SYDNEY AFL ROUND 15 - Bombers Saved By the Bell

This article originally published on RedAndWhiteOnline.com

 

With just three weeks to go till the finals, the race for playoff positions is far from decided; and it's anyone's guess who will end up qualifying for the last finals position.

Round 15 saw two critical games for determining the finals going being decided by just one point. In the final analysis of the season; any rushed behind, any missed mark, any inaccurate kick, may prove to be the difference between making the finals or missing out.

 

It was a beautiful weekend for football, with blue skies and sunshine ensuring a full weekend of action and no last-minute fixture changes. At Gore Hill Oval, finals challengers North Shore and Sydney University faced off. With both sides one win behind Campbelltown, but with a better percentage, the winner would find themselves well placed for a run to the finals.

And the game was to be a thriller. People looking at the scores in the future would suspect there was a gale blowing to the Pacific Highway end - there wasn't, but the swings and twists of fluctuating fortunes throughout the day would see the majority of scoring favouring the one end of the ground.

 

It was North Shore who made the early front running, 5 goals to 2 giving the Bombers a 15-point lead at the first change. But the quarter-time break would change the momentum of the game, and after the break the Students came out firing, with the first 5 goals of the quarter. Eventually the Bombers stopped the Sydney Uni run when Essendon Scholarship player Josh Cole, playing his first senior game for 2009, marked and goaled, but the Students immediately replied after Andrew Kraefft was unable to take a mark but instead set up Tim Barton. Sam Carruthers roved the pack for another Bomber goal, but the Students got the centre break and the ball ended up with former coach Daniel Archer; who snapped truly from the pocket and waved his arm in celebration. And a long bomb to Jess McGuirk as the half time siren sounded saw the lead extend to 19 points at half time.

But amazingly, the Students' half-time lead would last just 5 minutes before the game was back on level terms. A slips-catch mark to James Brain in the pocket gave the Bombers a dream start to the second term, and after a quick-fire double from Lachlan Pryor the scores were level. The Bombers could have had the lead; but Josh Cole after receiving a lucky free kick 15 metres out missed his shot. North Shore eventually took the lead, after Ben Attwood went for a run and two bounces before hesitating, and as the Students' defenders converged managed to get the ball to Ron Wason. A free to Mark Egan restored parity; before a nervous period of play where the ball travelled from end to end but the teams could score only behinds.

As the clock ticked into time-on, in what would be a long quarter, North Shore made their move. A Bomber behind gave them a two-point lead, but Sydney Uni's kick-in resulted in a turnover and a goal to James Brain. A strong mark to Ashley Naylor gave the Bombers another, and Anthony Lowes thought he had dribbled a grubber through but it was stopped just centimetres short of the line. A running Ben Attwood put the Bombers 22 points clear at the last change, completing a 7 goals to 1 quarter. But in such a game of momentum swings, this game was far from over.

 

The early stages of the last quarter gave the impression the Bombers were set for a comfortable win. Daniel Archer got a goal back for Sydney Uni, but goals to Meldrum and Wason saw the lead extended to 28 points as the clock ticked towards 15 minutes. But the impression was to be misleading, as the exhausted Bombers slowed to a walk and the Students came storming home.

A juggling mark to Daniel Archer gave the former coach his second for the quarter. Two minutes later, Glenn Stevens received a free 30 metres out and made no mistake. At 20 minutes, Daniel Archer from the pocket went to the goalsquare, where a spectacular soccer goal from Chris Walsh saw the margin suddenly back to 10 points. The Students kept coming, another long bomb hitting the post. From the kick-in, the ball spilled to McGuirk and it had become a 3-point ball game.

The game was back in doubt, both sides throwing all their energies into what had become an absorbing tussle. The Bombers briefly found their second wind, moving the ball forward in search of the goal that would put the result beyond doubt; but the game-breaking goal was not to come. But while the ball was at that end, the Bombers ran down the clock and added four crucial behinds - all-important as the points took the lead up to 7 points. And the Bombers would need that safety margin, as the Students ran the ball downfield and scored just as the siren sounded.

