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| The game was tight early, with both sides defending strongly. North Shore late in the quarter threatened to build a lead, but a goal after the siren closed the gap to just 2 points at the first change. The second quarter followed a similar pattern, being goal for goal early; but a late rally by North Shore saw them lead by 15 points at the long break. But the damage was done in the premiership quarter, with the Bombers running through 6 goals to 1 to put the result beyond doubt. The final margin was 45 points - a comfortable victory for North Shore to ensure the Bombers a place in next week's grand final. For Pennant Hills, their dream of back-to-back premierships was not to be. In the past three seasons, the Demons have finished in the top 3 - but ironically, the season they went on to win the premiership was the year when they had the worst win-loss record. The ability to hit peak form at the right time of year can be hard to manage; but in recent years has proved to be the difference between success and failure. A 10-match winning streak leading into the finals, and taking the minor premiership on the last day of the season, made the Demons look good; but they will be disappointed with their fade-out in the finals. But there were positives to come out of this season. In particular, for a club known for its record at promoting local juniors, another crop of up-and-comers made their mark on Sydney AFL senior football this season. Ranga Ediwickrama is apprenticed to Geelong and Scott Reed to Collingwood; but even if neither of them end up in AFL ranks they are likely to have long and successful careers at the Demons for seasons to come. Aaron Crisfield and Bart Mill were also nominated for the Rising Star award. Pennant Hills made the finals in every competition they entered in 2007, with their Second Division team having taken out the premiership and the Reserves and Under 18s Premier Cup teams to play in the grand final. Failure to make the senior grand final was a disappointment, but the club remains strong and hopes will be high for a return to grand final action next season. Next week's grand final will see St George taking on North Shore. St George have had the week off, which isn't always an advantage. Only one team in the last 5 years has won the grand final after having the week off - ironically that team was North Shore against St George in 2004. Will the Crows turn the tables in 2007? Recent years have had a pattern of the dominant team taking on a challenger, usually with the challenger springing the upset. But this year there hasn't been a dominant team; with St George finishing 2nd on percentage behind Pennant Hills and only one win clear of North Shore. Each side has had one win over the other in 2007; but one key psychological factor for St George is that they achieved their win over the Bombers at Henson Park. North Shore 2.3 8.6 14.10 18.13 (121) Pennant Hills 2.1 6.3 7.6 11.10 (76) Goals : North Shore - C McLachlan 4, M Sawyer 3, M Parker 2, J Crosby 2, B Attwood 2, L Pryor 2, M Livy, A Lowes, R Davis. Pennant Hills - L Spencer 3, M Carey 3, J Moriatis, C Richardson, N Campbell, C Setford, K Wright. At Henson Park, Sunday 9th September 2007. In Reserve Grade, East Coast Eagles ensured themselves a chance to defend last year's premiership with a 23-point win over Sydney Uni. The momentum see-sawed for the first 3 quarters, but the Eagles' superior finishing saw them pull away in the last term. Moeller and Spiteri each contributed 3 goals for the Eagles; who will take on Pennant Hills in the Grand Final. Under 18s Premier Cup saw Pennant Hills wrap up a grand final berth with a 42-point win over St George. The Demons were inaccurate early, which enabled the Crows to lead by 2 points at the first change; but the Pennant Hills defence held firm and the Crows would not score again until late in the third quarter. Pennant Hills will take on the undefeated North Shore Wildcats in the Grand Final. Reserve Grade - East Coast Eagles 13.7 (85) d Sydney University 9.8 (62) Under 18s Premier - Pennant Hills 10.9 (69) d St George 4.3 (27) It was Grand Final day at Kelso for First & Second Divisions, and the First Division grand final was a thriller. Southern Sharks and Manly-Warringah were very closely matched and a close contest was expected; but the contest was even closer than that - so close that extra time was needed to find a winner. But extra time saw the Wolves run through 2 goals to 1 point, giving Manly their first premiership since 1996. Manly Warringah 1.2 2.9 4.12 8.14 (62) 10.14 (74) Southern Sharks 4.2 5.2 8.5 9.8 (62) 9.9 (63) Goals : Manly - J Coleman 2, D Canham, R Clack, K Hayward, M Rawle, R Wharton, C Pettersson, A Lee, P Bourke. Southern Sharks - M Bellman 2, D Stanton 2, D Napper 2, L Johnson, J Philp, S Brierty. UTS defended their First Division Reserves premiership, with