The Under 18s had an enormous opportunity to get their finals aspirations back on track when they played the Southern Sharks at Greygums Oval in Round 11.
A combination of a second quarter lapse and an extremely inaccurate second half buried any chances of a win for the side.
Final scores were: Southern Sharks 11.12 (78) d Penrith 6.15 (51)
Match report from Greg Corless follows:
It was a return to Greygums for the Under 18’s Rams on Saturday with a tough task when they came up against the “in-form” Southern Sharks. The Sharks are undoubtedly the form team of the competition after a shaky start to the season and were looking for three wins on the trot. Prior to that they were the only team to give Uni NSW Bulldogs a shake where they led until the last couple of minutes. On the other hand, the Rams were desperate for a win and if the previous week’s match against the strongest Pennant Hills team seen for some time, where they performed brilliantly, was any indication, the crowd was in for a great match.
The Sharks however, got off to a dream start with a five goal haul and it was looking all too easy for the visitors. The Rams suddenly awoke in the last eight minutes of the quarter and put together an impressive display of teamwork to grab three majors and all of a sudden, the match came alive. Unfortunately they could not keep up the intensity for the full twenty minutes in the second quarter which saw the Sharks pile on three goals to go to the sheds at half time with a thirty four point lead.
The second half saw a great contest by both sides with the Rams dominating possession but unable to convert their intensity onto the scoreboard. Although one of their best performances of the season, they fell short by twenty eight points on the day but can hold their heads high with a performance to suggest a win is just around the corner. Congratulations to the Sharks on their win and their tough and skilled brand of footy. They certainly did their club proud.
For the Rams there were again many standouts with Max Roberts, Tayt Corless and Brent Venables leading the way. Jesse Begley, Ben Robinson, Kyle McDonagh and Brendan Cooke all were major contributors once again whilst Jakeman King- Smith, Dean Siljanoski and Kirk Perkins all put in sensational performances.
It’s crunch time again at Greygums on Saturday when the team comes up against second placed Macquarie Uni. The Uni side demolished a severely weakened Pennant Hills team last week by more than 120 points but fell victims to the Southern Sharks the previous week so a top match is ensured. In the previous encounter between the two teams, the MacWarriors ran out easy winners on their home turf. The match begins at 10:00 AM. Players are reminded to be at the ground at 9:00 AM for a 9:15 AM team meeting.
Goals: Dean Siljanoski 2, Hamish Mulligan, Tayt Corless, Kirk Perkins, Brent Venables
Best: Tayt Corless, Max Roberts, Ben Robinson, Mitch Reinhard, Jakeman King-Smith, Brent Venables
Footnote: In last weeks match review, I mentioned that the Rams played a “strengthened” Pennant Hills team. I apologise if this offended anyone from the Demons and was not meant in any way to be derogatory towards the club. I would like to congratulate the nine Challenge Cup players from that match that were promoted to Premier Cup the following week when they easily defeated St George.
Last Modified on 30/05/2010 12:35