Sydney Uni withstood a second quarter fightback to take down last year’s premiership winning Giants in a convincing 128-85 victory.
The Students came out of the gates firing, setting the tone for the match early on. It seems they learnt from their slow start in Round 1, kicking the first four majors of the contest to hold a 31- 8 lead at quarter time.
However, the Giants clawed their way back into the contest, controlling most of the play in the second quarter. Sydney Uni lost their structure in the term, conceding 5 goals as the Giants reduced their deficit to 10 points by half time.
Play was relatively even in the third term with both teams trading goals. However it was Sydney Uni who showed resilience in the final quarter, putting on a clinical display to set the match well out of reach for the Giants. Relentless intensity and unselfish play were staples in the fourth term as the Students cashed in with 7 goals. Defensive pressure was also key, as they held the Giants to 2 goals, finishing the match with an emphatic 43 point win.
Coach Tom Morrison reflected on his team’s performance post game. “It was an improved performance on last week but there’s still a lot of work to be done in all areas. We played 2 strong quarters in the first and the forth but quarter 2 and 3 were disappointing as we went away from our ‘team first’ brand of football for periods of the match.”
With balanced contributions across the park, Coach Morrison was pleased with the progress of the team so early in the season. “We were really happy to see Ned Reinhard earn his opportunity after an impressive pre-season, he looked comfortable and was effective throughout the contest. Our young players continue to stand up under pressure and our senior players are buying into our values and modelling these in their actions.”
“The boys are still learning about each other through shared experiences in training and matches. In saying that, we are seeing clear improvements from the players in the way we function as a collective, which we are really happy to see.”
“Our team defence, led by our forward line pressure, was terrific for periods of the match as well as our midfielders’ ability to win clearances and spread hard from stoppage. This was a great response from the boys as we were poor in these areas in round 1. Our back line have been terrific to date and the young and old heads down there were solid against some elite GWS talent.”
Sydney Uni look forward to their first home game this weekend and realise they will need to continue to improve each game if they are to keep their spot at the top of the table. “We are very aware that the competition is shaping up to be an even one and we must continue to evolve. This week we have Redland’s, who are always a really tough opponent and have got the better of us in recent times. We will train hard again Wednesday and be keen to perform well for our first home crowd of 2017.” Morrison Added
NEXT UP
Sydney Uni play their first home game of the season at Henson Park this Saturday 15th April at 12pm v. Redland
Livestats for the match can be found here: http://neafl.com.au/fixturesresults/
SYDNEY UNI: 5.1 8.4 13.5 20.8 (128)
GIANTS: 1.2 6.6 10.10 12.13 (85)
GOALS
Sydney University: Gillespie 3, Williams 2, Bonney 2, Reinhard 2, Wilson 2, Stevenson 2, Hiscox, Dimery, Kilpatrick, McFadden, Ayton, Potter, Rawlinson
Giants: Sproule 5, Patton 2, Kennedy, Tiziani, Edwards, Perryman, Simpson
BEST
Sydney University: Hiscox, Tagliabue, Dimery, Rawlinson, Stevenson
Giants: Simpson, Kennedy, Tiziani, Perryman, Himmelberg