SYDNEY AFL ROUND 5 2011
Article and Photos by Michael Shillito

Australian Football’s frustration in getting access to playing facilities in Sydney is nothing new. Many stories over the years have come of our game struggling for venues.
In the early 1980s, Pennant Hills had a vision of a new facility at Greenway Park in Cherrybrook. Plans were drawn up for a playing arena of similar dimensions to VFL Park in Waverley, for a grandstand, and a social club. At the time, Cherrybrook was a relatively new suburb, far less developed than it is now.
But a story in the Daily Mirror published a rumour that the newly-relocated Sydney Swans would use the facility as a new home ground. The story was a complete fiction; but local residents, concerned about traffic and parking issues, kicked up such a protest that the Pennant Hills project was rejected; and the Demons remained at Ern Holmes Oval.
But now, 28 years later, Pennant Hills were back. The facilities far more modest than the dream of so long ago, but finally the Demons have the ground they had wanted for so long; and hopefully in the near future the opportunity to finally develop it into a facility worthy of a leading Premier Division team. It’s a much larger and more open ground, a contrast to the more intimate atmosphere at Ern Holmes.

Again, the forces of nature were not kind to our game, with another wet week and more driving rain on the weekend. The under 18s was called off, but the First Division and Premier Division matches went ahead. The ground was heavy, but thankfully some marquees were put up around the ground to provide some respite from the elements.
The Bombers started brightly, taking the ball forward where it would remain for much of the first quarter. Pat Brackin presented himself as a target, twice marking within scoring range in the first five minutes, but both shots sailed wide. But a lightning handball from Daniel Roberts gave Lachlan Clancy a free run for the opening goal.
But for much of the quarter, for most of the game, it would be a slog. An extremely heavy ground and a slippery ball saw most of the game being a series of tackles and scraps for possession. But some standouts began to emerge, particularly North Shore’s Teddy Strudwick. Sporting longer hair than in seasons past, and a Rambo headband, the Bomber number 24 was a ball magnet through the first half, and set up Pat Brackin for the Bombers’ second goal.
But the Demons fought back during time-on. A free for holding the ball gave Brant Jack the Demons’ first goal, and just a minute later Josh Keen received a free, which he used to advantage to fire a handball to Kieran Wright, and suddenly the Demons were back to within a kick. And as the siren sounded, Damian Dell’Aquila fired a grubber which banged into the goalpost.

The rain was even heavier as the second quarter started, ball handling was even harder and it was a struggle for the players to even keep their feet. It was desperation football, not pretty to watch but a test of the resolve of the players. And it was the Bombers who stepped up to the challenge, scrapping for every ball, denying the Demons any easy possession. There were Bombers at the bottom of every pack. The Bombers scored the only two goals of the quarter, a soccer effort from Jason Harry and an advantage goal after a free to debutant Rory Pryor, while the Demons were held scoreless as the Bombers led by 17 points at the long break.
The rain eased off in the second half, but the Bombers were well placed; and after five minutes it was even better for the visitors after Seb Paynter ran around from a tight angle to goal and then Danny Roberts received a fortunate free at the edge of the goalsquare. The Demons, desperate to put on a show on their first appearance at their new home, tried hard to fight back and put on a period of sustained attack; but the North Shore defence held firm and the Demons could manage only behinds. And when, deep in time-on and against the run of play, Seb Paynter landed his second goal of the quarter, the Bombers were counting down to victory.
Tired legs, after working so hard in such difficult conditions for so long, could barely move in the last quarter. Both teams were in dark jumpers, the Demons in a 40th anniversary strip; and although the Bombers had started the game in white shorts, mud had blurred the sight and the light was fading.
The Demons salvaged some pride in the final quarter, kicking the last four goals of the game to cut the final margin to 18 points. But it was North Shore who had built up enough of a buffer to ensure they would spoil the Pennant Hills party. Brendan Fitzgerald, Lachy Pryor and Teddy Strudwick were among the best for the Bombers, while the Demons were well served all afternoon by Brant Jack, Kieran Wright and Cameron Smith.

