SYDNEY AFL ROUND 2 2012
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito

After the first round was completed, the competition took a week off for Easter. The competition then resumed over the weekend with the second round of competition.

Defending champions Sydney Hills Eagles hosted UNSW-ES at Bruce Purser Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Both teams had wins in the opening round; the Eagles having to hang on against a fast-finishing Wests, while the Bulldogs had enjoyed a comfortable win over UTS.
The Rouse Hill ground, now in its fourth season of existence, has undergone a facelift with new elevated coaching boxes on the western wing.
The Eagles’ Premier Division team has also undergone radical change this season. As well as the inevitable retirements and player turnover that all clubs experience, the club’s top players are now representing the club in their NEAFL team. And so the team that is playing Premier Division for the Eagles in 2012 is a very new-look team; with only a handful of last year’s premiership team still playing Premier Division this year.
Taking their place in Premier Division are new faces at the club, as well as several players promoted from last year’s Under 18s and from other divisions. But it’s going to take some time for Premier Division coach Michael Sankey to gel them as a team.
Their opponents, UNSW-ES, have some new faces as well; including new coach Rhys McAlister. But the majority of their team is the same group of players that narrowly missed out on the finals last season; and the Bulldogs have high hopes of returning to playoff action in 2012.

The Bulldogs had never won at Bruce Purser, but it didn’t take long for them to send the message that record was about to fall. The Bulldogs seized control of the ball, denying the Eagles possession flow as they recorded 13 scoring shots to five for the quarter. The Bulldogs were leading by 28 points, possibly should have been leading by more.
Having got off to a bright start, the Bulldogs turned the defensive screws on the Eagles in the second term as they held the Eagles to a single scoring shot. The Bulldogs were creating plenty of chances at the other end of the ground, but some indifferent finishing would let them down as they kicked 3.6 for the quarter, enough to extend the lead to 46 points at half time.

The Bulldogs continued the dominant theme in the third term. When the ball was in dispute, it was a Bulldog who emerged with the ball. When the ball was bottled up, it was a Bulldog who was at the bottom of the pack. Up forward, Leigh Lavery presented himself as the spearhead forward; unstoppable during the third term as he kicked a swag of goals, including a sensational goal from a virtually impossible angle on the pocket.
The Eagles could manage only a point for the quarter the three-quarter time margin blowing out to 73 points. The Bulldogs had a chance to put the final margin up over 100 points, but some wasteful finishing in the final term would cost them that opportunity.
But an 85-point win was reward enough, and encouragement enough for the Bulldogs that they have what it takes to be genuine contenders in 2012. Leigh Lavery finished with seven goals, and along with Matthew Rawlinson and Sam Tagliabue were among the Bulldogs’ best. For the Eagles, Stuart Turner, Aaron Savage and James Dwyer kept working hard all day.

Two opening round winners were playing off at Mike Kenny Oval when Pennant Hill hosted St George. And it would be the Dragons who would remain undefeated, when a dominant first quarter laid the platform for a 21-point win over the Demons.
The Dragons raced out of the blocks, and with seven goals to two in the first quarter the quarter time lead was out to 27 points, and the Dragons would not relinquish the lead. The Demons won the second term three goals to one to cut the margin to 17 points at half time, and an evenly-contested third term finished with the Demons 16 points in arrears. The Demons had worked hard since quarter time, but the Dragons had the answers; and the constant pressure of playing from behind was too much for the Demons to overcome.
Nick Ryan finished with five goals for the Dragons, while Jordan West, Declan Donohue and Alex Wynn were among their best. For the Demons, Glenn Watts, Sam Widmer and Seb Parker were among their strongest performers.

UTS broke through for their first win of 2012 when the Bats defeated Wests by 41 points in a high-scoring shootout at Picken Oval on Saturday afternoon. The first half was a roller-coaster of constant lead changes, with scores tied up at quarter time; and a six goals to four second term giving the Magpies an 11-point lead at the long break.
But the Bats came out the stronger side when the teams re-emerged from the rooms for the second half, and wasted little time in regaining the lead. The third term saw the scoreboard ticking over with regularity; and with seven goals to three in a free-flowing quarter the Bats turned the deficit into a 12-point lead at the last change. Momentum had swung their way, and there was no comeback for the Magpies as the Bats assumed control with an eight-goal final term to blow the final margin out to 41 points.
James Caica kicked seven goals for the Bats, the highest return by a UTS player since their promotion to Premier Division; while James Gardiner contributed four goals to the Bats’ cause. Luke Trimboli and Frank Boland, along with Caica, were among their best. James Newbury was the Magpies’ highest goal-kicker with four goals, and along with Shane Aitchison and Scott Lear, were tireless workers for the Magpies all afternoon.

