ROUND 8– The Dragons Roar was Drowned Out
From the President
In what was resembling a water polo match the St George Dragons travelled to Mike Kenny hoping to give their season a boost. Wet weather football certainly changes many things. It becomes a territory game and requires players be prepared to battle contested football all day. It was great to see our club stand up and show the spirit that we are known for.
Thanks must go to Ian Parker, Vice President for stepping up to preside in my absence the last three weeks. I also want to note the work of Paul Vink and Stewart Woodward in my absence. As the saying goes: “It never rains it pours”. We have been pushing council to finalise underneath works at the clubrooms for over 18 months. In what is good news we received advice that works will be commencing next week with the intent to be finished by end of year. It required that the underneath area be cleared out of equipment we had stored there within 4 days of notice. Ian, Stewart and Paul stepped in to ensure this was accomplished. Council will now begin works and we look forward to new toilets and change rooms underneath ready for season 2025.
We have reached the halfway mark of the season and the club is in healthy position to be up their at the pointy end. Terry Mudge and our women’s program continues to build and showed this on the weekend in tough conditions. We are excited about the second half of their season as we build for the future. Current team ladder positions are: (see above right)
The club will be running pathway programs throughout the second half of the season so as to enhance the flow from our junior feeder clubs into senior football for season 2025. We will also be running our leadership development sessions as we build on our culture and depth at the demons.
Exciting events coming up will be our Past Players and Officials Day on the 29th June and the breast cancer awareness round and Masters WAGS day on the 13th July. Sponsors please keep an eye out for details of our sponsors day as we firm up the details on this over the next few weeks.
Enjoy the match reports from last weekend’s rounds. Hope to see you around the grounds soon.
Todd Williams
President
Current Ladder Positions
Match Reports:
Premier Division Men's Match Report with thanks to ARA Group
Premier Division Men Vs St George Dragons
(PH 6.12.48 Defeated SG 3.2.20)
Wet weather warriors
Another wet game for 2024 saw us demolish St George in crazy conditions, at some stages the ground was a complete puddle. Our boys embraced the theme, and we would crack in for 4 qtrs in what was a territory game, lots of repeat efforts & stoppages. We would have a debutant play in a game I’m sure he won’t forget; Riley Hawes who has come down from the Maitland footy club and is the leading goal scorer in the U/19’s competition. Riley would kick the first goal of the game and kick an absolute pearler in the 2nd quarter with a nice play with Dylan Bonham.
Was hard to name 6 best as I thought everyone played their role, Blow, Jimmy & Jye gave our mids first use all game. Our midfield was super hard all game, Edmonds, Mitchell, Witt, Maine, Wray in & under everything. Mudge, Lee, Willey and Hey all looking like they were playing dry weather football at times. We have now won 6 in a row with a huge game at home this Friday night vs Sydney Uni, we are both 6-1.
Ben Roberts (Head Coach)
Best: Wilson Mudge, Nicholas Hey, Mitchell Blow, Cooper Lee, Lachlan Willey, Maine Vidler
Goal Kickers: R. Hawes 2, M. Carey 1, J. Roberts 1, N. Hey 1, S. Wray 1
Premier Division Women's Match Report with thanks to Ritera Electrical Wholesale
Premier Division Women V’s St George Dragons
(PH 4.4.28 Defeated SG 0.1.1)
Well, another week where we had several of our top players out injured and/or away.
We introduced our 9th first gamer for the season Sophie Pendlebury Congratulations, and we welcomed back Tamika Sutton for her first game this season.
The weather really looked poor from the outset of the game. It was becoming evident that who won the ball and got it going their way would come out on top.
The first Qtr. we kicked 2.1 and our ball winning ability really shone through, our structures were standing firm. Our first qtr. was one of our best to date.
Speaking with the team at ¼ time we discussed our trademark of 72 mins of effort.
The 2nd qtr. showed yet again how this belief and action can be such a benefit to the team. We didn't let ourselves down in this qtr. Kicking another 2.2 for the qtr. The best was our opposition had been held scoreless in a ½ of football (a first for the year). Tamika had kicked 2 goals for the half and our young star Cassidy MacArthur had kicked 1, l believe her first for the year along with the ever reliable Laura Donohue who kick the other.
