NSW/ACT Notebook – Round 2 Review

By Michael DiFrabizio

Sydney Swans 17.12 (114) def. Gold Coast Suns 11.7 (73)

Wet conditions and a strong start from Gold Coast’s younger players made life difficult early for the Swans on Saturday afternoon. But a concerted team effort to restrict Gary Ablett and a huge performance from Jarrad McVeigh saw the reigning premiers build a lead that couldn’t be penetrated.

The Suns came out competitive and even took a one-point lead into quarter time. Second-game midfielder Jaeger O’Meara made a name for himself, while forward Charlie Dixon continued his impressive start to the season, finishing with three goals.

Late in what was a low-scoring second quarter, with the margin tight and the game yet to break open, it was McVeigh who stepped up. In the space of a couple of minutes, he kicked two crucial goals. By game’s end, McVeigh had 27 disposals, seven clearances, eight inside-50s and four goals.

The other standout from a Sydney perspective was Kieren Jack who, along with Nick Smith, shared the responsibility of manning Ablett. The two combined to hold Ablett to an unusually-low 24 touches. What’s more impressive is that Jack himself managed to rack up 28 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency, as well as kicking a goal.

The Swans out-tackled the Suns (73-63) despite having more of the footy (disposals were 369-317). They shared the ball better when scoring, with 17 score assists to 5. There was also a dominance in the ruck (hitouts were 57-38), although you might say it was from an unexpected source. Mike Pyke was by far the game’s hit-out leader with 35.

Ryan O’Keefe had 27 disposals – 21 of which were contested – while Luke Parker, Andrejs Everitt, Pyke and O’Keefe had two goals each.

The Swans now turn their attention to facing North Melbourne in Hobart.

Port Adelaide 19.20 (134) def. GWS GIANTS 11.12 (78)

An emotional Port Adelaide confronted the GWS GIANTS at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night. The match was a tribute to former Power player John McCarthy, who sadly passed away during the off-season.

At the outset, the Port players were understandably slow out of the blocks. The GIANTS were able to nab four of the first five goals to build a healthy early buffer. Jeremy Cameron booted two of his three goals for the night in this period.

Port’s response soon came, although the GIANTS remained within striking distance for most of the opening three quarters. After Lachie Whitfield kicked his first AFL goal in the third term, the margin was down to 13 points. From there, though, Port kicked eight unanswered goals and the game was sealed.

Callan Ward led the way for the GIANTS with 26 disposals that included a game-high 14 contested possessions, as well as six tackles and five inside-50s. Both Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio hit 20 touches and had a goal. Whitfield also took nine marks.

For Port, best on ground was Justin Westhoff, who had five goals. Chad Wingard, the No. 6 overall pick from 2011, was impressive with three goals.

Port Adelaide used the ball better with a disposal efficiency of 72 per cent compared to the GIANTS’ 67 per cent. A key difference was in the contested marks, where Port came out on top 11-2. The GIANTS did have the better of the clearances (25-38), helped by Dylan Shiel who had a game-high seven clearances.

This weekend, the GIANTS host St Kilda at Manuka Oval.

NSW/ACT Notes

– It was a good weekend for former members of the Pennant Hills Demons. Lenny Hayes had 24 disposals and six clearances for St Kilda in their loss to Richmond, while Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack led the way for the Sydney Swans in their win over Gold Coast.

– Daniel Cross (Albury) had 24 touches and two goals in the Western Bulldogs’ loss to Fremantle. In the same game, Tom Young (Wollondilly) had 17 touches and took six marks.

– It would not have been a happy AFL debut for Dean Terlich (Osborne) on Saturday night, with his Melbourne side losing to Essendon by 148 points. However, Terlich seemingly did enough to retain his spot in the side. He had 12 disposals and took four marks.

– In the battle of the NSW power forwards, Tom Hawkins (Finley) beat out Taylor Walker (Broken Hill North) this week. Hawkins had 3.1 in Geelong’s win over North Melbourne. Walker had 2.2 in Adelaide’s win over the Brisbane Lions.

– Hawthorn’s Luke Breust (Temora) and Isaac Smith (Wagga Tigers) played a big role in the win over the West Coast Eagles in Perth. Breust had four goals to go with 14 disposals.

NEAFL Results (Round 3)

Sydney Swans 15.20 (110) def. Gold Coast Suns 10.5 (65)
Brisbane Lions 14.17 (101) def. UWS Giants 8.14 (62)
Ainslie 12.7 (79) def. by Morningside 17.12 (114)
Belconnen 17.16 (118) def. Tuggeranong 9.9 (63)
Hills Eagles 20.9 (129) def. Sydney Uni 13.15 (93)
Queanbeyan 23.18 (156) def. Eastlake 9.9 (63)

Upcoming milestones

Ryan O’Keefe, Sydney Swans

O’Keefe is due to play his 260th game for the Sydney Swans this week since his debut in 2000. This will take him level with John Rantall in fourth spot on the all-time Sydney Swans club list.