THE Nor-West Jets finally bowed out of the 2011 AFL Sydney Division Two finals race in the most disappointing way possible when they collapsed to a 91-point belting from Holroyd-Parramatta at Gipps Road Oval on Saturday.
The Jets were badly undermanned, with 11 players missing from their best team and five backing up from the reserves, and it showed as the Goannas dominated the contest from start to finish to romp to an 18.11 119 to 3.10 28 victory that ensure they would secure the double chance in the finals.
The result summed up Nor-West’s season, coming just 11 months after it had ended Parramatta’s 2010 campaign with a 118-point first semi final result, and 14 weeks after it had beaten the Goannas by 39 points in round two.
The young Jets’ outfit, with nine players under the age of 22, did show plenty of ticker in the third term as they stopped the rampaging Goanna attack and won the quarter by three points, although inaccurate kicking (2.5) stopped it being better.
However, as the effort told on tired legs, the home team reasserted its authority with seven unanswered goals in the last quarter for a big win.
Ryan Johnston put in a huge match against his old club to be one of the Jets’ best, while Grant Hoffman and Paul Sherwood celebrated their midweek engagements with solid efforts, Owen Butcher and Aaron Bayne tried hard and captain Jarod Thomson kicked two of the three goals.
NOR-WEST 1.0 1.4 3.9 3.10 28
H-PARRAMATTA 5.3 9.6 11.8 18.11 119
NWJ Goals: J Thomson 2, J Cass.
NWJ Best: G Hoffman, R Johnston, O Butcher, A Bayne, P Sherwood, J Thomson.
WITH their hopes of staying in Division Four next season on the line, the Nor-West reserves entered their clash with the fifth-placed Goannas desperate for a strong showing.
And they got it, as the Jets produced three quarters of gutsy football before holding firm in the face of a withering final quarter assault to win by seven points in a thrilling finish.
With Andrew Travers and Josh Howe making cameo appearances and dominating the contest, the Jets edged to a one-point lead at the first break and extended that to 12 by half time as Daniel Beck and Dean Braid put in huge efforts around the ground.
Inspired and with a sniff of victory, Nor-West produced its best footy in the third quarter, piling on six goals to three to take a 31-point lead into the final change and looked like certain winners.
But with their own finals’ hopes on the line, the Goannas were always going to mount a charge, and they came with a rush, kicking six of the next seven goals to level the scores with just three minutes to play and they seemed certain to run over the top.
Nor-West, however, showed great ticker to stand tall at the death, regaining the lead from a Scott Braid snap that registered a minor before Travers found Matt Laurence in space and he calmly slotted the goal after the siren to secure the 15.8 98 to 14.7 91 triumph.
Travers finished with six goals and Matt Davidson played a great support role with four, while Adam Scott, Howe and captain Michael Gray were also important.
However, nothing changed in the race at the bottom of the ladder as Manly-Warringah and Auburn also recorded wins, making this week’s game against the Tigers a virtual relegation battle.
NOR-WEST 3.3 7.5 13.6 15.8 98
H-PARRAMATTA 3.2 5.5 8.5 14.7 91
NWJ Goals: A Travers 6, M Davidson 4, A Scott 2, D Beck, S Longman, M Laurence.
NWJ Best: D Beck, A Travers, D Braid, M Davidson, J Howe, M Gray, A Scott.
The Jets play their final home match of the season at Bensons Lane this week against the Auburn Tigers, with reserves at 12pm and seniors at 2.10pm.
The club will be taking a bus to Manly for the final match next week, with cost capped at $10 per head – see Jonty at training or on Saturday to book your seat.
Last Modified on 02/08/2011 08:56
