The most enticing local football match to attend this past weekend was at Rouse Hill's Bruce Purser Reserve between the East Coast Eagles and Sydney Uni. The last time these two teams met was September 18 in the 2010 Grand Final when the Eagles took the premiership by 17 points.
Hence there was good reason for the Hills Shire based club to invite Laurel, Scott and Craig Abercrombie to raise the premiership flag in memory of their husband and father. The last game of football that Eagles Life Member Ross saw before he passed away in November was the sensational back to back premiership victory. His memory will forever be associated with this flag.
The day started well for East Coast, with victory to Ryan Madden's U/18 Challenge Cup boys over Moorebank by 20 points. Matt Lyons was best. Another 2010 Eagles v Sydney Uni Grand Final replay at U/18 Premier Cup level was next up and the tables were dramatically turned when a very talented Peter Steer coached side won by 61 points. Ethan Barclay kicked six, while Nick Crowe roved superbly all day.
2pm saw the Eagles third grade side under new coach Jason Moeller also take on Sydney Uni. Although they led all day, the final result was in favour of the Students when a last minute goal meant a three point defeat for the home side. Tate Dimech took the best player honours. The action kept on coming and this time Rodney Frost coached his way to a maiden victory when his Reserve Grade side trounced the Students by 65 points. Benny Rogers bounced back with four goals and Dean Costello continued his 2010 stellar form with yet another best on ground performance.
The flag was raised and then it was on in front of the Foxtel Sydney AFL match of the day cameras. Bruce Purser Reserve looked a picture under the lights and two totally committed teams fired up a big crowd. Big enough to cause the always excellent Eagle caterers to unusually sell out of everything after 11 long hours of feeding and watering the masses across the course of the day and night. Proof positive that AFL football in the Sydney Hills is alive and well.
If it's not the food that continually brings back the fans, it will be the quality of the football. You'll be hard pressed to find a better game for the rest of the year. Uni won the toss and kicked to the Kings Transport end, taking advantage of a stiff breeze to go a goal up at the end of the first quarter. The wind won't kick goals for you, but it sure makes it easier than kicking into it. Using the wind as an asset, the Eagles had a fabulous second quarter kicking six straight, while restricting Uni to just two.
At half-time Glenn Garner kept his players focussed on the structures and techniques needed to win, but alas many of those fundamentals were abandoned in the second half. Too many errors crept into their game as although the Eagles kept attacking and went out to an even greater lead midway through the third, lapses in concentration at crucial moments allowed Sydney Uni to claw their way back into the game. Three points the difference at three-quarter-time meant we were in for a cracker of a last quarter.
But it was not to be a home town victory, as the boys from the campus ran out victors by just two points in a see-sawing last 29 minutes. To the point where an Eagles shot on goal with just 20 seconds remaining was marked right on the goal-line by a desperate Uni defender, thus ending the last roll of the East Coast dice for the night.
Steve O'Connor and Daniel Spiteri kicked three a piece while Trent Baker, O'Connor and 16-year-old Jackson Dwyer were amongst the best. Dwyer in particular was highly impressive in his senior debut and now presents as a very strong candidate for the NAB Rising Star award for 2010.
East Coast Eagles 2.2 8.2 12.3 14.6 (90)
Sydney Uni 3.2 5.2 11.6 14.8 (92)
Goal kickers: Steve O'Connor 3, Daniel Spiteri 3, Stephen Doyle 2, Ryan Fitton , Ash Moeller, Damien Charleston, Mark Goodey, Justin Steer, Jackson Dwyer
Best players: Trent Baker, Steve O'Connor, Jackson Dwyer, Daniel Spiteri, Jack Dimery, Rowan Bilkey
Next Saturday, April 9, the East Coast Eagles travel out to Olds Park to meet St George with the main game getting under way at 2.10pm.
