Benny on the way to his four goals in 1st grade’s match against Manly Gordon North Sydney
We’re a bit short on match reports this week. Maybe some Mums and Dads – or devoted children – were so caught up in observing Fathers Day on Sunday that their usual excellent match reports slipped by the wayside. Normal transmission next weekend, no doubt.
Anyway, we still have a bumper issue from those we received, but the fine pictures contributions from Rory Staples, Lisa Kirby, Tony O’Leary and Anna and Luke Domrow bring it all alive.
And there’s a Battle of the Lizards battle reported. Check it out – there’s a cracking report.
Have a good and safe week, Sutho fans. See you on the sidelines.
WOMEN
SWHL
Sutho 2 Ryde 1 Pictures Anna Domrow
The SWHL ladies came into the late-night game against Ryde knowing this week would be tough. The game started with little to no intensity and no drive to get to the ball first.
The score was 0-0 as we entered the second half. This is when the intensity lifted… Ryde was first to get onto the scoreboard with us eager to get one back.
From the centre ball after Ryde’s goal, Hannah started with the ball and took on a few players before passing it to Paris who beautifully passed it back. With the teamwork from the girls, we scored our first goal and the score was 1-1.
Into the third quarter and intensity had lifted dramatically from the first half. The ladies were getting hungry and eager to get the W.
The defenders were our saviours quite a few times as we scrambled out of defence. In the last minute, the ball got into the circle and we were awarded a short corner. Attempts at goal were not showing another point on the board until Paris got the ball and dragged the keeper for Han to finish it off. The ball hit the backboard – with 3 seconds left on the clock. Yay !!!!
Best and fairest: Hannah 3, Paris 2, Ruth 1 Goals: Hannah 2.
SEHA Women
Arangas 1st grade: No report
Arangas 2nd grade 0 Dolphins 12
The sun was out and it was hot.
Round 7 was our toughest game yet. Even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect it, we never gave up. We had a few near misses but unfortunately couldn’t score.
Our defence had an incredibly hard game and was given little chance to rest as Dolphins continued to attack throughout the game.
After 2 quick goals in the first quarter, Dolphins made it clear that we would be in for a challenging and fast-paced game.
Sutho tried to keep them at bay by defending and using our pace to move the ball away from our rivals.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t hold out with the end result being a 0-12 loss. Overall, we have a lot to reflect on as we come closer to the end of the season.
Thanks to our two fill-ins who helped tremendously throughout the game.
Best and fairest: Georgia 3 points, Theresa 2 points, Tahlia 1 point.
Arangas 3rd grade: No report
MEN
Sutho 1st grade 10 Manly Gordon North Sydney 0
In a vast contrast to our miserable loss to Moorebank the previous week, the team went about its business as it should, although against a much weaker opponent. The return of Kieran Govers lifted the whole team.
The game also showed the work still to be done by some of the younger players in skills like trapping the ball. They are things that will need a lot of work if we are to challenge the top sides during the finals.
Bill Hernandez really stepped up and was rewarded by the team with his first 1st grade best and fairest 3 points. Everyone hoped his head was OK after he again put his body, well, his head – on the line to stop a shot on goal. There were the dimples to prove it.
Bennie kept potting goals as only he can do, and has been doing for many years. Could he be heading for his third successive year as top Sydney goal scorer?
Next Saturday is again at Sutho, against Briars – and it’s the last home game for 2020.
The following two games, away, against UNSW and USyd will be a tough lead in to the finals.
Best and fairest: Blake Hernandez 3, Nick Hill 2, Matt Bennet 1. Goals: Brady Anderson 1, Kieran Govers 1, Harry Roberts 1, Christian Halyard 3, Matt Bennett 4.
Sutho 2nd grade 9 Manly Gordon North Sydney 2
This week we faced a more straightforward challenge to our past couple of games, we played the combined forces of GNS and Manly.
Playing a lower-ranked team, we thought and hoped this would be a relatively uncomplicated affair and we would be the victors.
Our game plan was to score by creating opportunities in the circle off our fast ball movement and use of our midfield.
Early on, we applied our strategy to significant effect, slotting home the opening goal in the first few minutes. Our short, sharp movement and energy off the ball created acres of space for our strikers up the pitch which we continued to exploit.
As the rest of the half proceeded we went on to score a further five goals and holding a 6-0 lead at half time the game was ours to lose.
We came out much slower in the second half, wasting easy possession of the ball. We allowed GNS/Manly to control the momentum and the speed of the match.
