SYDNEY AFL ROUND 3 2009 - Pennant Hills Light Up the University

Article and Photos by Michael Shillito

Pennant Hills collected their first win of 2009 when they overcame Sydney Uni by 15 points under lights at Sydney Uni No 1. The defending premiers had lost their opening 2 games of this season, and had to overcome a strong challenge by a spirited Students lineup before claiming the points.

Early on, the Demons had fears of a repeat of last week's result, where inaccurate kicking for goal cost them the game against UNSW-ES. The Demons, despite having much of the play, kicked 2.7 for the quarter to trail by 3 points at the first change.

It was goal for goal in the second quarter, with both sides trading goals, and the lead. The dew was heavier than normal, making ball-handling difficult; and both sides were prone to fumbles and turnovers. The umpires were also quick to blow their whistles, and the majority of goals for the quarter came from free kicks. At the long break, the Demons had taken the lead and had a 2-point advantage.

On the small Sydney Uni ground, goals can be easy to come by if a team goes direct; and both teams did that early in the third term. Again it was goal for goal early, with the first 4 goals of the quarter coming in the first 10 minutes; each seeing the lead again change hands. Josh Duncan gave the Demons an 8-point buffer, but the Students weren't done yet. A free to Mitch Thompson, and another behind play with a 50m penalty to Alex Lee gave the Students the lead. Alistair Richardson declared he'd love to have a kick with Duncan when he set the number 44 up to restore Pennant Hills' lead.

Now, with the premiership quarter well advanced, it was time for Pennant Hills to break away from Sydney Uni and establish a stronger lead. Kieran Wright ran inside the 50 before blazing away to extend the lead to 8 points. Daniel De Looze was taken high, and converted his free kick. Luke Bilbe, who earlier in the match had suffered a knee injury and had his knee in ice, returned to the field to mark and goal from 40 metres out to give the Demons a 22-point break at the last change.

The breakaway move by the Demons would prove to be enough to take out the win, as the Demons tightened their defence in the last term. The Students needed to goal quickly in the last term, but it would take over 10 minutes for the first major to go on the board. It came when Brydon Coles marked 35 out on the boundary, in front of the clubhouse, and converted from the tight angle. But a quick snap just 2 minutes later, from the dark pocket in front of the scoreboard towards the Broadway end, gave the Demons a 25-point lead.

Time was running out for the Students, but former coach Daniel Archer gave them a lifeline when he gathered the crumbs from a marking contest to cut the margin back to 19 points. Lee on the run snapped a point, then Archer from 50m next to the boundary had a tight set shot which went through for another point - an important behind, it meant 3 goals would hand the Students the lead. And when the ball went long to a vacant goal square, and Alex Lee was first in line to the ball, the margin was cut to 11 points as the clock ticked into time-on. Would the Students come from nowhere to steal the game?

In the end, it wasn't to be. A chip across the face of goal came horribly unstuck, going to Daniel De Looze who goaled to put the result beyond doubt. Pennant Hills would take the match by 15 points, their first win for the season. Only the Students' superior percentage keeps them ahead of the Demons in the top 4. Kieran Wright kicked 4 and Josh Duncan 3 for the Demons, while Damian Dell'Aquila and Alistair Richardson were among their best. For the Students, Mankarious, Lee and Coles each kicked 2 and were among their best.

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

North Shore also broke through for their first win for 2009, defeating St George by 74 points at Gore Hill Oval. After a strong start by the Bombers, a poor second quarter saw the home side lead by just 8 points at the long break. But the third term saw the Bombers take control with a 5 goals to 1 quarter; and the last term was a cakewalk with the Bombers, by now with their confidence returning, scored 9 for the quarter. Bomber captain Adam Lord kicked 4 goals in his first game for the season, while Ben Attwood also scored 4; and  Tom Elkington was their best. In a disappointing day for the Dragons, Ben Maddern and Pat McBride were among their best.

