First Grade V Sydney Hills Eagles
The much anticipated opening round saw the firsts head to Rouse hill to take on powerhouse club, Sydney Hills Eagles in the Division 1 match.
It was a mixture of youth and experience in the selected squad. Jack Ponton and Jimmy Denton made appearances after a season off, Mick Ross returning from a few years on the rugby field whilst Michael Denton and Josh Shephard fielded the teal for the first time against their old club with former Wests player, Chris Lucas also making his debut for the Rams.
As in previous clashes, the opening half was tight with Penrith going to the first break with a slender seven point buffer and extending it to ten at the big break. By the end of the third term, the Rams had established a comfortable 24 point lead and finished off in fine style with a 5.4 quarter whilst impressively keeping their opponents to a single point.
The 51 point victory saw the team take the ladder honours after the opening round and with a few players yet to make an appearance, augers well for the season ahead.
After six years with the Eagles and various club awards, Josh Shephard mad a sensational debut for the Rams. The Glenmore Park resident has shown outstanding form in pre-season and was all over his old battleground despite being targeted by his former team-mates, kicking a goal for good measure. Former Eagles Jake Pianta and brothers Michael and Jimmy Denton also produced magical performances at their old stomping ground with Michael booting two, whilst youngsters James Devlin ( 1 goal) and Jack Ponton also impressed. Michael Ross was the associations leading goalkicker in the Under 18’s in the early 2000’s and showed his long layoff hadn’t harmed his radar with a treble, Ben Robinson added two more whilst Ben McGovern, Pat Pope, Nathan Wright and Luke Jones all got on the board.
Next week the task steps up a notch when the team travels to Gwawley Park to take on premiership favourites, Southern Power.
Penrith 12.14-86 def Sydney Hills Eagles 5.5-35
Reserve Grade V Sydney University
Reserves took to the road when they travelled to Mahoney Park at Marrickville to play the strong Sydney University in the Div 3 clash. The newly promoted Div 4 premiers had a mixture of new and old faces with first time AFL players Tim “Steggles” Beutler, Lucas Jerzna and Jamie Edwards hitting the track for their debut, former Penrith Swans junior Josh Goscombe returning from WA and Nathan Gatt from a year long overseas journey. Angus Ehrl also joined the team from the Under 18’s squad.
It was a game that certainly looked to be an even match as it progressed. Uni took the first quarter honors in a tight contest to lead by a single goal but two early goals in the second session saw Penrith take a brief lead before an errant students outfit responded with 2.5 of their own to lead at the long break by 11. The Rams suffered a lapse of concentration in the third term with Uni establishing a match winning 31 point lead. Penrith won the final quarter but the bird had flown with Uni running out 25 point victors.
It was a disappointing display in some regards with some of the more experienced players showing their limited training appearances affecting their performance and will need to be more focused on the training track in future.
Bryce Roney relished on the sandy track with another outstanding performance that saw him take out the O’Donaghues dinner award. Harry Doyle showed good form along with young Chris Nolan who looked to have leather poisoning with a mountain of possession. “Steggles” Beutler looks to have a good future in the club with a solid debut, whilst Josh Goscombe and Matt Lewis also impressed the coaching staff. Tayt Corless kicked in with a double with one being a tap through after great leadup work from Lucas Jerzna, whilst Harry Doyle, David Looyschelder and captain Jake Sultana all opened their tally for the season with one each.
Next week sees the team travel to Gwawley Park and will be looking to opening the season account.
Sydney University 8.15-63 def Penrith Rams 5.8-38
3rd Grade Penrith V Uni NSW/ES
On Sunday, the third grade side rolled up to Greygums Oval for the first home match of the season to play Uni NSW/ES Bulldogs. Penrith were to field a side including Shane Scott and Matt Tsirigotes making their AFL debut whilst Kevin Kirk, Liam Veigel, Hugh Arnold, Joe Masters and Nathan Walker were making their first appearances for the club in the senior ranks.
On a very warm day, the Bulldogs started the brighter side and led at the first break by a slim7 points. Penrith started to gel in the second term and added two goals to one, with the visitors proving themselves costly with a handful of single points, leading by a straight kick at the long break.
The third quarter saw another tight contest with Uni edging further in front to increase their lead to 13 but it appeared to be still anyone’s game. However, fitness was the key in the final 22 minutes as the students ran rampant with a 6.2 final quarter, Penrith unable to respond with just 1.1 to go down by 44 with the score, as the old cliché “the score didn’t reflect the outcome of the game” proved true.
However, it was a solid effort under new coach, John Rix, who has worked hard during pre-season getting the squad together. With a steady stream of new players arriving at the club in the last few weeks, spots will be hard to come by in future and those attending training on a consistent basis will have the wood when teams are selected.
John Keane, having his first game back at the club since his first grade grand final win, was outstanding in the backline and the old legs have been rejuvenated with his fitness regime. Michael Brown, playing his second year also was one of the best contributors with his play around the ground. Ramettes coach and club legend, Jason Bradley, kept the Rams in the game for three quarters at fullback, nullifying various Uni raids whilst veteran Kevin Kirk showed why he played at a very high level in the past. Hugh Arnold and Joe Masters topped off the top six with sterling games and will both be valuable assets to the club this year. Assistant Coach and Rams icon, Jason Makin, topped the scorers list with a double whilst Stuart Ayres, Kevin Kirk and youngster Liam Veigel all opened their scoring accounts. Thanks to club umpire Josh Anasis, goal umpire Scott Simington and the boundary umps, water runners and various helpers on the day
It was very pleasing to see the team head back to O’Donoghues at the conclusion of the game for lunch (and dinner). John Keane was introduced on stage by the entertainer and presented with the OD’s dinner voucher for best on ground.
Next week the team heads to Gwawley Park to take on Southern Power in the 10:00 AM clash with selections to be posted on Friday morning. All players are reminded they are required to be at the ground at least an hour prior to the game. Anyone running late should contact the coach to ensure their position is not taken by an emergency.
Uni NSW/ES Bulldogs 11.11-77 def Penrith Rams 5.3-33
Last Modified on 21/04/2013 17:59