We went into the change rooms with a strong lead (A first for the season). Our opposition could sense how strong we were and, in the 3rd and 4th qtrs., played 3 players behind the ball at times.
With the rain that started to become stronger the conditions were terrible and we could only score a behind in the last 2 qtrs. of football. The pleasing aspect of this was we didn't let up in the last 2 qtrs. of football we won 28 contests to bring the ball into our fwd half 19 times. A great result.
On days like this with the rain and ground conditions are few and far between through-out the season but we played our 72 mins of football and kept our opposition to a solidary behind. (another first the season) Our mid field of Alex RJ, TC (16y old), Natalie, Lauren, Amelia, Emmerson (16y old) and Amy was superb over the 72 mins of football. For the first time this season our backs lead by the ever reliable Kaity Noble and Haley Lowe really didn't have a lot to do, not bad in 24 qtrs. of football.
Best:
Special mentions: Kaity Noble (took 4 contested marks in terrible conditions) Natalie Pajor and Lauren Jacobs
Terry Mudge (Head Coach)
Best: Elly Rudd, Amelia Bennett, Alex Williams, Tara Coopman, Tamika Sutton, Amy Court.
Special mentions: Lucy Boyd (terrific first half), Alex Williams, Sheridan Baker
Goal Kickers: T. Sutton 2, C. McArthur 1, L. Donohoe 1
Under 19.5 Division 1 Men's Match Report with thanks to Tyrepower Dural
Under 19.5’s Division 1 v St George Dragons
(PH 3.8.26 Defeated SG 1.5.11)
“KEEP WORKING THE BALL FORWARD”
In the toughest conditions seen in years we played Saturday night under lights at MKO with pouring rain and a few inches of water across the whole ground. The game was close to being called off but both teams were keen to play.
It was extremely challenging for the players with the ball stopping dead in the water and marking conditions near impossible. The message was play very basic footy, gaining ground through calculated kicks was going to be valuable. Hold all marks possible and play in front as the ball won’t carry long. Although conditions like this are a leveller our team skills stood out as we won ground balls and kept the ball in our forward half for the majority of the match.
Our handball skills at training in traffic proved valuable as we held possession in congestion, however we overused the handball at times and instructions were to get it on the boot sooner and avoid around the body kicks. 1% ers were the difference to gain ground – one in at the ball, hold our shape, block and protect the ball carrier, tackling pressure.
Our work at ground level was amazing in these conditions, tackling pressure across the ground from our boys was terrific and St George couldn’t get the ball clear to their forwards easily. When it did our defenders were too good. Goals were very hard to come by and in a low scoring match the game could be won or lost on an error so we had to be disciplined.
Nathan kicked a great snap goal in the second quarter off a handball from Chapple and our other goals came from kicking to our forward zones and us holding marks better than the opposition. Even after the game St George said they were impressed with our ball skills and ability in tough conditions.
St George couldn’t break our defence and in the final 10 minutes of the game they managed to score their first goal and had very minimal forward entries for the match due to our disciplined defence. We had done enough to hold strong and kept in the lead for the whole game. It was a day of relentless driving forward and one where our players with size and strength shone through.
The greatest benefit from this game was the confidence builder in this team to adapt and respond to whatever conditions are thrown at us. They can play great footy in the wet or dry and follow a game plan accordingly.
Best players –
Andrew Murdoch - with his skills and strength was clean with possession and made good decisions with the ball. Great game off half back and half forward but had the most impact behind the ball.
Liam Everett – his tireless work rate at ground balls and delivery of the ball to our forwards in tough conditions was excellent.
Luka Jordaan – CHB was clean with his skills and his work rate off the ball to protect his team mates and create opportunities for others meant he wasn’t beaten in the contests.
Lunna Fraser – high tackle count and work rate to stop their forward moves and rebound the ball forward.
Cooper Smith – off the wing his skills in difficult conditions to win contests and keep the ball moving forward was great to watch.
Ryan Lauff – the general at full back held strong when required and guided others across our defensive lines.
