‘SOMETIMES a team can get too far in front, think it is happening too easily and then forget to do the things that got them in front in the first place.’
Those words were uttered by Gerard Healy during Fox Sports’ telecast of Essendon v West Coast on Sunday afternoon, but they could just have easily applied to events at Henson Park on Saturday when the Nor-West Jets slipped to the brink of the relegation zone with a 24-point loss to St George in the AFL Sydney Division Two competition.
The Jets started like a house on fire and appeared to have recaptured the form that had the club so optimistic pre-season as they piled on five goals to one in the first term for a 24-point lead at the first break.
Casey Wenselowski was brilliant with three goals for the term, midfielders Jebal Williams, Chris Ahearn and Tom Roberts were unstoppable and Don Ollington and Matthew Lloyd impassable in defence, while key ball-winner Gerard Smits was looking impressive until being rushed to hospital with a dislocated thumb late in the term.
Nor-West added two of the first three goals of the second quarter to lead by 30 points before Healy’s later words became prophetic and the Jets stopped in their tracks, allowing the Dragons to pile on eight unanswered goals either side of half time.
Although there was a brief rally late in the third term, the commitment and fitness wasn’t strong enough to turn the match around and the home team cruised to a deserved 14.14 98 to 11.8 74 victory to leave the Jets in eighth spot on the ladder, a game and percentage out of the five and only the same margin ahead of the relegation zone.
Wenselowski finished with five goals in a lone hand up forward, while recruit Roberts and Ahearn played their best games for the club and Josh Cass and Jono Dowl tried hard all day, b but the pressure is firmly on the Jets as they return to Bensons Lane this Saturday for the club’s biggest home game of the year.
This Saturday is Ladies and Sponsors Day, with the Jets taking on Manly-Warringah from 12pm, and all ladies invited to come down and enjoy the footy and patented Nor-West hospitality, and plenty of fun activities as well.
There will also be six Hawkesbury junior matches from 9am, so get there early and give some support to our stars of tomorrow.
Tickets are also selling fast for the Hawkesbury AFC-Richmond Club corporate raceday at the Hawkesbury Racecourse on Monday, June 13 – visit www.nwjets.sydneyafl.com.au for more information.
NOR-WEST 5.2 7.4 9.6 11.8 74
ST GEORGE 1.2 6.5 11.9 14.14 98
NWJ Goals: C Wenselowski 5, G Smits, J Williams, J Berry, L Allan, J Cass, J Moynihan.
NWJ Best: T Roberts, J Cass, C Ahearn, J Dowl, M Lloyd, C Wenselowski.
Last Modified on 16/05/2011 14:03
