Match Report by The Chair
The first grade clash saw Penrith take on local rivals Nor-West Jets, and the Rams were right in the contest until half way through the second term when they trailed by just two points, before the Jets took over, kicking four late goals to enter half time with a 29 point advantage. In the extremely blustery conditions this was always going to be difficult to overcome, and despite booting the first two goals of the second half to get themselves back into the game, the superior fitness of the Jets took over, a number of late goals distorting on the scoreboard what had been an extremely hard fought affair.
In just his second game of football Bryce Roney did a terrific job at centre half back to be the Red Cow Inn Man of the Match, whilst former Pennant Hills player Grant Kells also performed strongly in his first outing for the Rams. Grant Berry booted two goals.
Final scores were Nor-West 17-12-114 to Penrith 8-2-50.
For the second week running the Rams started well in Reserve Grade, maintaining parity with a side which was coming off a huge win the previous week, and continuing the parallels, it was the second term which saw them come unstuck, the Nor West Jets booting away with five goals. Despite this, Penrith continued to battle away strongly, keeping the home side to just three goals in the second half in what was an encouraging performance. Jason Ware and Ben Paterson were Penrith's best, whilst Jonathan Barry played well against his old club.
Final scores were Nor-West 11-14-80 to Penrith 3-7-25.
The Rams now take on UNSW/Eastern Suburbs in First Grade on Saturday at Greygums Oval, whilst Reserve Grade and the U/18's tackle Sydney Uni.
Coaches Reserves Match Report by Warey
A great performance which was fiercely contested all day in very windy conditions. Periods of inconsistency cost the team, which may have been due to th inexperience of a lot of new first year players. Jonathan Barry put in a strong performance all around the ground, with Ben Paterson and Brad Pathuis also contributing throughout. Shane Turner and Dale Perry continued to provide targets up forward.
PENRITH
Goal Kickers: J. Makin, D. Perry, J. Ware
Best Players: J. Ware, B. Paterson, M. Poulter, J. Barry, B. Pathuis, S. Turner
Coaches First Grade Match Report by Lachie
On Sunday we travelled to Richmond to take on premiership hopefuls Norwest Jets. With strong winds blowing, goals were always going to be at a premium. In the trying conditions we battled hard and showed our fighting spirit, before eventually going down to a side better adapted to the conditions. With hard running the Jets created overlaps around the ground allowing free delivery into their forward line.
Although outplayed we can take some positives from the game. After a lot of focus at training we got our goal accuracy up to 80% on the weekend, which was fantastic given the conditions. The return of some key position players also helped to improve on last week's efforts. Our half back line was a lot stronger this week, managing to cut off a lot of the Jets attack, and the added depth in the midfield gave us more drive through the middle.
We now face a gruelling week of training before taking on the high scoring UNSW/ES Bulldogs next Saturday at Greygums Oval. The Bulldogs are a very attacking side, putting on a lot of points each week. At training we're going to be working on rebounding out of the back line and pressuring them on the score board.
Games start at 10am with the Under 18's coming of a strong win and reserves and seniors searching for their first victory of the season. Any players interested in playing AFL with Penrith are invited to attend training from 6:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursday, visit Penrithrams.com.au or contact Coach Lachlan Smith on 0410 692 144 or Football Operations Manager Jason Bradley on 0417 243 009.
PENRITH
Goal Kickers: G. Berry 2, A. Prowse, T. Corless, B. Cooke, B. Ridges, R. Low, D. Bradley
Best Players: G. Kells, B. Roney, J. Brock, B. Cooke, G. Berry, R. Low
Last Modified on 23/04/2010 12:43