Round 14, 2025 – Men’s & Women’s Premier Division Review

Written by David Redden

 

WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION:

UNSW-ES defeated Parramatta by 110 points at Gipps Rd, piling pressure on UTS in the race for fifth place on the WPD ladder. Final scores were UNSW-ES 16.14.110 to Parramatta 0.0.0.

The Bulldogs led by 58 points at the main break and kept the foot down for four quarters as Parramatta struggled in vain to place any serious pressure on their opponents.

Representative forward Emily Conlan kicked 7 goals for the Bulldogs, with Zali Deep and Imogen Baldassarre chipping in with 2 goals each.

UNSW-ES’ best players were Hayley Stanford, Amaia Wain, Conlan, Ahlani Eddy, Elsi Thomson and the consistent Shelby Koh. Parramatta was best served by Kayla McGinty, Imogen Gow, Tayliya Noack, Stacey Phillips, Caitlin Connaughton and ruck Marley Rhodes.

East Coast Eagles bounced back to from with a solid 19-point win over UTS at Waverley Oval. Final scores were East Coast 7.6.48 to UTS 4.5.29.

East Coast flew out of the blocks early and led by 5 goals at the main break. UTS kept the Eagles to just 10 points in the second half but East Coast’s renowned defence kept the Bats at bay to complete a solid and important victory.

In a welcome return, key Eagle Abbey Martin kicked two goals for East Coast. UTS had four individual goalkickers.

East Coast’s best players were representative star Michelle Foscarini, Olivia Fuller, Renee Tomkins, Bryany Parker, Aysha Sanchez and Taylah Canobie. UTS was best served by Alexandra Wade, Charlotte Owen, Sophia Gaukrodger, Aoife Berry, Tilley Edwards-Hill and Beth Martini.

In a superb, riveting and nail-biting clash at Gore Hill Oval, North Shore kept Manly Warringah goalless in the final quarter to run out 1-point victors, in a game that had Grand-Final curtain-raiser written all over it. Final scores on a day when the Bombers nudged the Wolves out of first place, North Shore won 5.3.33 to Manly Warringah 4.8.32.

Most of the goals in this electric fixture were kicked in the first half, with North Shore leading 4.1.25 to 3.3.21 at the main break. Manly took a narrow lead into the final quarter, but a North Shore goal with 15 minutes left in the final quarter saw them lead by 5 points. The Wolves then kicked 4 straight behinds in a huge effort to peg back the lead, but somehow the Bombers held on to complete an historic season double over the Wolves.

Recent transfer Cassidy McArthur kicked 2 crucial goals for North Shore. Manly Warringah had four individual goalkickers on a day where key forward Isabella Rudolph was kept goalless.

North Shore’s best players were Olivia Edwards, Elizabeth Yates, Grace Hill, Emily Bliss, Lucy Yates and Lily Sullivan. Manly Warringah was best served by representative stars Andrea Roditis, Lauren Bourgeois and Kenya Fahey, Olivia Cameron, Chloe Davis and Jayda Kennedy.

Ahead of two huge games against North Shore and Manly Warringah in the final weeks of the season, Sydney University consolidated third place on the ladder with a 110-point demolition of a youthful Pennant Hills Demons at Uni #1 Oval. Final scores were Sydney University 16.15.111 to Pennant Hills 0.1.1.

Uni kicked 10 goals in the first half then 6 goals in the second half as they took care of business against the winless Demons.

Key forwards Jasmine Smith (5 goals) and Lucy Gilfedder (3 goals) were in good form for the Students.

Sydney University’s best players were triple Mostyn Medallist Amanda Farrugia, Natalia Waterson, Molly Cameron, Smith, Arabella Price and Cassie Brown. Pennant Hills was best served by Sheridan Baker, Amelia Bennett, Maddison Maconachie-Dykes, Stephanie Este, Bela Nash and Nikki O’Neill.

 

WOMEN’S DIVISION ONE:

In Women’s Division One action, Newtown kept South West Sydney scoreless in a 57-point win at Rosedale Oval, Manly Warringah edged out local rival North Shore by 2 points in a thrilling local derby at Gore Hill Oval, Randwick City just held out Sydney University by a solitary point at Bat & Ball Oval, and Camden accounted for UTS by 41 points at Fairfax Reserve.

Randwick City and Sydney Uni look like they are set to finish Top Two, whilst UTS has a tall order to knock either North Shore or Manly Warringah out of fourth place in the WD1 ladder.

 

WOMEN’S UNDER 20S:

In Women’s Under 20s action, Sydney University belted UTS by 77 points at Uni #1 Oval, Manly Warringah defeated North Shore by 19 points in a low-scoring fixture at Gore Hill Oval, and UNSW-ES leapt into the Top Four after thrashing Parramatta by 129 points at Gipps Rd.

Manly Warringah and North Shore are basically locks for positions 1 & 2 come September, with Sydney Uni, UNSW-ES and UTS all fighting for third and fourth place over the next four weeks.

 

MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION:

Some huge results in the Men’s Premier Division sees a new competition leader and a revitalised battle for fifth place between South West Sydney and Pennant Hills.

Pennant Hills produced a stirring, backs-to-the-wall upset 4-point victory over Sydney University at Uni #1 Oval. Final scores were Pennant Hills 10.7.67 to Sydney University 9.9.63. Combined with South West Sydney going down to UNSW-ES, the Demons are suddenly back in the race for the Finals.

