In gale force conditions on Saturday the Nor-west Jets had all 3 grades at Bensons Lane and with the wind blowing goal to goal instead of the usual across the ground it made for games to be truly played in quarters.
The U18s started the day up against Macquarie Uni who are snapping at their heels on the ladder but the young Jets struggled to affect the scoreboard in the first qtr but it was not as bad as it looked as they had kicked into the breeze and had kept Mac Uni to only 1 goal. Turning with the breeze for the 2nd qtr the Jets started to tick the scoreboard over and as they were in the 1st qtr the home side kept Uni scoreless for the Jets to take a 10 point lead into half time. The 2nd half saw the Jets unable to handle the conditions as well as their opposition and despite holding them to only 3 goals for the 3rd qtr it was the 2 goals into the breeze by Uni in the last that really hurt the home side as they were eventually beaten by 9 points.
Nor-West 5.8.38 def by
Macquarie Uni 6.11.47
Goal Kickers: N. Edwards 2, B. Johnston , C. Woods , B. Couzin
Best Players: P. Martinoli, H. Stever, J. Smith, J. Mobbs, B. McCracken, J. Cass
The Nor-West Jets Div 4 squad faced a rampaging Gosford Wildcats in treacherous conditions at Bensons Lane on Saturday, with the famous Hawkesbury Doctor aiding the clubhouse end with a strong 6 goal breeze, which the ladder leaders took full advantage of. A minute silence was observed to pay respect to the passing of Life Member Mark Allan during the week, in a sad week for all involved at Bensons Lane. While the Jets battled manfully, they couldn’t stem the flow as Gosford opened up the game with a massive 8 goal first term. Nor-West couldn’t get the ball into their 50m arc at all, such was the strength of both the howling gale and skill set of Gosford, who field their First XVIII in Division 4 this year. Adam Newton and Steve Chase were solid in defence, while Michael Morgan was moved to the dangerous Pete McCarthy and calmed his influence on the game for the rest of the day in a true taggers role.
Facing a 50 point 1st break margin, the Jets, led by local all-rounder Daniel Langford and Scott Longman in the middle, started to send the ball long, with both scoring goals from 60m to outscore the Wildcats 3 goals to 2 to add some respectability to the scoreboard, as Gosford took a commanding 7 goal lead to the half time break. The ‘Doctor’ picked up in strength in the third, and the Jets went defensive, with only 1 player in their forward fifty, as the home side were again kept scoreless but restricted Gosford to only 4 goals with some desperate scrambling and pressure football. Jesse Bray proved his usual strong game in the loose man in defence role, while Rod Bayne continued his rich vein of form around the ground, with incredibly strong grabs overhead. With the deficit out to 76 points at 3 QT, and needing to keep percentage damage to a minimum if any hope of finals were achieved, the Jets went on the attack in the last and again outscored the Wildcats 4 goals to 2, with a rare double to Adam Newton in a superb display. The Jets can keep their head high, for if not for the first quarter blowout, they matched Gosford for the remaining 3 quarters, kicking 7 goals to their 8, but the damage and the points went up the F3.
Nor-West 7.6.48 def by
Gosford 16.13.109
Goal Kickers: D. Langford 2, A. Newton 2, S. Longman , D. Graham , L. Allan
Best Players: M. Morgan, S. Chase, J. Bray, D. Langford, L. Allan, R. Bayne
The seniors welcomed top of the ladder Sydney Uni to Benson’s and with a spot in the finals still not guaranteed a crucial clash awaited and the Jets were looking for pay back after suffering their most embarrassing loss of the season to the students in the first encounter this season.
Winning the toss the Jets kicked with the breeze but with Uni flooding their backline with loose players it was hard work for the forwards but they managed to open up a 30 point lead at the first change. Now for the test could we hold out the top side? In what was one of the best quarter performances of the season we kept Uni to 1 behind while kicking 3 into the breeze with the one just before halftime really destroying Uni’s spirit. The effort of our midfield to continue driving the ball into the breeze was sensational.
The 3rd qtr only saw 2 goals for the Jets but the backline again held Uni at bay lead by Jebal Williams & Aaron Bayne but with Uni to come home with the breeze we knew the job was not finished yet.
The final stanza saw the Jets kick another 3 goals against the wind while keeping Uni goalless for the game to give the home side great confidence knocking off the top side in its run into the finals. The Seniors have now won 5 on the trot and victory this week could see them finish 2nd at the end of the home & away season.
This Saturday is Back to Benson’s day for all past players & officials and coincides with the last round. All teams are still in contention for finals so a big day of AFL is on the cards. U18s kick off at 10am followed by Reserves at 12pm then the Seniors at 2pm we look forward to seeing a big crowd to cheer the Jets on
Nor-West 12.12.84 def
Sydney Uni 0.6.6
Goal Kickers: J. Howe 3, A. Travers 2, B. Johnston , B. Pond , G. Hoffmann , C. Ahearn , M. Smith , M. Gray , R. Johnston
Best Players: J. Williams, P. Sherwood, A. Condon, M. Smith, A. Bayne, J. Dowl
Last Modified on 31/05/2013 16:49
