ROUND 11 – Games played despite the rain

From the President

Despite some wet weather threats, it was good to get a round of football in.

Hosting North Shore at home is always a big day at the Demons as the rivalry goes way back and is well entrenched between the two clubs. North Shore are top of the table  or their abouts in most grades showing they have a lot of depth at Gore Hill. It was a good week to see where the Demons are at on the run towards finals.

What was very special about this day was the Past Players Day function. Revitalising the past players association of the club has been undertaken by two great past players in Tom Angel and Tim Wales. Well done to these two on the best past players day in tur out and function since I have been at the club. Our past players helped to build our culture at the demons and we really want you to stay engaged as we build upon this legacy. I hope that those who attended enjoyed the day and are enthused about the next one and reengaging with your club. Thank you to Sue Blow, Carol and Phil Hare, Jo Bolster and Ian Parker for your work in bringing this great day together. Thank you to John Atchison, our club historian, for finding many of the old photos and history on display.

Again, the club really needs your support. Become a member or buy Good for Footy Raffle tickets or both. All funds go directly to support our club and to provide the programs we do for our players and the support they get through physiotherapy and strength and conditioning programs an the development tools such as Athlete Tracker that provides video review capabilities, team selections, medical management etc.

Have a look at our Membership Page to find the options available. For payment, go to Athlete Tracker, select your preferred option and record you details. Items can be collected at the ground or shipped to you.

If you have any issues please feel free to reach out to Paul Vink, the clubs commercial manager at commercial@phafl.com.au, Ian Parker, Vice President at vp@phafl.com.au or myself at president@phafl.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you back at Mike Kenny for Round 12 versus UTS and Balmain

Hope to see you around the grounds.

Todd Williams
President

Match Reports:

Premier Division Men's Match Report with thanks to ARA Group
Premier Division Men Vs North Shore Bombers
(PH 5.8.38 Loss to NS 8.12.60)

We hosted the undefeated North Shore bombers in which would be 1^st vs 3^rd. We would have 3 huge in’s, Josh Boag, Brandon Clark & Wilson Mudge.

The first quarter would be fast & tough as expected, North Shore would get the jump with ex Essendon bomber, Fraser Thurlow causing headaches. North would go in with a 2-goal lead, the 2^nd quarter we were able to adjust well, our mids started to get on to lead by Blow, Boag, Clark & Eynaud. Our backs were able to restrict North Shore’s fire power better, with Willey, Matthews & Mikey working well together. We would kick 2.4 to their 1.1. It felt like we should have had a 4-goal lead go into halftime, but we weren’t able to apply scoreboard pressure.

The 3^rd quarter North Shore came out more efficient, hurting us on turnovers. While they had a lead, it never felt out of our reach. North shore would go into the last quarter with a 4-goal lead, we would play inspiring footy in the last with the support of past players selecting past players day. We would get within 10 points but fall by 22. Our team defence was much better, we were able to restrict the to their lowest score of the year but need to get more efficient inside 50.

Connor Matthews stood tall all game, with Nick Eynaud super again. Willey, Mudge, Clark, Boag, Blow, Mikey were all good.

 Ben Roberts (Head Coach)
Best: Connor Matthews. Nicolas Eynaud, Lachlan Willey, Wilson Mudge, Brandon Clark, Joshua Boag
Goal Kickers: R. Hawes 2, H. Pitt 1, T. Moraitis 1, N. Hey 1.

Premier Division Women's Match Report with thanks to Ritera Electrical Wholesale
Premier Division Women's v North Shore Bombers
(PH 3.0.18 Loss to NS 7.11.53)

We welcomed into the side Jasmine Blow for her first senior game at the club and along with Haley Marriott another 16 yr old for their first games. Congratulations goes to both of you.

Well, what a first half of football the players produced we took a lead into the halftime break our 2^nd for the season. Our back half was superb in this half of footy our defensive pressure was on track forcing them to panic and take shots on goal from anywhere but more importantly where we played the ball over the line to commence our rebounding game. Offensively we were taking our opportunities on goal and where our young gun Rebecca (16) kicked 2 goals in the half. Her improvement has been fantastic and watching Rebecca become more confident each week is a welcoming sight. I will go out on a limb here and state Rebecca "should" become the greatest women's forward to play game at the club. Her marking and kicking is 2^nd to none. Well done Rebecca.

