Round 8 Men’s and Women’s Premier Division Match Preview

(Photo courtesy of Merrillie Redden Photography)

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Written by Michael Shillito

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It’s the last weekend of autumn. There’s a chill in the morning air, but the sun shines brightly and our footy fields are open and in good condition for what promises to be another exciting round of action. We’ve got a Friday night blockbuster to get us going before another super Saturday of footy.

This weekend Manly in the Men’s and UTS in the Womens have the bye. For the Wolves men, the break comes after they consolidated their place in the top five with a thrilling win over St George last week. The Bats women have the week to regroup after their first loss of the season, but they find themselves well placed on the ladder.

For the remaining eight teams in each comp, there’s some important games coming up. At this stage of the season, it’s all about accumulating the premiership points to get into finals contention.

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MENS PREMIER DIVISION

UNSW-ES Bulldogs v Sydney University

Henson Park, Friday 7:00pm

Round 8 kicks off with a rare Friday night blockbuster at Henson Park; a University derby and a clash of two of the Mens Premier Division heavyweights at the Bulldogs and Students collide. It’s a game that could define the destiny of two of our finals aspirants; and if you can’t get to Henson Park to see this one, the next best thing is to tune in to the action live on Kayo Sports and the AFL Sydney Facebook page.

UNSW-ES have plenty of star power in their lineup, and they flexed their muscle against Pennant Hills at Mike Kenny Oval last week. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, a nine goal second term laid the platform for a 30-point win. Kieran Emery spearheaded the charge with a six-goal haul; while Fred Tricks was performing his football magic, and Lachlan O’Callaghan was also featuring prominently. The Bulldogs remain in second place, having only dropped one game and with an imposing percentage; but a game like this one is where they can get an edge over a potential finals rival.

Sydney Uni also go into this game with winning form on the board. Last week at home against Inner West, they got off to a flying start with six unanswered goals in the first term, which was enough for them to cruise home to an easy 34-point win. Jack Hiscox helped himself to four goals, while Angus McNamara and Jack Dimery were also in the thick of the action. The Students have a 5-1 record so far this season, only behind the Bulldogs on percentage. And will climb to outright second place if they can get the points here.

It’s been quite a rivalry between these University clubs in the last few years. Three Grand Finals in a row from 2018 to 2020, plenty of other finals clashes. A win here is effectively eight points; the four points that the winner gets plus the four points the loser doesn’t. Plus a key psychological edge ahead of future meetings. There’s some great players at both clubs, you’d think both clubs will have their players psyched up and pumped for this one. Should be a cracker to start the weekend.

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North Shore Bombers v East Coast Eagles

Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 12:00pm

Every team in Mens Premier Division has had a win this season. East Coast finally broke through last week and sang the song for the first time this season. But it doesn’t get easier for the Eagles, as they have a tough away trip to the Gore Hill synthetic for a clash against the in-form North Shore.

North Shore go into this clash refreshed after last week’s bye, and remain the only undefeated team so far in 2023. Their last start two weeks ago was at Gore Hill, where they were tested by Manly but made the premiership quarter count to record a 35-point win. Jordan Law, Sean Netting and Jack Woodman were standouts for the Bombers; who did enough to maintain their unbeaten run. Now with a free week to recover from any little niggles, and on their home turf, they’re ready to resume their run of dominance; and the Eagles will need to pull out something special here.

It had been a long time between drinks for the Eagles. Their last win at this level was the week before the 2021 season was cut short. But last Saturday at Kanebridge against UTS, once they had a sniff of victory they weren’t letting go. It was tight for three quarters, but the Eagles sensed their opportunity and took full advantage with seven goals in the final term to complete a 53-point win. Josaia Delana, Daniel Gauci and Luke Parkinson featured prominently; but there were many others who chipped in to make the win happen. With a young side, there would have been plenty of them having the sports drink shower in the room when they were singing the song. But now they have another challenge, having to back up the next week and maintain that form.

It’s the second time these two sides have faced off in 2023. The round 2 meeting at Kanebridge saw North Shore dominate from start to finish to record a 92-point win. They’ll be keen to maintain that dominance. But the Eagles have their tails up after last week’s breakthrough; and they’ll be looking to maintain that winning feeling that they’ve waited so long to experience. The Eagles won’t be making it easy for the Bombers this time round.

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UTS Bats v Inner West Magpies

Waverley Oval, Saturday 2:15pm

Waverley Oval will be the venue for a battle of two desperate teams as the Bats take on the Magpies. Each team has just one win on the board so far in 2023, and now is the time to lift the workrate and make the wins happen. It’s desperation stakes, time to make a statement; and it’s a statement that will be seen loud and clear to the outside world, with this game to be streamed on Kayo Sports and the AFL Sydney Facebook page.

