Round 18 – Men’s & Women’s Premier Division Preview
Written by Michael Shillito
We’ve made it to the final round of the home and away season. For five Men’s Premier Division teams, and four Women’s Premier Division teams, this is their last game for the year. The non-finals teams will be finishing up for 2024 and planning how to move up the ladder in 2025.
In Men’s Premier Division, we know who those five teams will be. We thank South-West Sydney, St George, UNSW-ES, UTS and East Coast for their contributions in 2024.
The final five, and the order of teams within the five, is already locked in. North Shore will have the first week of the finals off. Manly will play Pennant Hills in the Qualifying Final; and Sydney Uni will play Inner West in the Elimination Final. Nothing that happens in the final round will change that.
And in the final round, none of the finals teams play each other. All five games have a finals team playing a non-finals team.
That doesn’t mean the results are foregone conclusions; and there have been numerous instances over the years of a team that didn’t make the finals flying the flag one last time and knocking off a finals team. And the teams that are going to make the finals will want to fine-tune their preparations and get some winning form on the board.
In Women’s Premier Division, it’s far from clear-cut. East Coast will be minor premiers, but nothing beyond that is certain.
North Shore are second, but they have the bye in the final round. Their destiny is out of their hands.
Manly, Parramatta and Sydney Uni are a game behind the Bombers; but Manly and Parramatta have a better percentage and Sydney Uni’s is about 6 goals behind. UTS are a game behind those chasing teams, with a better percentage than Sydney Uni but not as good as Manly or Parramatta.
East Coast, North Shore, Manly and Parramatta will all make the finals. East Coast have the minor premiership, but no-one else has a top three spot wrapped up. One of Sydney Uni or UTS will miss the finals.
The games to watch are UTS v Parramatta, East Coast v Sydney Uni and St George v Manly.
For North Shore to make the Qualifying Final, they need either Manly or Parramatta to not win; and for Sydney Uni to either lose, draw or win by less than six goals. If Sydney Uni win by more than six goals, the Bombers would need both Manly and Parramatta to not win.
For Manly, with the best percentage of the contending teams and playing the winless St George, the equation is clear. Win and they make the Qualifying Final. If by some unexpected calamity they don’t win, they need both Parramatta and Sydney Uni also to not win.
It’s simple for Parramatta. If they win, they make the Qualifying Final. If they don’t win, they can’t make it.
For Sydney Uni, to make the Qualifying Final, they need to beat top side East Coast by more than six goals, to get their percentage ahead of North Shore. They also need either Manly or Parramatta to not win. They could also make it if they win by less than six goals if Manly and Parramatta both don’t win. They can’t make the Qualifying Final if they don’t win. And if Sydney Uni lose, they need UTS to not win to survive in the top five.
UTS can’t make the top three. They make the finals if they win and Sydney Uni lose.
With so many teams depending on other results; there’s sure to be some nervous refreshing of the PlayHQ results as the day unfolds.
For UNSW-ES, Pennant Hills and St George, we thank them for being part of Premier Division in 2024; and they’ll be looking to return in 2025 and become finals contenders next year.
MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
UTS Bats v Inner West Magpies
Waverley Oval, Saturday 12:10pm
Bats – 9th. Played 17, Won 4, Lost 13, 64.40%. Streak – L1
Magpies – 5th. Played 17, Won 8, Lost 9, 100.22%. Streak – L5
If there’s one team in the top five that really needs a win before the finals, it’s the Inner West Magpies. Five losses on the trot isn’t the sort of form you want when you’re moving into the business end of the season. There’s some work to be done to reverse last week’s result and get back in form. And that’s what they need as they take on UTS; while the Bats will be looking to finish a disappointing 2024 season on a positive note. And if you’re not able to get down Bondi Road, you can catch the action as it happens on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/4062 ]
UTS’ finals drought goes into its eight season, as another season that didn’t live up to the Bats’ hopes comes to an end. Last week they were comprehensively outplayed by North Shore at St Lukes, going down by 124 points. Lewis McCormack, Liam Gordon and Luke Moloney tried hard, but the Bats had no answers to the Bombers juggernaut. The Bats have saluted just four times this season; but against an opponent who has lost their last five, they will be desperate to put in one last big effort and save the best till last and get something that gives them cause for optimism about 2025.
