Round Sixteen Women’s Premier Division Match Review, Pennant Hills Demons vs North Shore Bombers

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Written by Lachlan Scott

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First Quarter

A beautiful Sydney afternoon belied the feeling and pressure behind this match up. Winner keeps their season alive. Whoever loses is out of finals contention. Everything at stake and nothing to lose. The perfect set up for a nailbiter.

Bombers charge straight out of the centre square to full forward. Keeffe streams out of goal and marks. Danger signs early for the Demons backline. She plinks it right for the first score of the day and giving North Shore the opportunity to lock the ball forward. And it pays off immediately! Intercept mark from the kick in, the pass inboard comes to Yates who cops a push in the back and lines up from 25m at a slight angle. She leans into the kick and smashes it through with her textbook kicking motion. Bombers on the board early.

Ives is dominating in the midfield for Pennant Hills, laying repeat tackles to shut down opponents and finding great handball options out of congestion. The Demons lock the ball forward with Hutchings looking dangerous and Lowe intercepting any time its pushed back out. They walk away empty-handed however as the Bombers find a chink in the armour and fly down the field. Forrest breaks a tackle, steps into space and hits up Anderson with a sublime pass in traffic. Anderson wheels and slams it long to Keeffe who looks to be their main target early. She beats her opponent with some excellent bodywork, brings the ball to ground, pushes off and bangs it on the boot straight through the big sticks. Keeffe showing off some serious skills here in the first. Two in a row North Shore.

Morris is making her presence felt through the midfield with a massive run down tackle to cut off the next Bombers attack. She can’t stop the next one however as Eder charges up through the forward 50 and marks close to the arc, barrelling through opponents to launch cleanly at the ball. She takes her full time and run up for this one, it’ll be a mammoth kick if it makes it. And she’s done it! A terrific kick from the skipper Eder, distance and accuracy no problem. North Shore are dominating on the scoreboard here in the first and alarm bells ringing for the Demons.

Morris blasts out of the centre bounce, collects and gets it to Ives at centre half forward. She plays on immediately to Harvey on the goal line, but the defence punches it through. Carrol is concrete in the backline for the Bombers as Pennant Hills try again and again to find an avenue to goal. She lays a withering smother to stop a shot on goal, alongside countless possessions under pressure. The Demons have flipped the script here but just can’t find the big sticks as they pepper away for 3 behinds.

Quarter Time Pennant Hills Demons 0.3.3 – North Shore Bombers 3.1.19

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Second Quarter

Barraclough is up and about early to start the second quarter. As she dips and ducks her way through the midfield, she earns a free kick for holding just outside 50. Takes her time and scans the forward line for options. Finally she spots one, runs forward, but the umpire’s blown their whistle! The player on the mark has moved to early and she’s walked right to the top of the goal square. She doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth, strolls right up to the new mark, two steps, goal. Easy points for North Shore and Pennant Hills will be kicking themselves, not the start they wanted.

The Demons are fired up after that debacle and charge forward from the centre bounce, a tap through behind giving them time to set up their defensive wall. Quinlan intercepting across half forward for the Demons as they lock it in forward. Her skills pay off as the next entry comes long to Rudd who is stuck like glue to her opponent. At the last moment she breaks free with some amazing bodywork and manoeuvres to the drop of the ball. She marks cleanly 35m out almost directly in front. Wasting no time, turns and goes, thumping a high ball straight through the big sticks with little effort. Goal Pennant Hills and they’re on the board.

The Demons are racking up the possessions now but haven’t converted on the scoreboard. Harvey earns a free kick close to goal with a great tackle but the kick slides right for a behind. A long bomb from the midfield looks to be dribbling through for a game changing major but has a mind of its own and changes direction at the last moment. Lastly a ping on the run from the contest floats high and right in the breeze. If they can tighten up that final kick they’re right in this game, but if this continues they’ll kick themselves out of a winning score.

Half Time Pennant Hills Demons 1.8.14 – North Shore Bombers 4.2.26

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Third Quarter

Pennant Hills come out swinging after half time. They know they’ve got the ascendancy in the midfield for now and they need to capitalise. Ives breaks from the contest, runs to the 50m arc and lines up Wade with a pinpoint accurate pass as she charges across the forward line. The mark through contact is no issue for her and she lines up from 35m out. She’s been accurate all year and today is no exception. After a plethora of misses this one sticks as she shoots the Sherrin right over the goal umpire’s head. Goal Pennant Hills.

Brown is patrolling the midfield for the Demons and intercepting at will. Wade is the target of the next forward entry, she turns and burns towards goal but its thumped through again by the defence. North Shore’s back line is going above and beyond to put pressure on kicks for goal and get a fist to anything they can’t smother. Scoring has dried up this quarter as both defences find their rhythm and the midfields battle for ascendancy. Pennant Hills has the ball parked at the top of their goal square but the Bomber’s midfield floods back and shuts down any movement. They’ve built a sizeable scrum around the ball and through repeat stoppages chew away the last 3 minutes of the quarter without conceding. An incredible defensive performance with the game hanging in the balance.