The 3^rd qtr. produced a tight tussle where the opposition received a dubious free kick on goal to take the lead in the final qtr. By 7 points.

Our motto for the back half of this season was discussed with all during the week and is based around being open and honest regarding our football. This was a discussion in becoming better. At the 3^rd qtr. huddle for the first time this year l had openly discussed the outcome of the game. We either created our opportunities or we wouldn't. Well, our last qtr. didn't go to plan as our young back half allowed 2 goals in - through sloppy and missed opportunities on play. This was another lesson as when you challenge finals bound team they also can stand up understanding the pressure they were under. We discussed after the game how we took another step forward in terms of our game. Well done all.

Best: Natalie Pajor (outstanding 4 qtr. effort would have 30 possessions), Sheridan Baker (best game to date-remember 72 mins of football), Elly Rudd (kicked 1 goal along with her 20 touches), Kaitlin Noble (not too many better in the comp imo atm), TARA COOPMAN (another great game for a 16 y old) Kaitlin Quinlan (ever reliable)

Special mentions: Jesse Smith, Addison Hickey and Haley Lowe

Terry Mudge (Head Coach)
Best:  Natalie Pajor, Elly Rudd, Kaitlin Quinlan, Kaitlin Noble, Sheridan Baker, Tara Coopman
Goal Kickers: R. Fagg 2, E. Rudd 1.

Under 19.5 Division 1 Men's Match Report with thanks to Tyrepower Dural
Under 19.5’s Division 1 v North Shore Bombers
(PH 5.6.36 Loss to NS 6.10.46)

This was to be the match of the round fixture and the game was red hot from both teams.  Elite football played by both sides in a cracking game of hard fought footy.  We were so excited and confident in our plan and ability going in, with dry conditions predicted at home for the past players day.  We went in with some specific strategies and were ready to put them to action.

Q1 it was a great battle early.  Norths are dangerous when they get out the back of the stoppage but we were on it when they tried to switch but were stopped by our ferocious pressure and tackling.  We locked them down and they didn’t get easy use of the ball.  Cooper Smith tackle pressure early was superb, and our backs as ever strong and consistent.  We were handballing too much again from clearance and not handballing to running players so found the ball caught in stoppages.  Credit to Norths for their pressure too.  Our first goal was to Jimmy.  Luka had great coverage across back in the marking contest.  Up at the first change 1.2.8 to 0.3.3.

In the second Qtr we were trying to move the ball by hand but norths were shutting us down.  We at times still kicked inboard loosely from defence or tried to bring it back in from the boundary by kick rather than seeing it across, putting more pressure on us.  We didn’t need to play on as much but rather slow and keep control.  Andrew M in a marking contest took a crunching hit from both front and behind.  It knocked him down and he had to come from the field for the rest of the qtr.  I was concerned but to his credit he came back in.   Norths were strong and came back to take the upper hand in the second. We only managed one point.   1.3.9 to 2.5.17.

In the 3^rd we knew we had a great game on our hands and had to play 4 quarters and not lose concentration.  From the first bounce we won the centre clearance and spread the ball wide to get a goal within the first minute.  Great start.  Then followed by 2 goals to Norths and then a grunt effort from Ben for another goal to us.  It was swinging both ways and the pace was quick.

Muz effected a great tap forward to Bill who kicked to Andrew M for a strong mark and goal late in the term.  Then Bill took an accidental hit to the head with claret requiring stitches and took no further part in the match after some great efforts.

We were holding up well and working hard, with some fatigue starting to set in.

4.3.27 to 4.8.32.

Nothing in it.

Q4 we wanted fire power up forward.  We shifted Jack D, Murder and Jack R up forward to give us marking strength and put Muz on the ball for the first 5 minutes.  Get it up forward and lets hit the score board.

Unfortunately, we lost one of our elite ball users in Lachy Pauly who tore his hamstring in the 4th qtr.  A big blow to the team.  An experienced veteran amongst this group as a mid, defender and running player.  Will be out for weeks and sorely missed by this team.

Ryan and Dylan Bonham were both working well in the middle and Ryan got a goal early in the term.  Lauffy was superb down back and Kuz came from the middle and hit Andrew M on the lead for a great forward entry.  Andrew had a shot from 50 but could only manage a point.  We had plenty of the play but couldn’t get scoring opportunities late in the term.

