Round Fifteen Men’s Premier Division Match Review, Sydney University v St George Dragons

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Written by Lachlan Scott

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First Quarter

With perfect conditions at one of Sydney’s most historical and beautiful venues, This matched looked a shootout with both clubs looking to climb the ladder. On a very wide ground with lots of paddock to get lost in, leg speed and gut running into space is the name of the game. If St George can pull off an upset here, they’ll be breathing a little easier about making finals, battling with Manly for that fifth spot. Sydney Uni are looking to break away from the middle of the pack and lock down a higher finals spot to make the road to September less rocky.

And they’re away! The Students charge forward as the midfield presses and tries to hem the ball forward. The Dragons can’t contain the momentum and lose possession right on the boundary line next to goal. A zipping flick pass threads its way through defenders to Fitzroy in space at the top of the goal square. Step, Snap, Goal! Just over a minute gone and Sydney Uni has gotten the jump early here for their first of the day.

The Students try to hit the replay button but Tegg stops them cold in their tracks with a massive tackle down back. And they’re away down the wing! St George string together a series of strong marks through contact to move the ball around the majority of their opponents in three swift kicks. Gander comes screaming out from the goal square and his please are answered, the final kick hitting him lace out 40m directly in front. The kick for goal never looks in doubt as it soars directly over the goal umpire’s head and through for the Dragons first of the day. If this level of speed and skill continues, and both defences don’t come up with any answers, then a shootout is certainly on the cards.

Sydney Uni goes to the wing and lock it forward through grinding contests and chaos ball frenzied entries. They haven’t been able to clunk any marks in their forward 50 but the zone defence have built a wall across midfield that the Dragons are struggling to overcome. The defence compose themselves and navigate their way out through short sharp passes. They can’t do much with it down the other end, leaving disappointed with 2 behinds for 2 shots on goal. Podmore-Taylor plays a big part in shutting down St George’s entries and looks to have his work cut out for him today, flying from entry to entry with arms or fists outstretched.

Maunder launches it deep to the goal square for the Dragons but the Students defence is there ready and waiting. They’ve spilt the mark! The ball hits the deck and chaos ensues as smalls crash into each other looking for the crumb. The umpire balls it up directly in front 15m out, footy going nowhere. Gander lurks just outside the pack waiting for the flick out handball. And it comes from nowhere! The sea of bodies shoots the ball his way, he muscles off his opponent and snaps on the non-preferred and hits his mark. Two for Gander and two for St George.

The tempo is frenetic here as big hits and big hits abound. Barton streams through the centre for Sydney Uni, searching for options forward through the haze of red and white defenders. Finally he spots Gibbs running laps deep forward, calls for him and launches a mammoth kick his way. Gibbs launches at it, copping heavy contact throughout, and clutches the ball to his chest as he slams back down to earth. Calm and composed he takes his full run up, making certain of the kick. And certain it is! Sydney Uni find their second and scores are level.

Velthuis and Nabaki battle their way from contest to contest all across the ground, neither holding the upper hand yet. Delivery to the midfield has been inscrutable here in the first with contests rarely dragging on as they sprint into amble space on such a wide ground. St George get pinged for deliberate out of bounds and pay the price as the following kick comes directly to Hughes patrolling the 50m arm. Well known for his long kicks, he takes his full measure, giving the ball an almighty wack goalwards. The ball bends right to left, a heatseeking missile homing directly between the big sticks, and hits its target! Sydney Uni ahead here late in the first.

St George lock it forward unable to mark cleanly on the entry. Velthuis steals a moment of ascendancy from his opponent, taps to perfection down to Jones. He snaps directly from the contest and his goal sense is impeccably as the footy springs from the mass of players, past outstretched arms. Goal umpire sumo squats and snaps his head skyward as the Sherrin barely misses him, through for a goal. Scores level yet again.

Quarter Time Sydney University 3.3.21 – St George Dragons 3.3.21

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Second Quarter

The physicality is off the Richter scale to kick off the second quarter. Neither side maintained ascendancy for long in the first and it looks like the solution to that is turn the pressure all the way up. Coenen is under siege down back for St George, playing goalie on the last line of defence and finding avenues out to the midfield. The Dragons are pinging away at goal but are building their lead the hard way with endless behinds in the face of immense defensive pressure lead by Bylsmer.

The defensive pressure down the other end has also ramped up a notch but leads to a series of free kicks in the Student’s favour. Royal earns himself a free kick 20m out at a slight angle after copping heavy over the shoulder. Goals have dried up this quarter and he knows they must make the most of their opportunities. Takes his full time and run up, canters up to the mark and lets fly a low sharp dart of a kick straight through the big sticks. Sydney Uni take back the lead with the first goal of the quarter after 12 minutes of play.

