The Nor-West overcame a mid season form slump and difficult conditions to dispose of Western Suburbs and get their season back on track at Bensons Lane on Saturday.
The Jets welcomed back key tall Ben Jennison and dangerous back Dave Clinch, and started the game playing into a strong breeze to the Richmond end. Goals were hard to come by, and the home side played the run-and-carry game well early, creating overlaps against the Magpies and earning 3 goals while restricting Wests to just 1 despite the aid of the wind. Josh Patterson and Owen Butcher used slick hands and set the example with a vicious approach on the ball, while Dave Clinch returned to the form that saw him finish Runner Up in the McFarlane Medal last year, setting up numerous plays and leaving a trail of Magpies in his wake.
The previous two games have seen the Jets in a strong position at the first break, only to concede an average of 8 goals, but any fears of a Magpies resurgence were quashed, as the Jets used the strengthening wind to their advantage, slamming on 5 goals to no score, Jye Brennan scoring back to back goals with superb efforts from outside 50. Jennison rejected any Wests attacks with a dominant aerial display, and Co-Captain Warwick Smith played loose to great effect across the ground.
The Jets led by 47 at the long break, and dropped numbers loose into the backline to try to deny a Magpies comeback, and West managed 2 quick goals as the wind turned from breeze to gale, but Nor-West carried the ball and drew players in to score three of their own to increase their lead to 53 at 3 quarter time. Jarryd Smith and Harry Stever hit a patch of form against the much larger West outfit, turning in and out of tackles with ease and creating opportunities up forward. As the players broke for the last term, the gale turned almost cyclonic, even pushing the cricket sight screens across the park, and after the Jets scored 3 goals in the first 10 minutes, play was cancelled with Nor-West returning to the winners circle, 14.6-90 to 3.1-19.
Goal Kickers: J. Charlton Brennan 4, D. Cruz 3, J. Smith 2, P. Kyle 2, S. Tibben , J. James , B. Jennison
Best Players: B. Jennison, J. Patterson, J. Smith, D. Clinch, J. Charlton Brennan, H. Stever
| # | Player | G | BST |
|---|
| 62 |
|
4 |
5 |
| 42 |
Dylan Cruz
|
3 |
0 |
| 61 |
Jarryd Smith
|
2 |
3 |
| 2 |
Peter Kyle
|
2 |
0 |
| 55 |
Benjamin Jennison
|
1 |
1 |
| 9 |
Stuart Tibben
|
1 |
0 |
| 41 |
Josh James
|
1 |
0 |
| 4 |
Harry Stever
|
0 |
6 |
| 15 |
David Clinch
|
0 |
4 |
| 26 |
Joshua Patterson
|
0 |
2 |
| 10 |
Daniel Guthridge
|
0 |
0 |
| 64 |
Bradley Burn
|
0 |
0 |
| 39 |
Joshua Edwards
|
0 |
0 |
| 5 |
Ryan Johnston
|
0 |
0 |
| 8 |
Ethon Coombs
|
0 |
0 |
| 25 |
Warwick Smith
|
0 |
0 |
| 17 |
Michael Gray
|
0 |
0 |
| 70 |
Owen Butcher
|
0 |
0 |
| 47 |
Matthew Schwager
|
0 |
0 |
| 34 |
Liam Veigel
|
0 |
0 |
| 44 |
Kyle Clarke
|
0 |
0 |
| 77 |
Matthew Brophy
|
0 |
0 |
Reserve Grade started proceedings against Blacktown Magic, the only team to inflict a loss of the Jets, and the Magic started strongly with the breeze, scoring 6 goals to Nor-West’s 2 to take a 23 point lead to the first break. The Jets knuckled down and used the wind to advantage, adding 2 goals but missing shots that would usually be easy in normal conditions, and kept Blacktown scoreless for the quarter to trail by only 8 points at half time. Blake Heggie and James McCumiskey provided great rebound and run off half back, and the returning Luke Judd did as he pleased in the middle. The Jets restricted Blacktown to 1 goal with some scrambling defence, but didn’t trouble the scorers for the term, and it was still there for the taking at the last break, only 17 points the difference.
Connor Moore marked strongly and scored to open the quarter, and Sunday Achiek continued his recent form, feeding the likes of Zane Priest and Zack Coombs, but when Coombs was helped off with a nasty concussion, the Jets lost his much needed run and the Magic skipped away to a 16 point victory, 8.5-53 to 5.6-36.
Goal Kickers: C. Moore 2, M. Guthridge , L. Judd , S. Braid
Best Players: B. Heggie, Z. Priest, A. Duot, J. McCumiskey, L. Judd, Z. Coombs
| # | Player | G | BST |
|---|
| 35 |
|
2 |
0 |
| 30 |
Luke Judd
|
1 |
5 |
| 65 |
Michael Guthridge
|
1 |
0 |
| 29 |
Scott Braid
|
1 |
0 |
| 56 |
Zackary Coombs
|
0 |
6 |
| 50 |
James Mccumiskey
|
0 |
4 |
| 73 |
Ajang Duot
|
0 |
3 |
| 74 |
Zane Priest
|
0 |
2 |
| 49 |
Blake Heggie
|
0 |
1 |
| 31 |
Jack Bennett
|
0 |
0 |
| 43 |
Calum Moore
|
0 |
0 |
| 28 |
Peter Martinoli
|
0 |
0 |
| 32 |
James Moynihan
|
0 |
0 |
| 3 |
Peter Richardson
|
0 |
0 |
| 20 |
Leigh Sharpe
|
0 |
0 |
| 76 |
Richard Boucher
|
0 |
0 |
| 48 |
Daniel Harding
|
0 |
0 |
| 37 |
Nicholas Bradshaw
|
0 |
0 |
| 63 |
Musa Bakan
|
0 |
0 |
| 60 |
David Draper
|
0 |
0 |
| 68 |
Ashley Light
|
0 |
0 |
| 66 |
Alex Lorenzelli
|
0 |
0 |
The Jets Seniors play host to Macquarie University at Bensons Lane this week, with play starting at 2pm, while Reserve Grade travel to Gipps Rd at Greystanes to tackle Holroyd Parramatta at midday.
Last Modified on 30/06/2014 14:51