It was a much more lower-scoring and physical contest at North Dalton Oval on Saturday night when Illawarra were at home to Sydney Uni. The Students were the better side in the first quarter, leading by 11 points at the first change. But the Lions tightened the game up in the second term, holding the Students score-less and eventually taking the lead late in the quarter.
The first half had been tight and tough, and neither side was able to achieve any easy possession. Finally the game opened up a bit in the third, and it was the Lions who were best able to take advantage with four goals to two to lead by 13 points at the last change. With a slender lead, the Lions tightened the game back up again, and the Students were unable to penetrate the Illawarra backline to score a goal in the final term; and with two goals, the Lions extended their final margin to 30 points.
Troy Bartlett, Ryan Woodward and Joshua Tier were prominent ball-winners for the Lions. Sydney Uni were well served by the efforts of Janson Doughty, Jason Swarts and Nicholas Lye. The result sees the Lions with two wins from their first two games for the first time in Premier Division.

With the bye in the opening round and then the Easter break, it’s been a long wait for Balmain to start their season. After appearing in last year’s Grand Final, the Dockers have aspirations to win the premiership this year; and did their chances no harm at all as they demolished Campbelltown by 125 points at Henson Park on Sunday afternoon.
There was nothing in the play in the first quarter to suggest the final margin would be so one-sided. The Blues took the fight up to the Dockers in a first quarter that yielded four goals apiece, just three points separating the two sides at quarter time. But the Dockers stepped up a gear in the second quarter, and the Blues were unable to keep up. With eight goals to one for the quarter, the margin blew out to 44 points at half time.
The Blues attempted to fight back in the third term, but were unable to make any dent in the deficit. And the floodgates opened in the final quarter, with nine unanswered goals to the Dockers sending the final margin over three figures.
There were plenty of goals on offer for the Dockers, and Craig White helped himself to six of them in a best-on-ground performance; while Chris Bolt and debutant Kristian Ericson were ball magnets all afternoon. Shane Doherty put in a lone hand up forward with five goals, and along with Paul Green and Mitchell Hogan were among Campbelltown’s best.


Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs 6.7 9.13 13.17 16.24 (120)
Sydney Hills Eagles 2.3 3.3 3.4 5.5 (35)
Goals : UNSW-ES –
T Lavery 7, T Fraser, J Kiel, P Kefalas, R Troon, A Gulden, M Rawlinson, J Parmenter, D Rampe, S Tagliabue. Sydney Hills – S Doyle 2, D Steer 2, M Clinch.
Best : UNSW-ES – M Rawlinson, S Tagliabue, L Lavery, M Collett, T Fraser, R Plant. Sydney Hills – S Turner, A Savage, J Dwyer, M Watson, J Shephard, J Steer.
At Bruce Purser Reserve, Saturday 14th April 2012.

St George 7.1 8.5 11.8 14.10 (94)
Pennant Hills 2.4 5.6 8.10 10.13 (73)
Goals : St George –
N Ryan 5, D Lycakis 2, B Jones 2, J Saddington 2, A Wynn, M Graham, B Addison. Pennant Hills – M Carter 2, R Ediriwickrama 2, A Goodall, C Barton, D Keating, N Baglin, D Witt, P Barnes.
Best : St George – J West, D Donohue, A Wynn, P McBride, B Hodgson, M Holmes. Pennant Hills – G Watts, S Widmer, S Parker, D Witt, A Goodall, T Wales.
At Mike Kenny Oval, Saturday 14th April 2012.


University of Technology 3.4 7.6 14.7 22.9 (141)
Western Suburbs 3.4 9.7 12.7 15.10 (100)
Goals : UTS –
J Caica 7, J Gardiner 4, A Davis 3, J Minichiello 2, T O’Dwyer 2, L Simpson 2, P Healey, N Haslam. Wests – J Newbury 4, B Mumme 3, M Eurell 2, S Pearson 2, R Bamford, T Hassett, T Lambert, P Gannon.
Best : UTS – L Trimboli, F Boland, J Caica, A Kymantas, H Turner, S Way. Wests – S Aitchison, J Newbury, S Lear, S Hudson, J Scott, P Gannon.
At Picken Oval, Saturday 14th April 2012.

Illawarra 0.3 2.5 6.8 8.15 (63)
Sydney University 2.2 2.2 4.7 4.9 (33)
Goals : Illawarra –
R Price 3, T Bartlett, K Ewen-Chappell, J Daniher, D Jefferis, M Bates. Sydney Uni – N Lye, K Underwood, M Lemme, D McKay.
Best : Illawarra – T Bartlett, R Woodward, J Tier, L Wilson, J Daniher, R Wells. Sydney Uni – J Doughty, J Swarts, N Lye, P Casey, M Carter, A Holmes.
At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 14th April 2012.