 

But Sydney Uni's goal had left them just one point short; and when the goal umpires waved their flags to the scoreboard to confirm the one-point margin on the scoreboard was correct, the reality of the result began to set in. It was heartbreaking for the Students to have got so close and just missed out; but for the Bombers it was four extremely valuable points. In this season, the most even in years, it may come down to one point in one game that determines who qualifies for the finals. Lachlan Pryor and Josh Cole both kicked 3 for the Bombers, while key defenders Ryan Meldrum and Ted Strudwick were among North Shore's best. For Sydney Uni, Mark Egan kicked 4 and Daniel Archer 3, while Ben Mankarious and Brydon Coles were key contributors for the Students.

 

Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this match.

 

But North Shore's win wasn't enough to get them into the top 5. The Bombers were denied by another 1-point thriller, when Campbelltown took out the narrowest possible victory against UNSW-ES at Monarch. The Bulldogs led by 27 points at half time, and the Blues looked to have lost their opportunity to get back into the contest when they kicked an inaccurate 4.10 in the third quarter. But, keeping the Bulldogs goal-less in the last term, the Blues were able to hit the front in the dying stages of the match to take a remarkable victory, their second win over UNSW-ES this season. Matthew Moore and Luke Coughlan each kicked 3 for Campbelltown, who were well served around the ground by Brenton McAllister and Owen Love. For the Bulldogs, Brad Abbott kicked 5 goals while Andre Pech and Dean Ward were key possession winners.

An interesting stat from this week's round is that in two games, the winner kicked less goals than the loser. Although it's far from a unique occurrence for it to happen, it's rare indeed for it to happen twice in a round.

 

Pennant Hills reduced the gap between themselves and third-placed UNSW-ES to one game when the Demons were 62 points too good for Wollongong at North Dalton Oval. The Lions have never beaten Pennant Hills, but were still in the contest at half-time after the Lions had capitalised on some poor finishing by the Demons in the first half to trail by just 11 points at the long break. But the premiership quarter was to put the contest out of Wollongong's reach as the Demons scored 6 goals to 2, another 4 unanswered goals in the last quarter being the icing on the cake. Cameron Smith and Luke Bilbe each kicked 3 for the Demons, while Alistair Richardson and Jon Moraitis were among their best. For Wollongong, Adam McConnochie and David Goodley were solid contributors.

 

The Saturday twilight match saw top side East Coast Eagles assert their dominance with an 133-point demolition of Balmain at Bruce Purser Oval. After a quick start, the Eagles led by 30 points at half time, before stepping up another gear in the second half to score 17 unanswered goals. Gus Seebeck was again unstoppable up forward, his 11-goal haul taking his season tally to 85 and likely to become the first player in many years to kick the ton. Ben Rogers and Aaron Byerlee were also active in front of goals for the Eagles with 4 each; while Kristian Pearson and Luke Stanford were key players around the ground. Although badly beaten on the day, the Dockers received solid service from Markus Bujch and Travis Stevens.

 

Wests were unable to win a game in July, but the first weekend of August saw the Magpies break their drought with a 27-point victory over St George at Olds Park on Sunday; getting their season back on track while ending St George's mathematical finals aspirations. In a low-scoring game, the Magpies got off to a good start and led all day, but a third quarter fightback by the Dragons saw the margin cut to just 8 points at the last change - a margin that could have been even narrower had it not been for some inaccurate finishing by the Dragons. But the Magpies got back on top in the last quarter with a 4 goals to 1 burst. Matt Eurell, back in the Magpies' lineup, scored 5 goals, while Stephen Hudson and Medair Kassem were among their best. For St George, Daniel Carey and Ryan Talbot were prominent around the ground.

