Premier Division and Division One are up against Sydney University and both are must wins for Penno. Both teams are sitting in 6th place with three wins from 8 rounds. Losses here will really put our boys behind the eight ball and it will be a veritable mountain to climb if they are to make finals. Yes, it’s that serious!

KIERAN WRIGHT – 200 GAME MILESTONE

We also take the opportunity of a home game to mark Kieran Wright’s 200 game milestone. This is Kieran’s 11th season with the Club. His football story is a remarkable tale. Switching codes from soccer at the age of 23, he readily adapted to Australian Rules. Kieran is undoubtedly a champion footballer and ranks amongst the best to have graced the footy parks in the Sydney competition. As an individual, he has reached the pinnacle of achievement, a Phelan Medal. And as a team player, he has achieved the ultimate success, a Premier Division Flag, not just once, but on three occasions, indisputably ranking him as one of the most successful footballers in Sydney. Kieran’s has been a rare and distinguished career and it is with pride, honour and awe that we celebrate the 200 game milestone of this great Demon champion. Congratulations Kieran!

ROUND 8 WRAP-UP

Premier Division went down to an energetic and enthusiastic UTS Bats side. There was only 4 scoring shots differential between the teams in favour of UTS 24 to 20, however, the margin was 44 pts, evidence that the Bats were comprehensively better in all facets of the game. Penno lacked any sort of spark and never made it to top gear while the Bats wanted it more and were harder at the contest, yada, yada, yada! It was a disappointing result and the Coach let the boys know he wasn’t happy.

This is the Bats second consecutive victory over the Demons after we lost to them for the first time in Rd 16 last season. Unfortunately, it is our worst result on record against UTS … 10.10-70 is our lowest total and the 44 pt margin eclipses last season’s 3 pt differential. The Bats score 18.6-114 is their best against Pennant Hills.

Another piece of bad news to come out of the match is the knee injury to Matt “King” Carey, one of our co-captains. Matt has ruptured an ACL and will need reconstructive surgery to repair the damage, meaning he will miss the remainder of the season. This is a cruel blow to both King and the team. We wish Matt a speedy recovery.

This week Prems are up against Sydney University. Although Uni have only won 2 games and are in 7th place, one position below Penno, they are coming off a win over 4th placed North Shore last round. Uni will be confident, and at this stage of the season, Penno can’t afford to take any game for granted and we need a solid win this week to restore confidence and to keep in touch with the top teams. Statistically, Penno has a very good record against Sydney University. Since 2007 the teams have played each other 18 times. Penno has won 13, lost 4 and there’s been 1 draw. But as UTS proved, history is not always a good predictor of the future, so our boys had better come ready to play.

LUKE SKRIVANIC – DEBUTANTE

On a brighter note, Round 8 was the senior debut for 17 year old Luke Skrivanic. Luke is a former North Ryde and Pennant Hills Junior with heaps of talent. In the Under 17 Division One Grand Final last year, he was Best on Ground and was also 2015 U17 Division 1 Best & Fairest and Players Player at Pennant Hills. He was also selected to play in the State Under 16 side last season. So far in 2016, he has played 3 games each with Pennant Hills Under 19s and the Swans NEAFL side, respectively. He’s kicked a goal in each of his NEAFL games and was rewarded last week with a goal in his Premier Division debut against UTS Bats. Ian Parker, Club Life Member and life-long footy fanatic, presented Luke with his jumper, No 6. Well done Luke on your debut.

DIVISION ONE

Like Premier Division, our Division One side is finding 2016 very challenging. After 8 rounds they are 3 wins and 5 losses and sit in 6th place. Last week they were beaten by a last gasp goal by UTS Bats and went down by 6 pts in a low scoring match. This week they play Sydney University who are 2 games ahead of Penno in 4th place. A win today is imperative if the Dees are to stay in touch with the top teams.

DIVISIONS THREE & FIVE

Both Division 3 and 5 remain undefeated after 9 and 8 rounds, respectively. Both recorded 100 + pt victories last weekend. In Division Three, Josh Mott and Fraser Nixon continue to duke it out each week in front of goal. Last week Josh kicked 7 goals for a season tally of 27 and Fraser kicked 5 goals, taking his season tally to 29. This week the team takes on the only other team which remains undefeated, Wollondilly Knights. This is Wollondilly’s top side, so they should provide good competition for our boys. Hard to predict who will win, but the Demons will be quietly confident.

[Postscript: We’ll now have to wait for the wet weather round for this clash as today’s match is a wash-out at Wollondilly.]

Division Five continue to win BIG and sit one game clear on top of the ladder. In last week’s match against Camden Cats, Drew Burden kicked another bag of 7 goals, taking his season tally to 24. This week they take on 4th placed Nor-West Jets and, all things being equal, we would expect our boys to continue on their winning way.

UNDER 19 DIVISION ONE

Down by almost 5 goals at ¾ time, our Under 19s came home with a wet sail, kicking 6 goals to 1 in the final term and snatching a 4 pt win. The team now sits in 5th position on the competition ladder with a 4 and 3 record. This week they play 8th placed Manly and, if form is any guide, they should get over the top of the Giants.

WOMENS DIVISION ONE

Last week in Round 7 saw all of the top teams in the Womens Division One competition playing teams in the bottom half of the ladder. And, the results were a clear indicator of the large disparity between these two groups. Of the five games, the winners scored a total of 509 pts, while the opposition scored a total of 11 pts. In three of the matches the losing teams were held scoreless. Unfortunately, this was the case for our Women. Up against 2nd placed UTS Shamrocks, our girls struggled to make any impression on the scoreboard, however, they were able to contain the opposition to 79 pts. In two of the other games two teams lost by 154pts and 140pts, respectively, putting into better perspective the efforts of our Demonettes.

This week, the team plays UNSW-ES Stingrays in a clash between 7th and 8th place. These two teams will be much more evenly matched than last week and our Women will have a better than even chance of winning their third match for the season.

Want to talk Demons history? Then drop us a line at historian@pennanthillsjafc.com.au.

Go Penno!

Demon’s Apprentice