They say a lot can happen in a week in football and that was certainly the case for the East Coast Eagles. After playing great team football and working hard for four quarters against St George, the same could not be said this week against the Students.
The Eagles looked in control after kicking eight goals in the first quarter and lead by over six goals halfway through the second quarter but that was about as good as it got. The hard work turned to complacency and the team football went out the window. Sydney Uni in fact showed how to work hard and play as a unit and overran the Eagles.
If the Eagles are to be competitive in the competition they must learn to become consistent in their effort and cannot have the lapses and lack of mental toughness that is occurring at the moment. Senior players have to take control when things start to work against the side and the Eagles will have to work on their defensive pressure and tackling which let them down on many occasions in the second half.
The final scoreboard read Sydney Uni 18.20 (128) to the Eagles 19.8 (122).
Matt Arbon, Luke Stanford and Brad Ure were three players who stood tall all day. Ben Rogers also chipped in with four goals.
The Eagles will look to bounce back next week against last years premier’s North Shore who, like the Eagles, have had an indifferent start to season 2008.
The reserves continued their winning start to the season with a hard fought 23-point victory over the Students. In a game played in wet conditions, it was the run and skill of the young Eagles team that was the difference. What was also pleasing was the fact that all the young players were also prepared to put their body on the line as well. If they continue to work as hard as they are as a unit and continue to learn with each game they play, there is a lot to look forward to for the reserve grade team again.
The final score was the Eagles 11.7 (73) to Sydney Uni 7.8 (50). Liam Madden, Chris Moore and Scott Lear led the way for the reserves and Mark Petersen did well with five goals.
The strongest performance of the weekend was from the Premier Cup under-18s who defeated last year’s premiers by 56 points. The Eagles have started the season in fine fashion with two good wins and there is much to get excited about from this developing team.
The Eagles ran out winners 13.14 (92) to North Shore 5.6 (36). David Clinch, Peter Grundy and Matt Power led the way for the Eagles.
The Challenge Cup under-18s were unlucky in their chase for two straight victories which they had never been able to do before. They were pipped by the boys from Penrith and went down by just four points. Penrith won 8.15 (63) to 9.5 (59). Murray Bamforth, Stuart Tibben and David Elliott were outstanding in defeat.
Next week the Eagles will play a home game at Henson Park against North Shore.
Seniors 2.40pm
Reserves 12.30pm
Under-18s 10.30am