 

North Shore   5.1   7.4   14.12   16.17 (113)

Sydney University   2.4   10.5   11.8   17.10 (112)

Goals : North Shore - L Pryor 3, J Cole 3, R Wason 2, A Naylor 2, J Brain 2, A Lowes, B Attwood, R Meldrum, S Carruthers. Sydney Uni - M Egan 4, D Archer 3, J McGuirk 2, C Walsh 2, G Stevens, B Mankarious, A Kraefft, M Thompson, T Barton, S Crichton.

Best : North Shore - R Meldrum, T Strudwick, J Brain, J Cole, L Pryor, B Attwood. Sydney Uni - B Mankarious, B Coles, M Egan, J Champion de Crespign, N Hayward, N Barton.

At Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 1st August 2009.

 

Campbelltown   1.4   4.4   8.14   10.17 (77)

Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs   2.4   8.7   11.7   11.10 (76)

Goals : Campbelltown - L Coughlan 3, M Moore 3, C Lees, B Reid, M Morey, F Brown. UNSW-ES - B Abbott 5, L Lavery 2, M O'Regan 2, T Luff, M Collett.

Best : Campbelltown - B McAllister, O Love, M Edwins, R Lothian, C Lees, D Chivas. UNSW-ES - A Pech, D Ward, B Abbott, J Kiel, M O'Regan, M Beardsley.

At Monarch Oval, Saturday 1st August 2009.

 

Pennant Hills   0.6   5.9   11.11   15.15 (105)

Wollongong   2.4   4.4   6.6   6.7 (43)

Goals : Pennant Hills - L Bilbe 3, C Smith 3, A Richardson 2, K Wright 2, D Dell'Aquilla, M Carey, N Wright, S Widmer, T Widmer. Wollongong - A McConnochie 2, T Heath 2, J Mahony, K Ewen-Chappel.

Best : Pennant Hills - A Richardson, J Moraitis, B Jack, D De Looze, T Widmer, M Carey. Wollongong - A McConnochie, D Goodley, G Bartlett, A Riley, K Ewen-Chappel, J Mahony.

At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 1st August 2009.

 

East Coast Eagles   5.6   9.10   19.10   26.14 (170)

Balmain Dockers   1.1   5.4   5.7   5.7 (37)

Goals : East Coast - G Seebeck 11, B Rogers 4, A Byerlee 4, M Skuse 2, R Smyth 2, D Bowles, A Moeller, D Spiteri. Balmain - D Turner 2, D Ryan, N O'Brien, R Officer.

Best : East Coast - K Pearson, G Seebeck, L Stanford, A Byerlee, M Skuse, R Bilkey. Balmain - M Bujch, T Stevens, D Turner, N Todd, D Stanton, A Randell.

At Bruce Purser Oval, Saturday 1st August 2009.

 

Western Suburbs   4.1   6.4   7.8   11.10 (76)

St George   1.5   3.8   5.12   6.13 (49)

Goals : Wests - M Eurell 5, M Withers 2, B Absolum 2, C McGuirk, D Williams. St George - S Demir, J Shineberg, D Donohue, A Cuthbert, J Andriske, D Carey.

Best : Wests - S Hudson, M Kassem, E Kassem, B Mumme, C McGuirk, C Noordhof. St George - D Carey, R Talbot, N Charlwood, D Donohue, M Milner, J Andriske.

At Olds Park, Sunday 2nd August 2009.

 

 

First Division:

UTS 16.13 (109) d East Coast Eagles 5.13 (43)

Sydney Uni 19.8 (122) d North Shore 7.5. (47)

Wollongong 13.7 (85) d Pennant Hills 9.10 (64)

UNSW-ES 13.4 (82) d Manly-Warringah 8.12 (60)

Western Suburbs 20.9 (129) d St George 7.7 (49)

Ladder - UTS (60, 256.04%), Manly-Warringah (48, 178.60%), East Coast (40, 135.93%), UNSW-ES (40, 122.62%), Sydney Uni (36, 157.18%), Pennant Hills (20, 92.64%), Western Suburbs (18, 62.18%), Wollongong (18, 56.31%), North Shore (16, 74.05%), St George (4, 36.19%).

