It may have taken until the final round, but the Seniors finally clicked and turned in the type of performance they are capable of. In front of a large and parochial crowd the Lions lead from start to finish, albeit the Eagles never trailed by more than a couple of goals. The most impressive aspect of the win was the way the Lions responded in the final term after the Eagles had got on almost level terms. The Lions have been in this position many times over the last couple of years, and more often than not been run over. Youngsters Mitchell Thomson and Aidan Riley turned in further impressive performances, as did captain Adam McConnochie and defender Dave Goodley. But perhaps the standout effort on the night came from regular forward turned defender Troy Bartlett who with the help of his teammates kept Eagles spearhead Gus Seebeck goalless for the first time this year and denied the big Eagles forward a century of goals in the home & away season. Despite any personal disappointment he may have been feeling, Seebeck showed great class when he spoke at the aftermatch function. Good luck to the Eagles and all teams throughout the finals.

 

The Division One boys drew inspiriation from Brad Ainsworth's 300 game milestone, and stuck with the high flying Eagles for much of the night. While one shouldn't get too carried away with a 44-point loss, it was a vastly improved effort from the boys who were on the end of a 100 + point loss the last time these sides met. Inaccurate kicking didn't help our cause, but at 3/4 quarter time the boys trailed by just 18 points. The visitors did however finish on the breeze, and much like the earlier Under 18 game, ran away with the game in the final term. Ainsworth was carried from the field at the end of the game and not even the defeat could detract from his magnificent achievement

 

The Under 18's went down to the tune of 53 points against East Coast last week, but not before putting in three good quarters of footy. Trailing by just 10 points at the last change, the boys were overrun in the last term with the visitors piling on 7 unanswered goals. The boys should take heart from their effort, and know that if they maintain focus for the full 4 quarters, they are a real chance of getting over Pennant Hills in this Sunday's Elimination Final. With 2 or 3 players expected back this week from Seniors and school commitments, competition for spots in the team is fierce and ensures a solid week of training leading into the game.