier:

St Ignatius Riverview 9.6 (60) d Balmain 5.8 (38)

North Shore Bombers 9.10 (64) d Pennant Hills 8.10 (58)

Wollongong 15.13 (103) d North Shore Bears 9.12 (66)

East Coast Eagles 10.13 (73) d St George 11.4 (70)

Campbelltown 13.8 (86) d Western Suburbs 11.7 (73)

Under 18s Challenge:

Penrith 13.7 (85) d Moorebank Sports 2.8 (20)

UNSW-ES 18.15 (123) d Southern Sharks 2.4 (16)

Manly-Warringah 15.11 (101) d Pennant Hills 3.4 (22)

East Coast Eagles 13.8 (86) d Macquarie Uni 9.8 (62)

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

Saturday 19th April

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Western Suburbs (Seniors 2:10pm, Reserves 12pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Balmain (Seniors 2:10pm, Reserves 12pm)

Olds Park - St George v UNSW-ES (Seniors 2:10pm, Reserves 12pm)

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore v Wollongong (Seniors 2:15pm, Reserves 12:15pm)

Sydney Uni No 1 - Sydney Uni v East Coast Eagles (Seniors 2:30pm, Reserves 11:30am)

First Division:

Saturday 19th April (Seniors 2:10pm, Reserves 12pm)

Bensons Lane - NorWest Jets v Penrith

Fairfax Reserve - Camden v Macquarie Uni

Trumper Park - UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta

Weldon Oval - Manly-Warringah v Southern Sharks

Second Division:

Saturday 19th April

Sydney Uni No 1 - Sydney Uni Red v Sydney Uni Blue (9:30am)

Pittwater No 5 - Manly-Warringah v UNSW-ES Whales (10am)

Trumper Park - UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (10am)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Macquarie Uni (5pm)

Sunday 20th April

Village Green - UNSW-ES Whales v Pennant Hills (10am)

Under 18s Premier:

Saturday 19th April

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore Bears v East Coast Eagles (8:15am)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Balmain (10am)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Western Suburbs (10:15am)

Gore Hill Oval - North Shore Bombers v Wollongong (10:15am)

(St George v St Ignatius Riverview played 6/4)

 Under 18s Challenge:

Saturday 19th April

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES (8:15am)

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

Weldon Oval - Manly-Warringah v Southern Sharks (10am)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Macquarie Uni (3pm)

RWO MATCH OF THE ROUND

It's not quite crisis time for North Shore, but the reigning premiers have some work to do to get back into the mix of the 2008 contenders. Back-to-back losses to St George and Pennant Hills, with a thumping defeat last week, have left the Bombers languishing in 9th position; with the new-look North Shore lineup still with some work to do to recapture last year's form. This week they take on Wollongong, who have been competitive in their first two matches but are still looking to break their duck for 2008 and needing a win to get their campaign on track.

So it's high stakes at Gore Hill Oval on Saturday, with the winner moving closer to the 2008 contenders and the loser looking down the barrel of a long way back for 2008. The reserves match commences at 12:15pm, with the seniors getting under way at 2:15pm.