SYDNEY AFL ROUND 5 - Bombers Capture the Twilight Zone

Article and photos by Michael Shillito

All Sydney AFL Premier Division fixtures were played on Saturday in Round 5. The twilight fixture at Sydney Uni No 1 Oval saw the Students play host to North Shore. With both sides going into the match with one win from their first four games, this was a must-win game; and it turned out to be one that would remain in the balance until the final minutes.

North Shore won the toss and elected to kick to the Broadway end in the first quarter; but it wasn't to be the start the umpires would have wanted. The opening bounce had to be recalled after going off-course, an occurrence that would have to be repeated at least 5 times, while numerous other bounces struggled to go straight up and it must have been a close call not to recall several other bounces during the course of the day.

Sydney Uni were first to get on the board, a textbook set play when a tap-out from a boundary throw-in went straight to Ben Mankarious who made no mistake. But within 15 seconds of the next bounce, Ben Attwood had found some run to boot home an instant reply. At 14 minutes, Mark Egan found Tyson Roberts unmarked 30 metres out to put the Students 8 points clear; but the Bombers again got a centre break to deliver to Daniel Kulk on a tight angle. There was no instant reply as Kulk's set shot hit the post, but from the kick-in Lachlan Pryor forced the turnover to deliver to Adam Lord 15 metres out directly in front. With scores deadlocked ticking into time-on, Mark Egan pounced on a throw-in and snapped truly to give the Students a 6-point lead at the first change.

North Shore's Tom Elkington put his hand up early in the second term, twice snapping quick behinds before it was third time lucky to put the Bombers in front. But the Students then began to make their move, kicking the next 4 goals to run to a 25-point lead. On the short Sydney Uni ground, the Students played a devastating burst of direct football. Egan on the run snapped one, before Alex Lee slipped a tackle to score. Chris Kendrick marked 30 metres out and made no mistake. The centre break found Barton who landed another; and it was looking good for the Students. North Shore needed something to stop the rot, and it came as the clock ticked into time-on. Moving the ball forward, Daniel Kulk was unable to hold a mark in a one-on-one contest, but the ball spilled free towards the post for Michael Voyage to soccer it through. And when Max Wilson was paid a free kick a split-second before the half-time siren, the deficit had been cut to 2 goals.

The Students again started the stronger in the third term, again going to a 27-point lead. It was a lead that could have been greater but for a shocking blunder by Sydney Uni forward Mitch Thompson. North Shore defender Jason Russell-Jones went across the face of goal to Ron Wason, and with the kick being not 15 metres the umpire called to play on. Wason's kick was smothered by Thompson, who picked up the crumbs as he walked into an open goalsquare; but carried the ball over the line for a behind when a sure goal was on offer. Thompson got his goal a couple of minutes later in a one-on-one marking contest, and at the 10 minute mark Ryan Close weaved around traffic for his first goal and the Students were again out to a lead. But as day was turning into night, the momentum of the game began to shift and the Bombers started to get back into the contest.

Jamie O'Dell got one back with a mark, then Danien Allen sharked a throw-in. O'Dell smothered a Sydney Uni kick-in, the crumbs spilling to second-gamer Andrew Marsh. Sydney Uni needed a circuit-breaker, and got it when Close snapped from next to the boundary line in front of the grandstand, the roar of the crowd signalling their approval. But the Bombers were backing themselves, Marsh weaving his way through traffic for his second goal, before a checkside by Adam Lord on the stroke of three-quarter time put the Bombers in front.

The momentum had swung North Shore's way, and the Bombers continued the onslaught in the early stages of the last quarter. Adam Lord goaled within 30 seconds of the restart and shook off the Students' defence to mark and score his 5th. James Brain chipped in to give the Bombers a 20-pont lead before the Students rallied; quick mark and goal efforts from Walsh and Close cutting the margin back to 6 points as the clock ticked into time-on. But, with the game in the balance, Ben Attwood became the hero for the Bombers, twice putting on his explosive pace to score and put the game out of Sydney Uni's reach; the Bombers winning by 19 points.

For Sydney Uni, there were too many similarities to the opening-round game at Mahoney Park against St George. In both games, the Students had got out to 4-goal leads in the second and third quarters, only to lose the lead during the dying stages of the third quarter and be unable to last the distance. Ryan Close scored 3 goals for the Students, while Nathan Hayward and Tim Barton were among their best players. It was a good win for North Shore, maintaining the Bombers' unbeaten run against the Students since Sydney Uni were re-admitted to Premier Division and keeping them within reach of the top 5. Adam Lord kicked 5 and Ben Attwood 3 for the Bombers, while Max Wilson controlled the ruck in a best-on-ground performance.

Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from the Sydney University v North Shore match.

Balmain travelled down to Wollongong and returned with their first points for the season when the Dockers took out a 17-point victory at North Dalton Oval. In a low-scoring tussle in which every possession was keenly fought for, the Dockers led by 12 points at quarter time, 9 at the long break and by just 6 points at the final change. But a 4 goals to 2 final quarter was enough for Balmain to shake off the Lions and claim the win. Dockers' coach Damian Hall scored 3 goals, while Braedon Jones and Nick O'Brien were among their best. For Wollongong, Duane Jefferis scored 3 goals, the Lions being well served by Clint Wells and Matt Adamson.

The upset of the season to date took place at the Village Green, where UNSW-ES suffered their first loss of the season; going down to Campbelltown by 29 points. The Bulldogs were the hottest of favourites, but the Blues had come to play and exerted pressure on the Bulldogs early. Although the Bulldogs led through the first half, the pressure applied by the Blues, combined with some wasteful finishing by the Bulldogs, kept the deficit within reach. The premiership quarter saw the Blues take the initiative, a 6 goals to 3 quarter turning a 6-point deficit into a 10-point lead. Once they had a sniff, there would be no letting go, a 5 goals to 2 final term extending Campbelltown's advantage. Young guns Ben Yakimov and Fraser Brown each kicked 4 for the Blues, while Matthew Morey was best-on-ground. For the Bulldogs, Andre Pech and Marc O'Regan collected plenty of the footy.

No sign of an upset at Ern Holmes Oval, where Pennant Hills ruthlessly disposed of St George by 114 points. Getting the early jump with a 9 goals to 1 opening quarter, the Demons continued the demolition to lead by 89 points at the long break. With the job done, the Demons had every reason to enjoy their comprehensive victory; and the second half was closer, although the Demons still won every quarter. Matthew Carey kicked 6 goals for the Demons, while Scott Myers and Luke Bilbe each contributed 3. In such a one-sided match the Demons had many solid contributors, Matthew Thomas and Sam Widmer ranked among their best.

East Coast Eagles and NorWest Jets combined to host a football marathon day at Bruce Purser Oval, with 6 games played back-to-back. The final game, the Premier Division feature, saw two teams that went in undefeated in action as East Coast Eagles took on Western Suburbs; and another healthy crowd was on hand as the Eagles continue to benefit from the positive publicity their new venue has generated. The Magpies gained the early advantage to lead by 12 points at quarter-time, but the Eagles took control of the match with 6 unanswered goals in the second term to lead by 21 points at the long break. The second half was evenly matched and keenly contested, but the Magpies never looked like recovering the deficit and the Eagles took out an 18-point win. Daniel Spiteri scored 3 goals for the Eagles, while Jon Vlatko and Mark Skuse were among their best. For the Magpies, Andy Eurell, Matt Withers and Medair Kassem were among their best.

North Shore   2.5   5.8   11.11   16.15 (111)

Sydney University   3.5   7.8   10.16   12.20 (92)

Goals : North Shore - A Lord 5, B Attwood 3, A Marsh 2, J O'Dell, M Wilson, M Voyage, T Elkington, J Brain, D Allen. Sydney Uni - R Close 3, T Roberts 2, M Egan, B Mankarious, A Lee, C Kendrick, M Thompson, T Barton, C Walsh.

Best : North Shore - M Wilson, A Lord, C Holmes, A Sutton, L Pryor, S Carruthers. Sydney Uni - N Hayward, T Barton, M Thompson, G Burch, C Kendrick, R Close.

Umpires - B Hissey, C Fletcher, D Deigan.

At Sydney Uni No 1 Oval, Saturday 9th May.

Balmain Dockers   4.2   5.5   7.7   11.8 (74)

Wollongong   2.2   4.2   6.7   8.9 (57)

Goals : Balmain - D Hall 3, B Clarke 2, C Wallace 2, D Ryan, D Napper, D Brian, B Jones. Wollongong - D Jefferis 3, C Wells, B Patterson, M Toussis, D McClure, J Weavers.

Best : Balmain - B Jones, N O'Brien, J Miller, D Napper, N Todd, D Stanton. Wollongong - C Wells, M Adamson, S Davis, J Weavers, T Heath, M Dombroski.

At North Dalton Oval, Saturday 9th May.

