Spill Crew A Grade
University 6.6 42 defeated by Curtin 11.9 75
Uni A Grade was humbled on the weekend following a loss at the hands of an experienced and well drilled Wesley Curtin at South Oval.
The first quarter had Uni on the back foot early in the contest. Down 3 goals to 1 at quarter time, we certainly weren’t happy with how much control WC had over the game. Their strong work rate had the Uni boys a step behind on the defensive end and allowed openside ball which put our backs under a lot of pressure.
To Uni’s credit they certainly turned things around in the 2nd quarter and 3rd quarter. Uni through some tough work inside the contest and an all round lift on the defensive end started to eat into the deficit. Late in the 3rd quarter Uni got to within a goal of WC however some ill discipline helped break a deadlock in the game and by 3QT the margin was back out to 3 goals.
The final quarter was a bit of a lowlight of the season conceding heavily in the first 5-10 minutes however the young Uni side showed their resilience continuing to play out the game with intent despite the result being out of contention.
Debutant Ethan Regan was fantastic in the ruck whilst Oliver Zolnier-Owens worked hard to find the footy and used it well. Tim O’Hara provided a reliable scoring avenue and Isaac Barton once again despite heavy opposition attention continued to have a huge impact.
Although not the result we wanted, the young Uni group is determined to learn from this contest and continue to improve. We hope to be a different side if the opportunities presents to face off against WC again later in the year.
Goals: O’Hara 3, Evans, Alforque, Wilson
Best: OZO, Regan, O’Hara, Barton, Upson
Steinepreis Paganin A Reserves
University 6.12 48 drew with Curtin 7.6 48
The reserves have played out another tight draw for the second year running against Wesley out at south oval on Saturday.
Being billed as the most important game of the season, the reserves had 7 changes to the side that got over Scarborough last week. Highlighted amongst them was the return of J-rad and Patty Wilson.
Coming out in the first quarter we played fine without being spectacular. Patty getting us on the board with his first goal for the season. Meanwhile, Gaj started off brilliantly and helped keep us right in the contest. Wesley kicked 2 though and we were 4 points down at the first break.
The second quarter was tight again and this was reflected by the fact both teams kicked 2.1. Skaz was excellent, also on return for the first time in a couple weeks and essentially played the role of goalkeeper on the day.
Coming out of halftime, while being very strong (demonstrated by the fact we kicked 1.4) it was Wesley who won the quarter. Matt Moroney worked hard on the wing all day, as well as ric holder who was pushed down back to help out.
With a 2 goal deficit coming into the last, the boys had a hill to climb. But as has been shown by this group consistently this year, the boys didn’t roll over. JN, who was having his best game for the season, kicked a late goal to put us up by a point. Despite defending grimly late, Wesley kicked a late point to draw, and that was the final score.
Overall, it was a missed opportunity given the number of scoring shots we had. However, with the changes we had and the usual difficulty of playing Wesley out there, it was a good result altogether. Thanks again to Pat and JRad, and Hugo and Ollie Rob who were doubling up on the day.
We move onto West Coast next week at City Beach oval for some Saturday night football – an exciting occasion for the ressies.
Goals – Pat (3); Quincey, Flynn & JN
Votes – Skaz (5); Gaj (4); Pat (3): Matt & JN (2); Flynn, Ric & Jrad (1)
Red Cloud A Colts
University 2.4 16 defeated by Curtin 7.7 49
Bike Bar Stormers
University 7.3 45 defeated Wembley 1.1 7
GPA Engineering Peacocks
University 1.2 8 defeated by TA’s 3.4 22
4 Pines Pirates
University 14.7 91 defeated North Fremantle 4.7 31
Byfields Dingoes
University 8.8 56 defeated North Fremantle 3.7 25
Round 12 saw the Dingoes host a struggling North Fremantle team on a picturesque day on MCG2. A win for the dings was key as they look to keep in contention for top spot come the later end of the season, but it wouldn’t come easy as Coach Dyl was yet another casualty to the Europe Summer Availability crisis.
The clash began with both sides fighting hard for the upper hand of the contest in a rather messy fashion. North Freo gained early control with some clean ball use through the middle as they put the first goal on the board with Uni’s backline under the pump time and time again. Once again, cult hero Demon stood strong in the ruck working tireless around the ground, providing University with a spark that saw them finally assert themselves into the contest late in the first.
The second quarter was much the same a back and forth affair with neither side able to gain a firm grip on the game. Benny, Nova and Dingoes Resident Hot Bloke; Prowsey, rebounded well off half back, linking up with hardworking Mids Onesy and Fido with clever ball use. Some missed opportunities by the forwards handed University a slender 1 goal lead heading into the main break.
A stirring speech from Interim Playing-Coach Big Al, as well as Adam Prowse’s general presence and aura, had the Dingoes firing on all cylinders as Uni immediately took control of the second half with a 3 goal to 0 quarter. Up forward, Nado was marking everything sent his way, Luca stepped up with some impressive displays while Big Al sold North Freo’s Full-Back the whole trolley as he popped through a tremendous goal.
Unfortunately, the last quarter ran much the same as the first as North Freo gave every effort across the ground where an open and rather slingshot style of play began to take shape with both sides once again unable to piece together clean link up play. Onesy snuck forward for 2 late goals to further extend University’s lead with the final siren sounding on a 31-point victory and another 4 premiership points for the Dingoes.
A hard fought yet inconsistent performance from the Dingoes will have the boys raring to hit the track this week as we look onto facing CBC in round 13.
Best – Prowsey 5, Onesy Benny 4, Demon 3, Luca SPP 2, Nova 1
Subiaco Hotel C-Gulls
University 7.7 49 defeated Fremantle CBC 3.7 25
Despite the brilliant sunny Saturday at Morris Buzzacott reserve, the energies were low pregame. This all changed when coach/wordsmith Bill gave what was probably the most inspiring, uplifting and heart wrenching speech of all time. After a few tears and sobs, the boys were ready to go. Shout out to James Hodgman for his intimately personal secret he felt inspired to share with the group.
With only 20 players available (including 3 fill ins), and 5 of the boys recruited to play 100 minutes of intense Pirate football straight after, we were up against it. CBC, while not being the most skilful bunch, are renowned for being an intense contested side. They brought it from the start and we didn’t look up to it, not wanting to match their hunger for the footy.
The rest of the game however was a different story. Spurred on by at least 15 insane full sprint chase down tackles, our spread and clean ball use ripped our less skilful opposition apart. This was a 4 quarter performance and probably one of our best for the year, given the selection predicament the club faces.
BEST: Bowlsey, Sanga, Gibbo, Collins, Cocksy, Toughy, A Colt