Goals – Nathan Cranwell – 1, Cooper Smith – 1, Jim Houston - 1
Big test this week as we take on Sydney Uni at home for outright second position on the ladder.
Justin Kerley (Coach)
Best: Andrew Murdoch, Liam Everett, Luka Jordaan, Lunna Fraser, Cooper Smith, Ryan Lauff
Goal Kickers: N. Cranwell 1, C. Smith 1, J. Houston 1.
Division 1 Men's Match Report with thanks to Pennant Hills Toyota
Division 1 Men V’s St George Dragons
(PH 9.7.61 Defeated SG 2.3.15)
Wet weekend at Mike Kenny as we took on St George. We went into the game confident and fired up ready to tackle the task in hand. As soon as the first throw up the rain started and didn’t stop for the whole game turning our run and spread into a metreage game.
The first quarter was quite tight, and St George was managing the small things a lot better in some instances. We came in at the end of the quarter and addressed our need for hard simple football.
The lads went back out putting the hurt on and kicking 3.3 to 0.1 and giving us a great edge at halftime. We warmed back up knowing the importance of holding St George where they were as we didn’t want to let them back in. But they didn’t stay down kicking 1.1 to our 0.3 in the third quarter and breathing some life.
The last quarter we went hard and physical on ball smashing our way forward and putting the boot on St George with Ziks kicking 4 for the game and Jed with 2. The big man Kiz rucked and roved his ball all day allowing us to clinch the win.
We head to the long weekend with a big task of Sydney Uni and a needed win to stay in good positioning on the ladder.
Warren Atwell (Coach)
Best: Kieron Coaldrake, Sam Zikman, Matthew Hall, Michael Weathers, Ryan De vries, Joshua Bartlett
Goal Kickers: S. Zikman 4, J. Corbett 2, T. Larby 1, M. Hall 1, M. Weathers 1.
Division 2 Women’s Match Report
Women’s Division 2 v St George Dragons
(PH 0.1.1 Loss to SG 3.5.23)
The rain started to fall as the game started and got heavier through the day. This made for a very congested game.
Brownie kicked us off the 1st Half in the ruck, with Hayley and Chloe battling in the Mids. Charlotte started on fire with a heap of possessions and tackles. Emma D, the Wiz, Ali and Steph were all strong in the back line, working together to repel most opposition push forwards. Alanah was creating opportunities in the forwards, as was Annabelle. Jazz was winning the taps, but we were not able to take advantage of this in the heavy congestion. Our tackling in the wet was at another level and with Catrin winning freekicks we surged the ball forward. Sammy and Brownie were unlucky not to convert this good work and would have had goals on a dry day. As per the recent trend of our games, St George rebounded on us and kicked a goal to see us 9 points down at half time.
2nd Half
In the 2nd half we moved Georgia into the middle and together with Chalotte she had a huge impact with a bucketload load of tackles and possessions.
Ali C was having her best game with some excellent intercept marks. The wiz moved up the wing with Ellie D heading back to help shut down St. George.
Emma D went into a loose back and helped clean up heaps of loose ball. Unfortunately, we lost Alanah to a knee injury. This was so sad as Alanah was having a big impact. Her improvement each game has been amazing. Bridgette and Kat were competing well, and Steph and Ciara down back were solid as always. We had some nice passages of play but just could not convert this into scores. St. George on the other hand, had some good penetrating kicks in the wet which turned into goals for them.
Great effort from the team in very trying wet conditions.
Mark Carroll (Coach)
Best: Charlotte Curran, Georgia Wood, Emma Dunn, Rebecca Apap, Alison Cauwood, Stephanie Martin
Goal Kickers:
Division 3 Men's Match Report with thanks to Eylex Pty Ltd
BYE
Under 19.5’s Division 2 Match Report
Under 19.5 Division 2 v UTS Bats
(PH 10.13.73 Defeated UTS 3.9.27)
The early morning clash at Mahoney Park saw the Pennant Hills Demons secure a dominant victory over the UTS Bats with a final score of 10.13 (73) to 3.9 (27). Despite the chilly conditions, the Demons brought the heat, delivering a powerful performance that left the Bats struggling to keep up.