2023 hasn’t been kind to UTS, and they had another disappointing day last week when they travelled to Kanebridge to play the previously winless East Coast. But it was the Eagles who rose to the occasion and the Bats were left behind, going down by 53 points. Will Edwards, Jack Calabro and Jack Rogers tried hard, but it was another of those days for the Bats when little was going to plan and they were unable to match it with their opposition. This week they’re back on their turf, and they need to use the conditions to their advantage.

Last week at Sydney Uni No 1, the Magpies were jumped by Sydney Uni at the start and found themselves six goals to none down at quarter time. Not dropping their heads, the Magpies stayed on level terms for the rest of the afternoon; but the damage was done and the Magpies were 34 points behind when the final siren rang. Kel Evans, Luke Jamieson and Lachlan Tiziani were impressive for the Magpies; but they can’t afford another slow start this week.

One win and five losses is not the start to the season that either of these teams would have envisaged at the beginning of the year. There’s plenty of work to be done to salvage the 2023 season. One of these teams will find a win here, and build a platform for a rise up the ladder. But that team is going to have to scrap and fight to get the points in this contest. Backs to the wall, it’s time to come out fighting. The fate of the season depends on it.

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St George Dragons v Pennant Hills Demons

Olds Park, Saturday 2:30pm

There’s been plenty of good contests between these clubs over the years; and the Dragons and Demons both have plenty to play for at Olds Park on Saturday afternoon in another high-stakes contest.

St George hit a speed-bump last week when they travelled to Weldon to take on Manly. There was never much in it all day, but the Dragons found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard when the final siren sounded, going down by seven points. Ben Jones, Ben Hodgson and Nelson Carey played well; but the Dragons never really hit top gear and struggled against the Wolves’ pressure. The result leaves them with just two wins for the season to date and one game plus plenty of percentage outside the top five. There’s plenty of work to be done to get this season back on track; and it starts here.

Pennant Hills have had a good start to the year, and go into this game with a 4-2 record. But last week at Mike Kenny, they were unable to keep up with a rampant UNSW-ES side. After a low-scoring opening term, the Demons were blown away in the second quarter and found themselves chasing the game in the second half, going down by 30 points. But even against the odds, they kept fighting the game out in the second half; with Harry Maguire finishing with four goals while Ben Matthews and Mitchell Blow kept putting the work in. The Demons will go into this game knowing the result of the Friday night game; and assuming that game isn’t a draw, the Demons can go level on games with the loser and have a share of third place.

It’s the second meeting between these two sides in 2023. In the opening round at Mike Kenny Oval, the Demons were 51 points too good for the Dragons. This time we’re on the Dragons’ turf, and they need to make the home ground advantage count. Last week’s loss sees the Dragons at risk of losing contact with the top five; and if they go down here, it will be an uphill battle in the second half of the season to make the finals. But the Demons also have plenty to play for, and a win here will keep them in the running for the double-chance in the finals. In a high-stakes contest, there’s plenty of motivation for both sides to put in a big effort.

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WOMENS PREMIER DIVISION

UNSW-ES Bulldogs v Sydney University

Henson Park, Saturday 11:00am

Henson Park will be the venue for this University derby between the Bulldogs and the Students; two clubs who desperately need a win.

The Bulldogs haven’t recorded a win since their first game this year. Last week at Mike Kenny Oval, they were never in the contest against Pennant Hills and went down by 60 points. Hayley Stanford, Anna Pellen and Monique McGlynn tried hard; but the Bulldogs were never able to get their game going and were comprensively shut down by the Demons. It’s been an all too familiar story for them in 2023, and they’ll need to lift their game and find something more to break their losing streak and get themselves back on track.

Meanwhile Sydney Uni had the bye last week, an opportunity to regroup and rest any niggles they were feeling. Their last start was at Waratah against Southern Power; in which they conceded two early goals but held the Power scoreless for the rest of the game to take out a 38-point win. Maryanne Harley, Mia Conners and Stephanie Gillon played key roles for Sydney Uni that day. It was their first win of the season, followed by the break; but now is the time to get a winning run going and build up their momentum. For a team that made the finals last year, there’s plenty of work to be done to replicate that achievement in 2023.

With one win and a poor percentage, each team is looking for a circuit-breaker to get their season back on track; and this is a game that both clubs will be looking at as winnable. The winner will keep themselves within reach of the top five, with a confidence boost and playing themselves back into form. But it will be an uphill battle for the loser to stay in contention. The stakes are high, and you can expect to see plenty of desperation here. Lose this one, and the rest of the season could be long and difficult.