With 1.30 left on the clock we were 5 points down.  1 goal would see us in front.  The ball coming in but we couldn’t grab it cleanly due to Norths defence.  Then with a minute on the clock an unfortunate decision rough on our boys followed by a 50M penalty sealed our fate with Norths scoring a goal to win by 10.

Bitterly disappointing but such a great effort to be proud of.  It was a contest and a half and our boys were in it right to the end.  So proud of them and we realised with some more fine tuning we would challenge them again later in the year.

Things to learn –

• Use our skilful outside runners to spread the ball and get around their spare man in defence.
• We were not front and square as often as they were at marking contests
• More work for our big men on using their bodies and stronger hands in the marking contest
• One up one down, more communication for aerial contests and balance
• We were better structed today to stop their forward moves with our mids doing a lot of work in transition, great to see.
• More work to do on our forward leading patterns and movement.
• Defensive pressure, excellent, tackle pressure excellent, transition work excellent

I’m disappointed but proud and excited.  We are well in this competition.  But we have some work to do.

Best players –

Ryan Lauff – full back – BOG – superb game again.
Luka Jordaan – CHB – solid marking and clearing with good decisions
Ryan B – great game off half forward and inside mid.  Back amongst the goals and confidence high.
Dylan B – grunt work in the middle with tackle pressure and hard running.
Liam Everett – another hard ball winner doing the physical work at ground level
Cooper Smith – clean ball use, tackle pressure and good decision making off the wing.

Justin Kerley (Coach)
Best: Ryan Lauff, Luka Jordaan, Ryan Bonham, Dylan Bonham, Liam Everett, Cooper Smith
Goal Kickers: A. Murdoch 2, J. Georgalis 1, B. Waring 1, R. Bonham 1.

Division 1 Men's Match Report with thanks to Pennant Hills Toyota
Division 1 Men V North Shore Bombers
(PH 8.4.52 Loss to NS 10.5.65)

Big day Saturday as we took on top of the table North Shore. Last time we met was round one and we came out winners by ten points. Saturday wasn’t our day as this time North Shore defeated us by thirteen points through a tough strong game.

Our first quarter we started from the first bounce going to work hitting the ball hard and the opposition harder. Lucas and Pat took no prisoners leaving destruction after ever contest. To questionable 50m penalties gave North Shore two easy goals keeping them in the game.

We started the second quarter a point up and kept the barrage up, big Kiz continued his domination in the ruck and our dominating backs kept the pressure on the forwards. We used the ball chipping away and moving forward controlling the tempo and switching well. We went into the halftime break two points up.

We regrouped at halftime and went out with plenty of energy looking forward to the hardball. We increased our lead to seven points by the end of the third quarter still controlling the game and dominating the contested possession.

Unfortunately, the fourth quarter we lost our legs enough for North Shore to get a run on over us and let them kick away. We ended the game heated and upset with the loss but knowing we can beat this team on our day which we were only able to have for the first three quarters

Warren Atwell (Coach)
Best: Lukas de Vries, Jye Boby, Mitchell Trenaman, Patrick Witt, Zac Elliott, Matthew Hall
Goal Kickers: D. Poletto 2, M. Carey 2, S. Zikman 1, T. Cousens 1, M. Trenaman 1, B. Buyink 1.

Division 2 Women’s Match Report
Women’s Division 2 v Macquarie Universit
(PH 3.4.22 Loss to MU 14.8.92)

After missing last week’s game due to rain, it was great to get a clear day and a match.  Thank you to Haylee for coming off her sick bed to play.

Also, a big welcome back to Katie Quadrio for her first game this year, and to Amy Cahill for joining the club.

This bolstered our numbers to 16 and allowed us to have a game against Mac Uni who had a full squad of 21.

We started brightly with good clearance from our Mids which our Forwards turned into sustained pressure and resulted in Kellie kicking truly for the first score of the day.

From there it was all Mac Uni as their Midfield dominated, and despite good resistance from our Bec, Dani C, Ali C and Sophie, we were bombarded, and we went to the first break 5 goals down.

A huge improvement in the 2^nd qtr saw our Mids of Joey, Bridgette, Bec and Kat continually push the ball forward. Our Forwards led by Kellie, Amy and Haylee were holding the ball in our forward 50, but despite holding it in there for about 10 min, we could only manage 3 points. Mac Uni, against the run of play, then scored a runaway goal. So even though we dominated the quarter we went into halftime 38 points down.