First Quarter:
The Demons started strong, quickly establishing their dominance on the field. Our midfield was sharp early with Patty McMurrich standing out with his strong run and carry. Harry Meadows and Jacob Adams looked dangerous in the forward line with a strong link between CHF and HF. Our defence was communicating fantastically, led by the strong chat of Leandre allowing absolutely nothing in transition. Wayward kicking let us down, but we’d shown our intent early and led at the first break. 0.2 (2) v 1.5 (11)
Second Quarter:
The second quarter saw more of the same from Pennant Hills. Their midfield controlled the game, winning the majority of clearances and keeping the pressure on UTS. Jake Condon brought the heat, laying some fantastic tackles and rebounding the ball off HB superbly. Cohen and Ned showed great effort working up and down both wings, allowing easy exits out of danger. Eamon McCauley was impactful in his first game for us, forcing contests when necessary and taking key intercept marks when available. The Bats managed to get on the scoreboard with a set of goals, however it was evident to those watching that they were against the run of play.
Halftime score was 2.5 (17) to 3.7 (25)
Third Quarter:
Down to 15 players in the second half the boys put together their best half of footy all year. Positional changes didn’t phase them, we looked fantastic coming out of the back half and forward entries were as slick as they’ve been this season. Jack English started to look more comfortable in an unfamiliar position as FF and kicked 3, Harry was involved and causing UTS a lot of problems, George and Eamon were unpassable deep. Jake was again making his impact felt, including on poor Dre who wore a bit of friendly fire. Harjeev was fantastic, making a key smother that really took the wind out of UTS’ sails. Our accurate kicking and strategic play left the Bats chasing shadows. The Demons added another three goals to their tally, while the Bats could only manage one behind. Pennant Hills went into the final quarter with a commanding lead of 6.11 (47) to 2.6 (18).
Fourth Quarter:
In the final term, the Demons finished strong, adding another four goals and two behinds to seal their victory. The final siren saw the scoreboard read 10.13 (73) to 3.9 (27), confirming a comprehensive win for Pennant Hills.
Key Players:
Jake Condon was brilliant. Rebounded the ball off HB, was a dominant presence in the midfield and kicked a lovely goal to cap off his performance.
Eamon McCauley was fantastic in his first game. Grew in confidence as the game progressed, forced contests when required and showed great footy IQ to come off his man and intercept when required.
Cohen Denne was again a stand-out. Voted BOG by his teammates there hasn’t been one game this year when the umpire or opposition coach hasn’t asked me about him. Hugely skilful, tireless in his work rate and the most pleasant kid, Cohen is a pleasure to have in this team.
Harrison Meadows was a beast at CHF. Despite being a little unsure about the positional change he stuck with it and exerted his most influence on a game this year. Despite not playing as deep as he is used to, he affected the contest and cleared the path for our deeper forwards and gave space to our speedy half forwards. Really proud of Harry for his game.
Jack English was another one playing out of position at FF. Normally playing as a defender he grew into the game really really well. Showed great discipline to hold his lead and present as a mobile tall to our penetrating midfielders. Works brilliantly off the ball, and is a strong over marker, as shown by his two goal square goals. Really keen to see how he develops further this year.
Harjeev Singh has improved and impressed every game he’s played this year. New to footy but skilful and shows a really promising footy IQ. Playing a new position down at HB, but consistently beat his man at the contest and got the ball forwards well – he’s been close to the best at numerous times this year and really deserved this one.
Special Mentions:
Pat, Leandre and Jacob can count themselves very unlucky to not make the best 6 this week. Pat was influential as always with four goals, Leandre absolutely dominated his man and was unlucky not to kick his first goal since 17’s (His Dad would’ve slotted it). Jacob was great in the middle and showed real spark in the forwards before we had to change him due to injuries. Massive thanks to Jacob and Leandre for backing up for Div 1 and for Jake who ran water in the torrential rain.
Summary:
The Pennant Hills Demons demonstrated why they are a force to be reckoned with in the U19 Division 2, showcasing skill, teamwork, and determination. The Demons’ comprehensive victory highlights their finals credentials and will need to keep playing at this level against some strong competition coming up.
