AFL Sydney Round 12 Preview
Pennant Hills have a chance to take top spot on the AFL Sydney Premier Division ladder when they travel to Waverley Oval to take on UTS on Saturday afternoon.
With UNSW/ES having the bye this round, the Demons, who sit equal on match ratio with the Bulldogs, will start favourites against the Bats who are vastly improved this year under coach, Daniel Lynch.
The Demons did not turn out their best effort against Sydney Hills Eagles last weekend, despite having twenty-one more scoring shots, their opponents still managed to kick two more goals albeit in soggy conditions.
NSW/ACT Squad members, Matt Carey and Kieran Wright will again be pivotal to the Demons’ chances, as will Alex Goodall who has been in strong form of late and will be pitted against the big bodies of the UTS midfield.
It will be a battle of pride at Monarch Oval where Campbelltown (last) host Sydney University (ninth). Both sides will be seeking their second win of the season in a match where it is hard to pick a favourite.
The Blues will be missing captain, David Linsen who will be missing for four weeks through suspension. They had a day to forget in general against the Bulldogs- with Paul Green and James Watkins among few to have some control over the muddy ball. Sydney University only managed one goal after quarter-time with Dean McKay again best for his side.
At Picken Oval, Western Suburbs will be aiming to give their home fans something to smile about against North Shore who can jump from third with a win.
The Magpies were competitive against St George last week, eventually falling by five goals. There are signs their young brigade including Jack Codd-Miller and James Newbury are adapting to senior football. They will miss Matt Eurell (six goals last week) through suspension for the next three weeks.
There is an important clash also at Bruce Purser Reserve on Saturday night between Sydney Hills Eagles and Illawarra.
Ashley Moeller was superb with five majors in a losing side, while Etiosa Okunbur was again among the Eagles best. Illawarra will be coming off a bye and will need Erin Franklin to dominate in the ruck to give the likes of Jimmy Weavers and Ken Ewen-Chappell first supply.
The final game is the AFL Sydney Match of the Week on Sunday afternoon at Henson Park between Balmain and St George. Both sides sit on either side of the bubble with the Dragons fifth and the Dockers unbelievably sitting in sixth given their glut of representative stars.
There should not be too much panic at Dockerland given their have lost two of their three games by a combined four-point total. At the same time, Garry Bull and Craig White will be working on a formula to overcome their lack of key defending and attacking players.
Troy Luff turned back the clock in the loss to North Shore with a strong performance, while Gerard Wilkie and Selby-Lee Steere (four goals) were also noticeable.
