Under 19s Match Report - Round 14 vs Southern Power (Courtesy Rick Allen)
With the previous weeks success and team numbers starting to get back to normal we headed to
Cronulla to face the Southern Power with hopefulness rather than confidence. Southern Power had been
experiencing a similarly up and down season to ourselves but had beaten a couple of strong sides to
remain a serious threat on their home turf.
In very windy conditions the game lived up to expectations with a hard fought low scoring contest
developing. To summarize quickly in the first quarter we managed 2 goals to nil in a difficult cross wind
that favoured our end slightly. We then consolidated in the second quarter with both teams scoring a
goal each. In the third quarter we let the Power back into the game by squandering opportunities at the
scoring end of the ground kicking 2.5 to their 2 straight goals for the term. The Southern Power with the
scoring end in the final term threw everything at us and to their credit managed to get quite close. It was
the steadying influence of Chris Nolan and Pat Pope who took turns dropping back behind the play to shut down any further Power forays forward that sealed our second straight gutsy win.
Luke Hyland and Dylan Nelson where again our leading goal scorers with 2 a piece, whilst ST Clair under
17 ball magnet Connor Owen-Auburn chipped in with 1. Gutsy rover Jarrod Dowton was clearly best on
ground with a determined four quarter effort which highlighted Jarrod’s ability to work both inside the
packs and to also play a vital role with his dash on the outside. Speedy midfielder Nick Green played a
sensational game after being shifted onto the Power’s lightning quick wingman showing
magnificent determination to break even if not slightly edge out the oppositions best player. (I’d pay
money to watch that 1 on1 contest again). Zac Pianta relished the difficult conditions using his strength
and skill to continually drive us forward in another solid four quarter performance. Nepean Rams under 17
gun Eddy Steffen was a prime mover through the middle of the ground and showed tremendous courage
and composure to continually win the ball in tight situations and then pick out the best option.
Daniel Buckley was a desperado in defence with the speedy back pocket specialist playing perhaps his
most courageous and important game yet for the team. Key utility player Kayne Quirk must scratch his
head at times and wonder where he’s going to end up next. He is my Mr Versatility and is thrown
regularly between ruck, forward, defence and even at times midfield. Against Southern Power on the
advice of Vice Captain Jarrod Dowton, Kayne played the majority of the game tagging the opposition’s
mobile ruckman a task he did extremely well, shutting down a major part of the Power’s midfield drive
- so a big thanks to both Kayne and Jarrod. A Special mention to Jeromy Rix, who despite a nasty gash
above the eye, gave Kayne a rest from the ruck in the final term to dominate the hit outs in an
outstanding quarter of footy. Defenders Aidan Quicke, Ben Skinner and Immanuel Papageorgiou were
also strong contributors to the win.
Goal Kickers: L. Hyland 2, D. Nelson 2, C. Owen-Auburn
Best Players: J. Dowton, N. Green, Z. Pianta, E. Steffen, D. Buckley, K. Quirk
In other matches:
Senior Grade suffered its third loss of under 20 points in a row when they went down to Southern Power. Dominating the final term, the Rams were coming from too far back to lose by 17.
Goal Kickers: L. Murphy 2, D. Schroot , B. McGovern , P. Pope , J. Edwards , C. Nolan , J. Devlin , L. Geeves
Best Players: L. Geeves, L. Murphy, G. Paneras, J. Shephard, B. Mayer, T. Noble
Reserve Grade recorded a solid, workmanlike victory over the Power, leading all day to prevail by 29 points.
Goal Kickers: B. McGovern 3, B. Robinson 3, M. Pope 2, M. Brown , D. Nelson , J. Hyland
Best Players: E. Kirby, D. Smyth, M. Cummins, B. McGovern, J. Yates, R. Johnson
Camden leapt out of the blocks against Third Grade at Harrington Park and the Rams never recovered, losing by a convincing 11 goal margin.
Goal Kickers: G. Howell 2, K. Kirk 2, J. Edwards
Best Players: G. Howell, B. Roney, L. Donoghue, J. Weller, B. Shoebridge, D. Lowe
The Ramettes battled hard against the Power but simply couldn't put goals on the board, a 21 point half-time deficit turning into a 36 point loss at the final siren.
Goal Kickers: M. Brydon
Best Players: N. Perrett, N. Camilleri, M. Brydon, J. Payne, S. Halse, E. Pamer
Last Modified on 05/07/2015 23:31