We then went down to 15 players in the second half and the lack of interchange was really starting to tell. The team dug deep and continued to compete hard for the ball. Mac and Sophie, Ali C and Ellie D continued to be strong in the backline, and Bridgette and Emma D were getting lots of the ball.

An excellent last qtr saw Quads kick a goal from a good mark and Emma D got on the end of good push forward to run into an open goal. Against the odds we almost won the last quarter,

Super effort from all and we continue to improve each week.

Mark Carroll (Coach)
Best: Bridgette Chan, Emma Dunn, Josephine Smith, Sophie Pendlebury, Ellie Davis, Katherine O'Hara
Goal Kickers: K. Cauwood 1, E. Dunn 1, K. Quadrio 1.

Division 3 Men's Match Report with thanks to Eylex Pty Ltd
Men's Division 3 vs North Shore Bombers
(PH 18.22.130 Defeated NS 0.2.2)

Round 11 saw Past Players Day at Greenway. Div 3 was originally planned as a 12pm start on the bottom deck however this was moved to 5:15pm on the top ground to enable everyone in attendance to hang around and watch the Brawny show.

A tight start saw a goalless first 6-8 minutes from both sides however we were able to kick the 1^st goal from there and maintain momentum throughout. Final score was 18.22.130 to 0.2.2. Goalkicking practice is in order in coming weeks with new kid Lachy Boyd was the main culprit and kept the goal umpire on his toes all day. A pleasing result as we have been on the receiving end of similar results from North Shore in years gone by.

Better players were Jye Durkin in the middle with his strong attack on the ball, Scott Chapman on his birthday in the ruck who gave us first use all day, Jesse Hare on ball in his 2^nd game back who will only be better for the run, Tino Manfre up forward with his pressure work and repeat efforts, Alex Vink on a wing who gained plenty of the ball and never wasted it whilst Anthony Brawn with his 10 goals was a clear standout.

Good result with 22 contributors.

Sebastian Parker (Coach)
Best: Anthony Brawn, Alexander Vink, Tino Manfre, Jesse Hare, Scott Chapman, Jye Durkin
Goal Kickers: A. Brawn 10, L. Boyd 2, A. Nixon 2, F. Nixon 1, S. Chapman 1, L. White 1, T. Manfre 1.

Under 19.5’s Division 2 Match Report
Under 19.5's Division vs Sydney University
(PH 8.7.55 Loss to SU 8.9.57)

In a thrilling contest at Sydney Uni Oval 1, Sydney University narrowly edged out Pennant Hills Demons by just 2 points, winning 57 to 55.

The boys flipped our usual script and started out on fire. After Uni took an early lead we dominated the rest of the quarter – Noah, Zander and Pat looking fantastic in the midfield getting the ball to the forwards quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, we missed some kickable goals but still led 15 – 6.

A fired up Uni side came up hot after the break and took control, kicking five straight. We snatched a huge goal before the break to go into HT with a bit of momentum and confidence.

The third quarter belonged to us. With no bench we outworked and outhustled a frustrated Uni side, kicking 3 goals to 1 to roar right back into the contest.

The final quarter was a nail-biter. Pennant Hills took the lead briefly before Uni hit back. A couple of behinds to each team followed. In the dying moments of the game, we surged forward and pinned the ball in their forward half, believing we’d won a free kick in the goal square that unfortunately wasn’t called. The boys were bitterly disappointed but truly deserved a win.

Goal Scorers

• Eamon – 2
• Lincoln – 2
• Noah, Pat, Zander, Brad - 1

Best Players:

• Jake Condon was fantastic off half back. Despite having a busted toe he was a class above his opposition all day with relentless workload moving the ball from the back all day.
• Cohen Denne was brilliant on the wing as has become the norm. Silky every time he touched the ball, his opposition has to resort to late hits and dirty tactics in an attempt to curtail his influence.
• Noah Dunn was a workhorse in his first game back. Despite being held all day he probably touched the football more than anyone else on the park. We’ve got an entirely new dimension when Noah is with us.
• Harvey Barrett was dominant again for us in the ruck and at CHB. Great overhead marking ability gets us out of a lot of tough spots and provides a great target coming out of danger.
• Eamon McCauley is really coming into his own for us. A constant handful at FF, made great lead and was tough to contain all day. Kicked a beautiful goal from the 50 arc – really keen to see how he keeps going from strength to strength this season.
• Brad Pearce has been a revelation rotating into the midfield. Finding heaps of footy he’s a self-named “Bulldog” in the middle. Solid down back as well – kicked his first goal of the year arriving at the perfect time which he’s been doing great!

