The Nor-West Jets came agonisingly close to a grand final berth when they were shot down by a fast finishing Randwick City Saints in the Sydney FL Division 3 Preliminary Final on Saturday at Greystanes. The Jets came within 9 points after a late surge in the last quarter, but two late goals, including 1 after the siren, saw the Saints home by 21 points.
The game started in stifling conditions nudging the mid 30s, and Randwick has the better of it early, aided by some dubious umpiring decisions in the Jets back half. Captain Pete Kyle added the Jets only goal for the quarter, and the Nor-West midfield were finding the traffic heavy through the centre, as Randwick took a 3 goal advantage to the first break.
Nor-West had the use of a stiff breeze in the second term, and Kyle added 2 more but the Saints defence held firm against repeated Jets onslaughts from the returning Ben Thomas and Kyle Clarke, while Aaron Lawes, Aaron Bayne and David Clinch limited Randwick to a single goal. The Jets kept at their favoured opponents, and a 17 point half time deficit gave Nor-West hope.
The heat took its toll on the Jets in the all important third term, as Randwick’s running game took effect on the wide Gipps Road Oval, as they piled on 4 goals to 2, and they started making Grand Final plans when the margin blew out to 35 points late in the quarter. Clarke snuck in a late goal to reduce the margin to 29, and kicking with the wind in the last, Nor-West’s season was on the line.
An exciting last quarter saw the Jets send the ball forward repeatedly, but a loose Randwick player in their defensive line proved a master stroke from their coaching staff as he picked off countless forward movements and set up his runners. Nor-West held firm and kept Randwick goalless and added 3 of their own, highlighted by a towering pack mark to Paul Webster in the goal square, and there was 9 points in it with 5 minutes left on the clock. However, Randwick stayed composed and had loose players across the middle, and added 2 goals in the last 90 seconds to crush the spirit of Nor-West and make the winning margin 21 points, which was no reflection of the close nature of the game. To Randwick’s credit, they refrained from celebrating after the siren and paid tribute to the Jets tenacity. This is a young group of talented footballers at Bensons Lane, and plans are already shaping up to go one further in 2014.
Peter Kyle was named Best On Ground with a 5 goal haul up forward, and had strong support from Aaron Bayne, David Clinch, Kyle Clarke, Paul Webster, and Aaron Lawes.
Goal Kickers: P. Kyle 5, K. Clarke , P. Webster , M. Morgan
Best Players: P. Kyle, A. Bayne, D. Clinch, P. Webster, K. Clarke, A. Lawes
Last Modified on 09/09/2013 10:59