Sydney Uni again with Route 1 football straight down the spine, Hughes again the main target up forward today. He looks unstoppable when he can get a good run at the ball and this time is no different. Breaking off his man he streams out towards the arc and marks cleanly 40m out at a slight angle. As we’ve come to expect from him, the distance is no issue. The kick is clean, almost mechanical, slicing through the goals as the Students start to get the upper hand here and gain a slight lead.

Tempers are starting to sizzle and boil over, the pressure creating fast and deadly contests throughout the midfield. Lycackis sharks the Sherrin from the pack, sprints his way into space, slows a step and puts it lace out onto the chest of Gander. If he gets delivery like that all day he could kick a hundred. Gander wastes no time with the kick, knows the Dragons need to seize momentum here to stop the slide, flicking it directly past the goal umpire with ease. St George have found an avenue to goal but will need their others to click into place as they’ve kicked 6 behinds this quarter alone.

Sydney Uni look to maintain their momentum after that roadblock, Morrison taking a massive mark on the wing to get them out of strife and break the defensive wall. He wheels and goes immediately, taking advantage of the chaos of players flooding back. His kick finds Gibbs with another great mark and they’ve transitioned almost the entire ground in three kicks. Gibbs dusts himself off, looks at the clock, and takes a very long run up. He canters in, Josh Kennedy style stutter step, and lets rip. Defenders crowd at the goal line but to no avail, Sydney Uni keep their lead and extend it out to 8 points.

A very tight contest as we head into half time, St George would want that quarter back after spraying so many shots. An upset is still very much so on the cards but they’ll need to find ways past Sydney Uni’s defensive pressure to set up easier avenues to goal.

Half Time Sydney University 6.5.41 – St George Dragons 4.9.33

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Third Quarter

Sydney Uni again finding their groove early, short sharp passes carving their way across the ground to wrong foot the defence. Newman, Morrison and Fitzroy all parts of a lighting fast chain that slices its way downfield, ending with Dimery 30m out directly in front. He needs to set the tone early and does just that with a laser focused kick that doesn’t deviate an inch as it sails through. Goal Sydney University.

And they do it again! Straight from the centre bounce they launch forward, no precise kicks here, its all chaos ball and pushing it over to the man out the back. Tang sprints down the far wing and away from his man, it’s a foot race to the goal square. Fist connects with Sherrin and Tang doesn’t even have to break stride as he collects and snaps. That was executed so well it almost looked like a set play. Two goals, two minutes, Sydney Uni breaking away early here in the third.

The Students are on a roll now and look unstoppable. Again they win the centre clearance and send it wide. Lucy kicks hard across his body to a contest 30m out, but from no-where Picken cuts across the front of the pack and snags a mark no-one was defending. Its well within his range but at a very trick angle. Some very deft skills on display as be curls the kick right to left and slots it through. The fans are up and about now as this sudden onslaught of goals continues.

St George aren’t done yet and there’s plenty of footy left to play. The mids win their first centre clearance so far this quarter and blast the ball straight to the goal square. No mark and a scrum forms at the base of the ball, umpires finding a holding the ball free kick in the midst of the chaos. Jones to take the kick, he uses his full run up, canters in building pace and absolutely smashes the ball. It’s well over the goal umpire’s head and the big sticks but holds its line. Goal St George against the flow.

Momentum has switched suddenly and the predicted shootout continues. Jones burst from the pack and kicks long to Gander streaming towards the boundary line. Players flood forward but he judges the distance to goal and starts backing up. It’ll take a massive kick from here, well outside 50. There’s a reason he’s in the Allies squad, and we all get to bear witness to it, as he spanks the Sherrin well over 60m. It floats through just out of reach of the defenders and suddenly the Dragons are right back in this.

The Students go forward but can’t lock it in. The kick out comes to Nabaki, he taps it down to the rovers at his feet, and they’re away again. A long bomb finds its way over the back and it’s a foot race towards goal. Wharton puts on the jets and flies towards the goal square and after the tumbling ball. He collects with one hand, step, kick, goal! Three in a row to St George.

Sydney Uni really under pressure here, St George has flipped the script and are suddenly completely in control of this game. The Students look to settle coming out of defence, they start off with short sharp kicks to initiate a switch and wrong foot the midfield. Intercepted! The Dragons midfield were on to them and have forced a turnover. Maunder bursts away into space, nobody near him, long kick towards the deepest forwards but it sails past the contest and scrubs along the ground for a goal. The Dragons have the ascendancy, cut the lead back to 2 and the shootout continues.

Sydney Uni is too good of a side to just fade out of a quarter. They press forward from the centre bounce and look to lock the ball forward. The midfield forms a wall just outside the 50m arc and knock down the resulting kick out. Frenetic handballing moves the ball close to goal inch by inch, just hunting for that one player with enough space to take a shot. Tang! From nowhere and over his shoulder. He didn’t have the space, but it didn’t matter. Kicking through contact and surrounded he launches the ball across his body and through the big sticks in a high up and under kick. Students get one back late and settle the nerves.