Some good form especially at the middle of the season has got Inner West into the top five; but recent results haven’t gone their way and they’ve dropped their last five games. Last week at Picken Oval they were never in the hunt against Sydney Uni and went down by 31 points, which would have been a lot more if Sydney Uni had kicked straight. Pat Wilmot, Will Deller and player-coach Ben Klemke put the effort in, but the Magpies looked outclassed for most of the day. Recent weeks have been a struggle, and the Magpies desperately need this game to get the game plan ticking and get some form on the board ahead of a re-match against Sydney Uni in the Elimination Final.
When the final siren sounds at Waverley, UTS’s season will be over. Not so for the Magpies, who have an Elimination Final against Sydney Uni to come. But to limp into the finals, low on form and confidence, is not what the Magpies are looking for. In this match, they need to prepare for finals action, get some form on the board and make a statement that they’re not just in the finals to make up the numbers. The Magpies need to win.
North Shore Bombers v South-West Sydney Blues
Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 1:40pm
Bombers – 1st. Played 17, Won 17, Lost 0, 235.63%. Streak – W17
Blues – 6th. Played 17, Won 7, Lost 10, 86.76%. Streak – L1
Not counting the covid-shortened 2020 and the abandoned 2021, it’s been many a long year since a team has completed an undefeated home and away season in Mens Premier Division. But such has been the Bombers’ dominance in 2024 that this is the final hurdle; on the Gore Hill synthetic against South-West Sydney, who are completing their first season at this level.
Last week at St Lukes, it was no contest as the Bombers put UTS to the sword by 124 points. Wayd Blackburne spearheaded the charge with seven goals, while Matt Buskariol and Harry Walker each contributed four, and Nick Brewer and Ned Campbell were unstoppable around the ground. Week after week, the Bombers have got the job done, and they’ve played some impressive footy along the way. If they can get up against South-West Sydney, they complete an undefeated home and away season; and will have been undefeated at the Goretress for four of the last five seasons.
South-West Sydney’s first season in Premier Division has had its highlights. They were well beaten in their first two games, but learned their lessons quickly and have given a good account of themselves; winning seven games along the way. But their push for an unlikely finals berth came unstuck last week when they went down to UNSW-ES by six points at Henson Park. Will Edwards, Bailey Stewart and Khy Gibbs played solid games; but the Blues fell just short and their quest for the finals came to an end. Now just one game remains, an imposing battle against the ladder leaders. It won’t be easy, but a competitive performance will show how far they have come this season and that the Blues have what it takes to be contenders for many years to come.
The Blues have proven themselves worthy of being at this level, but this is a monumental ask for them. It’s been an encouraging season for the Blues, and nothing that happens in this game will take away from that. But the Bombers are in form, flying high, and won’t want to take any risks with relaxing their form. It’s full steam ahead for the Bombers. Dominating a home and away season is one thing; but the Bombers are all too aware that the true test is yet to come.
UNSW-ES Bulldogs v Pennant Hills Demons
Henson Park, Saturday 1:40pm
Bulldogs – 8th. Played 17, Won 4, Lost 13, 68.65%. Streak – W1
Demons – 3rd. Played 17, Won 12, Drawn 1, Lost 4, 161.10%. Streak – D1
After playing five Grand Finals in a row, winning four of them, the Bulldogs had a big fall down the ladder in 2024. They won’t be playing finals this year. But they’d love to finish a disappointing season on a positive note when they take on Pennant Hills at Henson Park. While the Demons will be working to ready themselves for a re-match against Manly in the Qualifying Final after those teams couldn’t be split last week.
The Bulldogs had lost some key players for this season, but few would have anticipated they’d crash down the ladder as hard as they did. But after the trials and tribulations of 2024, they have managed to salvage a couple of scalps in the closing weeks of the season. Last week the Bulldogs ended South-West Sydney’s unlikely finals push with a six-point win. Max Rider was in cruise control on the forward line to finish with four goals, while Tom Longmire, William Foster and Ned Hawkins were key contributors on the day. The golden era came to an abrupt end this year, but there’s some good talent being fed into the team’s rebuild, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll be down for too many years.