Three Quarter Time Pennant Hills Demons 2.10.22 – North Shore Bombers 4.2.26

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Fourth Quarter

4 points the difference, 16 minutes to decide who goes home and who is going to finals. North Shore break from the centre bounce towards the wing. Massive tackle from Gordon to try and stop the breakout but Barraclough gets the ball out just in time. Keeffe collects and thumps it forward long to Eder, turn and burn towards the forwards streaming out from the goal square. Tumbling ball evades them all, footrace ensues. Strauss collects on the run and slams it home! Goal North Shore in less than a minute!

Demons aren’t done yet. Ives nabs it from the centre bounce and launches a titanic bomb forward. Pack forms at the drop of the ball, Matthews out-bodies her opponents, collects and sprints through traffic towards goal. Carroll from nowhere! Carroll has sprinted all the way across the forward 50 to smother and gets there in the nick of time. The kick comes away to the right for a behind and Pennant Hills look to try and lock it forward and close this lead.

The kick out finds its way to Eder and the Bombers look to transition up the wing. The pace is frenetic now, Pennant Hills needs to score to stay in touch. Rudd receives a holding free kick to turn the footy the other way and kicks long to the pack. Carroll launches to receive it, can’t collect and gets slammed to the turf for her efforts. Ball up, Gordon puts her head over the ball and cops contact high for another free kick. She dusts off the cobwebs, spots Matthews lurking and fires. Matthews can’t collect, ball hits the turf and it’s a ball up directly in front 20m out. Ives leaps up for the tap down, thinks better of it and grabs it for herself. Lighting fast handball out to Matthews lying low in space. One step, snap, Goal Pennant Hills! The Demons aren’t going anywhere yet!

Demons charge forward again from the centre bounce, Bomber’s back line under siege. Defensive fist forces a boundary throw in deep in the forward pocket. Deja vu as Ives collects from the ruck again, handball finds Wade, kick over the shoulder in hope. It doesn’t reach the sticks, but Harvey bobs up at the last second to mark right between the goal and behind post. The angle proves too tricky however and the kick floats right for a minor. 2 points the difference!

Short Bombers kick out from the back pocket is intercepted by Matthews. She wastes no time and launches it goalwards immediately. Maybe more time was needed because the kick starts right and stays right. 1 point the difference now. 8 minutes to play.

Intercept mark again! And again the Demons go forward. Rudd launches long to the contest, but the umpires blown his whistle and calls it back. The free has been reversed! Bombers now with the ball on their half back flank. Yates goes long and lateral to Maher. Maher down the wing but only as far as Ives who hits return to sender. Creusot kicks long from the contest and finds Morris in the mix with multiple defenders. She collects, sprints away from the congestion and kicks across her body towards goal. The ball hits the deck and manages to evade the defenders but also the goals. Another behind to Pennant Hills and scores are level with 4 minutes remaining.

Carrol brings it out from the back line to the wing and finds Hungerford. She turns and burns long to Keeffe but Quinlan beats her to the drop and intercepts. Hot potato footy here with turn over galore inside the last 3 minutes. Love marks on the wing for North Shore and switches to Carroll. She jinks past her opponent but the kick inside 50 only gets as far as Rugg. Handball off and quick kick out of defence but Hungerford is ready and waiting to intercept. She takes a moment to calibrate, this might be the last roll of the dice. She spots Keeffe leading into space and hits her lace out on the run with sublime skill.  Keeffe stands 40m out directly in front, takes her full allotted time and launches the footy goalwards. It falls just short to the pack of players in the goal square. Chaos ball, its on the turf and players scramble to take possession. Barraclough collects, spins 180 and snaps, Goal! North Shore up by a goal with 2 minutes remaining.

North Shore drive the contest to the wing and bury it past the boundary line. There’s not enough time left for the Demons if they can’t maintain possession and their desperation kicks from the contest are being intercepts across the midfield. Siren sounds and that’s all she wrote as Bombers raise their voices in a pivotal win. An incredible game with an incredible result. Heart break for Demons fans at the death, Bombers escape by the skin of their teeth.

Full Time Pennant Hills Demons 3.14.32 – North Shore Bombers 6.2.38

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Final Scores:

Team Name: Pennant Hills Demons 3.14.32

Goal Kickers: E. Matthews, E. Rudd, B. Wade.

Best: Elly Rudd, Eliza Matthews, Rebecca Ives, Kaitlin Quinlan, Tayla Duguid, Olivia Morris

Team Name: North Shore Bombers 6.2.38

Goal Kickers: A. Barraclough 2, M. Eder, A. Keeffe, S. Strauss, L. Yates

Best: Lucy Yates, Elle Carroll, Ava Barraclough, Sienna Strauss, Imogen Hungerford, Maddy Anderson

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