Wests' home game against Balmain was moved to Bruce Purser Reserve, and the Magpies found themselves with a fight on their hands early on. The Dockers had come to play, and led by 5 points at the first change. The Magpies took the lead in the second term, but only by 10 points at half time. But after the break, the Dockers were unable to provide any further resistance; and it was all one-way traffic in the second half with the Magpies running through 14 goals to 1 to blow the final margin out to 96 points. Matt Eurell kicked 7 and Jamie Pitt 4 for the Magpies, while Eid Kassem and Dwain Watkins were prominent.

For the second straight week, Campbelltown were held to just 2 goals at home as their percentage suffered a major hit. This time the loss was at the hands of a red-hot East Coast Eagles lineup. The Eagles' defence was unbreakable, with the Blues unable to score a goal after quarter time. Meanwhile the Eagles were unstoppable, and by the last quarter it had become a blowout as they scored 11 unanswered goals to run out 133-point winners. Gus Seebeck scored 7 and Ryan Smyth 5 for the Eagles, while Daniel Spiteri and Shane Ryan were accumulating possessions at will.

UNSW-ES were far too good for Wollongong, the Bulldogs taking out an 119-point victory at the Village Green. The Lions were competitive in the first term, and there were only 11 points in it at the first change, but from there the Bulldogs were in total control; and the second half saw the home side totally dominant, scoring 19 goals to 5 to blow the margin out to 3 figures. The Bulldogs had plenty of scoring options, with 13 of their players getting on the goal-scorers' list, but the dominant forward force was Leigh Lavery, who finished with 6 goals. Brad Abbott, Stephen Pech and Ben Woods each scored 3; while for the Lions, Adam McConnochie and Michael Dombroski scored 2 from limited opportunities.

Pennant Hills   2.7   6.9   13.14   15.18 (108)

Sydney University   3.4   6.7   10.10   13.15 (93)

Goals : Pennant Hills - K Wright 4, J Duncan 3, D De Looze 2, L Bilbe 2, A Richardson, B Jack, M Carey, M Aitken. Sydney Uni - B Mankarious 2, A Lee 2, B Coles 2, M Egan, J McGuirk, D Archer, C Clarebrough, A Scott, M Thompson, T Young.

Best : Pennant Hills - D Dell'Aquila, D De Looze, A Richardson, J Duncan, L Bilbe, C Richardson. Sydney Uni - B Mankarious, M Egan, C Clarebrough, G Burch, B Coles, N Hayward.

Umpires - S Richardson, M Gestier, J Fox.

At Sydney University No 1 Oval, Saturday 25th April 2009.

North Shore   5.5   7.6   12.16   21.18 (144)

St George   3.1   6.4   7.5   10.7 (67)

Goals : North Shore - A Lord 4, B Attwood 4, J Brain 2, D Allen 2, J O'Dell, R Wason, A Chiew, L Pryor, J Costi, T Strudwick, J Harry. St George - P McBride 2, M Holmes 2, S Wicken 2, J Shineberg, D Donohue, D Rixon, S Wilsen.

Best : North Shore - T Elkington, C Holmes, L Pryor, J Brain, B Attwood, A Lord. St George - B Maddern, P McBride, T Dickson, R Talbot, C Lombardo, M Holmes.

At Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 25th April 2009.

Western Suburbs   4.2   7.6   15.11   21.18 (144)

Balmain   5.1   6.2   7.2   7.6 (48)

Goals : Wests - M Eurell 7, J Pitt 4, T Cole 3, B Absolum 3, A Fiddler, C McGuirk, E Kassem, B Lafferty. Balmain - D Ryan 3, D Stanton, D Napper, N O'Brien, A Abraham.

Best : Wests - E Kassem, D Watkins, M Eurell, C Noordhof, T Cole, C McGuirek. Balmain - R Officer, C Wallace, D Stanton, N Todd, L Mitchell, E Davis.