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Manly-Warringah Wolves v Macquarie University Goannas

Weldon Oval, Saturday 2:00pm

Two teams on the way up will face off at Weldon Oval with the keenly-anticipated clash between Manly and Macquarie Uni. In the context of the race for the finals, and the double-chance within the finals, this is a game that could well prove to be pivotal.

After dropping their first two games, the Wolves have won their next four to move up to third place. Last week they got through without firing a shot after Southern Power were unable to field a team, and so they’ll be rested and refreshed for this encounter.  Keep an eye on Molly Woods, Hannah Woolf and Andrea Roditis, who have already featured three times in Manly’s best players this season. It’s been a good recovery by the Wolves; but this is a game that will test them.

Meanwhile the Goannas continue on their winning ways. Last week at Macquarie Uni, they shut North Shore down to record a 21-point win in a low-scoring contest. On a night when goals were hard to get, Sophie Kavanagh’s four-goal haul was the difference between the two teams; while Caitlin Fletcher and Cassie Brown also made important contributions for the Goannas. So far this season they’ve only dropped one game; but the away trip to Weldon will be a solid test for them. They’ve done nearly everything right so far in 2023, but they’ll need to lift another gear to get over a well-drilled and in-form Manly side.

This is a meeting between two clubs in impressive form; each coming into this game on the back of a four-game winning streak. There’s plenty of star power on display, and no shortage of players who have made dramatic improvements to their game in 2023. This game could well decide the fate of the double-chance in the finals; it’s certainly one to keep an eye on. With two teams looking so evenly matched, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was a cracker of a contest that went down to the wire.

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North Shore Bombers v East Coast Eagles

Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 2:20pm

A crunch game on the Gore Hill synthetic puts the Bombers against the Eagles. North Shore looking for a scalp to stay in finals calculations, but they face a massive challenge against an imposing East Coast lineup.

The Bombers fell out of the top five last week when they went down to Macquarie Uni by 21 points in a low-scoring away clash. Olivia Edwards, Emilie Krimmer and Abby Latimer kept putting the effort in, but it wasn’t the Bombers’ night and they never looked likely to threaten the Goannas. Now they’re back at home, but they’ve got another tough opponent. With a 2-4 record this season, the Bombers will be looking for an upset win to keep themselves in finals contention. Another loss here, although not fatal, would make it difficult for the Bombers to keep in touch with the top five.

But it won’t be easy against an East Coast side that has barely put a foot wrong all season. Last week they took on UTS in a battle for top spot, and it was no contest as the Eagles held the Bats to a single goal to take out a 41-point win. A win built on the back of solid performances around the ground from Teagan Germech, Caitlin Reid and Renee Tomkins. Undefeated, a percentage over 800, the defending champions have raised the bar again in 2023 and thrown out the challenge that no other team had been up to meeting so far this year.

It’s the second meeting between these clubs this season. In round 2 at Kanebridge, the Bombers were unable to score a goal and went down by 42 points. As we’ve seen consistently this year, the Eagles have dominated against every team that has taken them on. But the Bombers need a stronger performance this time round on their home deck.

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Southern Power v Pennant Hills Demons

Waratah Oval, Saturday 5:10pm

There’s no way to sugar-coat this. It’s crisis time for Southern Power. They need to find their way back, and do it quickly. It starts here on their home deck this evening; and the broadcast audience on Kayo Sports and the AFL Sydney Facebook page will be following with interest to see a more competitive performance this time.

A difficult season for Southern Power hit a low point last week when they were unable to field a team against Manly at Weldon. They’ve copped some heavy losses so far in 2023. But even in the hard times, they’ve had hard workers desperate to keep fighting; with names such as Laura Kent, Indianna Hughes and Ivy Halliwell regularly featuring among their best placers. The Power will be looking for more contributors on game day for the rest of this season. The club will be busy getting the numbers to take the field; but then it’s up to those players to contest and work hard to keep their opposition out.

Their opponents this week are Pennant Hills. The Demons have worked their way into the top five, and last week at Mike Kenny were 60 points too good for UNSW-ES. It was a win built around the efforts of Laura Donohoe, Eliza Harvey and Hayley Lowe; and was an impressive performance that broke a three-game losing streak. Players who had struggled for form were able to produce the footy they know they can play, and will be looking to carry that winning momentum into this clash.

When the two teams clashed in the opening round at Mike Kenny, the Demons were 62 points too good for the Power. This time round it’s on the Power’s home turf. After going rock-bottom last week, the Power need to come to the ground ready to play, to contest every possession and put their opposition under pressure. It’s only by doing the hard work that they can turn their fortunes around. But the Demons won’t be making it easy.

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