Campbelltown   2.4   7.8   13.10   18.14 (122)

Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs   4.9   7.14   10.18   12.21 (93)

Goals : Campbelltown - B Yakimov 4, F Brown 4, O Love 3, S Kershaw 2, M Moore 2, M Edwins, L Bassani, K Cochrane. UNSW-ES - B Abbott 2, B Haberley 2, M O'Regan 2, R Underwood, S Pech, J Robbie, J Coulloupas, B Sutton, B Woods.

Best : Campbelltown - M Morey, R Love, K Cochrane, O Love, M Moore, F Brown. UNSW-ES - A Pech, M O'Regan, S Rutland, E Carroll, M Beardsley, E Shaw.

At Village Green, Saturday 9th May.

Pennant Hills   9.5   16.10   22.11   26.16 (172)

St George   1.2   2.5   5.9   8.10 (58)

Goals : Pennant Hills - M Carey 6, S Myers 3, L Bilbe 3, A Richardson 2, J Low 2, T Angel 2, K Wright 2, C Smith 2, J Clarke, D De Looze, J Ellison, P Barnes. St George - D Donohue 2, J Barrett 2, S Wicken 2, P McBride, A Buttling.

Best : Pennant Hills - M Thomas, S Widmer, C Smith, J Clarke, A Richardson, D De Looze. St George - D Donohue, M Holmes, T Addison, S Wicken, T Dickinson, P McBride.

At Ern Holmes Oval, Saturday 9th May.

East Coast Eagles   2.2   8.4   13.6  14.10 (94)

Western Suburbs   4.2   4.7   9.10   10.16 (76)

Goals : East Coast - D Spiteri 3, G Seebeck 2, R Smyth 2, M Arbon, M Skuse, B Rogers, D Bowles, T Baker, M Sankey, S Ryan. Wests - A Fiddler 2, T Cole 2, D Williams 2, M Withers, C McGuirk, E Kassem, B Absolum.

Best : East Coast - J Vlatko, M Skuse, D Spiteri, D Bowles, B Physick, E Wilson. Wests - A Eurell, M Withers, M Kassem, D Lambert, C Noordhof, D Watkins.

At Bruce Purser Oval, Saturday 9th May.

First Division:

Uni of Technology, Sydney 14.9 (93) d Wollongong 8.5 (53)

Pennant Hills 16.10 (106) d St George 6.5 (41)

Manly-Warringah 12.19 (91) d UNSW-ES 10.9 (69)

Sydney University 17.7 (109) d North Shore 9.10 (64)

East Coast Eagles 12.10 (82) d Western Suburbs 5.4 (34)

Ladder - UTS (20, 300.57%), Sydney Uni (16, 171.48%), Manly-Warringah (16, 159.48%), UNSW-ES (16, 138.91%), Pennant Hills (12, 143.57%), North Shore (8, 112.22%), East Coast Eagles (8, 109.65%), Wests (4, 33.80%), Wollongong (0, 43.55%), St George (0, 31.13%).

Second Division:

Sydney University 15.16 (106) d Balmain 7.7 (49)

UTS 22.10 (142) d East Coast Eagles 0.3 (3)

Southern Power 24.19 (163) d Camden 6.5 (41)

Holroyd-Parramatta 15.14 (104) d Campbelltown 9.8 (62)

Macquarie University 17.11 (113) d Manly-Warringah 8.2 (50)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Macquarie Uni (100, 462.67%), Southern Power (100, 350.85%), UTS (80, 227.62%), Holroyd-Parramatta (60, 97.71%), Sydney Uni (50, 133.59%), Balmain (40, 130.42%), East Coast (40, 40.55%), Manly-Warringah (20, 53.17%), Camden (0, 31.89%), Campbelltown (0, 18.93%).

Third Division:

NorWest Jets 9.13 (67) d UTS 9.9 (63)

Penrith 17.6 (108) d Holroyd-Parramatta 10.11 (71)

Macquarie Uni 12.17 (89) d Pennant Hills 7.4 (46)

UNSW-ES 14.11 (95) d Moorebank Sports 7.7 (49)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - UNSW-ES (100, 350.35%), NorWest Jets (100, 219.21%), UTS (80, 271.58%), Macquarie Uni (75, 127.27%), Pennant Hills (60, 124.13%), Penrith (50, 57.82%), Moorebank Sports (0, 46.83%), Southern Power (0, 40.90%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 28.47%).