Eventually, a rather scrappy short corner was awarded to our opposition, who netted their the first goal for the game. We managed not to let this goal affect us, as we went on to score a further three goals and concede another. (with no goalkeeper I might add)
After all was said and done, the match ended our favour 9 – 2.
Sutho 3rd grade 10 Manly GNS 0 Pictures: Tony O’Leary
No report
Sutho 4th grade 3 Sydney Uni 2
On another hot Sunday afternoon and with only one sub, the 4th-grade boys knew it was going to be a difficult and competitive match against Sydney University. With only a couple of games left before the finals, it was an important game in order to maintain our fourth place position on the ladder.
Both teams started strong, with Sydney Uni maintaining most of the possession in the early stages of the first quarter. However, Sutho were able to keep them out and our opportunities started to open up. We were able to score an early goal, tapped in by Huon to give us the lead heading into the second quarter.
With the guidance from Stevo at the back, we continued to perform well and were able to shut down their attacking efforts. We aimed to take advantage of these circumstances in attack, but we struggled to get any results in the circle, leaving the score at 1-0 at halftime.
Going into the second half, our goal was to maintain possession, stay patient and make it difficult for the opposition to gain any momentum. However, the start of the second half didn’t go as planned, as a second boost of energy from Sydney Uni mixed with many cheap turnovers saw us on the back foot, and  Sydney Uni managed to execute two quick goals.
Being down 2-1 with one quarter to go, it was important for the boys to remain positive.
We remained calm under pressure and made sure of our passes and traps.
The pressure continued to build, and 4th grade was constantly on the attack. With desperate attempts to penetrate the circle, the boys were able to capitalise on the opportunities and score two consecutive goals, resulting in Huon Bollard earning himself a hat-trick.
As we took the lead with just over 5 minutes to go, the boys kept their composure and held on to a 3-2 win over Sydney University. Talk about leaving it to the last minute!
Three wins in a row have 4th grade in the fourth position, and with only two rounds to go, it’s important the boys continue their momentum going into the finals.
Special mention also goes to Stevo and his comedic abilities as he somehow was successfully able to make Nathan, the umpire, laugh at one his jokes.
Best and fairest: Huon Bollard 3, Jimmy Northwood 2, William Gair 1. Goals: Huon Bollard (all 3).
Sutho 5th and 6th and 7th grades: No reports
Sutho 7th grade 2 Moorebank 1
Best and fairest: 3 points Lachlan Rowling, 2 Mark Brookfield, 1 Andrew Chang. Goals:Â Kevin Margetson 1, Mark Brookfield 1
Sutho 8th grade 3 Sydney Uni 2 Pictures Luke Domrow
Today was always going to be a tough game against two sides equally placed on the table – and that proved to be the case.
We had a couple of good chances in a tough first half but we went in 0–0. And with no subs on the bench.
Andrew Chang arrived early for his game and decided to help us out. With him in defence, we pushed other players forward and one minute 30 seconds into the second half Mark Bayley scored a goal from the edge of the circle.
Still, in the third quarter, we had a short corner hit in by Adam and deflected into the goal by Scott Calder: 2-0 up and the team was connecting well.
Then a lovely break down the right-hand wing from Jordan and then a great cross ball straight to Brock Singelton, who slotted it from on the dot: 3-0 up.
With five minutes to go Sydney Uni went crazy and pushed everybody forward and scored to make it 3-1. Then, with one minute to go they pushed again, David fouled their forward and was penalised a stroke.
With 30 seconds to go, they scored the stroke – but there was not even enough time to hit off again. A great effort from Sutherland SL5 and we have to keep this up for next week’s trip to West Pennant Hills. Best and fairest points went to Scott Calder and Caleb Nieuwendyk 1 point each, Mark Bayley and Jordan Wood 2 points each. Goals: Mark Bayley, Scott Calder, and Brock Singleton.
JUNIORS
Sutho U17 Blue Tongues 1 Moorebank 2
It was our regular Friday night start with drizzling rain in the air and the threat of more to come, but thankfully it held off for our game.
We took the field ready to play and try to back up with another win. We tried hard in a very evenly game matched against Moorebank.
There was an improvement with marking your players as well as talking to each other. By doing this you make more spaces for passing and intercepts – Â great work, everyone.
Elliot had a great game with defending his player and both Elliot and Byron made some spectacular tackles as well. There were also some good deflections from the short corners and a spectacular one from Kai, that even seemed to surprise him.
As a team you played well, keeping the game scoreless in the first half and then scoring the first goal in the third quarter. Moorebank evened before the three-quarter whistle. An unfortunate goal in the final quarter saw Moorebank win 2-1.
Just a reminder for the players in defence, don’t forget to let each other know where you are… if one of you is playing high, then let someone know to drop back and defend.