the Bats taking out a 30-point win over Manly-Warringah. The Wolves made the front-running to lead by 12 points at the first change; but the Bats hit back to lead by 8 points at half-time and were able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the match after holding the Wolves to just a solitary goal with the wind in the third and powering home in the last quarter. University of Technology 1.2 5.4 6.5 9.10 (64) Manly-Warringah 3.2 4.2 5.3 5.4 (34) Goals : UTS - A Thain 3, G Ginn 2, E Rasheed 2, L Bishop, S Ellis. Manly - T Kohlhagen 2, T Anderson, A Dransfield, S Addicott. Pennant Hills took out the Second Division premiership after defeating UNSW-ES Bulldogs by 24 points in the grand final. The Demons got off to a flying start, kicking the first 4 goals into the wind, and although the Bulldogs fought hard they were never able to pull back the lead. It was Pennant Hills' first premiership at Second Division level since the competition was renamed as Second Division, although the Demons had experienced success at that level in 2001 and 2003; but a disappointment for the Bulldogs who have been runners-up two seasons in a row. Pennant Hills 4.0 5.3 6.4 10.4 (64) UNSW-ES Bulldogs 2.1 3.3 5.4 6.4 (40) Goals : Pennant Hills - J Lyall 3, J Rakik 2, B Young 2, G Hume, T Young, R McCleland. UNSW-ES - R Sampson 2, P Gallo, A Lynch, B Camelleri, A Bantoft. The Under 18s Challenge Cup grand final was held on Sunday morning at Henson Park, and St Ignatius Riverview led all day to take a convincing 53-point victory over Manly-Warringah. Despite an inaccurate second quarter when they kicked 3.8, there was no way for the Wolves to work their way back into the contest. Ben Woods was awarded the match ball as best on ground, but it was a solid team effort by the school side; who have only been playing football for a few years, but have already taken out two premierships, had one player (Malcolm Lynch) drafted and another (Will Sierakowski) apprenticed to Hawthorn. St Ignatius Riverview 5.3 8.11 11.18 13.19 (97) Manly-Warringah 2.1 3.4 3.5 6.8 (44) Goals : Riverview - M Ahern 4, N Fitzgerald 3, T Ryan 3, B Woods, W Sierakowski, M Somes. Manly - D Stroud, M Meadows, T Hickford, J Sheedy, L Cullen, J Dinale. NEXT WEEK'S FIXTURES: It all comes down to the One Day in September, Sydney Football's showpiece day. Three games between the best teams in their grades. First up, the undefeated North Shore Wildcats take on Pennant Hills. It's a Hills derby in reserve grade, with Pennant Hills up against East Coast Eagles. Finally the main game sees St George and North Shore in action, in a contest that has the makings of a classic contest. Will the Bombers fly up, or will the Crows be the Pride of Southern Sydney? All will be revealed on Saturday, all footballing roads leading to Henson Park. And to those not familiar with Sydney football, looking for a football fix with the Swans out of action and no AFL scheduled for Saturday afternoon, why not make the trek to Henson Park on Saturday and check out the best that this tier of football in Sydney has to offer. Grand Final Day, Henson Park, Saturday 15th September 9:30am: Under 18 Premier Cup - North Shore Wildcats v Pennant Hills 12:00pm: Premier Division Reserves - Pennant Hills v East Coast Eagles 2:30pm: Premier Division Seniors - St George v North Shore |
SYDNEY AFL PRELIMINARY FINAL - Bombers Make Finals
Appearance a Shore Thing
Momentum is a key feature of finals football. Once a team gets on
a winning streak, they can be hard to stop; but a team that
experiences a loss has a tough time bouncing back. The
Page-McIntyre final-4 system in its current form can make teams
prone to momentum which proves difficult to shift.
Until 2002, the first and second semi-finals were played a week
apart. The team that won the first semi-final often found
themselves disadvantaged in having a 2-week break before their
next game; and the winning momentum they had built was lost.
But since 2003, the semi-finals have been played on the same
weekend - and although the loser of the second semi-final was a
team placed higher on the ladder than the winner of the first
semi-final, the momentum gained in the semi-final weekend has
over-ridden previous form; and no second semi-final loser has ever
bounced back to win the prelim final.
The 2007 prelim final saw Pennant Hills take on North Shore, the
same teams that battled out the 2005 prelim final. In 2005, North
Shore's Dean Davies was the dominant player; and in the lead-up
to this match is was another Davies, younger brother Simon, who
was the subject of pre-match interest. A whisper was circulating
around the ground that the young Bomber, who had earlier been
ruled out with a shoulder injury, would be a late inclusion. The
rumour proved to be accurate; with Davies' shoulder recovering
quicker than expected for him to pass a last-minute fitness test and
take his place in the North Shore lineup.
