Round 9 Women’s Premier Division Match Review Sydney University vs North Shore Bombers

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Written by Lachlan Scott

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First Quarter

The sun hung low in the sky over Sydney Uni’s oval number 1 for this match, dark shadows inhabiting its deep pockets. The late afternoon rays highlighted for fans where this contest was to be won or lost, in the midfield. Both the Students and the Bombers have shown throughout the year that they know where the goals are, and that they can shut out opposition that underestimate them. Today’s struggle would be between the arcs.

Immediately the physicality around the ball is apparent, rucks jostling for position, rovers clamping down on their opponents. Sydney Uni breaks forward first with a lace out kick to Smith who marks 40m out at a slight angle. Her kick is straight as an arrow but touches fingertips on the goal line for a behind. The kick out is punched to the ground and the small forwards pounce. Mahony is the first to get hands to the ball, steps to her right to get onto her preferred and pounds a spiralling kick over the heads of hapless defenders for Sydney Uni’s first of the day.

North Shore get the momentum from the centre bounce, tumbling the ball forward through the tight scrimmage. The Students secure a turn over but their march back down the field is stopped dead in its tracks by a Krimmer and Wilson tackling bonanza. The contest grinds back into the Bombers forward line, Hungerford lurking just outside the contest for the flick out. Finally it comes to her, she kicks across her body through traffic, miraculously missing all the legs on route to goal but grazing the post for a minor. North Shore strike inside the 50 again and again but Menz and CausleyTodd resist with ferocious tackling intensity, Mann intercepting wherever she can.

Keefe looks to be causing some headaches for her opposition, winning a free for holding. Her kick finds Carroll who sets the kick up for the forwards at the top of the square. No mark and a contest builds at the drop of the ball. Carrol bides her time, not moving far from where she kicked. This time she doesn’t do the unselfish thing, instead nabs the handball out of the chaos, steps once and launches a dead straight kick through the uprights for North Shore’s first.

The Students strive to build a screen and hold the ball forward after the centre bounce. Gilfedder charges through the contest and shoots low but Anderson holds her nerve and punches it away at the last second. Forrest and the rest of the Bombers midfield brigade throw their bodies on the line with a series of desperate smothers to break through the screen and they’re away. The handball midfield slices through the defence surging forward but the final kick is wayward and floats right for a minor.

Scores dead even here at the end of the first.

Quarter Time Sydney University 1.2.8 – North Shore Bombers 1.2.8

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Second Quarter

The Students waste no time, launching themselves into attack with a blistering handball chain, breaking lines and crashing through defenders. Walsh dances her way through and kicks to the top of the goal square, Blattman wheeling and slamming boot to ball but a textbook desperation smother touches it off the boot for a behind. Krimmer again throws her body on the line to halt Sydney Uni’s advance as the defence rallies around her giving everything they have to stave off repeated attacked.

Harley and Durante stand tall down back for the Students, swiftly repelling every avenue the Bombers try carving to goal. Forrest sneaks in under the radar and nabs an intercept mark on the boundary line deep in the pocket for North Shore. She finds Hendricks at a more favourable angle, who’s kick looks right and stays right, clunking the post to bring scores level again.

Play returns to between the arcs as the light continues to fade before the ground lights come on, players struggling to see the ball properly as it whizzes around with a mind of its own. Cameron and Smit tangle repeatedly in the ruck, both striving to deliver the Sherrin downwards to friendly grasping hands. Carroll puts her head over the ball and wins herself a free within range of goal. She lines up her kick, delivers it with gusto but it slides right for a minor. Matheson is taken out off the ball with Carroll to take the down field free kick as she heads to the sideline to get checked out by the medical staff. Carroll makes no mistake this time, converting Matheson’s courage into tangible points to put North Shore up by 7.

Krimmer and Krimmer combine to build an insurmountable wall of Krimmers, confusing Sydney Uni’s attempts to go break out of defence, made more confusing by them wearing numbers 5 and 55.

Half Time Sydney University 1.3.9 – North Shore Bombers 2.4.16

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Third Quarter

Poppy and Cameron earn their spots in the ruck with repeat stoppages and tight knit contests forcing them to work above their heads and below their knees again and again. The midfield bustles with bodies as more and more get drawn in, trying to break out into space and score first in the second half. Harley gets the first glimpse at goals, breaking from her opponent and running towards the boundary deep in the pocket, her kick falling right for a behind. Gilfedder puts pressure on the kick in, forcing it wide where it is intercepted by Durante. She pays back the favour, finding the chest of Gilfedder who clutches the mark tight. Gilfedder’s kick also sail’s right for a minor and is joined moments later for another as the kick in is again intercepted but saved by Krimmer’s knuckles on the goal line. North Shore need to break out now.

