Penrith Rams surged to the top spot in the competition on Saturday with a comprehensive 60 point victory over ladder leaders, Balmain Dockers at Greygums Oval. The ninth win of the season reversed their earlier heartbreaking loss to the Dockers in round 5 at Drummoyne Oval.
Reserve Grade also registered a clinical 57 point win against third placed UTS Bats that sees them secore in second spot on the Div 4 ladder whilst the Under 18's were unable to match the Illawarra Lions in their early match at North Dalton Park.
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1st Grade V Balmain Dockers
It was regarded as the "Match of the Round" at Greygums on Saturday with the top two teams in the Div 2 competition fighting for supremacy when the Rams hosted top of the table team, Balmain Dockers.
In their earlier clash this season, Penrith led for most of the match at Drummoyne Oval until a whirlwind finish by Balmain saw them take the prize by 18 points. On a day where a 2-3 goal wind favouring the clubhouse end, Balmain won the toss and elected to go with the breeze. As expected, it was a brutal opening with good movement over the ground but Penrith were to post the first goal with Blake Roberts scoring. Balmain, although starved of possession, responded quickly with a "soccer" goal and followed it up shortly after with another that would make Harry Kewell proud. With Dale Chivas kicking in with his first, Ben Robinson one and Roberts his second, the team effort was sensational. Balmain were to kick another two more traditional goals and the teams went to the first break deadlocked at 4.0 each apiece.
Penrith, with the wind in the second term struggled somewhat in the opening 10 minutes and looked to be losing their wind advantage. The heavily marked Chivas kicked a double and handed off to Tim Cummins after taking a great mark in the pocket that left him heavily winded. The Cummins conversion took away the pain but two Dockers goals saw the game on a knife-edge as Penrith went to the sheds holding an 11 point lead.
Coach Geoff Payne was content with the performance but was well aware that the Dockers would make changes and target some key personell. Some positional changes were made as the team trotted out for the third term intent on putting up a big effort into the breeze in the premiership quarter.
It was to be one of the best 22 minutes of football the Rams have played all year as they dominated proceedings. Daniel Schroot was showing his speed and agility as he ran around his bigger opponents whilst surging runs by Jay Edwards kept the ball in the forward line. Mark Woodford started dominating the rucks and with Chivas grabbing three, Cummins his second and Matty Payne adding one, it was turning into a nightmare for the Dockers, whose wind advantage was restricted to just one behind as the rams Careered away to a 44 point lead as proceedings for the third quarter came to a close.
In the round 5 match, Balmain had scored six final term goals to snatch victory from the Rams but there was to be no inkling of another turnaround as Penrith continued on their merry way in the final stanza. Blake Roberts kicked his third for the match after scrambling on a loose ball in front and was hit late after the kick sailed through, whilst Schroot was rewarded for another great effort with a set shot from 30 metres out. Matty Payne added a half a goal with his three attempts all going slightly off target but with Balmain only adding three points to their tally and only four points more than their half time tally, it was the Rams that were to sing the club song with an outstanding 60 point win.
Daniel Schroot has grown more and more with confidence in his first senior year and had another brilliant match to take out the IGA Award. He was closely followed by Red Cow recipient, Dale Chivas who has been heavily targetted all season, but enjoys putting red faces on his opponents. Dale kicked another six, taking his tally against Balmain this season to 16 goals. Mitch Reinhard was marvellous in defence never wavering from putting big hits on his opposing players whilst Jay Edwards, Bryce Roney and Mark Woodford all put in stellar performances.
The Rams will be looking to keep their spot as top dogs next week at Greygums Oval when they take on last placed Camden Cats. Camden have only recorded one victory this season, but it was a shock win over Balmain in Round 8 and they will not be taken lightly.
Penrith Rams 4.0 7.5 12.9 14.16-100 def Balmain Dockers 4.0 6.0 6.1 6.4-40
Goal Kickers: D. Chivas 6, B. Roberts 3, T. Cummins 2, M. Payne , D. Schroot , B. Robinson
Best Players: D. Schroot, M. Woodford, M. Reinhard, B. Roney, J. Edwards, D. Chivas
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Reserve Grade V UTS Bats
It was back to Greygums as the second placed Reserves took on third placed powerhouse club, UTS Bats. The first clash of these teams this year promised to be an exciting affair, with Penrith, having their best year on record in this grade, were looking at their seventh consecutive win.
Assistant coach, Mick Bottrill, was to take over the reins for the day from Kevin Tate, who was interstate on business. Bottrill was looking to keep his unbeaten coaching alive in this crucial match. Penrith were to win the toss with a great call by captain Nathan White and elected to run with the breeze. The Rams looked dominant early but were unable to judge the breeze in the early stages. Seltene "salty" Yohannes was to put a great tackle on a Bats player, who was penalised for holding the ball on the fifty. But before anyone knew what was happening, Salty had picked up the ball and was off and gone, running 20 metres and kicking the first from an angle. With another three goals to the Rams to just a single point by the bats, it was Penrith taking first term honours with a 25 point lead.