 

Second Division:

UTS 12.17 (89) d Campbelltown 3.4 (22)

Macquarie Uni 16.8 (104) d Manly-Warringah 7.8 (50)

Balmain 11.11 (77) d East Coast Eagles 8.10 (58)

Southern Power 28.18 (186) d Camden 3.1 (19)

Holroyd-Parramatta 12.9 (81) d Sydney Uni 11.13 (79)

Ladder - Southern Power (60, 462.87%), Macquarie Uni (56, 282.79%), Holroyd-Parramatta (44, 147.97%), UTS (40, 188.13%), Sydney Uni (32, 140.21%), Balmain (20, 70.08%), Manly-Warringah (16, 71.36%), Camden (16, 43.26%), East Coast (12, 37.95%), Campbelltown (4, 24.99%).

 

Third Division:

UNSW-ES 18.31 (139) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.0 (12)

Pennant Hills 10.7 (67) d Macquarie Uni 8.11 (59)

NorWest Jets 17.15 (117) d Moorebank Sports 4.4 (28)

UTS 9.11 (65) d Penrith 7.7 (49)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (92.31, 294.39%), NorWest Jets (92.31, 277.53%), UTS (71.43, 177.50%), Macquarie Uni (61.54, 148.76%), Moorebank Sports (50, 102.32%), Pennant Hills (42.86, 83.40%), Penrith (23.08, 59.19%), Southern Power (15.38, 46.75%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 18.77%).

 

Fourth Division:

Manly-Warringah 11.15 (81) d Macquarie Uni 10.4 (64)

NorWest Jets 18.21 (129) d Moorebank Sports 0.1 (1)

Penrith 10.13 (73) d UTS 9.4 (58)

UNSW-ES 19.22 (136) d Camden 1.0 (6)

Sydney Uni 29.20 (194) d Holroyd-Parramatta 1.3 (9)

Ladder - Sydney Uni (56, 308.02%), UNSW-ES (44, 163.37%), NorWest Jets (42, 276.62%), UTS (36, 161.55%), Manly-Warringah (36, 132.89%), Macquarie Uni (34, 135.37%), Moorebank Sports (24, 85.45%), Penrith (16, 56.05%), Holroyd-Parramatta (12, 36.33%), Camden (0, 13.71%).

 

Under 18s Premier:

North Shore 17.18 (120) d St Ignatius Riverview 0.4 (4)

Campbelltown 9.9 (63) drew UNSW-ES 9.9 (63)

Wollongong 7.6 (48) d Pennant Hills 5.12 (42)

East Coast Eagles 18.17 (125) d Balmain 2.5 (17)

St George 20.14 (134) d Western Suburbs 3.2 (20)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (86.67, 297.38%), East Coast (86.67, 230.65%), St George (80, 241.77%), Pennant Hills (73.33, 246.67%), Wollongong (66.67, 116.89%), UNSW-ES (30, 76.51%), St Ignatius Riverview (21.43, 51.30%), Balmain (20, 39.94%), Campbelltown (17.86, 40.39%), Western Suburbs (13.33, 29.13%).

 

Under 18s Challenge:

Macquarie Uni 7.6 (48) d Manly-Warringah 6.6 (42)

Moorebank Sports 5.10 (40) d East Coast Eagles 4.9 (33)

Penrith d Pennant Hills - forfeit

Sydney Uni 29.24 (198) d Holroyd-Parramatta 2.7 (19_

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Sydney Uni (92.31, 371.12%), Southern Power (84.62, 184.68%), Penrith (76.92, 211.59%), Moorebank Sports (64.29, 128.75%), Pennant Hills (57.14, 96.92%), East Coast (23.08, 80.73%), Macquarie Uni (23.08, 41.25%), Holroyd-Parramatta (15.38, 34.92%), Manly-Warringah (14.29, 38.30%).