The wet weekend saw other grounds closed, with a juggling of fixtures around the remaining venues, some matches through the divisions being postponed or cancelled and others relocated to new venues. The closure of Olds Park and Sydney Uni No 1 saw a double-header at Henson Park, with St George taking on UTS followed by Sydney Uni and Balmain.

The early game saw St George continue their rise up the ladder, taking out their third win for the season with a 32-point margin over UTS.
The Dragons set the tone for the afternoon ahead with a solid first quarter, out-pressuring the Bats in the difficult conditions to lead by 21 points at the first change. The Bats attempted to fight back in the second term, but inaccurate finishing was to be their undoing. The Bats won the second quarter, but had the chance to make more impression on the deficit than they did, and there were still 17 points separating the teams at the long break.
The third quarter saw the Dragons step up a gear, and a run of four goals to one for the quarter put the game out of UTS’s reach. It was a more closely contested final quarter, but by then the game was secure for the Dragons and they would go on to collect the spoils of victory and consolidate their position in the top 5.
Jon Shineberg was a focal point for the Dragons, finishing with 6 goal for the afternoon, the experienced Dragon joining Robert Lombardo and Stephen Wilsen to be ranked within St George’s best for the afternoon. For the Bats, Mitchell Hall, Chris Tolj and Andrew Morley were prominent contributors.

The second game of the double header saw top spot on the line as Sydney Uni took on Balmain. Both teams were undefeated before the match, the Dockers holding top spot by a minute percentage difference going into the game. And they would retain the ladder leadership for another week after the Dockers took out a 14-point victory.
The slippery conditions made it difficult for the players, but it was a closely-contested contest which had several momentum swings, and remained in the balance until the final minutes.
The Dockers made the early front-running and led by 21 points at quarter time, but the Students fought back in the second term and hit the front late in the quarter, leading by 4 points at the long break. The third quarter was an arm-wrestle, where the lead changed hands several times.
At the last change the Students were 11 points ahead. But they were unable to run out the game, and the enthusiastic Dockers kept them goal-less in the final quarter while adding five unanswered goals to turn the deficit into victory and put the Dockers outright top of the ladder.
James Howard was a handy target up forward for the Dockers, contributing 4 goals in a best on ground performance. Daniel Turner and former Student Janis Blums were also influential for the Dockers; while the Students were well served by Alex Lee, Adam Campbell and Jesse Martin.

UNSW-ES maintained their position in the top 5 when the Bulldogs completed a 44-point win over Illawarra at the Village Green. But it was a game in which the final margin didn’t adequately reflect the closeness of the contest, with the Lions getting plenty of the footy and creating a myriad of opportunities but being unable to convert them into scoreboard pressure.
The Lions peppered the goals early, but were only able to manage one goal to show for their efforts, and held a 3-point lead at the first change. But the Bulldogs took the lead in the second term, not getting as much of the ball as the Lions but doing more with it when they had possession. Scores were level at the long break, and a 4-goal third quarter to the Bulldogs tilted the game in their favour. The Lions, already struggling to finish with 3.11 in the first half, were only able to add one more goal from their 8 scoring shots in the second half; while the Bulldogs’ 8 second half goals blew the final margin out.
Leigh Lavery continued his form on the forward line, kicking four goals on a day when goals were hard to come by. Tom Atallah, Ben Woods and Xavier Brennan were among the Bulldogs’ best. Rhys Cutifani, Barron Hanson and Ryan Price worked tirelessly in sticky conditions for the Lions.

Since their narrow opening round loss, East Coast Eagles have played themselves into imposing form with a winning streak of runaway victories; and the Eagles continued their purple patch with an 84-point win over an under-manned Campbelltown at Monarch.
The Blues were hit hard by a serious injury to Shanan Kershaw in their previous match, the latest in a decimating run of injuries that seriously threatens the Blues’ prospects of success in 2011. And the morale of the home side took another battering when the Eagles burst out of the block with six unanswered first quarter goals.
The Blues tried to fight back in the second quarter, and won the quarter, but the Eagles still held a 36-point lead at the long break. And tightening the screws after half time, the Eagles held the Blues to just one point for the second half. Although the Monarch Oval surface was in better condition than some others in Sydney, it was still a dead track; but the Eagles seemed untroubled by the conditions and still managed to score 14 goals on the massive Monarch ground.
Stephen Doyle kicked four of those goals, and was best on ground. Rowan Bilkey and Daniel Spiteri were ball magnets for the Eagles, picking up a glut of possession. For the Blues, Kurt Hanson, Bryce Joynson and Marcus Linsen worked hard all afternoon.


