GNSW Division 1 Week 7 Results

Saturday, October 15th – The David Phillips Sporting Complex Daceyville – 1:00pm Kick Off
• Wollongong Mustangs (0-1-4) vs. Newcastle Cobras (0-1-5)
• (Choc’s Prediction: NEW by 3)

God this one came down to the wire. A back and forth affair saw the ‘Stangs go into the halftime break up 8-3 but a hungry Newcastle outfit weren’t going to let this one go without a fight. The Cobras were able to fight back to bring it within 4 points before the drama began in the final 2 minutes. The Cobras had the ball on Wollongong’s 30 yard line and were down by 3 points, smelling their first victory of the season. On the first snap, the Cobras ran with the Dive option to the RB, where ‘Stangs DT Kenny Ivers was able to strip the ball and ran it back across halfway before being tackled at the Newcastle 35 yard line. However this was a futile effort as the play was called back for an apparent inadvertent whistle. 2^nd down: Newcastle looked to the ground again where they were stopped by a wall of maroon, however a false start cost the Cobras another 5 yards and they were pushed back their 40 yard line. Newcastle realised time was running out as they continued to look to gain yards on the ground. On the next play, Cobras QB Corey Harragon looked to the air to break their losing streak however the Mustangs DE Josh McConnell was able to step up and block the pass and intercept the ball. A few kneels later and the Mustangs recorded their first win of the 2016 season. What a finish!

Final Score: WOL 17 – 14 NEW

Saturday, October 15th – The David Phillips Sporting Complex Daceyville – 6:00pm Kick Off
• UNSW Raiders (5-0) vs. Northern Sydney Rebels (1-1-3)
• (Choc’s Prediction: REB by 3)

Another close result! God it would have been a good day of football at Daceyville on Saturday! The final game of the night saw the travelling Rebels take on the undefeated Raiders on their home ground, with David Phillips decked out in pink for Pink Round. Looks like my prediction for a Rebels upset fired up both teams as the Raiders D were able to hold out against an early onslaught from the Rebels to go into the break, up 6-0; TD scored by WR Max Nina. In the second half, the Rebels came out with their usual strong offense and were able to final break the green machine, scoring 2 TDs to UNSW’s 1. However the Rebels were unsuccessful when trying to convert those TDs for 2 points and this may have been their downfall as they went down 14-12. With this win, the Raiders are now 6-0 for the season and with a run of tough teams to follow in the coming weeks, who knows when they will be stopped.

Final Score: RAI 14 – 12 REB

Saturday, October 15th –Darling Street Park Greystanes – 1:30pm Kick Off
• UTS Gators (1-1-4) vs. West Sydney Pirates (5-1-0)
• (Choc’s Prediction: WST by 14+)

Ok so I’ve finally let go of my saltiness to losing to Matt Utai and the Gators, and I was able to witness first-hand this match between the undefeated and highly regarded Pirates; and the comeback kings, the Gators. Some incredibly warm conditions at Darling Street Park for this matchup and it was full of ups and downs. David Ward and the Pirates came out firing and were able to build a massive lead going into the break, up 35-0 against a very loud (well their sideline anyway) UTS Gators. The Pirates continued to fire on all cylinders in the second half, with RB Marlou Tacugue and QB David Ward finding yards both through the air and on the ground. However, the biggest highlight of the game (and probably the season) came late in the 3^rd quarter. The Pirates were on the Gators 15 yard line and Ward looked to the air to boost his lead. This came in the form of WR Kristien Gacuma who ran a beautiful fade route, torched the Gators DB, turned and caught a beautiful, one-handed “Odell Beckham Jr” style catch in the endzone. At this point, I dropped my phone and walked away because I had seen enough. Absolutely incredible, and this pretty much sums up the season for the Pirates so far.

Choc’s Prediction: WST by 14+

Saturday, October 15th –Darling Street Park Greystanes – 6:30pm Kick Off
• Sutherland Seahawks (2-1-2) vs. Northwestern Predators (2-1-3)
• (Choc’s Prediction: NWP by 7)

Honestly, this turned out to be such a disappointing game for us and could potentially us out of playoff contention. All credit to Coach Lambropoulos and his team as the Seahawks didn’t come to mess around. A lack of numbers for the Preds on both sides of the ball proved to be our downfall as the Hawks exploited holes in the D line and Secondary; and their D were able to counter our O as well picking up a handful of turnovers. Injuries again caused the Preds to go to a one-dimensional offense, and backup QB Jack Prichard was having a tough time finding receivers who were well covered by the Seahawks secondary. Next week, we will need to snap our losing streak if we are to have any chance of making the playoffs. The Hawks now sit above us in the ladder and they face the new GNSW juggernaut in West Sydney, which will be a very tough challenge for them.

Final Score: SEA 24 – 8 NWP

Saturday, October 15th –Budgewoi Soccer Club Buff Point – 5:00pm Kick Off
• Central Coast Sharks (3-1-1) vs Sydney University Lions (4-1-0)
• (Choc’s Prediction: SYD by 14)

Looks like the sleeping giant has woken up… Sydney Uni travelled up to the coast and they weren’t playing around. A strong opening saw the Lions go up by 17 in the first quarter. The Sharks were able to bounce back by scoring a TD of their own and converting the 2 point conversion, going into the break 17-8 down. However this lead could have been shortened if the Sharks had converted a late first half field goal attempt. In the second half, the Lions continued their dominance, piling on the points and proving to the whole GNSW (and myself) that they are not to be doubted. Credit to the Sharks as well for putting up a decent fight at home against an extremely tough opponent.

Final Score: CCS 14 – 45 SYD

**Nepean Ducks have the Bye this week

*Photo Credit to Alfred Wong Photography