Best of the best on show

NEAFL Eastern v Tasmania

NEAFL Eastern went down to a stronger Tasmanian side by 41 points in perfect conditions at Skoda Stadium on Saturday. The representatives from the Tasmanian State League proved too good, running away with a 8.13 (61) to 15.11 (101) victory.

Tasmania came out firing, looking very dangerous as they booted the first two majors for the match. Josh Bennett managed to give NEAFL Eastern their first goal midway through first, in what was a low scoring first quarter of footy.     

NSW/ACT couldn’t be too disappointed with their start, leading their opponents in clearances and trailing by just 12 points at the first break. Unfortunately, that was the smallest margin of the match, as Tasmania managed to increase their lead in every quarter.

Josh Bennett was a good target up forward and ended the day with four goals, including the first and last for his side.  Kaine Stevens was his usual dominant self, racking up an impressive 35 disposals and receiving best on ground honours.

Tasmania simply had too many talls up forward, and Eastern’s defence weren’t strong enough.  Sonny Whiting and Mitchell Thorpe were both impressive young stars for Tasmania, and kicked three and six goals respectively.

However, best on ground for Tasmania was Bart McCulloch who kicked three majors while also managing 23 disposals from the Ruck.

AFL Sydney v AFL Cairns

In a competitive match at Blacktown International Sportspark, AFL Cairns once again took the spoils over their southern rivals with a hard fought 20 point victory against AFL Sydney on Saturday.

With an unusually early 9:30am start, conditions were slippery early for the match as both teams sized each other up. AFL Sydney hit the scoreboard first through Henry Mason however Cairns were quick to reply through star full forward Matthew Walsh.

As the quarter progressed AFL Sydney appeared to be getting on top however a few skill errors saw AFL Sydney fail to capitalise on their dominance and found themselves three goals down at the first break. Cairns were playing much more direct and their efficiency in the forward 50, in particular from Walsh, was proving to be the difference.

When Cairns kicked the opening goal of the second term to open up a four goal lead alarm bells may have been ringing for AFL Sydney however the southerners responded by kicking the next four goals of the term to take a three-point lead into the main break.

The Sydney run and carry through the middle had clicked into action as they cut up the Cairns side and looked in control of the match heading to the sheds. The slender three-point lead to Sydney could well have more and it was something they would rue in the second half.

The third quarter proved to be the difference between the two sides as a rampant Cairns outfit booted 10 goals to one to put the result of the match beyond doubt.

With the side nine goals down and facing a big loss, Sydney were forced to make a few changes to the matchups and throw caution to the wind in the last quarter. The changes made and a play on at all costs attitude saw the Sydney side get some run back and peg the margin back however there were no nervous moments for the Cairns side despite Sydney kicking seven final quarter goals.

In the end the final margin was a comfortable 20 point win for Cairns who have now beaten Sydney in both encounters.

AFL Sydney Development squad v Riverina FNL

The AFL Sydney Development team today went agonisingly close to causing a huge boil over when they pushed the very strong Riverina team all the way to fall just five point short.

Prior to the match the Riverina side were unbackable favourites based on their strong side as well as the sides previous encounter two years ago – not to mention the home ground advantage. After falling behind in the opening quarter it appeared the Sydney side would be facing the predicted tough day in the office as they trailed by 11 points at the break.

The second term however saw the Sydney side lift as they out-enthused their more experienced opponents. Sydney clawed their way back into the game kicking the first five goals of the quarter to take the lead, one they would hold until the final few minutes of the match. A 22 point lead at the main break and the Sydney side could smell an upset however injuries in the quarter would see the team play with just two on the bench for the second half.

Tthe Riverina boys came out with more intent in the third quarter as they whittled the deficit away. Once again goals in time-on for Riverina proved to be important however at the final break Sydney still were unexpectedly leading by a margin of three points.

A see-sawing final term firstly saw the Sydney side kick back-to-back goals to open up a 15 point lead before Riverina replied. A Sydney goal at the thirteen minute mark by Tim Cummins saw the lead out to 16 points and it appeared the upset might just happen. This led to all out attack from Riverina who then kicked three straight goals, the final one at the 23 minute mark, to take the lead for the first time since the start of the second quarter. The tired legs of the Sydney side could not do any more as Riverina scored a come from behind five-point victory.

NSW/ACT Rams v Vic Metro

Vic Metro was too good for NSW/ACT Rams at Visy Park in the second round of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, winning 20.12 (132) to 9.8 (62).

Vic Metro won every quarter but NSW/ACT were not blown away as may have threatened to be the case early on, mainly due to the fine work of midfielders Michael Gibbons, Lloyd Perris and Jake Barrett.

Gibbons had 29 disposals and five tackles, while Perris (26 disposals and a goal) and Barrett (22 disposals, three goals) contributed nearly half of their side’s goal power.

Potential number one draft pick Tom Boyd further enhanced his credentials with a six-goal haul for Vic Metro on Sunday.

The strong-marking forward booted his six goals in the first three quarters before sitting out the final term. At 199cm and 102kg Boyd is the best available key forward of this year’s NAB AFL Draft and underlined his talent by playing imposing football against NSW/ACT. The 17-year-old ran hard and marked cleanly above his head and in packs, and fought for the ball at ground level.

The Eastern Ranges big man might even have been pushing double figures if not for a couple of wayward shots at goal.

It wasn’t a lone-hand effort, though. Josh Kelly showed his poise through the midfield for Vic Metro with 26 disposals, while Luke McDonald gathered 24 in a solid outing.

Vic Metros’ fleet of midfielders were well served by ruckman Michael Apeness, who had 15 disposals and 33 hit-outs.

Christian Salem finished with 21 disposals and three goals, and midfielder Nathan Freeman showed a burst of speed to go with his smarts around the contest. Another Sandringham Dragon, Karl Amon, was active closer to goal, kicking three majors and looking dangerous throughout the contest.