As the crowd cheered the introduction of local media celebrity, Jason "Beach Ball" Bradley to his full forward spot in the second quarter, the Rams continued the attack. However, some soft goals by UTS saw the equal the four goals that Penrith had scored in the quarter which was slightly disappointing to the coaching staff as they had the majority of the game. The Bats still fancied themselves to come back, going to the long break just 24 points in arrears.
The Rams were to exert their strength in the third term with an outstanding display of football. Bradley was to a return to form with strong marks, Jason Jackson showed fitness, strength and speed to collect a double whilst Aaron Goodwin was pivotal in the display that saw the home side record a 5.1 quarter, keeping the Bats languishing at their half time score.
With both teams tiring in the final 22 minutes, it was the Rams with the fresher legs that continued on with the job but could only manage another 2.3 into a strengthening breeze. UTS were able to record two late goals but it was Penrith's day again as they were untroubled with a convincing 57 point win.
Cameron Butler joined the Rams just over a month ago and shown a rapid improvement in that short time. The solid, tall utility played his best match in his short career to take out the IGA award. Veteran Mark Jackson showed his experience and poise in a polished display that saw him awarded the Red Cow prize. Nic Collimore was also impressive and never gave an inch along with Aaron Goodwin (1 goal) and Jason Bradley, who extended his Sydney AFL goalkicking lead with five majors. Tayt Corless added three more to his seasons tally whilst Jason Jackson was the other multiple scorer with two. With the team having the week off next week due to the bye, all will be in readiness for the local derby clash on July 16 against Nor-West Jets at Bensons Lane. Players are reminded that training is essential as the run into the finals commences.
Penrith Rams 4.2 8.2 13.3 15.6-96 def UTS Bats 0.1 4.2 4.2 6.3-39
Goal Kickers: J. Bradley 5, T. Corless 3, , J. Jackson 2, J. Sultana, J Clark, A. Goodwin , A. Henry , S. Yohannes
Best Players: C. Butler, M. Jackson, N. Collimore, J. Bradley, A. Goodwin, J. Clark
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Under 18's V Illawarra Lions
The young Rams got up early on Saturday morning and made the trek down to Wollongong full of confidence, expecting a tough contest against the Illawarra Lions. The Lions had won the earlier encounter at Greygums by 22pts and the Rams were confident they would do better this time
As they often do, the Rams started slowly in the first quarter and allowed the Lions to run at will. The Lions made the most of their freedom and piled on 6 goals for the quarter. The Rams tried hard but made too many mistakes and could not match the Lions run. The Rams only managed 2 points for the quarter. They started the second quarter full of hope as the ground started to dry out in the bright sunshine but the Lions were again first to the ball and made better use of the footy than the Rams. Joe Hunt was playing strongly and providing the Rams with some drive from the back half. Ben Mayer started to run the ball for the Rams and this started to open up the play and give the Rams some opportunities in the forward line. Unfortunately the Rams could not capitalise on their time in the forward half and too often the Lions easily repelled the Rams forward thrusts. They restricted the Rams to 1 goal for the quarter while adding a further 5 goals of their own.
The Rams went into the half time break a long way behind and in need of some magic from the coach. Unfortunately there is no magician on the coaching staff and it was explained to the boys in no uncertain terms that it was their responsibility to improve their work rate and reduce their mistake rate in the third quarter. The coach’s words of wisdom had some effect with the Rams running hard, running in numbers and as a result, piling on 3 goals for the quarter. Liam Murphy snapped a great goal on the run from 40m out on the boundary line and this lifted the Rams. Jack Ponton also got on the scoreboard, as did Ben McGovern. It was a better result in the forward line for the Rams and it was a quarter of footy which saw the ball moving freely from end to end. The Lions managed to kick 10 goals straight for the quarter to extend their lead.
The Rams were a long way behind at the last change but in true Rams spirit they continued to fight to the final siren. James Devlin had been battling all day in the forward line for little result but was rewarded for his perseverance with 2 goals in the second half. David Looyschelder took on the majority of the ruck duties today in the absence of his sidekick Matt Purse. He battled hard all round the ground and did everything asked of him today. George Paneras and Chris Nolan worked hard all day and were prepared to put their heads over the ball and win the tough contests. Jackson Swarbrick and Rick Ooms provided the Rams with patches of brilliance. Harry Doyle and Brayden Wilson played their usual game today giving 100% in tough conditions.
The Rams fought all day but the Lions dominated the game and kicked accurately to ensure the Rams paid the price on the scoreboard and the Illawarra Lions ran out comfortable winners. The Rams now look forward to a home game against Pennant Hills next week.
Penrith Rams 0.2 1.2 4.5 6.6-42 def by Illawarra Lions 6.3 11.5 15.5 21.9-135
Goal Kickers: J. Devlin 2, B. McGovern 2, L. Murphy , J. Ponton
Best Players: G. Paneras, H. Doyle, J. Hunt, J. Ponton, D. Looyschelder, C. Nolan
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Last Modified on 19/07/2011 17:06