AFL Sydney Premier Division Men’s and Women’s – Round 2 Preview
Written by Michael Shillito
Photo: Leigh Gazzard
The first round is done and dusted. But there’s still a long way to go. For the teams who enjoyed first-up wins, there’s a chance to build some momentum. But for those who weren’t able to get the points in the opening round, there’s still plenty of time to get the season on track.
Another enticing round of footy is coming up.
Mens Premier Division
East Coast Eagles v Manly-Warringah Wolves – Kanebridge Oval 2pm
Tune in LIVE via the AFL Sydney Facebook Page from 1:55pm this Saturday for AFL Sydney Men’s Premier Division ‘Match of the Round’ from Kanebridge Oval, Kellyville
The live streaming match of the round will be the clash from Kanebridge Oval, where East Coast will be playing host to Manly. With both clubs dropping their opening round game, this is a big opportunity to get the win that will kick-start the season.
The Eagles went down to St George by 35 points in the first round. It was a lot closer for most of the day, and there was only a kick in it at half time; but the Eagles ran out of legs late in the day. Andrew Browning and Brandon Clark were towers of strength in defence last week, and they’ll be called into action again this time round to keep the Manly forwards quiet.
The Wolves had a cracking contest against Inner West last week, and in the end were unlucky to go down by five points after being held out in a tense final quarter. Alex Fraser and Nick Marsh were ball magnets in that opening round clash; and the Wolves will be looking to them to keep collecting the big stats this time round.
There shouldn’t be much in this contest, and expect the desperation stakes to be high. Neither team wants to be 0-2, but someone will be.
UTS Bats v North Shore Bombers – Waverley Oval 1:15pm
The Bats and the Bombers both took out first round wins, and the opportunity to go 2-0 and make the front-running for the 2021 season is plenty of incentive to get the job done at Waverley Oval.
The Bats were unable to salute last year, but a dominant performance against Camden in round 1 saw them record a 117-point win and go straight to the top of the ladder. Sam Williams spearheaded the UTS charge with a 10-goal haul, while Josh Lee in his first game for the Bats showed his new club that he has plenty to offer when he isn’t on VFL duty.
North Shore got their 2021 campaign off to a flying start at Gore Hill last Saturday. Kicking the first seven goals of the game, a 51-point win against the defending premiers showed that North Shore are again a strong chance of being there at the business end of the season. Jack Campbell and ruckman Christian Loone, after interrupted 2020 seasons, showed they are ready to make substantial contributions to the North Shore effort in 2021.
This game will be a test of where the Bats are at and how much they have grown after last year’s winless season. A strong performance against one of the competition favourites will send a message that the 2021 Bats are a much-improved outfit.
Sydney Uni Students v Inner West Magpies – Sydney Uni No 1 Oval 1:50pm
A keenly-fought contest is expected at Sydney Uni No 1 Oval, where the Students will be taking on the Magpies for the Peter Ramus Cup.
Sydney Uni’s premiership defence didn’t go to script at Gore Hill last Saturday, when a slow start against North Shore meant the Students were never in the contest and went down by 51 points. Nick Lees and Louis Wilson were tireless workers against the odds last week; and the Students will again be looking for some big efforts from them to get themselves into a position for their first win of the season.
The Magpies have high hopes of returning to finals action this year, and they got up in a thriller against Manly at Weldon last week to open their 2021 campaign. Josh Robinson and rover Brandon Lagana played instrumental roles in getting the Magpies over the line, but there were many who had to dig deep to get the points in round 1.
There shouldn’t be much in this one. The Students have plenty of firepower, but they’ll have to put in plenty of work to get up against what is sure to be a determined effort by the Magpies.
Camden Cats v UNSW-ES Bulldogs – Fairfax Reserve 2:00pm
The south-west sees Premier Division action for the first time in 2021, as Camden return home to Fairfax for a clash against UNSW-ES.
Last week felt too bad to be true for the Cats, as they were beaten by UTS by 117 points at Waverley. David Stalker and Will Gamble kept working hard against the odds last week, and the Cats will be looking to persist and roll the dice in a game where they need to work harder, defend strongly and deny their opposition the easy touches that the Bats were able to get last week.
Their opponents will be UNSW-ES. The Bulldogs are again expected to be one of the powerhouse clubs in this year’s season, and after a tight first half last week pulled away from Pennant Hills to start their season with a 54-point win. There’s plenty of star power in the Bulldogs’ lineup; and Brandon Jack and first-gamer Mitchell Conn wasted no time in establishing their credentials for 2021 as they picked up plenty of the ball in the Bulldogs’ convincing second half effort.
It wasn’t a great start to the season for Camden last week. The Cats will need to show an improved effort and they’ll be looking to take it up to one of the competition heavyweights. A competitive effort at home will go a long way to improving their outlook for the season.
St George Dragons v Pennant Hills Demons – Old Park 2:30pm
A replay of last year’s Elimination Final at Olds Park sees St George take on Pennant Hills, in what will be the Dragons’ first home game of the season.
The Dragons took some time to shake off the persistent Eagles in their opening round clash at Kanebridge, but a five-goal final quarter was enough to get home by 35 points. When the game was there to be won, Nathan Kenny and Ben Hodgson were on hand to pick up plenty of the ball in the midfield and drive the ball forward. Look for them again to get involved in this contest.
The Demons hosted UNSW-ES at Mike Kenny last week. There was only a point in it at half time, but they were unable to match it with the Bulldogs in the second half and ended up going down by 54 points. Charles Allison and Harry Maguire worked tirelessly for the Demons last week, and they will be looking to continue that run of form this time round to keep the Demons in the contest for a full four-quarter effort.