Meanwhile Pennant Hills are finals-bound. They’ll be kicking off the finals with a Qualifying Final against Manly; and if it’s anything like last Saturday’s game at Mike Kenny, we’re in for a treat. After four quarters last week, the Demons and the Wolves couldn’t be separated; and we had our first draw for the season. Lukas de Vries, Cooper Lee and Ethan Hyams were influential for the Demons; who haven’t lost for six weeks and go into this finals series full of confidence. But first, a game against the Bulldogs to get the preparation right.
After Pennant Hills’ draw with Manly last week, the Demons will be keenly awaiting next week’s re-match in the Qualifying Final. But they have to get past the Bulldogs first, in a game that will be of importance to the Demons as they prepare for finals footy. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs would love to finish on a positive note as they put 2024 behind them. Two straight wins to finish the season would give them some momentum and cause for optimism to carry them through the long summer break.
St George Dragons v Manly-Warringah Wolves
Olds Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Dragons – 7th. Played 17, Won 5, Lost 12, 71.70%. Streak – W1
Wolves – 2nd. Played 17, Won 14, Drawn 1, Lost 2, 186.75%. Streak – D1
For St George, a challenging season draws to a close when the final siren sounds. But before they finish their season, they play in front of the Olds Park faithful one last time when they host the finals-bound Manly; who are readying themselves for a finals date against Pennant Hills.
2024 has had plenty of obstacles for the Dragons to overcome. It’s been a rebuilding year for the Dragons, where they’ve struggled to keep up with the top teams. But they have managed five wins this season; the most recent coming last week when they were 20 points too good for East Coast. Colby Hill, Luke Arendse and Jack Druery, three young players who have shown plenty of potential this season, were standout contributors for the Dragons. And if the Dragons can finish strongly here and take the fight up to Manly, they’ll have some encouragement they can take into the off-season; and will have reason to believe they are on the right track to move forward into 2025.
Manly are in solid touch, five games without loss; and will be using this game to fine-tune their preparations ahead of a Qualifying Final against Pennant Hills. The Wolves played the Demons last week, and it was a cracker; with a strong last quarter and some straight kicking taking the two sides to a thrilling draw. Antony Forato, Taine Wright and Sam McMeeken were pivotal to the Wolves’ comeback; and will no doubt have a role to play when the finals come around. But first things first, and the Wolves will be determined to get the job done here and not take any risks with their form before the finals.
After last week’s thrilling draw, the Wolves know they have what it takes to match it with the Demons in the Qualifying Final; and there’s plenty of keen anticipation for that clash. But first, they have to get the job done against the Dragons and maintain the momentum they’ve worked so hard to build. For St George, the season has had its challenges; but they’ll be looking to finish strongly and put up a competitive performance. The rebuild has started, and the Dragons will be looking to create some positive signs of progress that they can take into the 2025 pre-season.
East Coast Eagles v Sydney University Students
Kanebridge Oval, Saturday 3:40pm
Eagles – 10th. Played 17, Won 2, Lost 15, 51.09%. Streak – L5
Students – 4th. Played 17, Won 11, Lost 6, 128.00%. Streak – W1
A blue and gold derby lowers the curtain on the home and away season, as East Coast host Sydney Uni at Kanebridge. A tough season for the Eagles has delivered their third wooden spoon in a row; while the Students are looking to fine-tune their finals preparation ahead of their Elimination Final date with Inner West Magpies next week.
After a winless 2022 and one win in 2023, East Coast’s season started with a shock win over reigning premiers UNSW-ES. But it was a false dawn for the Eagles, who only won one more game for the season, the return game against the Bulldogs. Knocking off the defending champions twice was quite the achievement, but 2024 delivered few other highlights. Last week they never looked likely against St George and went down by 20 points, despite the efforts of Harry Elbourne, Angus Edwards and Cameron Edwards. A difficult season for the Eagles, but they will want to put in a big effort here in their last game, and carry some cause for optimism into 2025.
Sydney Uni snapped a two-game losing run last week at Picken Oval when they were 31 points too good for Inner West. In a game that never reached any great heights, the Students squandered plenty of goal-scoring opportunities but never looked threatened by the Magpies. Former Phelan Medallist Jake Bartholomaeus, playing his first game for Sydney Uni this year, dominated proceedings to be best on ground; while Lucas Newman and Harry Morrison also featured prominently. The Students will be using this week’s game to complete their finals preparations as well as looking to maintain the form and confidence that comes from winning.
