RAMS U19s Match Report 10 May 2014 vs Southern Power at Greygums Oval
On Saturday morning the Under 19 Rams kicked the dew off the ground in the early 8:30am game against Southern Power. Southern Power’s early season form had not lived up to what would usually be expected from a team just relegated from Division 1, so we went into this game with high hopes. In slippery conditions the first quarter was full of errors from both sides with dropped marks and poor kicking turning the contest into a scrappy affair with a lot of pack situations and ball ups occurring. The Power had most of the play early but could not capitalise on the scoreboard and it was the Rams who led at quarter time by 7 points.
The second quarter was a hard slog for both teams with the scores locked at 14 points apiece at half time in what had developed into a very low scoring contest. The Rams were asked to be more physical in the second half with a stronger attack on the ball which paid dividends with the Rams surging to a handy 8 point lead by 3 quarter time.
In the final term Southern Power rallied to take the game right up to the Rams. It was a hard fought last quarter which saw the game open up at stages with some good outside ball movement from both teams. The final 5 minutes were frantic and set the scene for a classic nail biting finish. Southern Power held a 1 point lead with only seconds remaining when U19 debutant Nick Hocking from the Nepean Rams U17s marked strongly 45 – 50m from goal. Nick went back and calmly launched into a superb drop punt that sailed through the posts as the final siren sounded giving the young Rams a stunning last gasp victory by 5 points.
First gamer – defender Ben Skinner was best on ground with a superb display from deep in Defence.
Young ST Clair U17 Ruckman Mark Neill played a very mature and dominant role in the ruck whilst Aidan Quicke played a strong first half in defence before being shifted into the centre where he was outstanding in providing the necessary drive that helped secure the win. Dylan Nelson was strong in the pack situations all day and Zac Pianta played his customary hard working role providing a physical presence and marking strongly around the ground despite the conditions. Ethan Claxton another St Clair U17 was very consistent, racking up plenty of possessions and was one of only a few good players in the first half that helped keep us in the contest.
Jacob Field kicked 2 goals and again maintained a high work rate throughout the game and running defenders Joey Eskander, Daniel Buckley and ST Clair U17 Dylan Apicella were fantastic under constant pressure. Jack Noble from the Nepean Rams U17s was instrumental in maintaining our competitiveness throughout the game playing a number of crucial roles superbly including ruck, forward, wing and defence. Finally our match winning hero Nick Hocking from the U17 Nepean Rams who not only displayed a great temperament to slot through the winning goal but maintained a strong physical presence across half forward for the majority of the game.
A big thank you to Keith Claxton, Dave Nolan & Greg Corless for their help and support, Manager Fiona Hanrahan, Runner Connor Owen-Auburn, Water carrier Pat Pope, goal umpire Jeff Ryan and anyone else that I have neglected to mention. Parents and siblings we are always on the lookout for someone to assist with roles on match days so please let us know if you’re able to help out at any time.
We now have 4 wins from 5 games and with a couple of new players set to debut next week selection is becoming more competitive – please make the effort to train on Wednesday at 6:30pm and/or Thursday at 6:30pm. This coming Saturday we take on Macarthur Giants who look like they have added new depth to their team having recorded a strong 20 point win against Holroyd Blacktown on Saturday with a full complement of players.
Penrith Rams 1.2-8 2.2-14 4.7-31 6.8-44
Southern Power 0.1-1 2.2-14 3.5-23 5.9-39
Goal Kickers: J. Field 2, Z. Pianta , A. Quicke , D. Apicella N Hocking
Best Players: B. Skinner, M. Neill, A. Quicke, D. Nelson, Z. Pianta, E. Claxton
In other matches:
Senior Grade staged a strong last quarter comeback but couldn't overcome Southern Power, going down by 16 points.
Goal Kickers: M. Purse 2, L. Jones , B. McGovern , J. Devlin , A. Sharp , G. Paneras
Best Players: M. Laffan, D. Smyth, T. Hall, M. McNamara, J. Devlin, M. Purse
Reserve Grade, after an even first term, drew away to record a comfortable win againts the Power.
Goal Kickers: B. Robinson 5, M. Stevens 4, J. Shelley 2, R. Ooms 2, T. Beutler , R. Johnson
Best Players: M. Cummins, L. Geeves, J. Green, J. Hyland, M. Stevens, C. Triffitt
Third Grade matched Sydney Uni for three terms in the Sunday game, but the Students ran away with the game with the wind in the final term.
Goal Kickers: K. Kirk 4, D. Nelson 2, J. Weller , S. Jenkins , R. Sippel (five goals kicked in opening term)
Best Players: R. Sippel, T. Cramp, T. Hutton, C. Wallace, S. Jenkins, K. Kirk
The Ramettes put in a sensational first half against ladder leaders Southern Power, leading by two goals at half time. But they could not maintain the momentum, going down by five goals.
Goal Kickers: B. Corless , K. Easthope , L. Hazell , J. Vella , J. Burnham
Best Players: N. Camilleri, S. Kostic, M. Brydon, S. Halse, N. Perrett, J. Vella
Last Modified on 16/09/2014 19:42