Both Penrith seniors sides can hold their heads high despite narrow
losses against leading club Moorebank Sports at Rosedale on the weekend.
The Reserves stayed in touch throughout the game but fell short by 13
points whilst the Firsts took an early lead and kept fighting to the end
in their 11 point loss. The Under 18's continued their winning streak
with a comprehensive 139 point win.
Under 18's V Moorebank Sports at Rosedale Oval
The 18's headed to Warwick Farm on Saturday to take on fifth placed
Moorebank Sports under overcast conditions on a soggy but surprisingly
good Rosedale pitch hammered by rain in recent days.
Moorebank produced 15 players and were to play 16 Rams players with
another six players on the bench and although not ideal, credit to the
Magpies who have struggled with numbers in 2010 but have been able to
produce a team each and every game this year unlike some of the better
credentialled clubs. Penrith, although having the luxury of a large 2010
squad, called on the services of 15 year old Pioneers and Emu
Plains/Glenmore Park Lions junior, Chris Nolan to complete the 22 man
squad.
The game commenced at a hot pace with the Rams quickly showing why
they are on top of the ladder with slick possession from the centre and
controlled play that saw them amass seven goals and five singles in the
opening quarter. The second term however saw the cohesion drop as the
forward line was flooded with most of the two teams in that area.
Penrith added an incredible nine behinds until two late goals stemmed
the flow that allowed the Rams to go to the major break with a 68 point
lead after being able to keep the Magpies scoreless.
The radar returned somewhat in the third quarter after a rare
attack by the Pies saw them score their only point of the match with
Penrith kicking 5.1. The constant use the large bench was taking its
toll on the courageous Moorebank in the heavy going and a heavy
accidental knee to the face saw Liam Murphy having to retire from the
match.
With Moorebank out on their feet, Penrith continued their assault
with a final term six majors along with five single pointers to come
away with a 129 point win against their determined opponents to record
their thirteenth win of the season and the assurance of a top two spot
in the finals series.
Captain Daniel Schroot led the boys in another inspirational
display with Jackson Swarbrick, returning from injury being pivotal in
the win. Adam Sharp and Matty Payne as usual showed their poise and
experience to take the good options whilst younger team-mates Jack
Ponton and Shaun Stevens provided spark in the side. Ben McGovern
increased his lead in the Sydney AFL goalkicking table with eight whilst
other multiple scorers were Matt Payne, Grady Tapping, Luke Simmons and
Matt Reardon with two apiece.
With just three matches to play in the home and away season,
Penrith are assured of a finals spot for the second successive year.
Next week they head to Mahoney Park to take on East Coast Eagles in the
9:00 AM clash.
Penrith Rams 20.20-140 def Moorebank Sports Magpies 0.1-1
Goal Kickers: B. McGovern 8, M.
Payne 2, L. Simmons 2, G. Tapping 2, M. Reardon 2, G. Howell , N.
Edwards , D. Schroot , J. Ponton
Best Players: D. Schroot, J. Swarbrick, J. Ponton, A. Sharp, M. Payne, S. Stevens
Reserve Grade V Moorebank Sports at Rosedale Oval
.
The Reserves were looking to keep their
finals chances alive when they played the 12:00 PM match against second
placed Moorebank at Rosedale. In their previous clash this year.
Penrith were humiliated by 72 points against the Pies at Greygums and
vowed to make amends for that embarrassing defeat.
.
The first half saw the Rams take it up
to their higher placed opponents and took a brief early lead with good
use of the ball and sterling defence on the partly sodden ground. The
Pies increased their two point quarter time lead to go to the major
break with an eighteen point buffer as the Rams started to feel the
pinch.
The defence in the third term was
outstanding and only allowed the home side to kick two behinds whilst
the Rams narrowed the gap to eleven points and set the stage for a big
finish. Honours were shared in the final quarter with both sides kicking
two apiece and Moorebank took the match by just thirteen points.
.
The team can hold their heads high
despite the loss and still remain in fifth place in the fourteen team
competition. Although a finals spot is still a possibility, it will
require the team to win their remaining three games and results from
other matches to go their way.
