Sydney Uni once again proved too good for Redland, defeating the Bombers 17.20 (122) -13.5 (83) in Brisbane over the weekend. The Students were made to work hard for their ninth win of the season, but applied enough pressure to eventually secure a 39 point win over the home side.
After a scrappy start, Redland booted the first two goals of the match, taking a four point lead into quarter time.
“We started slowly and poorly with a lack of defensive desire that meant Redland were able to amass large uncontested possessions and use the football without pressure,” Sydney Uni coach Tom Morrison said.
Sydney Uni, however, came out of the first break looking like a different team. They were much sharper and played with a lot more intensity. Defensive pressure was also key for the visiting side as they kept the Bombers to just 2 goals in the second term. Their offence flowed as a result and once the Students gained the lead early in the quarter, they maintained control for the rest of the game.
“Our forwards were beaten for a large majority of the match in both the contest as well as defensive transition. This allowed Redland easy exits from our forward half, resulting in scoring opportunities for the opposition.”
“We were lucky that our back 7 were solid again in winning their aerial contests and intercept marking to create our own offence. Nathan Cooper was best on ground in dominating former Collingwood and Brisbane player, Jackson Paine,” Morrison said.
Sydney Uni went into the main break with a 19 point lead. They continued to extend their lead at every break, creating large amounts of scoring opportunities but were inaccurate in front of goals, reducing what could have been a much larger winning margin.
Lewis Stevenson (24 disposals, 8 marks), Tom Young (25 disposals, 9 clearances) and Ned Reinhard (23 disposals, 5 marks), were solid in the middle, working tirelessly to get the ball moving into their forward 50.
Despite the missed opportunities in front of goal, the Students were still able to put up big numbers with multiple players contributing to the hefty score line. Damien Bonney and Mike Manteit led the scoring, kicking three goals apiece.
While the Bombers remained competitive for the entirety of the match, the Students, showed character and pulled off a convincing win. This was an important victory for Sydney Uni, as they prepare for a tough fortnight of footy. Their first big challenge will come this Friday night as they take on the Sydney Swans at the SCG.
“We have reviewed the game strongly and identified the key areas that we will develop throughout training this week as we head into a big fortnight of football where we will play the Swans (placed 1st) and Brisbane (placed 3rd) – both at full strength. We can’t wait for the challenge on Friday and will execute with an improved performance,” Morrison added.
NEXT
Sydney Uni take on the ladder leading Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday 24th June. The match kicks off at 4:10pm.
SYDNEY UNI 2.3 7.10 12.15 17.20 (122)
REDLAND 3.1 5.3 10.4 13.5 (83)
GOALS
Sydney Uni: D Bonney 3 M Manteit 3 J Derickx 2 T Barrett 2 J Potter 2 J Hiscox 2 C McFadden A Day L Stevenson.
Redland: C Cameron 3 J Paine 2 D Adkins 2 D Cameron-Reeves A Christensen J Lyons B Howard L Rogerson B Saunders.
BEST
Sydney University: N Cooper J Hiscox S Tagliabue T Young N Reinhard.
Redland: A Williams S Mills J Rolls S Miller S Cormick L O’Sullivan.