Balmain 4.5 12.8 18.15 27.20 (182)
Campbelltown 4.2 5.6 8.8 8.9 (57)
Goals : Balmain –
C White 6, B Taggart 3, A Azhar 3, T Luff 3, S Lee-Steere 3, J Cass 2, J Farrell 2, L Conway, K Ericson, G Wilkie, S Bowen, J Coulloupas. Campbelltown – S Doherty 5, L Coughlan, P Green, D Linsen.
Best : Balmain – C White, C Bolt, K Ericson, G Wilkie, J Cass, L Conway. Campbelltown – P Green, M Hogan, S Doherty, M Linsen, B Joynson, D Linsen.
At Henson Park, Sunday 15th April 2012.


 Play
Won
Draw
Lost
For
Agnst
Pts
%age
Strk
Balmain
1
1
0
0
182
57
100
319.30
W1
UNSW-ES
2
2
0
0
231
78
100
296.15
W2
St George
2
2
0
0
208
98
100
213.27
W1
Illawarra
2
2
0
0
195
115
100
169.57
W2
Pennant Hills
2
1
0
1
161
161
50
100.00
L1
UTS
2
1
0
1
184
211
50
87.20
W1
Sydney Hills
2
1
0
1
116
189
50
61.38
L1
North Shore
1
0
0
1
67
88
0
76.14
L1
Western Suburbs
2
0
0
2
169
222
0
76.13
L2
Campbelltown
2
0
0
2
139
314
0
44.27
L2
Sydney Uni
2
0
0
2
58
178
0
32.58
L2



Division One:
Southern Power 19.9 (123) d Pennant Hills 3.4 (22)
UNSW-ES 13.9 (87) d Sydney Hills 8.10 (58)
UTS 21.8 (134) d Western Suburbs 3.3 (21)
Macquarie Uni 8.9 (57) d Penrith 9.2 (56)
Manly-Warringah 8.11 (59) d Holroyd-Parramatta 6.2 (38)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Southern Power (100, 569.23%), UTS (100, 270.93%), Manly-Warringah (100, 259.65%), Sydney Hills (50, 145.87%), UNSW-ES (50, 145.87%), Macquarie Uni (50, 52.41%), Pennant Hills (50, 44.44%), North Shore (0, 98.28%), Penrith (0, 98.25%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 34.81%), Wests (0, 18.30%).

Division Two:
Manly-Warringah 11.7 (73) d NorWest 5.7 (37)
UNSW-ES 13.12 (90) d Camden 9.11 (65)
St George 13.13 (91) d Auburn 9.7 (61)
Sydney Uni 10.15 (75) d Illawarra 9.7 (61)
Balmain 11.8 (74) d Moorebank 4.6 (30)
Ladder – UNSW-ES (8, 209.38%), Balmain (8, 168.89%), St George (8, 136.28%), Manly-Warringah (4, 115.65%), Sydney Uni (4, 102.42%), Moorebank (4, 102.21%), Camden (4, 84.81%), Illawarra (0, 89.58%), NorWest (0, 54.40%), Auburn (0, 45.54%).

Division Three:
UTS 23.19 (157) d Western Suburbs 1.9 (15)
Sydney Hills 12.8 (80) d Moorebank 6.14 (50)
Sydney Uni 11.20 (86) d Saints AFC 4.3 (27)
Southern Power 24.9 (153) d Macquarie Uni 6.7 (43)
Blacktown 20.12 (132) d Campbelltown 10.14 (74)
Ladder – UTS (8, 992.00%), Sydney Uni (8, 602.50%), Southern Power (8, 361.73%), Blacktown (8, 200.79%), Saints AFC (4, 211.54%), Sydney Hills (4, 63.83%), Campbelltown (0, 41.18%), Macquarie Uni (0, 34.67%), Moorebank (0, 24.91%), Wests (0, 8.97%).

Division Four:
Manly-Warringah 9.16 (70) d NorWest 4.6 (30)
Penrith 21.21 (147) d Macquarie Uni 2.2 (14)
UTS 10.13 (73) d Gosford 8.7 (55)
North Shore 13.7 (85) d Southern Power 2.6 (18)
UNSW-ES 17.14 (116) d Holroyd-Parramatta 4.5 (29)
Ladder – Penrith (8, 567.39%), UTS (8, 117.11%), UNSW-ES (4, 158.96%), Gosford (4, 143.62%), Manly-Warringah (4, 137.11%), North Shore (4, 108.16%), Southern Power (4, 67.59%), Macquarie Uni (4, 38.57%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 45.41%), NorWest (0, 33.70%).