North Shore 2.4 4.7 7.9 9.12 (66)
Pennant Hills 2.2 2.2 2.5 7.6 (48)
Goals : North Shore – S Paynter 3, R Wason, D Roberts, P Brackin, R Pryor, L Clancy, J Harry. Pennant Hills – B Jack, K Wright, C Smith, M Thomas, J Lewis, S Turner, B Jack.
Best : North Shore – B Fitzgerald, L Pryor, T Strudwick, R Wason, S Paynter, L Clancy. Pennant Hills – K Wright, M Thomas, A Goodall, J Keen, B Jack, J Mobbs.
At Mike Kenny Oval, Saturday 30th April 2011.


St George 5.3 8.5 12.6 16.8 (104)
UTS 1.6 5.10 6.14 9.18 (72)
Goals : St George – J Shineberg 6, M Holmes 2, D Ryan 2, S Wilsen, B Addison, R Lombardo, A Herne, C Ogle, C Andrews. UTS – A Davis 3, J Spragg 2, A Cowell, C Tolj, H McGregor, J Caica.
Best : St George – R Lombardo, S Wilsen, J Shineberg, P Sain, C Andrews, R Herne. UTS – M Hall, C Tolj, A Morley, M Atkinson, A Kymantas, M Trewhella.
At Henson Park, Saturday 30th April 2011.

Balmain 5.4 6.7 9.10 14.11 (95)
Sydney University 2.1 7.5 11.9 11.15 (81)
Goals : Balmain – J Howard 4, M Fosdike 3, M Edwins 2, N Fosdike 2, A Clark 2, L Freemantle. Sydney Uni – M Rigby 2, M Carter 2, A Campbell, P Dugmore, C Clarebrough, S Sloane, J Cole, T Barrett, T Air.
Best : Balmain – J Howard, J Blums, D Turner, T Stevens, S Schmidt, N Todd. Sydney Uni – A Lee, A Campbell, J Martin, J Caspersonn, J Cole, C Wells.
At Henson Park, Saturday 30th April 2011.

UNSW-ES 1.3 4.5 8.8 12.14 (86)
Illawarra 1.6 3.11 4.13 4.18 (42)
Goals : UNSW-ES – L Lavery 4, R Troon 3, B Haberley 2, B Woods 2, A Duthie. Illawarra – R Price 2, R Cutifani, K Ewen-Chappell.
Best : UNSW-ES – T Atallah, B Woods, X Brennan, A Duthie, H Nichols, T Heath. Illawarra – R Cutifani, B Hanson, R Price, E Hailey, A Barned, K Ewen-Chappell.
At Village Green, Saturday 30th April 2011.

East Coast Eagles 6.6 7.7 12.10 14.14 (98)
Campbelltown 0.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 (14)
Goals : East Coast – S Doyle 4, Jamie Vlatko 3, B Rogers 2, M Goodey 2, B Ure, A Moeller, D Spiteri. Campbelltown – J Brazill, J Parsons.
Best : East Coast – S Doyle, R Bilkey, D Spiteri, Jamie Vlatko, M Goodey. Campbelltown – K Hanson, B Joynson, M Linsen, M Scully, S Hardy, K Clark.
At Monarch Oval, Saturday 30th April 2011.