Best: Jake Condon, Eamon Macauley, Cohen Denne, Harrison Meadows, Jack English, Harjeev Singh
Goal Kickers: Patrick Mc Murrich 4, Jack English 3, Harrison Meadows 2, Jake Condon 1
Key Players:
- Toby Conway: Toby is going from strength to strength this year. A dominant presence in the ruck, when tasked with taking away the best opposition player at half-time he did just that – the player was not seen again. Great game from Toby today.
- Leandre Pandoulis: Easily our most consistent player this year – Leandre had his best game of the season. He consistently wins individual matchups and organizes our defence game after game. He doesn’t get enough love in these reports, but that just speaks to his consistency, doesn’t have a bad game.
- Max Newley: Great game for Maxy today. Starting to get back into the flow after re-joining the team a little later in the year. His athleticism on transition is a joy to watch –silky skills and strong marking ability make him a rock wherever he plays.
- Jacob Adams: Jacob was strong in the middle for us. Our midfield more than matched North Shore for talent – not having enough bodies on the park is what hurt but Jacob should hold his head high. Consistently won it out of the pack and made his disposals count.
- Jake Condon: Great game from Jakey. Showed a lot of ticker when it counted. Laid some hard hits and was always at the contest. Made his oppositions day a living hell which is exactly what I want from him. Keep it up mate.
- Lincoln Kellett: One of our 17’s boys backing up, we couldn’t do it without these lads. Lincoln was a livewire in attack – we always looked dangerous with the ball in his hand.
Keep up the running and go getting it mate and you’ll be a very good player.
Best: Toby Conway, Leandre Pandoulis, Max Newley, Jacob Adams, Jake Condon, Lincoln Kellett
Goal Kickers: L. Kellett 2, J. Adams 1, J. Protogeros 1.
Division 5 Men's Match Report with thanks to Conveyancing at Pittwater
Men’s Division 5 v Penrith Rams
(PH 0.1.1 Loss to Rams 9.13.67)
Well, that didn't quite go to plan did it!
The team prepared well this week and were keen to teach the mountain men from Penrith a lesson with our vigour, enthusiasm and sheer belief in our talent. Conditions were clear and crisp on a dry MKO deck that would later in the day resemble Lake George.
We had a couple of late outs, but Julian Luciano and Jack Crampton stepped up and boy did we need them.
Julian is a new Penno Demon, like Jack, and he placed himself in the heart of our back line. Little did he know how busy he would be against a team including multiple players who have played +100 games in the old Platinum Reserves competition. He stuck to his task and killed it.
In truth, we started poorly. No excuses. Not the 8.20am start, not the fact it was a cold old day, not that we were playing a top side in our division, it was just one of those days when it didn't click. It's times like these a good old 1970's rev up from an old pro is necessary, and that's what was delivered by one of our more experienced players at half time. We went to the main break nil to 37, changed to a man-on-man set-up and demanded more from each other on and off the ground.
Pleasingly, the boys responded well, and we gallantly held on to lose with our pride intact and morale not too damaged.
The boys could have sulked, given up or looked for a place to hide, which inevitably leads to a complete blow-out in the scoreline. This group didn't submit, and despite the loss, walked off with their heads held high knowing we had a crack.
Best ons included Julian Luciano, Timmy Acheson, Boxy, Matty Arciuli and Geir O'Rourke. The continued improvement from Ryan Kelleher was another highlight - this lad is becoming more important to how we play as a team, great for a 1st year player.
We have a break next weekend and will use the time to work on our game and come out firing against our old rivals North Shore.
I will see you in the next one.
Nigel Blow (Coach)
Best: Julian Luciano, Timothy Acheson, Nathan Breen, Ryan Kelleher, Geir O'Rourke, Matthew Arciuli.
Goal Kickers:
What’s on This week
Round 1 Wet Weather Catchup rounds to be played this weekend.
Club Thursday: This week we are back to the WPHSC for Demon Meal Deals.
Past Players and Officials Day: Saturday 29th June
Great Day to relive past memories with old team mates and enjoy high quality football versus North Shore at home.
Breast Cancer Awareness Round: Saturday 13th 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 13th July
Masters Wags annual day, enjoy some champagne and finger food whilst supporting our legends.