Best and Fairest: 3 points:Â Jonathon Krepp, 2Â points:Â Elliot Spence, 1 point: Byron Watson. Goal: Ben.
Sutho U17 2 Bankstown 2
Last night’s game was a heated contest for sure!
The team came out very strong in the first few minutes of the game scoring a goal. Both sides had even numbers going into the first half, this allowed us to get another goal almost as quickly as the first one.
With a 2-0 lead, we kept our composure and continued to hold Bankstown out until the end of the first half. With a strong defence in the centre, we held out in the second half for quite a while despite Bankstown receiving more players that arrived late to the game.
Our U15 support player Jacob McAllister held his own really well in the mids. Charles, Zac and Dom made really good plays up the centre leading to us almost getting a third goal.
The MVP of our game went to Adrian for his lightning speed in attack this week that got us in the lead right from the start, and his continued determination in defence and attack.
Two points went to Charles for a very strong game in the centre this week and finally 1 point to Tom for his effort in goals. We definitely needed him there!
U15 Metro
No report, but thank you for great pictures to Rory Staples and Lisa Kirby
Sutho U15A Geckos 2 Moorebank 1
‘Fast and Hard’ play from the Geckos today, as we jumped out of the gates, applying pressure to Moorebank, who I think were caught a bit off guard.
A lot of running on an unseasonably hot day was a trial of our stamina and really tested us throughout the match. It was great to see a full team for the second time this season, which allowed for some well-deserved rests as subs.
Main areas of improvement this week saw many examples of well-directed passing with purpose and going early and fast on the free hits.
More pressing play like this, really rattles the opposition, forcing their errors and throw-away balls. I think the count of ‘up the guts’ was only in single digits, which meant that the ball made it out wide a bit more, creating more opportunities on strike.
A continued combination of the fast and hard play, use of the width of the field, and maintenance of our solid defence should allow us to play the last two rounds well.
Nice to get a win on the board too – well-done Geckos!
Go Sutho!
Best and Fairest: 3 Maxwell Lewis 2 Tomas McCowan 3 Isaiah Vassallo. Goals: Holly Antilla 1, Kai  Morris 1.
Sutho U15B Blue Tongues 1 UNSW 1
Coming off our first win of the season last week, the team came out full of confidence and were very unlucky not to walk away with a victory.
The first half was fast-paced and our defence played the best they have all year, not only limiting the number of shots at goal by UNSW but quickly turning defence into attack.
The team held their positions and there was always a Sutho player there to back up a team-mate. We created opportunities to score but only some strong defence and great saves by UNSW stopped us taking the lead.
The end of the first half saw UNSW have the perfect opportunity to take the lead with a short corner after the whistle had blown, but once again our defence was up to the challenge and we went to half time 0-0.
The second half started as fast as the first and saw us build momentum and starting to get on top of UNSW. It was only through some great defence that they were able to prevent us from scoring.
Against the run of play, UNSW was lucky to get the first goal of the game and take the lead.
Instead of being disheartened, we came out determined to get the goal back, regaining momentum and through relentless attack we took advantage of a short corner and Nicholas hammered home the equalizer ensuring an exciting finish to the game.
The last couple minutes saw Sutho confronted by a UNSW defence line that would not crack until the last seconds of the game we were able to get a short corner.
With the final whistle already being blown this was the last chance to obtain victory. The first short corner resulted in a second corner, with the last shot of the game being taken and pushed wide of the goal and see the game finish in a draw.
For the second week in a row, we put in four strong quarters, making it a fantastic game of hockey. When all the team plays well it makes it difficult allocating the points.
For taking her goalie skills to the next level, Liv walks away with 3 points, 2 points to Nicholas and 1 point to Mylo.
Sutho U15B Thorny Devils 3 Moorebank 5
 This was a great display of teamwork today.
The Thorny Devils played one of their best games of the season against an extremely competitive team losing 3 goals to 5.
Josh in goals played an outstanding game, saving at least 20+ goals. Nathanial stuck to his opponent like glue and Lochie ran hard all game.
It was really nice to see the team playing as a group, enjoying their camaraderie and achieving some excellent results as a team.
Best and fairest: 3 pts: Joshua Penrose 2 pts: Nathanial Belbin 1 pt: Lachlan Duhne. Goals: Lachlan  Duhne, Owen Laycock, Leah Struve. Goals: Owen, Leah and Lochie.
