Mid Season Review – Men’s Premier Division
We have just passed the midway point of the 2019 season and while the top 4 may be close to set (but not before Northern Districts make a few teams look over their shoulders), who will finish as 2019 Premiers is as wide open as we have seen in many years which is great to see.
While the top 3 have a bit of a gap to the Dogs, none of the those clubs will be taking the Dogs lightly for the remainder of the season. The Dogs should only improve as the season progresses as the squad gels and the fighting spirit of the club is legendary and cant be underestimated.
Figtree are clearly the big improvers for 2019 which is a credit to the club, and while it appears they currently have the wood over 2018 Premiers Kiama, they just haven’t found a way to defeat the Lions for the first time in their history.
A cracking end to the season awaits!
Wollongong Lions
1st – Played 7 – W6 L1:
The Wollongong Lions sit in top spot on the Men’s Premier Division ladder after an interrupted first half to the season. A thrilling 3 point win over the Figtree Kangaroos in Round 9 followed by a big win over Northern Districts a week ago has the Lions as the form team at the moment. The Lions only loss for the season to date has come at the hands of rivals Kiama Power by 19 points back in Round 7. Look for the Lions to continue to improve as they string a few games together with only 1 week off in the 2nd half of the season after only playing 6 times in the first half of the season.
Ex-captain Rohan Watson along with Will Cook have been leading the way for the Grand Finalists with key forward Sam Wilson kicking 22 goals at the halfway point. New (old) recruit Ben Hyndes is a great addition to an already strong lineup.
Times in Best: Rohan Watson [4], Will Cook [4], Chris Cook [3]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Sam Wilson [22], Toby Bishop [13], Kuiam Anu [10]
Games to Watch: Round 13 vs. Wollongong Bulldogs, 20th July, North Dalton Park, Round 17 vs. Kiama Power, 17th August, Bonaira Oval
Figtree Kangaroos
2nd – Played 9, W7 L2: The leagues up and comers hit the mid way point of the season in 2nd thanks to their recent win against Kiama however have for periods sat atop the ladder. The Kangaroos have had a good start to the season having lost just the 2 games which have both come at the hands of the Wollongong Lions, albeit by very small margins. The Roos meet fellow finals contenders in the Lions and Bulldogs again in the back half of the season which is a tough schedule, however the new look Roos have shown plenty of resilience this season and look certain to finish in the top 3 leading into finals.
Ex-NEAFL star Callum McFadden continues to show the league that he is a front runner for the Tunbridge Medal although a month off and his cameo appearances for the Wangaratta Rovers may hurt his chances. Rising Star nominee Adam Schuback has provided a solid key back option keeping key forwards to minimal goals. New recruit Ben Yakimov looks to be a brilliant addition to an already strong lineup. McFadden also leads the teams goal kicking with 16 goals closely followed by Dan Perger and Nick Hay on 15 showing the Roos have plenty of options in front of goals.
Times in Best: Callum McFadden [4], Mitchell Daly [4], Nick Stacey [4]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Callum McFadden [16], Daniel Perger [15], Nick Hay [15]
Games to Watch: Round 14 vs. Wollongong Lions, 27th July, Figtree Oval (TBC)
Kiama Power
3rd – Player 8 – W6 L2:
The Kiama Power men’s currently sit 3rd on the Premier Division ladder with their only losses coming to Figtree in both Round 1 and last week. In between these losses, the Power have shown their class weekly to show once again that they are close to the team to beat in 2019. No win was bigger this year than their 19 point victory over the Lions in a grand final rematch back in Round 7. The Power’s talent certainly showed with the team having 9 players selected for the AFL South Coast Representative Team.
Tough nut Jack Mahoney as always has been leading the way for the Power while small forward Charlie Wood leads the goalkicking with 13 goals for the Power.
Times in Best: Jack Mahoney [4], Charlie Wood [3], Scott Phillips [3]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Charlie Wood [13], Ricky Neels [12], Josh Walton [9]
Games to Watch: Round 17 vs. Wollongong Lions, 17th August, Bonaira Oval
Wollongong Bulldogs
4th – Played – W4 L4:
The Bulldogs currently sit right in the middle of the ladder at 4th in Premier Division. With convincing wins against the teams below them they are yet to beat the top 3 teams however did come close to the Roos. They will need to lift in the 2nd half of the season as the Northern Districts Tigers nip at their heels looking for that finals berth.
New recruit Sam McGowan has been strong for the Dogs coming in the team’s best 7 out of 8 times. Pat Walker leads the league’s goal kicking with 27 goals as the Dog’s lone threat.
Times in Best: Sam McGowan [7], Jackson Maloney [4], Aaron Jory [3]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Pat Walker [27], Ethan Kimball [10], Lewis Gooden [10]
Games to Watch: Round 13 vs. Wollongong Lions, 20th July, North Dalton Park, Round 18 vs. Kiama Power, 24th August, Keira Oval
Northern Districts Tigers
5th – Played 9 – W3 L6:
A narrow loss two weeks ago to the Power, and a fighting effort against the Lions a week ago showed the league the Tigers true potential. If they continue to play the way they did in the game’s first 3 quarters of each of those games they are not without hope of nabbing that fourth position and play finals. The Tigers sit 1 win plus percentage outside of the top 4 so will need some big scalps in the back end of the season but this is not out of the question for this rapidly developing side.
Sam Hodge and Harrison Green continue to lead the Tigers and that trend should remain. Brendon Davis leads the Tigers goal kicking on 16 but the team will need to resource some other goal kicking options to help Davis out.
Times in Best: Sam Hodge [6], Harrison Green [4], Isaac Lalli [4]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Brendon Davis [16], Cody Haub [5], Matt Stamoulos [5]
Games to Watch: Round 16 vs. Bomaderry Tigers, 10th August, Hollymount Park
Bomaderry Tigers
6th – P6, W1 L5:
Bomaderry Tigers currently sit with two wins and in 6th place, having had 2 narrow losses to their Tigers rivals, Norths. Bomo will need to dig deep if they look to make it into finals in 2019 but at the moment it isn’t looking likely. They boast some exceptional young talent so a season of senior football will be of significant benefit in future seasons.
Their young talent Charlie Rodden is leading the Tigers along with 2018 Tom Smith Medallist Jack Boxsell, while Jordan Matthews leads the teams goal kicking on 8 goals despite only playing 3 games. Bomo will certainly need some more goals out of their forwards if they wish to make an imprint on the season.
Times in Best: Charlie Rodden [3], Jack Boxsell [3], Connor Clarke [3]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Jordan Matthews [8], Jack Boxsell [6], Brent Herdman [4]
Games to Watch: Round 16 vs. Northern Districts Tigers, 10th August, Hollymount Park
Shellharbour City Suns
7th – Played 8 – W0 L8:
Unfortunately, its been a tough year to date for the Suns Men’s team who are yet to register their first win for 2019. A season the Suns will surely want to forget but they’ll still fight looking for that first victory of the season.
Ben Telford and Jarrod Falconer have been the shining light in this Suns team but it just hasn’t been enough to get them close to a win. Mark O’Rourke leads the teams goalkicking with 4 goals for the season.
Times in Best: Ben Telford [6], Jarrod Falconer [6], Sandon Ashworth [4]
Top 3 Goalkickers: Mark O’Rourke [4], Jarrod Falconer [3], Jarrod McKinnon [3]
Games to Watch: Round 15 vs. Bomaderry Tigers, 3rd August, Myimbarr Oval
The South Coast Seagull’s Grand Final Prediction:
New kids on the block Figtree do battle with 2018 Premiers Kiama Power!
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