The previous meeting between these clubs saw the Students race away to a 109-point win. This time round the Eagles have the home advantage. After a season that began on such a big note with that stirring win over UNSW-ES, the rest of the year has been a struggle; but they’d love to put up one big performance to end the year and put the Students under some pressure. But the Students are finals-bound, and it will take something special to stop them here as they prepare for a sudden-death finals campaign.
WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
UTS Bats v Parramatta Goannas
Waverley Oval, Saturday 10:10am
Bats – 6th. Played 15, Won 9, Lost 6, 187.50%. Streak – L1
Goannas – 4th. Played 15, Won 10, Lost 5, 208.22%. Streak – L1
It’s an early start at Waverley Oval for a game that will have massive implications for how the finals take shape. The Bats are playing for a spot in the finals, the Goannas for the double-chance; and how each clubs rises and falls in this match affects the finals destiny of other clubs as well as their own. There’s a few other clubs, particularly North Shore and Sydney Uni, who will be nervously tuning into the Streamer feed and following this match. You can join them online wherever in the world you are and follow the action live as it unfolds. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/4061 ]
For the Bats, this is literally a must-win game. If they don’t win this, they don’t play finals and Sydney Uni are safe in the top five. The Bats got into this situation after going down to North Shore by two points in a thriller at St Lukes last week. After falling behind, they threw everything into the last quarter and got one goal back; but the winning goal eluded them. Georgia Knight, Hannah Cerezo and Emilye Blades were in everything during that frantic last quarter; but the Bats fell agonisingly short. And so their fate rests on this game, and if they drop this, there’s no finals for the Bats.
Parramatta let a chance to wrap up the double-chance slip by last Saturday at Gipps Road when they went down to Sydney Uni by six points after leading by two goals at the long break. Kiera Yerbury, Caitlin Fletcher and Amanda Farrugia all got plenty of possessions; but in the end the Goannas fell short. The equation for the Goannas this week is simple. If they win, they play the Qualifying Final. Otherwise they’ll be in the sudden-death Elimination Final. Their fate is in their own hands.
The stakes are high, and this affects the rest of the competition as well. If the Bats win, Sydney Uni are in danger and North Shore stay ahead of the Goannas. And the Bats will then have to hope Sydney Uni lose, and will have a nervous wait until the result from Kanebridge comes up on PlayHQ. If the Goannas win; they will finish top three, Sydney Uni are safely finals-bound while North Shore drop down a spot and be left hoping for St George to pull off a miracle against Manly. A draw wouldn’t help either team. The stakes are high, the pressure will be intense. Expect this to go down to the wire, neither team can afford to make a mistake here.
East Coast Eagles v Sydney University Students
Kanebridge Oval, Saturday 12:10pm
Eagles – 1st. Played 15, Won 13, Lost 2, 331.147%. Streak – W3
Students – 5th. Played 15, Won 10, Lost 5, 136.23%. Streak – W2
It’s an important game for the makeup of the final five when East Coast host Sydney Uni at Kanebridge in a lunchtime blockbuster. The Eagles already know their finals fate – they are minor premiers and go straight through to week two. But Sydney Uni aren’t safe for the finals yet, but if all goes their way they could even take the double-chance.
Whatever happens here, the Eagles will finish as minor premiers. And they come into this game with winning form behind them, after a comprehensive 120-point win over bottom side St George last week. Rylee McGartland was at her unstoppable best with six goals, while Amelie Prosser-Shaw contributed four. Prosser-Shaw, along with Bryany Parker and Nellie McMillan, was among the Eagles’ best. They will finish top after the regular season; but there’s plenty of work ahead when the finals come around. The Eagles will be looking to fine-tune their game plan for the finals, and also keep their winning momentum going. They will be keen to win this.
Sydney Uni re-entered the top five last week when they came from two goals behind at half time to knock off Parramatta by six points at Gipps Road. The result saw them overtake UTS to return to fifth place; and was built on the back of enormous efforts from Emma Gelsomino, Saskia Johnson and Daisy George. It was an impressive performance by the Students. But depending on what happened at Waverley earlier in the day, the Students may need to lift themselves for an even bigger effort against the ladder leaders.