At Bruce Purser Reserve, Saturday 25th April 2009.

East Coast Eagles   3.3   9.9   12.10   23.12 (150)

Campbelltown   2.0   2.1   2.3   2.5 (17)

Goals : East Coast - G Seebeck 7, R Smyth 5, S Ryan 3, L Stanford 2, M Sankey 2, D Bowles, M Johnston, D Spiteri, A Byerlee. Campbelltown - L Coughlan 2.

Best : East Coast - D Spiteri, S Ryan, G Seebeck, R Smyth, J Vlatko, L Stanford. Campbelltown - T Wright, J Edwards, D Chivas, M Edwins, F Brown, R Lothian.

At Monarch Oval, Saturday 25th April 2009.

Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs   4.2   8.8   16.11   27.12 (174)

Wollongong   2.3   2.6   5.9   7.13 (55)

Goals : UNSW-ES - L Lavery 6, B Abbott 3, S Pech 3, B Woods 3, P Kefalas 2, E Carroll 2, S Rutland 2, J Bradfield, J Kiel, J Horder, B Sutton, M O'Regan, M Beardsley. Wollongong - A McConnochie 2, D Dombroski 2, C Stanton, A Riley, K Ewan-Chappel.

Best : UNSW-ES - L Lavery, M Beardsley, S Rutland, B Woods, J Kiel, P Kefalas. Wollongong - S Davis, T Heath, M Adamson, D Goodley, M Dombroski, A Riley.

At Village Green, Saturday 25th April 2009.

First Division:

University of Technology, Sydney 23.17 (155) d Western Suburbs 3.3 (21)

North Shore 20.18 (138) d St George 3.6 (24)

UNSW-ES 13.17 (95) d Wollongong 4.11 (35)

Manly-Warringah 12.12 (84) d East Coast Eagles 11.4 (70)

Sydney University 16.9 (105) d Pennant Hills 8.8 (56)

Ladder - UTS (12, 380.43%), Sydney Uni (12, 236.17%), UNSW-ES (12, 152.32%), Manly-Warringah (8, 172.78%), North Shore (4, 123.12%), East Coast (4, 119.37%), Pennant Hills (4, 77.13%), Wests (4, 28.61%), Wollongong (0, 53.52%), St George (0, 27.20%)

Second Division:

East Coast Eagles 15.11 (101) d Campbelltown 4.4 (28)

Manly-Warringah 11.13 (79) d Balmain 6.8 (44)

Macquarie University 14.20 (104) d Sydney University 6.11 (47)

Southern Power 8.12 (60) d UTS 7.2 (44)

Holroyd-Parramatta 13.8 (86) d Camden 9.5 (59)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Macquarie Uni (100, 461.11%), Southern Power (100, 315.15%), UTS (66.67, 149.26%), Holroyd-Parramatta (66.67, 88.69%), East Coast (66.67, 78.26%), Balmain (33.33, 121.11%), Manly-Warringah (33.33,  78.79%), Camden (0, 66.24%), Sydney Uni (0, 47.24%), Campbelltown (0, 13.41%).

Third Division:

UTS 12.17 (89) d Southern Power 6.5 (41)

Pennant Hills 7.15 (57) d Moorebank Sports 7.6 (48)

UNSW-ES 14.22 (106) d Macquarie Uni 4.8 (32)

NorWest Jets 17.12 (114) d Penrith 8.2 (50)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 452.73%), NorWest Jets (100, 248.15%), UTS (100, 231.63%), Pennant Hills (66.67, 112.56%), Macquarie Uni (66.67, 112.56%), Moorebank Sports (0, 59.46%), Penrith (0, 50.00%), Southern Power (0, 29.78%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 28.76%).