Scores were tight all day, with the Students leading by a mere 2 points at the final break. Pennant Hills kicked 3 goals to 2 in a thrilling final quarter as they hung on for their best victory of season 2025.

Key forwards Nick Hey (5 goals) and “The Prince”, Theo Moraitis (3 goals) were crucial the Demons upset win. Tom Ryan kicked 3 goals for Uni, whilst gun recruit Alex Witherden chipped in with 2 goals for the Students.

Pennant Hills’ best players were key defender Michael Carroll, Hey, Kieron Coaldrake, Lachlan Willey, Nicholas Eynaud and Moraitis. Sydney Uni was best served by Harry Cameron, Mamadou Faye, Braydon Pilot, Sam Barkley, Witherden and Jay Tang.

St George defeated near-neighbour Inner West Magpies by 23 points at Picken Oval. The Dragons ran out victors 13.10.88 to the Magpies’ 10.5.65.

The Dragons led by 20 points at the main break, after Inner West led by 7 points after the first quarter. The Dragons maintained their lead throughout the second half, with both teams kicking 7 goals in an entertaining half of football.

Jed Robin and Luke Arendse (4 goals and 3 goals respectively) led the Dragons scoring charge. In-form Ryder Eberhard kicked 6 goals in an excellent display up forward for the Magpies.

St George’s best players were Dominic Michalak, Patrick Tegg, Finnegan Ritchie, Liam Taylor, Matt Saunders and Lachlan Cabor. Inner West was best served by Lucas Lam, Eberhard, Keegan Litchfield, Jye Doyle, Jordan Ware and player-coach Ben Klemke.

UTS produced yet another second-half fightback to defeat East Coast Eagles by 11 points at Waverley Oval. Final scores were UTS 10.13.73 to East Coast Eagles 9.8.62.

The Eagles led by 10 points at the halftime, then the Bats 4 goals to 1 in the pivotal third quarter to lead by 8 points at the final break. Both teams could only manage a goal each in the final quarter as UTS proved once again that Waverley Oval is a difficult place for visiting teams.

Ash Backlund kicked 3 goals for the Bats, with James Beasley and Lachlan McNamara chipping in with 2 goals each for UTS. Nathan Coxall, Scott Brown and Marshall Poynter all kicked 2 goals each for East Coast.

UTS’ best players were Henry Gosse, McNamara, Backlund, Damian Ryan, Lewis McCormack and Joshua Lee. East Coast was best served by Reeve Simmons, Brody Kane, Jacob Jones, Cameron Edwards, Poynter and Harry Elbourne.

UNSW-ES produced a superb defensive performance in accounting for South West Sydney by 6 goals at Rosedale Oval. Final scores were UNSW-ES 10.12.72 to South West Sydney 5.6.36. Combined with Sydney University’s upset loss to Pennant Hills, the Bulldogs are 6 points clear of the Students with 4 rounds left. The arch rivals have a massive Round 16 fixture at Sydney University that could decide the double chance in the Finals Series.

UNSW-ES jumped out of the blocks in the first quarter, leading the Blues by 18 points at the first break. After even second quarter, the Bulldogs gradually drew away from the Blues as they continue their strong season after a difficult 2024.

Veteran Kieran Emery kicked 5 goals for UNSW-ES, with Cooper Flint chipping in with 2 majors. In-form small forward kicked 3 goals for South West Sydney.

UNSW-ES’ best players were Harrison Dyson, Oscar Peter, Anthony Halikas, Thomas Baxter, Sam Thorne and Toby Alker. South West Sydney was best served by Khy Gibbs, Joshua Croft, Latanis, Ethan Roberts, Max Lower and representative ruckman Finbar Delbridge.

North Shore produced their best performance of the season in belting previously undefeated Manly Warringah by an astonishing 64 points at Gore Hill Oval, and in doing so, nudged Manly Warringah out of first place. Final scores were North Shore 13.16.94 to Manly Warringah 4.6.30.

Make no mistake, this was a superb performance by the Bombers. After an indifferent month leading into this game, North Shore were back to their devastating best as they made it clear that they right after back-to-back flags.

The Bombers led by 20 points at halftime then kicked 8 goals to 2 in a dominant second half.

Goals were evenly shared by North Shore, with Thomas Drum, Max Thomas and Max Yeoland all kicking 2 goals. Representative star Zac Youlten kicked 2 goals for the Wolves.

North Shore’s best players were dual Phelan Medallist Ned Campbell, Harry Walker, Fraser Thurlow, Pierce Roseby, Yeoland and Sean Netting. Manly Warringah was best served by Byron Laws, Aiden Adams, Jacob Saxby, Alexander Jacobs and Youlten.

 

MEN’S DIVISION ONE:

In Mens Division One action, Sydney University overwhelmed Pennant Hills by 162 points at Uni #1 Oval, St George overcame a dogged Inner West Magpies to run out 19-point winners at Picken Oval, Parramatta gained valuable percentage (and temporarily leapt into third place on the ladder) after they thrashed UNSW-ES by 136 points at Gipps Rd, and the Camden Cats were simply way too good for Southern Power, defeating them by 123 points at Fairfax Reserve. Competition heavyweights North Shore had the bye.

In a hectic Division One Top Four, both North Shore and Camden have a game in hand over Sydney University and Parramatta. North Shore’s current percentage of 307.88 may yet prove pivotal in a fascinating race toward the Minor Premiership and a crucial week off in the Finals.