Play Won Draw Lost For Agnst Pts %age Strk Balmain 5 5 0 0 427 315 100 135.56 W5 East Coast 5 4 0 1 588 220 100 267.27 W4 Sydney Uni 4 3 0 1 369 298 75 123.83 L1 St George 4 3 0 1 322 342 75 94.15 W2 UNSW-ES 5 3 0 2 406 387 60 104.91 W1 Pennant Hills 4 2 0 2 314 275 50 114.18 L1 North Shore 4 2 0 2 253 330 50 76.67 W1 Western Suburbs 4 1 0 3 250 261 25 95.79 L2 Illawarra 5 1 0 4 300 447 20 67.11 L2 Campbelltown 4 0 0 4 229 380 0 60.26 L4 UTS 4 0 0 4 207 410 0 50.49 L4

First Division:
Sydney Uni 12.9 (81) d Macquarie Uni 12.8 (80)
Southern Power v UTS – Cancelled
Pennant Hills 12.9 (81) d North Shore 5.7 (37)
UNSW-ES 14.13 (97) d Illawarra 7.5 (47)
Manly-Warringah 13.13 (91) d East Coast 3.9 (27)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Manly-Warringah (100, 345.54%), Macquarie Uni (80, 235.71%), Southern Power (66.67, 136.96%), Sydney Uni (66.67, 96.10%), East Coast (50, 127.41%), Pennant Hills (50, 76.60%), UTS (50, 76.47%), North Shore (33.33, 79.02%), Western Suburbs (33.33, 57.20%), UNSW-ES (20, 49.42%), Illawarra (0, 52.82%).

Second Division:
Sydney Uni 18.9 (117) d Manly-Warringah 4.12 (36)
Balmain 11.9 (75) d Moorebank 5.2 (32)
St George v Penrith – postponed
NorWest v Camden – postponed
Holroyd-Parramatta 12.22 (94) d Auburn 6.7 (43)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Balmain (100, 256.08%), Sydney Uni (100, 185.89%), Penrith (66.67, 167.32%), St George (66.67, 104.67%), Holroyd-Parramatta (50, 108.84%), Manly-Warringah (50, 73.77%), NorWest (33.33, 79.15%), Auburn (33.33, 67.40%), Moorebank (0, 56.39%), Camden (0, 48.03%).

Third Division:
Sydney Uni 10.13 (73) d Macquarie Uni 6.4 (40)
East Coast 6.9 (45) d Campbelltown 4.6 (30)
UNSW-ES v North Shore – postponed
Southern Power v UTS – postponed
Western Suburbs v Saints AFC – postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) – UNSW-ES (100, 389.66%), Sydney Uni (100, 126.59%), Southern Power (66.67, 158.50%), East Coast (66.67, 112.50%), Saints AFC (50, 223.81%), Western Suburbs (50, 114.17%), UTS (50, 85.48%), Campbelltown (33.33, 31.14%), Macquarie Uni (0, 65.56%), North Shore (0, 24.92%).

Fourth Division:
Moorebank 13.6 (84) d UNSW-ES 3.7 (25)
Manly-Warringah v UTS – cancelled
NorWest v Macquarie Uni – cancelled
Holroyd-Parramatta v Auburn – postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Penrith (100, 300.00%), Macquarie Uni (100, 227.97%), Moorebank (75, 186.62%), Manly-Warringah (50, 74.36%), Holroyd-Parramatta (33.33, 88.27%), UNSW-ES (25, 45.28%), NorWest (0, 85.09%), UTS (0, 37.69%), Auburn (0, 21.47%).

Fifth Division:
Moorebank 9.8 (62) d Camden 9.4 (58)
Manly-Warringah v Macquarie Uni – postponed
Saints AFC v Sydney Uni – postponed
Southern Power 13.18 (96) d Holroyd-Parramatta 5.9 (39)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Southern Power (16, 291.97%), Macquarie Uni (8, 160.63%), Sydney Uni (8, 154.81%), Saints AFC (8, 149.42%), Manly-Warringah (8, 107.41%), Moorebank (8, 89.32%), Camden (0, 47.70%), Holroyd-Parramatta (0, 31.75%).

Under 18s Premier:
East Coast 17.11 (113) d UNSW-ES 6.10 (46)
St George v Penrith – postponed
Western Suburbs v St Ignatius Riverview – postponed
Sydney Uni 16.14 (110) d Illawarra 8.6 (54)
Pennant Hills v North Shore – postponed
Ladder (Match Ratio) – North Shore (100, 317.98%), East Coast (100, 209.66%), St Ignatius Riverview (100, 128.24%), Western Suburbs (66.67, 78.60%), Sydney Uni (50, 126.97%), St George (33.33, 90.23%), Pennant Hills (33.33, 76.53%), Penrith (33.33, 59.50%), Illawarra (25, 61.99%), UNSW-ES (0, 66.46%).