Christian Triffitt again was
inspirational and was outstanding in his decision making during the
game. The defensive duo of Nathan White and Daniel Barnes stood strong
under pressure whilst Jason Ware and Christian Knight (2 goals) provided
spark in attack. Shane Turner put in a top display after just a couple
of games back after a horrific injury saw him hospitalised in round
three at Blacktown.
The Rams will be loking forward to
getting back into the winners list next Saturday at Mahoney Park when
they face Sydney Uni. In their previous 2010 clash at Greygums, Penrith
established a big early lead and hung on to beat Uni by thirteen points
at Greygums Oval
Penrith Rams 6.5-41 def by Moorebank Sports Magpies 7.12-54
Goal Kickers: C. Knight 2, J. Bradley , M. Jackson , H. Mulligan , W. Krause
Best Players: C. Triffitt, J. Ware, N. White, S. Turner, D. Barnes, C. Knight
First Grade V Moorebank Sports at Rosedale Oval
.
The main event on the card at
Rosedale on Saturday saw the 1 V 2 clash with Penrith taking on
Moorebank Sports Magpies in what would show the realistic chances of a
flag for 2010. With Penrith going into the clash without polished
performers Dave Bradley, Blake Edwards and Dave Cummings they called on
the services of Under 18's players Matty Payne, Adam Sharp and Daniel
Schroot who had earlier sung the club song in the 18's victory.
.
Moorebank stunned the Rams in the
opening minutes with two quick goals and things were looking grim
until slick play saw the Rams respond in spectacular fashion with five
unanswered goals to go to the first break with a sixteen point break.
.
Attacking into the heavy part of the
ground saw the tide stemmed by a committed Magpies outfit who grabbed
three majors against the Rams two in a tight second quarter but it was
Penrith who held a ten point buffer at the major break. The feeling was
intense and buoyant in the sheds as the Rams knew that it was "game on"
for the final 44 ninutes and any lapse of concentration would be
punished by the premiership favourites.
.
Another tight quarter saw a battle of
attrition as both sides continued their attack whilst Moorebank's
plentiful forays into the Rams forward fifty were negated by outstanding
defence. But the Pies managed to put their noses in front by just a
single point with the final twenty two minutes left.
.
It looked to be a repeat of the
earlier clash as Moorebank gained ascendancy in the opening ten minutes
but unlike that match at Greygums, Penrith fought back hard. Moorebank
had extended their lead to three goals but the final ten minutes saw
Penrith claw their way back to put a massive scare in their opponents
camp. However, the Pies were able to cling on to record an eleven point
win which drops Penrith back to fourth on the ladder.
.
Nathan Rowley was the recipient of
the "IGA Signature" Award with another outstanding display of committed
football whilst Mark Woodford proved what a sensational acquisition he
had been in his debut year with yet another tremendous performance and
took out the "Red Cow Inn" Award. Adam West played his best game of the
year and was heavily involved throughout along with the captain Lachie
Smith who leads by example. Justin Weller and backman Bryce Roney were
also in the top group on the day but it was every man who played with
pride in a performance that buoyed coach Kevin Tate. Ben Robinson took
the kicking honours with three including a final quarter cracker from
the boundry line whilst Max McNamara, playing up front this week
provided the Rams with a double.
.
In a nice touch at the completion of
the game, Moorebank coach Mark Coles came and addressed the team and
congratulated the boys on their fantastic effort and assured them that
they are well in the mix for a grand finals berth.
.
Next week the team travels to Mahoney
Park to take on Sydney Uni on Sunday and needs to repeat their first
round win against the students to stay in finals contention.
Penrith Rams 10.6-66 def by Moorebank Sports 11.11-77
Goal Kickers: B. Robinson 3, M. McNamara 2, J. Anasis , M. Woodford , A. West , T. Cummins , N. Allison
Best Players: N. Rowley, M. Woodford, A. West, J. Weller, B. Roney, L. Smith
Last Modified on 13/08/2010 22:12