Fourth Division:

Manly-Warringah 13.10 (88) d Moorebank Sports 7.9 (51)

Holroyd-Parramatta 14.10 (94) d Camden 6.7 (43)

NorWest Jets 11.14 (80) d Penrith 3.7 (25)

Sydney Uni 15.17 (107) d Macquarie Uni 4.6 (30)

UNSW-ES 6.8 (44) d UTS 5.12 (42)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - NorWest Jets (100, 548.15%), Sydney Uni (100, 303.90%), UTS (66.67, 209.82%), Macquarie Uni (66.67, 169.23%), Manly-Warringah (66.67, 148.15%), Holroyd-Parramatta (33.33, 70.00%), UNSW-ES (33.33, 49.47%), Moorebank Sports (0, 28.18%), Penrith (0, 26.92%), Camden (0, 14.53%).

Under 18s Premier:

Balmain 9.8 (62) d Western Suburbs 8.13 (61)

North Shore 12.6 (78) d St George 4.13 (37)

East Coast Eagles 10.18 (78) d Campbelltown 0.4 (4)

Wollongong 8.9 (57) d UNSW-ES 8.7 (55)

Pennant Hills 24.16 (160) d St Ignatius Riverview 8.4 (52)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (100, 226.45%), Wollongong (100, 206.67%), East Coast Eagles (66.67, 178.30%), Pennant Hills (66.67, 152.20%), St George (66.67, 123.47%), Balmain (66.67, 97.74%), Campbelltown (33.33, 67.03%), UNSW-ES (0, 57.94%), Wests (0, 53.97%), St Ignatius Riverview (0, 32.49%).

Under 18s Challenge:

Sydney Uni 27.12 (174) d Macquarie Uni 6.3 (39)

Moorebank Sports 15.9 (99) d Manly-Warringah 5.5 (35)

Southern Power 7.10 (52) d Pennant Hills 6.11 (47)

Penrith 5.5 (35) d East Coast Eagles 2.9 (21)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Moorebank Sports (100, 571.43%), Penrith (100, 201.56%), Southern Power (100, 146.54%), Sydney Uni (50, 189.29%), Holroyd-Parramatta (50, 86.23%), Manly-Warringah (33.33, 85.12%), Pennant Hills (33.33, 30.72%), Macquarie Uni (0, 41.11%), East Coast Eagles (0, 36.52%).

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

Saturday 2nd May

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v East Coast Eagles (2:10pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Sydney University (2:10pm)

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v North Shore (2:10pm)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Wollongong (2:30pm)

Sunday 3rd May

Olds Park - St George v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)

First Division:

Saturday 2nd May

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v North Shore (12pm)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Wollongong (12:30pm)

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v Sydney University (2:30pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v East Coast Eagles (2:30pm)

Sunday 3rd May

Olds Park - St George v UNSW-ES (12pm)

Second Division:

Saturday 2nd May

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v East Coast Eagles (12pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Sydney University (12pm)

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v Southern Power (12:30pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (12:30pm)

Harrington Park - Camden v Macquarie Uni (2:10pm)

Third Division:

Saturday 2nd May

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Southern Power (8:30am)

Trumper Park - UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (10:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v NorWest Jets (6:10pm)

Macquarie Uni has the bye.

Fourth Division:

Saturday 2nd May

Trumper Park - UTS v Holroyd-Parramatta (8:30am)

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v UNSW-ES (10:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Sydney Uni (12pm)

Harrington Park - Camden v Macquarie Uni (12pm)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v NorWest Jets (4pm)

Under 18s Premier:

Friday 1st May

Alan Davidson Oval - Balmain v East Coast Eagles (7pm)

Saturday 2nd May

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v St Ignatius Riverview (10am)

Picken Oval - Western Suburbs v North Shore (10am)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Wollongong (10:30am)

Sunday 3rd May

Olds Park - St George v UNSW-ES (10am)

Under 18s Challenge:

Saturday 2nd May

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v Southern Power (8:30am)

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Sydney Uni (10am)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v East Coast Eagles (2pm)

Sunday 3rd May

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Holroyd-Parramatta (2pm)

Macquarie Uni has the bye.