The match was a testament to the competitive spirit of this team. It would’ve been easy to give up after getting a score put on them last week, and down heavy at half-time but we outworked and out muscled a good Uni side all day. Like I told them after the game I could not be prouder of this group of boys and I am convinced that we would’ve won this game if we’d been able to field a bench. Keen to push for a result against UTS this week an back up with another win against these boys next time we play.

Harry McDiarmid (Coach)
Best: Jake Condon, Eamon Macauley, Noah Dunn, Cohen Denne, Harvey Barrett, Bradley Pearce
Goal Kickers: L. Kellett 2, E. McCauley 2, P. McMurrich 1, N. Dunn 1, B. Pearce 1, Z. Crowden 1.

Division 5 Men's Match Report with thanks to Conveyancing at Pittwater
Men’s Division 5 v Randwick City Saints
(PH 1.1.7 Loss to RCS 17.7.109)

Nestled in the quiet and quaint village of Malabar between the Long Bay Correctional facility and multiple rifle ranges lies Pioneers Park, the venue for our clash with the table topping Randwick Saints. Never was the phrase ‘we’re taking no prisoners’ been more accurate! This team was more than happy to leave them just where they were!

Regardless, we had a job to do and we were well armed with weapons like Morgan Hide (Away), Steve ‘The Godfather’ Vozzo and Oskar 'Underbelly’ Raue, and after a good week on the training track, we were primed for a good performance.

Our opponents are well known for their physical approach and depth of Gaelic football talent owing to their Irish recruitment policy, so how would this one pan out?

Well, it’s fair to say not great. Randwick started brightly with goals in the opening minutes as our boys struggled to get into a flow and some early possessions to slow the game down. Alarm bells and sirens were sounding loudly by quarter time when we went to the first break 6.2 to 0.0 behind despite gallant efforts from our defensive line-up of Miles, Arciuli and Denis. Our inspirational captain, Michael Elsley went to bed feeling unwell the night before, but somehow managed to resurrect himself and put in a true skippers performance in midfield, dragging his comrades Richards, Rohr and Macauley along with him.

We started to play some players in new roles such as Mitch Wall switching early into a spare man down back, and Adam Wagner getting his hands on the footy in an unfamiliar midfield role for this fine young man playing his first year of footy. These guys grabbed the challenge, never shirked a bump or tackle and managed to hold Randwick to 4.2 in the 2nd, whilst Underbelly Raue kept his goalscoring run going with a snag.

After the main break, the true leadership qualities of men like Alex Rashleigh, Matty Arciuli and Geir O’Rourke shone through. These guys did everything humanly possible to thwart the continuous tsunami of balls into our D50, laying tackles, guiding our younger players and putting their bodies on the line whenever the call came. It would have been easier to lay down and quit, but on a day when past greats of our club were celebrating their life-long friendships created at this great club back MKO, this current generation of champions were forging their own bond and culture of smiling in the face of adversity.

Today just wasn’t our day to be honest. We came up against a strong side who I believe have the minerals to go all the way this season, but they will know that if they are drawn against this resolute bunch from Pennant Hills in the finals, they will need more than prison walls and armed guards to keep this resolute squad from stealing a victory when next we meet. Onward and upward lads.

I will see you in the next one.

Nigel Blow (Coach)
Best: Luke Garment, Luke Richards, Mitchell Wall, Alexander Rashleigh, Matthew Arciuli, Geir O'Rourke
Goal Kickers: O. Raue 1.

What’s on This week

Breast Cancer Awareness Round: Saturday 13^th July
A cause very close to us all. Come along and enjoy the events of the day, buy a champagne table in the club rooms, help us raise money for this worthy cause through quality raffles and auctions. Our premier Men and Women will play in the Breast Cancer Awareness jumper on the day.

Masters WAGS Day: Saturday 13^th July
Masters Wags annual day, enjoy some champagne and finger food whilst supporting our legends.