Cleary stands tall for Sydney Uni, controlling the pace and directing traffic through the midfield. He finds Hughes lace out where the 50m arc and the boundary meet. Hughes considers kicking for goal, thinks better of it and kicks to the contest at the top of the goal square. Gibbs is surrounded and buffeted on all sides but holds his ground, leaps, and marks it! An incredible mark through massive contact, he’s earned himself a shot from point blank range. There’s no fuss with the kick, short run up, straight through the middle. Sydney Uni turning the momentum back in their favour.

Pearson like a brick wall down back for the Dragons, intercepting multiple forward entries and shutting down the free-flowing goals. Ayres steps up as well, fisting away dangerous kicks and finding the boundary to slow down the Student’s advance. The switch falls apart again for Sydney Uni thanks to the Dragons midfield pressure and they pounce. A long bomb comes into Maher stuck in a two on one. He brings the ball to ground, doesn’t look for the boundary or ball up. Like a true forward he ignores the odds and goes all out to win the ball back and find a way to goal. He sharks the Sherrin right out from his opponent’s hands, side steps the other, kicks off the outside of the boot and goals! An incredible goal under immense pressure right on the goal line.

Blink and you’ll miss it footy here with ten goals in the quarter, five apiece. Ten points the margin and its anyone’s game. As demonstrated this quarter, getting off to a good start with a couple of goals doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing.

Three Quarter Time Sydney University 11.8.74 – St George Dragons 9.10.64

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Fourth Quarter

Final quarter starting with fire as Gibbs is slung over the boundary line and earns himself a free. He takes the kick from just outside 50, elects not to kick for goal but instead to the contest at the top of the goal square. Hughes sprints to get there, leaps through the pack and marks over the top! From 20m out at a slight angle, no trouble for him as he slots it straight between the sticks. Early goal for Sydney Uni.

The Students fly forward again from the centre bounce, something they’ve been dominant in all day. Play stops with a stoppage near the behind post. The Dragons try to break out, but the turnover eventually comes, the ball comes charging back in through fast flicking handballs. The forward momentum and pressure become too much, and Hughes earns free kick with a hunting tackle forcing a holding the ball call directly in front of goal. He makes it 4 on the day with a low darting kick just over the umpire’s head and Sydney Uni are breaking away early again.

The Dragons find an avenue forward, but another free kick sends them away without any points. The Students initiate the switch through Cleary, across to Barton, down the wing to Kozlik, cutting kick across the 50m arc to Dimery. Sublime foot skills and rapid movement making short work of the short ground. Dimery doesn’t like the angle and distance that he’s at, dumps a short pass off to Morrison. Far too many easy passes for St George’s liking. Morrison takes his full measure of run up and time, killing as much clock as possible. He lets fly a towering kick that tumbles through the air and crashes back to earth directly behind the goals. Three in a row to Sydney Uni and they look to have wrapped this one up.

And in less than a minute it becomes 4 in a row! Forward from the centre clearance again from the Students. A cheeky tap over the contest from Lucy, Gibbs collects on the bounce, handballs to Morrison, Morrison finds Picken, Goal Picken! Some fantastic chaos ball play and overwhelming forward momentum carrying the Sherrin right into the hands of Picken locked in with his opponent at the top of the goal square. Masterful bodywork as he positioned himself between the oncoming play and his opponent, guaranteeing first access to the ball.

One last roll of the dice from St George, Pearson slams a long bomb out of defence down the spine of the ground. Players scrambling to get to the drop of the ball, massive head on collision in the midfield, umpire calls advantage Dragons. Tegg collects, sprints away from the contest towards goal, and tumbles the ball through for a final hurrah.

Nabaki and Velthuis had a titanic struggle today. Not just at the coal face but across the ground, providing marking targets out of defence, laying bone crunching tackles and linking up handball chains through the midfield. St George will be wishing they had some of their kicks for goal back but overall, an amazing performance and certainly finals worthy. Sydney Uni held them off and wrapped it up in the last but it was closer than they would have liked. They solidify their spot on the ladder and will be happy they have with North Shore and UNSW-ES coming up before finals.

Full Time Sydney University 15.12.102 – St George Dragons 10.12.72

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Final Scores:

Team Name: Sydney University 15.12.102

Goal Kickers: I. Hughes 4, W. Gibbs 3, J. Dimery 2, N. Tang 2, R Fitzroy, H. Morrision, M. Picken.

Best: Max Kozlik, Montague Velthuis, Jack Dimery, Tim Barton, Caiden Cleary, William Gibbs.

Team Name: St George Dragons 10.12.72

Goal Kickers: T. Gander 4, B. Jones 2, E. Maher, D. Maunder, P. Tegg, B. Wharton.

Best: Timothy Coenen, Lachlan Cabor, Tye Gander, Ben Jones, Dominic Maunder, Jonathan Pearson.

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