Division Five:
Moorebank 25.15 (165) d Holroyd-Parramatta 8.2 (50)
Camden 9.9 (63) d UNSW-ES 7.15 (67)
Sydney Uni 8.4 (52) d Saints AFC 5.14 (44)
UTS d Macquarie Uni – forfeit
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Camden (100, 170.94%), Sydney Uni (100, 118.18%), UTS (75, 100.00%), Macquarie Uni (50, 154.84%), Moorebank (50, 138.73%), Saints AFC (50, 131.50%), UNSW-ES (25, 93.62%), Penrith (0, 43.80%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 38.03%).

Under 18s One:
St Ignatius Riverview 9.11 (65) d Western Suburbs 3.7 (25)
Sydney Hills 16.10 (106) d UNSW-ES 7.6 (48)
North Shore 32.15 (207) d Penrith 1.2 (8)
Pennant Hills 15.7 (97) d St George 8.8 (56)
Illawarra 16.7 (103) d Sydney Uni 8.8 (56)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Sydney Hills (100, 374.32%), Illawarra (100, 183.93%), Pennant Hills (100, 178.02%), North Shore (50, 331.51%), St Ignatius Riverview (50, 115.31%), Sydney Uni (50, 89.53%), UNSW-ES (50, 78.57%), St George (0, 64.10%), Wests (0, 21.61%), Penrith (0, 3.86%).

Under 18s Two:
Southern Power d Campbelltown – forfeit
Moorebank 10.16 (76) d Sydney Hills 6.11 (47)
Manly-Warringah v Holroyd-Parramatta – forfeit
Saints AFC 11.14 (80) d NorWest 8.13 (61)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Balmain (100, 1792.86%), Southern Power (100, 291.67%), Manly-Warringah (100, 222.92%), NorWest (50, 113.24%), Moorebank (50, 94.29%), Saints AFC (50, 30.13%), Sydney Hills (0, 61.84%), Macquarie Uni (0, 44.86%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 34.29%), Campbelltown (0, 0%).


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

Premier Division:
Saturday 21st April
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Balmain (2:10pm)
Waverley Oval – UTS v Sydney Hills (2:10pm)
Gore Hill Oval – North Shore v Campbelltown (2:30pm)
North Dalton Oval – Illawarra v St George (6:10pm)
BYE – Pennant Hills, Sydney Uni, Western Suburbs.

Division One:
Saturday 21st April
Gore Hill Oval – North Shore v Macquarie Uni (10:30am)
Waverley Oval – UTS v Sydney Hills (12pm)
Gwawley Oval – Southern Power v Manly-Warringah (3:00pm)
Sunday 22nd April
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Penrith (2:10pm)
BYE – Pennant Hills, Holroyd-Parramatta, Western Suburbs.

Division Two:
Saturday 21st April
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Balmain (12pm)
Mona Park – Auburn v NorWest (2:10pm)
Rosedale Oval – Moorebank v Camden (2:10pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval – Sydney Uni v Manly-Warringah (2:10pm)
North Dalton Oval – Illawarra v St George (4pm)

Division Three:
Saturday 21st April
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank v Macquarie Uni (10am)
Bruce Purser Reserve – Sydney Hills v Western Suburbs (11:45am)
Monarch Oval – Campbelltown v Saints AFC (12pm)
Gwawley Oval – Southern Power v Sydney Uni (1pm)
Blacktown ISP No 2 – Blacktown v UTS (2:10pm)

Division Four:
Saturday 21st April
Gore Hill Oval – North Shore v Macquarie Uni (8:30am)
Mahoney Park – UTS v NorWest (10am)
Gwawley Oval – Southern Power v Manly-Warringah (11am)
Gipps Rd Oval – Holroyd-Parramatta v Gosford (12pm)
Sunday 22nd April
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Penrith (12pm)

Division Five:
Saturday 21st April
Mahoney Park – UTS v Penrith (12pm)
Rosedale Oval – Moorebank v Camden (12pm)
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval – Sydney Uni v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
University Oval – Macquarie Uni v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)
BYE – Saints AFC.

Under 18s One:
Saturday 21st April
North Dalton Oval – Illawarra v St George (2pm)
Sunday 22nd April
Riverview First Field – St Ignatius Riverview v Sydney Hills (10am)
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Penrith (10am)
BYE – North Shore, Pennant Hills, Sydney Uni, Western Suburbs.


Under 18s Two:
Saturday 21st April
Gwawley Oval – Southern Power v Manly-Warringah (9am)
Rosedale Oval - Moorebank v Campbelltown (9am)
Bruce Purser Reserve – Sydney Hills v Saints AFC (9:45am)
University Oval – Macquarie Uni v NorWest (12pm)
Sunday 22nd April
Henson Park – Balmain v Holroyd-Parramatta (10am)