The Eagles will be keen for a win to keep their momentum going. But nothing that happens here will jeopardise the minor premiership. But the stakes are higher for Sydney Uni.
This match will get under way about 20 minutes after the game at Waverley has finished, and the Students will already know what’s required of them. If they have news that the Goannas won at Waverley, they’ll know they are guaranteed to play the finals and the Elimination Final is their destiny. If they are informed that the Bats have won, a loss will end their season. But a win would get them back in the five; and a big win by more than about six goals would get them past not only the Bats and the Goannas, but North Shore as well into third place and the Qualifying Final. The risks and potential rewards are enormous.
St George Dragons v Manly-Warringah Wolves
Olds Park, Saturday 12:40pm
Dragons – 9th. Played 15, Won 0, Lost 15, 5.41%. Streak – L15
Wolves – 3rd. Played 15, Won 10, Lost 5, 218.25%. Streak – W1
St George’s first season at Premier Division level hasn’t gone as the Dragons would have hoped. But it ends at Olds Park in this match against Manly. While the Wolves will be confident in their chances of recording a win, which would propel them to the finals double-chance.
It’s been a tough season for the Dragons. No wins, a percentage of 5, some massive losses. They copped another one last week when the Eagles held them to a solitary scoring shot and the Dragons went down by 120 points. Rhiannon Burns, Caydelan Mitchell-Bruce and Kaitlyn Eisenhuth tried hard all day, but the Dragons weren’t able to resist the Eagles at any stage during the game. There’s lessons to be learned, and a tough pre-season training regime will come on board soon. But after all they have endured this season, the final siren will bring this tricky season to a close.
Meanwhile Manly have positioned themselves well for the double-chance. Last Saturday they boosted their already-impressive percentage when they held Pennant Hills to single point to record a 112-point win at Mike Kenny Oval. There were no shortage of avenues to goal, with Peggy Stanbury landing five and Isabella Rudolph four; while Zara Hamilton and Lauren Bourgois were ball magnets around the ground. Now all they need is a win against the winless Dragons and a spot in the Qualifying Final is theirs.
The season hasn’t gone to plan for the Dragons; and they’ll have cause to reflect before their work begins to come back bigger and better next year. But for Manly, the season rolls on. With the best percentage of the finals contending teams, a win will be enough to ensure a berth in the Qualifying Final. It’s hard to see how they won’t achieve that.
UNSW-ES Bulldogs v Pennant Hills Demons
Henson Park, Saturday 4:00pm
Bulldogs – 7th. Played 15, Won 3, Lost 12, 64.02%. Streak – L3
Demons – 8th. Played 15, Won 2, Lost 13, 24.65%. Streak – L3
By the time the Bulldogs v Demons game gets under way at Henson Park, the makeup of the finals will be known. This game will lower the curtain on the home and away season; but has no bearing on the finals. Neither of these teams will be part of the playoffs; but both will want to finish their frustrating season on a positive note.
It’s been a long wait for the Bulldogs to play their last game. They had the bye last week. Their last start was against North Shore, and despite causing the Bombers plenty of nervous moments, in the end they went down by 11 points. Hayley Stanford, Anna Pellen and Amelia Martin were prominent performers in what was a solid fighting effort against a strong in-form opponent. If they can carry that fighting spirit into this game, they’ll give themselves every chance of finishing off 2024 on a positive note.
The Demons have saluted just twice this season, their two games against St George. Last week they were never in the contest against Manly, held to one point and going down by 112 points. Sheridan Baker, Tara Coopman and Sally Faehrmann never stopped trying; but the Demons didn’t have the firepower to match it with a top opponent. But this week, against a fellow non-finallist, they’ll be expecting a more even contest. One last hurrah, something to lift for.
Although neither team will be playing finals, the end-of-season partying is about to start. And there’s a positive buzz if you can sing the song one last time at the end of the season. Something to hang onto during those long summer months. That is the prize here, and it’s there for the team that is good enough to reach out and take it. This is no dead rubber, it’s a chance to grab some cause for optimism in 2025.