Under 18s Challenge:
Southern Power 12.4 (76) d Moorebank 8.10 (58)
Manly-Warringah 16.12 (108) d Balmain 12.12 (84)
Campbelltown 10.13 (73) d East Coast 3.8 (26)
Holroyd-Parramatta 14.18 (92) d Mac Uni Kookas 6.11 (47)
Ladder (Match Ratio) – Campbelltown (100, 655.56%), Southern Power (100, 228.48%), Mac Uni Warriors (100, 228.33%), Manly-Warringah (75, 143.23%), Holroyd-Parramatta (66.67, 181.25%), East Coast (25, 41.79%), Balmain (0, 77.14%), Moorebank (0, 36.96%), Mac Uni Kookas (0, 24.63%).



NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES:
Premier Division (Lurker’s Kiss of Death in bold):
Saturday 7th May
Gore Hill Oval – North Shore v Campbelltown (2:10pm)
Olds Park – St George v Western Suburbs (2:10pm)
Trumper Park – UTS v Sydney Uni (2:30pm)
Bruce Purser Reserve – East Coast v Pennant Hills (4:10pm)
Sunday 8th May
Drummoyne Oval – Balmain v Illawarra (2:10pm)
BYE – UNSW-ES

First Division:
Saturday 7th May
Trumper Park – UTS v Sydney Uni (10:30am)
Bruce Purser Reserve – East Coast v Pennant Hills (2pm)
University Oval – Macquarie Uni v Illawarra (4:30pm)
Weldon Oval – Manly-Warringah v North Shore (4:30pm)
Sunday 8th May
Gwawley Oval – Southern Power v Western Suburbs (2:10pm)
BYE – UNSW-ES

Second Division:
Saturday 7th May
Olds Park – St George v NorWest (12pm)
Harrington Park – Camden v Auburn (2:10pm)
St Pauls Oval – Sydney Uni v Moorebank (2:10pm)
Weldon Oval – Manly-Warringah v Holroyd-Parramatta (2:30pm)
Sunday 8th May
Drummoyne Oval – Balmain v Penrith (12pm)

Third Division:
Saturday 7th May
Bruce Purser Reserve – East Coast v UNSW-ES (10am)
Trumper Park – UTS v Sydney Uni (10:30am)
Gore Hill Oval – North Shore v Campbelltown (12pm)
Pioneers Park – Saints AFC v Southern Power (2:10pm)
Sunday 8th May
Picken Oval – Western Suburbs v Macquarie Uni (2:10pm)

Fourth Division:
Saturday 7th May
Trumper Park – UTS v Moorebank (8:30am)
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Auburn (12pm)
Weldon Oval – Manly-Warringah v Holroyd-Parramatta (12:30pm)
University Oval – Macquarie Uni v Penrith (2:30pm)
BYE – NorWest


Fifth Division
Saturday 7th May
Weldon Oval – Manly-Warringah v Holroyd-Parramatta (10:30am)
Harrington Park – Camden v Macquarie Uni (12pm)
Pioneers Park – Saints AFC v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
St Pauls Oval – Sydney Uni v Moorebank (12pm)

Under 18s Premier:
Saturday 7th May
Village Green – UNSW-ES v Illawarra (10am)
Bruce Purser Reserve – East Coast v Pennant Hills (12pm)
Sunday 8th May
Riverview First Field – St Ignatius Riverview v St George (10am)
Picken Oval – Western Suburbs v North Shore (12pm)
Alan Davidson Oval – Sydney Uni v Penrith (1pm)

Under 18s Challenge:
Saturday 7th May
Weldon Oval – Manly-Warringah v East Coast (8:30am)
University Oval – Mac Uni Warriors v Campbelltown (12:30pm)
Sunday 8th May
Balmain v Moorebank (10am)
Southern Power v Holroyd-Parramatta (12pm)
BYE – Mac Uni Kookas.