 

THE RUN HOME

With 3 rounds to go, the double-chance has now come up for grabs. UNSW-ES are a game clear of Pennant Hills, but the Demons have a better percentage; and with UNSW-ES due to play the top 2 teams in the run home, the Demons have a chance to take third place. East Coast, Wests and UNSW-ES are assured of their participation in this year's finals, and Pennant Hills can ensure they will be part of the finals action should they defeat North Shore this weekend.

The one-point results last weekend could well decide 5th place. Campbelltown remain in 5th place, a game ahead of North Shore but the Bombers have a better percentage. Sydney Uni are a game behind North Shore, two games out of the top 5, but have a better percentage than both Campbelltown and North Shore.

 

The remaining matches for the teams still in contention are:

East Coast Eagles (52, 196.16%) - St George (Olds), UNSW-ES (Bruce Purser), Wollongong (North Dalton).

Western Suburbs (46, 164.19%) - UNSW-ES (Village Green), Balmain (Drummoyne), Pennant Hills (Blacktown).

UNSW-ES (40, 123.05%) - Wests (Village Green), East Coast (Bruce Purser), Sydney Uni (Sydney Uni No 1).

Pennant Hills (36, 137.92%) - North Shore (Ern Holmes), St George (Olds), Wests (Blacktown).

Campbelltown (32, 84.68%) - Wollongong (Monarch), North Shore (Gore Hill), St George (Monarch).

North Shore (28, 87.77%) - Pennant Hills (Ern Holmes), Campbelltown (Gore Hill), Balmain (Gore Hill).

Sydney Uni (24, 96.21%) - Balmain (Drummoyne), Wollongong (Sydney Uni No 1), UNSW-ES (Sydney Uni No 1).

 

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

Saturday 8th August

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v North Shore (2:10pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Wollongong (2:10pm)

Olds Park - St George v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Western Suburbs (2:10pm)

Sunday 9th August

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v Sydney University (2:10pm)

 

First Division

Saturday 8th August

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v North Shore (12pm)

Olds Park - St George v East Coast Eagles (12pm)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Western Suburbs (12pm)

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v Wollongong (2pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v Sydney University (2:10pm)

 

Second Division

Saturday 8th August

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Manly-Warringah (12pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v Camden (12pm)

Blacktown Olympic Park - Holroyd-Parramatta v Southern Power (2:30pm)

University Oval - Macquarie Uni v East Coast Eagles (2:30pm)

Sunday 9th August

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v Sydney University (12pm)

 

Third Division

Saturday 8th August

Blacktown Olympic Park - Holroyd-Parramatta v Southern Power (12:30pm)

University Oval - Macquarie University v NorWest Jets (12:30pm)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Pennant Hills (2:10pm)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)

UTS has the bye.

 

Fourth Division

Saturday 8th August

Trumper Park - UTS v Camden (10am)

Blacktown Olympic Park - Holroyd-Parramatta v UNSW-ES (10:30am)

University Oval - Macquarie University v NorWest Jets (10:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Manly-Warringah (12pm)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Sydney Uni (12pm)

 

Under 18s Premier

Friday 7th August

Alan Davidson Oval - Balmain v St Ignatius Riverview (7pm)

Saturday 8th August

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v North Shore (10am)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Wollongong (10am)

Olds Park - St George v East Coast Eagles (10am)

Village Green - UNSW-ES v Western Suburbs (10am)

 

Under 18s Challenge

Saturday 8th August

Blacktown Olympic Park - Holroyd-Parramatta v Southern Power (8:30am)

University Oval - Macquarie University v East Coast Eagles (8:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Manly-Warringah (10am)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Sydney Uni (10am)

Pennant Hills has the bye.