The Under 18s provided the bright spot in an otherwise dismal day by winning their third game in a row in a thriller against Pennant Hills.
It was the second week in a row where the final margin was less than a goal, which must be severely testing the nerves of all involved!
Final scores were: Penrith 7.13 (55) d Pennant Hills 7.11 (53)
Greg Corless's match report follows:
It was back to school for the Rams in the dressing sheds prior to their clash with the Demons. A history lesson was delivered by the coaching staff to the players. Lesson one rewound to Round 1 in 2007 when Penrith 18's were annihalated by the Demons by more than 100 points. The Pennant Hills outfit always turn up to play football ! Lesson two went back to this very weekend in 1915 with the Anzacs. The team spoke of the "Anzac Spirit" and what it meant. "Courage, Enterprise, Resourcefulness, Endurance, Mateship and Teamwork" were all mentioned. A new award for this and future Anzac Day matches was announced with a medal encased with sand from the beach at Gallipoli, kindly donated by Kevin Tate when he recently visited Anzac Cove.
The game started under sunny and still conditions on a slippery Greygums surface after 13 days of rain prior and it was Pennant Hills that opened the scoring, grabbing two early goals that shellshocked the home team. Playing 16-aside footy meant some last minute changes for the Rams, with their opponents running two on the bench as against the Rams six. However, the boys started to dominate later in the quarter, with Rams debutant, Simon Osborne, kicking two goals to go to the break with a slender two point lead.
The second quarter saw the boys open up against the determined Demons, booting three goals to two.However, the Rams were doing all the "hard yards" but giving up easy possession on numerous occassions to allow the visitors to stay in touch. This aspect was discussed in the sheds at the break with the boys hanging onto a seven point lead.
The team went out humming in the third quarter but could only add one goal to the scoreboard whilst some innacurate kicking saw another "goal" in behinds. On the positive side they contained Pennant Hills to just a single point and looked to have the game in their keeping with an eighteen point lead as the final twenty minutes loomed.
The final quarter turned into an arm-wrestle. The Rams could only add two behinds to their score whilst their opponents threw themselves into every play. With seven minutes left on the clock, and the home team maintaining a three goal buffer, the match looked out of reach for the visitors. However, they finished with a flurry. Two late goals and a couple of behinds got them to within four points of victory. A demons mark 25 metres out was taken and as the player lined up the siren sounded. The kick looked good off the foot but veered right to narrowly miss the big sticks and it was the Rams hanging onto a three point win.
The young Rams now have an impressive 3-0 record under their belts, but must learn how to "put opponents away". The team has been dominating play this year but dropping in intensity when getting ahead on the scoreboard.
It was indeed a hard choice for the coaching staff to name the "Anzac Award" recipient. Again, many stood out, but finally Ben Robinson was the selection. Ben was a Rams scholarship player last year with the Emu Plains/Glenmore Park Lions and has taken to "senior" footy with all the courage and determination he displayed in junior football. Daen Lomas was sensational in his debut with the 18's. The former St Clair Crows player has returned to AFL after a two year break and is returning to the form that saw him captain a Sydney Indigenous Team that played at the MCG a few years ago. Daen starred at full back, diffusing most Demon forward moves. Team personality, Michael Morgan also played his best game to date. "Morgo" always puts in 110% but upped that by a few with his total disregard for self-preservation in a sensational performance. Dean Siljanoski ran a marathon and was first to the ball in most chases and was right in the mix for Best on Ground on the day, with Brendan Cooke, Lachlan Gippel and Tayt Corless putting in their usual "lead from the front" brilliant efforts. In defence, the quartet of Reece Johnson (1 goal), Max Roberts, Mitch Reinhard (1 goal) and Shane Turner exerted their superiority. Other goalscorers were Josh Anasis (2) Simon Osborne (2) and a good match by Hamish Mulligan in kicking his first for 2008.
Thanks again to our support staff on the day. Kyle McDonagh (rested-running boundary),Mark Steunenberg (club umpire) "Jabba" Bradley (Goal Umpire), Stuart Ayres (Motivation), Greg Rogers (Timekeeping) ,the boys from the bench that ran water and especially to coaches Kevin Tate and Barry King-Smith who are surely making arrangements with Ashley and Martin Hair Loss Clinics after the teams last two matches. Thanks also to the boys who backed up in the higher grades along with the trio of local juniors Jake, Tate and Brad who had a taste of senior footy playing reserves. They will certainly be key figures in 2009 should they (wisely) continue their careers with the Rams.
Next week the team travels to Gwawley Oval at Taren Point to take on the Southern Sharks in the 10:00 AM fixture in an attempt to go 4-Zip. Training as usual is on Tuesday Night at 6:00 PM.
Goalkickers: S. Osborne 2, J. Anasis 2, H. Mulligan, R. Johnson, M. Reinhard
Best Players: B. Robinson, D. Lomas, B. Cooke, M. Morgan, T. Corless, L. Gippel
Last Modified on 22/04/2010 00:08