Canberra/Sydney’s clean sweep in Tasmania

By David Redden

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Visiting women dominate at UTAS Stadium

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Magnificent performances from midfielders Caitlin Fletcher and Zara Hamilton were the catalyst for a convincing 50-point victory for the Sydney/Canberra combined side over Tasmania in the representative fixture played at UTAS Stadium in Launceston on Saturday.

Final scores were Sydney/Canberra 10.7.67 to Tasmania 2.5.17.

Despite 24 hours of solid rainfall in the Tamar Valley leading up the game, the weather miraculously cleared three hours before first bounce, and together with the world-class drainage on the sand base at UTAS Stadium, this fixture was played in good, wintry conditions, with a slight southerly blowing throughout the four quarters.

Highlights of the first half were the superb tackling and desperate defensive acts from both sides. Madi Lamb and Olivia Smith from Tasmania tackled their hearts out as Sydney/Canberra went to the main break 28 points ahead, with Jayde Hamilton starring in the first two quarters, and veteran forward Chantel Jones kicking three goals in a dominant second quarter display. Abbey Martin’s long kicking and intercept marking proved pivotal for the Sydney/Canberra outfit during the first half.

The second half saw Zara Hamilton and the powerful, explosive Fletcher take over proceedings. Once the Sydney/Canberra side moved the football outside the centre corridor, Zara Hamilton and Fletcher ran rampant, picking up at least twenty possessions each in the second half as Tasmania battled to stop the dynamic duo. Summer Hall’s clean ball handling and speed off the mark were also a feature of the second half.

Importantly, skipper Zoe Skyrianos and Bryany Parker swapped positions in the second half, with Parker moving to half-back and Skyrianos moving to the wing. Both players revelled in the swap. With their high football IQ and calmness under pressure a huge asset for coach Lloyd Perris’ talented, athletic outfit.

Jones and Michelle Foscarini each kicked three goals for Sydney/Canberra.

Coach Lloyd Perris spoke to us after the game: “Our girls have quickly come together really well off the field, and it showed on the field. They represented Sydney and Canberra footy leagues with pride and played a dynamic brand of football. We had great depth in the squad allowing us to rotate girls through different positions, as each player had their moment in the match and demonstrated they are capable of playing at a high level.

“Caitlin Fletcher was our best player on the day. Her combination of strength in the contest and penetrative kicking was a real standout. Summer Hall also stood out with her ability to read the play very well off half back and impact with her speed and power. She generated a lot of our ball movement.”

Fletcher won the Best on Ground Medal for her quite magnificent display. Repeatedly, Fletcher beat one and two tacklers each time she possessed the football. Fletcher was well-supported by the unrelated Hamiltons (Zara and Jayde), Jones, Martin, Hall, Parker, Zoe Hurrell and Skyrianos.

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Fast, hard, desperate: Men get it done

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A stirring fightback from Sydney/Canberra after being down by fifteen points midway through the third quarter saw the combined outfit defeat Tasmania by a mere six points in a thrilling, superb game of representative football played at UTAS Stadium in Launceston on Saturday.

Final scores were Sydney/Canberra 10.10.70 to Tasmania 8.16.64, with a series of rushed behinds not helping the Tasmanians, who produced just eight goals from 24 effective scoring shots.

After Tasmania’s first-quarter demolition of an unprepared Queensland at Bond University in Robina a month ago, Sydney/Canberra had to produce a solid first stanza to be in the game at the first break. Sydney/Canberra played counter-attacking football well, and despite Tasmania having control of possession, Sydney/Canberra led by two points at the end of a frenetic, fast-paced 27 minutes.

Tasmania had all of the ball in the second quarter, with ex-Hawthorn centreman Kieran Lovell dominating the midfield. Sydney/Canberra coach, Ryan O’Keefe, swung men behind the ball in the back half of the second quarter, and this tactic worked to some effect, with the Tasmanians leading 4.7.31 to 3.4.22 at the long interval.

The half-time break was pivotal in this match. First, the rain, which had fallen all day before, came down, making conditions greasy and somewhat nullifying the lightning ball movement of the hosts. Secondly, O’Keefe and his coaching brains trust made some substantial changes. Tye Gander and Hugo Birks, quiet in the first half, moved up the ground to get some action. Secondly, and crucially, Sam Thorne was given a run-with role to try and curb the brilliant Lovell.

After an early exchange of goals (with Gander, as a high half-forward, feeding Birks effectively), successive goals to burly forward Jack Tomkinson and the sublime Lovell, Sydney/Canberra mounted a huge comeback, with centre-half back Anthony Lo Pilato, Jack Nunn, Luke Wharton and midfielders Alex Smout and Ned Campbell rising to the occasion, with Thorne doing a beautiful job in quelling Lovell.

Sydney/Canberra led by two points at the last break, and with Tasmania having the benefit of a light southerly breeze in the fourth quarter, the stage was set for a thrilling last thirty minutes.

In a simply great last quarter, Sydney/Canberra extended their lead to eighteen points, with goals to small forward Rhys Pollock, ruckman Aidan Bowyer (with a clever left-foot snap from the pocket) and finally Byron Laws seemingly making the game safe for the combined outfit.

Back came a predictable response from the proud Tasmanians. Goals to Jake Higgins and huge forward/ruckman Sam Siggins set the stage for an epic finish, with the Tasmanians fighting back to trail by a slender five points.

An Ethan Grace shot from fifty metres out was cleverly rushed through by Sydney/Canberra, and with extra time beckoning with Tasmania down by a solitary goal, the final siren sounded as Sydney/Canberra’s skipper Andrew Swan had the last kick of the game, which fell just short of the goal line.

Make no mistake; this was an outstanding performance from both sides. Fast, hard, frenetic, desperate and clean are accurate descriptions of a simply brilliant game of high-quality representative football.

A wonderful four-quarter performance from the burly, composed Anthony Lo Pilato saw him win the medal as Best on Ground for Sydney/Canberra. He was well-supported by the selfless Thorne Campbell, Smout, clever midfielder Tom Simpson and Birks.

Skilful half-back Harry Bayles won the Tasmanian Best on Ground Medal, his footspeed and cultured left-foot a highlight. Other effective players for the Tasmanians were Lovell, Michael Stingel, skipper Bradley Cox-Goodyer, Bailey Boag and Siggins.

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The Canberra/Sydney teams from both matches can be found here.

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