Appearance a Shore Thing
Momentum is a key feature of finals football. Once a team gets on
a winning streak, they can be hard to stop; but a team that
experiences a loss has a tough time bouncing back. The
Page-McIntyre final-4 system in its current form can make teams
prone to momentum which proves difficult to shift.
Until 2002, the first and second semi-finals were played a week
apart. The team that won the first semi-final often found
themselves disadvantaged in having a 2-week break before their
next game; and the winning momentum they had built was lost.
But since 2003, the semi-finals have been played on the same
weekend - and although the loser of the second semi-final was a
team placed higher on the ladder than the winner of the first
semi-final, the momentum gained in the semi-final weekend has
over-ridden previous form; and no second semi-final loser has ever
bounced back to win the prelim final.
The 2007 prelim final saw Pennant Hills take on North Shore, the
same teams that battled out the 2005 prelim final. In 2005, North
Shore's Dean Davies was the dominant player; and in the lead-up
to this match is was another Davies, younger brother Simon, who
was the subject of pre-match interest. A whisper was circulating
around the ground that the young Bomber, who had earlier been
ruled out with a shoulder injury, would be a late inclusion. The
rumour proved to be accurate; with Davies' shoulder recovering
quicker than expected for him to pass a last-minute fitness test and
take his place in the North Shore lineup.
| The game was tight early, with both sides defending strongly. North Shore late in the quarter threatened to build a lead, but a goal after the siren closed the gap to just 2 points at the first change. The second quarter followed a similar pattern, being goal for goal early; but a late rally by North Shore saw them lead by 15 points at the long break. But the damage was done in the premiership quarter, with the Bombers running through 6 goals to 1 to put the result beyond doubt. The final margin was 45 points - a comfortable victory for North Shore to ensure the Bombers a place in next week's grand final. For Pennant Hills, their dream of back-to-back premierships was not to be. In the past three seasons, the Demons have finished in the top 3 - but ironically, the season they went on to win the premiership was the year when they had the worst win-loss record. The ability to hit peak form at the right time of year can be hard to manage; but in recent years has proved to be the difference between success and failure. A 10-match winning streak leading into the finals, and taking the minor premiership on the last day of the season, made the Demons look good; but they will be disappointed with their fade-out in the finals. But there were positives to come out of this season. In particular, for a club known for its record at promoting local juniors, another crop of up-and-comers made their mark on Sydney AFL senior football this season. Ranga Ediwickrama is apprenticed to Geelong and Scott Reed to Collingwood; but even if neither of them end up in AFL ranks they are likely to have long and successful careers at the Demons for seasons to come. Aaron Crisfield and Bart Mill were also nominated for the Rising Star award. Pennant Hills made the finals in every competition they entered in 2007, with their Second Division team having taken out the premiership and the Reserves and Under 18s Premier Cup teams to play in the grand final. Failure to make the senior grand final was a disappointment, but the club remains strong and hopes will be high for a return to grand final action next season. Next week's grand final will see St George taking on North Shore. St George have had the week off, which isn't always an advantage. Only one team in the last 5 years has won the grand final after having the week off - ironically that team was North Shore against St George in 2004. Will the Crows turn the tables in 2007? Recent years have had a pattern of the dominant team taking on a challenger, usually with the challenger springing the upset. But this year there hasn't been a dominant team; with St George finishing 2nd on percentage behind Pennant Hills and only one win clear of North Shore. Each side has had one win over the other in 2007; but one key psychological factor for St George is that they achieved their win over the Bombers at Henson Park. North Shore 2.3 8.6 14.10 18.13 (121) Pennant Hills 2.1 6.3 7.6 11.10 (76) Goals : North Shore - C McLachlan 4, M Sawyer 3, M Parker 2, J Crosby 2, B Attwood 2, L Pryor 2, M Livy, A Lowes, R Davis. Pennant Hills - L Spencer 3, M Carey 3, J Moriatis, C Richardson, N Campbell, C Setford, K Wright. At Henson Park, Sunday 9th September 2007. In Reserve Grade, East Coast Eagles ensured themselves a chance to defend last year's premiership with a 23-point win over Sydney