With the home ground advantage, and having got it done in the finals last year, St George will feel confident in their chances of getting up here. But the Demons have plenty of fight in them, and they won’t want to start their season 0-2. This won’t be an easy contest.
Womens Premier Division
East Coast Eagles v Manly Wolves – Kanebridge Oval 12:20pm
Tune in LIVE via the AFL Sydney Facebook Page from 12:15pm this Saturday for AFL Sydney Men’s Premier Division ‘Match of the Round’ from Kanebridge Oval, Kellyville
Saturday’s live streaming match comes from Kanebridge Oval, a replay of last year’s Major Semi Final as East Coast take on Manly.
The Eagles go into this game with winning form behind them, on the back of a 14-point win over Southern Power in the opening round. Ally Dallaway and Emily Hurley, two Eagles who have been with the club since they started in womens footy, featured prominently in getting them over the line in the opening round; and the Eagles will again be calling on their experience in what will be a tough test for them.
The Wolves unfurled their flag last Saturday at Weldon, and got their title defence off to a flying start with a 23-point win over the Magpies. They had plenty of their AFLW stars back up to play in the season opener. Lisa Steane and Holly Graham were the standouts for the Wolves in the first round, and the Wolves will expect them to again feature prominently this time round.
The Wolves won last year’s Major Semi-Final, and a return to the scene of last year’s finals triumph will be a clash they will be looking forward to. But there’s some work to be done, and with the home ground advantage the Eagles will be no pushover.
Macquarie Uni Warriors v UNSW-ES Bulldogs – Macquarie Uni Oval 1:30pm
The match-up between Macquarie Uni and UNSW-ES at Mac Uni Oval on Saturday afternoon may well be pivotal in shaping the performance of the two teams in 2021.
The Warriors were in a tight battle last week at Waverley, but fell 18 points short against UTS. But there were plenty of positive signs despite the loss; and the form of Katie Johnson and Hannah Cerzo will be an encouraging development for the Warriors as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 and make a move up in 2021.
The Bulldogs got their season off to a good start at Mike Kenny Oval last Saturday, when they got off to a flying start then defended grimly to get up against Pennant Hills by 10 points. First-gamers Teena Campbell and Emilye Blades made a great first impression, picking up plenty of the ball; and they’ll again be looking to impress this time round.
If the home side can take the points this time round, both teams will find themselves 1-1 and with their season on the line. But a Bulldogs’ win would see them move to 2-0, already more wins than they achieved in all of last season and set for a move up the ladder this season.
UTS Bats v North Shore Bombers – Waverley Oval 3:25pm
A clash between two teams who enjoyed first-up wins will be fought out at Waverley on Saturday afternoon as the UTS Bats play host to the North Shore Bombers.
The Bats got their season off to a positive start with an 18-point win over Macquarie Uni at Waverley last week. It was a win spearheaded by strong performances from Melissa Lindsay and Kaitlin McCaffery; and they’ll be looking to carry that strong opening form into this week’s match.
The Bombers started their season in good form, leading from the start to record a comfortable 31-point win over Sydney Uni at Gore Hill. The experienced hands of Tilly Eder and Georgia Walker led the way, and the Bombers will again be looking to them to feature prominently this time round.
There’s a great opportunity to go 2-0 and jump to the top of the competition ladder. Expect a no-holds-barred contest between two teams with plenty of ambition to feature prominently at the business end of the season. There shouldn’t be much in this one.
Sydney Uni Bombers v Inner West Magpies – Sydney Uni No 1 4:20pm
An intriguing clash is promised in a twilight fixture at Sydney Uni No 1 as Sydney Uni host Inner West Magpies.
Sydney Uni were unable to get the start to the season they were looking for, as they were only able to manage two goals for the day and went down to North Shore by 31 points at Gore Hill. On a tough day for Sydney Uni, Chaylee Reeve and Brianna Murphy battled tirelessly against the odds. But more work will need to be done this time round to get the season on track.
The Magpies also went down in their opening round clash, as they fell 23 points short of defending champions Manly at Weldon Oval. Despite the loss, they had some solid service from Laura Marshall and Eleri Morris, who both picked up plenty of the ball throughout the afternoon. The Magpies will again be looking for plenty of ball usage from them as they look to break through for their first win of the year.
No team wants to start the season with back-to-back losses; but one of the teams will suffer that fate. The stakes are high, and there’ll be plenty of desperation and tight defending required in what is likely to be a tight and tough encounter.
Southern Power v Pennant Hills Demons – Waratah Oval 5:30pm
An evening clash in the Shire will complete the second round of the season, as Southern Power take on Pennant Hills.
The Power travelled to Kanebridge in the opening round, but despite a gallant effort fell 14 points short of the Eagles. Former Giants AFLW forward Kate Stanton slammed four goals home while Jemima Wrigley worked hard all day to keep the Power in the contest. But the Power will be looking to boost their workrate further and work themselves into a position to challenge the top sides in the competition.
The Demons weren’t able to get the job done against the Bulldogs, with a slow start and falling 10 points short. But there were plenty of positive signs for the Demons, in particular the form of Charlotte Owen and Elanor Rugg; who are looking to step up and make a prominent contribution in the Demons’ second season at this level.
There’ll be plenty of desperation on display as two sides that were unable to record an opening round win. No-one wants to start the season 0-2. Someone will have that unenviable result; so a big effort will be required to make sure it’s not them.