Fourth Division:

UTS 11.10 (76) d NorWest Jets 10.8 (68)

UNSW-ES 22.24 (156) d Camden 5.3 (33)

Holroyd-Parramatta 13.7 (85) d Penrith 11.14 (80)

Sydney Uni 21.20 (146) d Moorebank Sports 1.4 (10)

Macquarie Uni 10.10 (70) d Manly-Warringah 8.11 (59)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Sydney Uni (100, 439.37%), NorWest Jets (80, 293.75%), UTS (80, 229.23%), Macquarie Uni (80, 193.05%), Manly-Warringah (60, 127.84%), UNSW-ES (40, 91.26%), Holroyd-Parramatta (40, 58.77%), Penrith (0, 36.82%), Moorebank Sports (0, 36.82%), Camden (0, 17.70%).

Under 18s Premier:

Wollongong 25.13 (163) d Balmain 5.7 (37)

St George 10.9 (69) d Pennant Hills 6.6 (42)

UNSW-ES 13.16 (94) d Campbelltown 8.6 (54)

East Coast Eagles 18.18 (126) d Wests 3.3 (21)

North Shore 13.11 (89) d St Ignatius Riverview 3.0 (18)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - North Shore (100, 331.17%), East Coast (80, 250.30%), St George (80, 171.22%), Wollongong (75, 147.66%), Pennant Hills (60, 160.70%), Balmain (40, 59.96%), St Ignatius Riverview (25, 46.68%), UNSW-ES (20, 59.55%), Campbelltown (20, 57.63%), Wests (0, 32.23%).

Under 18s Challenge:

Pennant Hills 11.7 (73) d East Coast Eagles 10.6 (66)

Penrith 13.18 (96) d Holroyd-Parramatta 1.3 (9)

Sydney Uni 18.15 (123) d Moorebank Sports 4.4 (28)

Macquarie Uni 10.11 (71) d Manly-Warringah 9.16 (70)

Ladder (Match Ratio) - Southern Power (100, 177.60%), Sydney Uni (100, 268.98%), Moorebank Sports (75, 133.04%), Penrith (75, 129.79%), Pennant Hills (60, 93.72%), Macquarie Uni (25, 51.33%), Holroyd-Parramatta (25, 47.14%), Manly-Warringah (20, 71.60%), East Coast Eagles (0, 67.44%).

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

Saturday 16th May

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v UNSW-ES (2:10pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Pennant Hills (2:10pm)

North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v North Shore (2:10pm)

Sydney Uni No 1 Oval - Sydney University v Western Suburbs (2:10pm)

Sunday 17th May

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v St George (2:10pm)

First Division

Saturday 16th May

North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v North Shore (12pm)

Sydney Uni No 1 - Sydney University v Western Suburbs (12pm)

Pittwater No 6 Oval - Manly-Warringah v Pennant Hills (2:30pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v UNSW-ES (2:30pm)

Sunday 17th May

Bruce Purser Oval - East Coast Eagles v St George (12pm)

Second Division

Saturday 16th May

Drummoyne Oval - Balmain v Southern Power (12pm)

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Camden (12pm)

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v East Coast Eagles (12:30pm)

Trumper Park - UTS v Macquarie Uni (12:30pm)

Kelso Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Sydney Uni (2:30pm)

Third Division

Saturday 16th May

Trumper Park - UTS v Macquarie Uni (10:30am)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v NorWest Jets (12pm)

Kelso Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v UNSW-ES (12:30pm)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Southern Power (6:10pm)

Penrith has the bye.

Fourth Division

Saturday 16th May

Trumper Park - UTS v Macquarie Uni (8:30am)

Kelso Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Sydney Uni (10:30am)

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v NorWest Jets (10:30am)

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

Greygums Oval - Penrith v Camden (2:10pm)

Under 18s Premier

Friday 15th May

Alan Davidson Oval - Balmain v UNSW-ES (7pm)

Saturday 16th May

Monarch Oval - Campbelltown v Pennant Hills (10am)

North Dalton Oval - Wollongong v North Shore (10am)

Sunday 17th May

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

Mahoney Park - Western Suburbs v St Ignatius Riverview (10am)

Under 18s Challenge

Saturday 16th May

Kelso Oval - Holroyd-Parramatta v Sydney Uni (8:30am)

Pittwater No 6 - Manly-Warringah v East Coast Eagles (8:30am)

Ern Holmes Oval - Pennant Hills v Macquarie Uni (10am)

Rosedale Oval - Moorebank Sports v Southern Power (4pm)

Penrith has the bye.