A game of two distinctly different halves played out at Bensons Lane on Saturday, as Nor-West hosted 6th placed Gosford Wildcats. With up to 12 first choice players unavailable, the Jets drew upon their expanding depth from their Reserve Grade squad and started the game with a bang in the first term, slamming on an impressive 6 goals to nil. Defensively, the Jets could do no wrong early, as Brad Pond and David Clinch continued their relentless attack on the ball across half back. Ethon Coombs returned to the midfield after two weeks off and combined well with Ryan Johnston and ruck duo Ben Jennison and Troy Clent, who dominated in the air all day. The forward line was kept open briefly, allowing Pete Kyle free reign on his way to 4 goals to half time, and the Jets did as they pleased. Gosford attempted to halt Nor-West’s progress in the second quarter, adding 2 goals of their own while the Jets kicked 4 more, and it was looking like a blow out to the home side as they went to the sheds with a 49 point advantage in the stifling conditions.
A completely different attitude from both teams came out in the second half, as Gosford woke from their slumber and Nor-West inexplicably put the cue in the rack. The Jets kicked the first goal of the half, and that was to be all for the remainder of the game, as the Wildcats punished the home side with 4 goals in each term, while the Jets could barely get the ball past half forward. Louie Butler and Captain Owen Butcher battled on in vain as an upset was on the cards, but Nor-West thankfully held firm with an inexperienced squad to play out the siren with no bench and finish 8 point victors with their 6th straight win, 11.13-79 to 10.11-71.
Goal Kickers: P. Kyle 5, O. Butcher 2, J. Edwards , S. Braid , J. Bennett , T. Clent
Best Players: T. Clent, B. Jennison, B. Pond, R. Johnston, P. Kyle, L. Butler
| 2 |
|
5 |
5 |
| 70 |
Owen Butcher
|
2 |
0 |
| 18 |
Troy Clent
|
1 |
1 |
| 29 |
Scott Braid
|
1 |
0 |
| 39 |
Joshua Edwards
|
1 |
0 |
| 31 |
Jack Bennett
|
1 |
0 |
| 23 |
Louis Butler
|
0 |
6 |
| 5 |
Ryan Johnston
|
0 |
4 |
| 69 |
Bradley Pond
|
0 |
3 |
| 55 |
Benjamin Jennison
|
0 |
2 |
| 10 |
Daniel Guthridge
|
0 |
0 |
| 6 |
Adam Newton
|
0 |
0 |
| 15 |
David Clinch
|
0 |
0 |
| 64 |
Bradley Burn
|
0 |
0 |
| 8 |
Ethon Coombs
|
0 |
0 |
| 3 |
Peter Richardson
|
0 |
0 |
| 25 |
Warwick Smith
|
0 |
0 |
| 26 |
Joshua Patterson
|
0 |
0 |
| 48 |
Daniel Harding
|
0 |
0 |
| 16 |
Seb Goldrick
|
0 |
0 |
| 47 |
Matthew Schwager
|
0 |
0 |
| 34 |
Liam Veigel
|
0 |
0 |
In Reserve Grade, the Jets faced the 4th Camden Cats in the main game, and after receiving a win via forfeit the previous week, made up for lost time by putting the Cats under the pump early, with a 5 goal to 1 opening quarter. Zane Priest controlled the centre beautifully in a best on ground performance, and received quality support from Richard Boucher and Bennett Idstein, playing his final game for 2014. In the back half, Jack Bennett, fresh from playing in the Division 3 game earlier, Nick Bradshaw and veteran Matt Brophy contained the Cats’ potent forward line, keeping them to just 2 goals to half time. The third term saw an arm wrestle ensue as both teams could only manage 2 goals each, but the fitness of the Jets, coupled with the return of key forward Josh James after a 2 year absence, who finished with 4 goals, saw the home team slam on 6 goals to 1 in a resounding performance to stitch up top spot for another week and send Camden home, with a 56 point hiding, Nor-West 15.5-95 to Camden 5.9-39.
Goal Kickers: J. James 4, C. Moore 3, S. Tibben 2, C. Anderson 2, C. Moore , R. Boucher , Z. Priest , A. Duot
Best Players: Z. Priest, R. Boucher, M. Brophy, N. Bradshaw, B. Idstein, J. Bennett
| 41 |
|
4 |
0 |
| 35 |
Connor Moore
|
3 |
0 |
| 97 |
Cheyne Anderson
|
2 |
0 |
| 9 |
Stuart Tibben
|
2 |
0 |
| 76 |
Richard Boucher
|
1 |
2 |
| 74 |
Zane Priest
|
1 |
1 |
| 73 |
Ajang Duot
|
1 |
0 |
| 43 |
Calum Moore
|
1 |
0 |
| 31 |
Jack Bennett
|
0 |
6 |
| 52 |
Bennett Idstein
|
0 |
5 |
| 37 |
Nicholas Bradshaw
|
0 |
4 |
| 77 |
Matthew Brophy
|
0 |
3 |
| 1 |
Stephen Chase
|
0 |
0 |
| 36 |
Jason Woodward
|
0 |
0 |
| 72 |
Jermey Dilger
|
0 |
0 |
| 49 |
Blake Heggie
|
0 |
0 |
| 46 |
Daniel Langford
|
0 |
0 |
| 56 |
Zackary Coombs
|
0 |
0 |
| 63 |
Musa Bakan
|
0 |
0 |
| 51 |
Owen Hickman
|
0 |
0 |
| 60 |
David Draper
|
0 |
0 |
| 66 |
Alex Lorenzelli
|
0 |
0 |
The Jets are split in Round 9, with Reserve Grade heading to Kensington to do battle with old rivals UNSW/Easts, while the Seniors are looking to head to the long weekend with another win when they host Balmain at Bensons Lane at 2pm.
Last Modified on 28/05/2014 09:52