Anderson combines with Keeffe to smash the ball out of defence and give the bombers some breathing room. And suddenly the door slams shut again, turn over as they transition down the ground! Gilfedder is somehow all alone and slams the ball goalward, but it decides it doesn’t want to go through and bounces directly back towards the top of the goal square. Smith snaffles it up whilst holding her opponent at bay, and whilst still in contact wheels around and snaps the ball straight into the goal umpire. With a sheepish grin she gives Sydney Uni the lead and reaps the reward of so many forward 50 entries.

Race and Lambert get stuck in a game of hot potato on the far wing miles apart from any support, both winning out when the umpire blows his whistle for a stoppage. Gilfedder is in everything this quarter, she intercepts a switch kick going across the ground, builds to a run and shoots but its touched just before the line. Race breaks from the back of the ensuing kick in, she finds Gillon in a one-on-one and puts her faith in her teammate. Gillon wins out, wheeling 180 degrees to wrongfoot her opponent, kicks high and long and true! Sydney Uni have found another avenue to goal.

From the bounce North Shore cascade forward. An incredibly brave display from Keeffe and Johnson both running full tilt towards each other at the drop of the ball results in a Johnson mark and the Student’s defence breaths a sigh of relief. Keeffe gets her revenge moments later however as she wins a free kick, worrying her opponent into holding. She kicks with mechanical precision from 20m out and never looks like missing. North Shore get one back to keep the contest nail bitingly tight.

Three Quarter Time Sydney University 3.8.26 – North Shore Bombers 3.4.22

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Fourth Quarter

Cameron gets her hands on the ball first in the most pivotal quarter, not from a tap down but for a centre square infraction. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she hands it off to Johnson and a scrum builds at the top of the goal square. Gillon gets her hands on a tumbling ball and throws a no look handball over her shoulder finding Blattman. Her leg swings in a flash and before anyone knows what’s happened, she’s goaled and Sydney Uni seize the momentum.

Mahony continues to be integral for the Students, providing a link between the defence and the midfield through her skills above her head. Gilfedder and Smith combine to extend Sydney Uni’s lead, this time through a picture-perfect pass into the arms of Smith as she steams out from goal. Using her superb kicking action, Smith looks unperturbed by the moment and slots the goal for her second.

Barnet-Hepples and Hungerford continue to work tirelessly down back for the Bombers, applying tremendous pressure and providing a relieving kick in the face of this fourth quarter onslaught. Hungerford sneaks away from the contest and drifts forward through the midfield with plenty of space. When the break comes she has plenty of space on her opposition and uses her obvious footy smarts to find Keeffe all alone in a paddock. Keeffe keeps Bomber’s fans hopes alive and kicks her second.

Gilfedder oozes Zen like patience as she chews time off the clock after taking a mark in the centre square. The player standing the mark moves too early, the whistle blows and she gets even more time off the clock as she trots forward and carefully picks out her target. The forward entry again devolves into a scrum at the top of the goal square but this suites the Students just fine as the smalls stalk patiently waiting for their chance. And its Mahoney! Cameron receives the flick out and spots her on the far side of the contest. She loops the handball right over everyone’s heads to its intended target. Mahoney snaps and goals in an instant right as the siren sounds and the crowd screams in support.

North Shore held on well for three quarters but it was all Sydney Uni when push came to shove in the end.

Full Time Sydney University 6.8.44 – North Shore Bombers 4.5.29

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Final Scores:

Team Name: Sydney University 6.8.44

Goal Kickers: M. Mahoney 2, J. Smith 2, K. Blattman, S. Gillon.

Best: Maryanne Harley, Saskia Johnson, Lucy Gilfedder, Jasmine Smith, Georgia Mann, Daisy George

Team Name: North Shore Bombers 4.5.29

Goal Kickers: E. Carroll 2, A. Keeffe 2.

Best: Emilie Krimmer, Nadja Squires, Lucy Krimmer, Lucy Forrest, Adrienne Keeffe, Ava Barraclough