Uni. The momentum see-sawed for the first 3 quarters, but the Eagles' superior finishing saw them pull away in the last term. Moeller and Spiteri each contributed 3 goals for the Eagles; who will take on Pennant Hills in the Grand Final. Under 18s Premier Cup saw Pennant Hills wrap up a grand final berth with a 42-point win over St George. The Demons were inaccurate early, which enabled the Crows to lead by 2 points at the first change; but the Pennant Hills defence held firm and the Crows would not score again until late in the third quarter. Pennant Hills will take on the undefeated North Shore Wildcats in the Grand Final. Reserve Grade - East Coast Eagles 13.7 (85) d Sydney University 9.8 (62) Under 18s Premier - Pennant Hills 10.9 (69) d St George 4.3 (27) It was Grand Final day at Kelso for First & Second Divisions, and the First Division grand final was a thriller. Southern Sharks and Manly-Warringah were very closely matched and a close contest was expected; but the contest was even closer than that - so close that extra time was needed to find a winner. But extra time saw the Wolves run through 2 goals to 1 point, giving Manly their first premiership since 1996. Manly Warringah 1.2 2.9 4.12 8.14 (62) 10.14 (74) Southern Sharks 4.2 5.2 8.5 9.8 (62) 9.9 (63) Goals : Manly - J Coleman 2, D Canham, R Clack, K Hayward, M Rawle, R Wharton, C Pettersson, A Lee, P Bourke. Southern Sharks - M Bellman 2, D Stanton 2, D Napper 2, L Johnson, J Philp, S Brierty. UTS defended their First Division Reserves premiership, with the Bats taking out a 30-point win over Manly-Warringah. The Wolves made the front-running to lead by 12 points at the first change; but the Bats hit back to lead by 8 points at half-time and were able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the match after holding the Wolves to just a solitary goal with the wind in the third and powering home in the last quarter. University of Technology 1.2 5.4 6.5 9.10 (64) Manly-Warringah 3.2 4.2 5.3 5.4 (34) Goals : UTS - A Thain 3, G Ginn 2, E Rasheed 2, L Bishop, S Ellis. Manly - T Kohlhagen 2, T Anderson, A Dransfield, S Addicott. Pennant Hills took out the Second Division premiership after defeating UNSW-ES Bulldogs by 24 points in the grand final. The Demons got off to a flying start, kicking the first 4 goals into the wind, and although the Bulldogs fought hard they were never able to pull back the lead. It was Pennant Hills' first premiership at Second Division level since the competition was renamed as Second Division, although the Demons had experienced success at that level in 2001 and 2003; but a disappointment for the Bulldogs who have been runners-up two seasons in a row. Pennant Hills 4.0 5.3 6.4 10.4 (64) UNSW-ES Bulldogs 2.1 3.3 5.4 6.4 (40) Goals : Pennant Hills - J Lyall 3, J Rakik 2, B Young 2, G Hume, T Young, R McCleland. UNSW-ES - R Sampson 2, P Gallo, A Lynch, B Camelleri, A Bantoft. The Under 18s Challenge Cup grand final was held on Sunday morning at Henson Park, and St Ignatius Riverview led all day to take a convincing 53-point victory over Manly-Warringah. Despite an inaccurate second quarter when they kicked 3.8, there was no way for the Wolves to work their way back into the contest. Ben Woods was awarded the match ball as best on ground, but it was a solid team effort by the school side; who have only been playing football for a few years, but have already taken out two premierships, had one player (Malcolm Lynch) drafted and another (Will Sierakowski) apprenticed to Hawthorn. St Ignatius Riverview 5.3 8.11 11.18 13.19 (97) Manly-Warringah 2.1 3.4 3.5 6.8 (44) Goals : Riverview - M Ahern 4, N Fitzgerald 3, T Ryan 3, B Woods, W Sierakowski, M Somes. Manly - D Stroud, M Meadows, T Hickford, J Sheedy, L Cullen, J Dinale. NEXT WEEK'S FIXTURES: It all comes down to the One Day in September, Sydney Football's showpiece day. Three games between the best teams in their grades. First up, the undefeated North Shore Wildcats take on Pennant Hills. It's a Hills derby in reserve grade, with Pennant Hills up against East Coast Eagles. Finally the main game sees St George and North Shore in action, in a contest that has the makings of a classic contest. Will the Bombers fly up, or will the Crows be the Pride of Southern Sydney? All will be revealed on Saturday, all footballing roads leading to Henson Park. And to those not familiar with Sydney football, looking for a football fix with the Swans out of action and no AFL scheduled for Saturday afternoon, why not make the trek to Henson Park on Saturday and check out the best that this tier of football in Sydney has to offer. Grand Final Day, Henson Park, Saturday 15th September 9:30am: Under 18 Premier Cup - North Shore Wildcats v Pennant Hills 12:00pm: Premier Division Reserves - Pennant Hills v East Coast Eagles 2:30pm: Premier Division Seniors - St George v North Shore |
