Men’s Premier Division MOTW: Students settle their Demons

Written by Michael Shillito.

Pennant Hills Demons vs. Sydney University – Mike Kenny Oval on Saturday, April 7, 2018.

Pennant Hills unfurled their Premiership flag on Saturday, taking our memories back to last year’s Grand Final where some desperate heroics got the Demons over the line against Sydney University.

The same teams would face-off again at Mike Kenny Oval in Round One, but this time, the result would be reversed as the Students took out the match by 55 points.

There was not much in it in the opening quarter. It was a scrap as the two sides took some time to feel each other out and easy possessions were hard to come by. Just two goals apiece would be scored, with the game looking like being a wrestle for the elusive ball. The Demons would lead by two points at the first change.

But the game changed in complexion when the two teams returned for the second quarter. The Demons were still scrapping and struggling to get clean possessions, but the Students found another gear and stamped their mark of authority over the game. It did not take long in the second quarter for the Students to take the lead, and as the quarter progressed, their dominance became more pronounced. A run of five unanswered goals saw the Students turn their quarter-time deficit into a 28-point half-time lead.

It did not get any better for the Demons in the third term, as they were again unable to find the big sticks. They were struggling to get a run of possession going against a Students side that was piling on the pressure, and although the Students were only able to add three goals during the third term, such was their defensive effort that it was more than sufficient. Leading by 48 points at three-quarter time, it was clear that the Students were cruising to victory.

The pain of the 2017 Premiership glory denied will never go away. A Round One win does not erase the hurt of last year’s Grand Final shock, but it’s the first step towards redemption and a start along the road to go one-better this year. For this Students, this was a positive first step. Going on with the job in the last quarter, they added another four goals to three, to stretch the final winning margin to 55 points.

Matthew Vicic kicked five for the Students and Tristan Davies four. Vicic joined Nick Foster and Monty Krochmal in the Students’ best, as Sydney University got their campaign to go one-better than 2017 off to a flying start.

Jackson Potter, Alex Goodall and Tom Angel worked hard all day for the Demons. It was not their day, but a footy season is a marathon not a sprint. The Demons started slowly last year and only hit their stride at the business end of the season. No doubt the Demons will build up again this year as the season progresses.

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY – 2.1 7.2 10.6 14.8 (92)

PENNANT HILLS – 2.3 2.4 2.6 5.7 (37)

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY GOALS – M Vicic 5, T Davies 4, M Nettheim 2, M Krochmal, A Clarke, S Gilfedder

PENNANT HILLS GOALS – T Abbott, J Potter, L Skrivanic, N Hey, A Crisfield

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY BEST – N Foster, M Vicic, M Krochmal, M Nettheim, J Swarts, S Gilfedder

PENNANT HILLS BEST– J Potter, A Goodall, T Angel, L Shepherd, C Lee, A Crisfield

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