Battle of the Lizards
Sutho U13A Geckos 2 Sutho Blue Tongues 0
From the Geckos:
The SDHC field was sun-drenched and looked like a treat ready for our second battle of the ‘Lizard Trophy’ this season. The Geckos trained extra hard during the week in coach Bollard’s gruelling fitness session, showing how much respect our Gecko players have for the Blue Tongues team.
In true Lizard Trophy fashion, it was end-to-end hockey, great defensive challenges with a number of shots on goal by both teams. The goalkeepers were outstanding, especially our Luka with four critical saves from some skilful Blue Tongues play that kept the Geckos in the contest.
It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Geckos added to the scoreboard with fatigue starting to have an effect, nailing 2 goals. The Geckos’ slight fitness advantage was the key difference in the match: Well done to our coach master Brad Bollard with persisting with his fitness sessions at training despite the resistance from some of our players (Insert big sigh here).
Well done to both Sutho teams for another enthralling match with all players giving 100% effort, showing great Sutho pride and commitment. The Geckos are looking forward to the GF in several weeks against the Blue Tongues for another great Lizards Trophy battle.
Best and fairest:2 Olive, 2 Hamish 2 Oisin. Goals: Peter and Hamish, 1 each.
The Blue Tongues’ report is after the picture gallery.
From the Blue Tongues:
Sutho U13 Blue Tongues 0 Sutho Geckos 2
It was Father’s Day eve and a top of the table clash with a game that promised a lot for the Reptile Cup- the Blue Tongues v Geckos.
With perfect conditions and balmy spring weather, the Bluetongues took to the field down on troops, but willing to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
It was a torrid affair in the first quarter with several opportunities for both teams. We were gifted several short corners but just couldn’t capitalise. With the mighty BT’s dominating the game, our goalie – the brave Tully Johnson – pulled off more saves than the Sutherland Shire lifeguards and kept the BTs in the game. He swatted a shot from the Geckos that even would have made Mr Miyagi proud.
The second quarter was more of the same. However, there was more end-to-end play.
As always, Milan was as safe as a bank and worked well with her back-team, Riley and Julian. Kye and L0uis controlled the middle like the butcher’s dog protecting his dinner.
They were gallant and worked hard to deliver clean ball to the strikers. Jack and Dylan worked hard in the first 2 quarters, dominating the line and providing width for our team to stretch the Geckos.
At half time the score was 0-0.
The second half saw the BTs run downhill and dominate possession again. The third quarter saw more short corners and several wide shots by Cooper and Louis. At times Louis bullied the ball into submission but just couldn’t get the pill into the net. There were several passages of play where the general Milan worked the ball out of defence to link with Louis who linked with Cooper and Luke but once again they were thwarted by good defence.
Isabel threatened the goal and combined well with Dylan but still, the Gecko goal remained untouched.
Luke made some penetrating runs and one stage which would have matched Usain Bolt when he chased down a good ball from Jack to link with Cooper but still, the Gecko keeper kept the ball out of the net.
Once again Tully protected his goal like a seagull protects his chips and frustrated the Gecko attackers. At the end of 3-quarter time, the score remained 0-0.
The fourth quarter was like the first three, but after the Geckos began to force their hand in our circle, the deadlock was broken with a good shot from the top of the circle. A second goal soon followed but to the BTs’ credit we didn’t throw the dummy out of the cot and we fought till the end.
The BTs left Sutho knowing that they have the Geckos measure and with a bit of luck will match it with the table-topping Geckos.
We didn’t win the Reptile Cup…… but Rome wasn’t built in a day.
We will regroup and come out with a renewed enthusiasm to dethrone our nemesis.
Coach Todd will get back to the drawing board and hatch a plan that even the SAS couldn’t match.
A massive thanks to Julian Krepp, Kaylee Rule and Lauren McNally for filling in. The team’s points went to:3 Louis Olsen, 2 Tully Johnson, 1 Julian Krepp.
Sutho U13B Bearded Dragons 1 Glebe 2
The 13B Bearded Dragons have suffered a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Glebe in their Round 8 fixture at Bankstown.
Coming into the game, the Bearded Dragons sat in the third spot on the ladder and were desperate to keep their momentum in the lead up to the finals in only three weeks.
The game started well for them, with some good field position gaining an early short corner, and Harrison converting the opportunity to send Sutherland up 1-0.
Our right-hand attack was combining well and Glebe was in desperate trouble at times.
As the quarter wore on, only some outstanding defence from Sutherland saved two big shots on goal from Glebe and the teams headed to quarter time at 1-0.
The second quarter picked up from where the first had ended, with an early short corner to Glebe, followed by a sustained period of pressure on the Sutherland defence.
Luke and Isaak had a tough time clearing the ball and had to use some clever transferring and passing up the lines to break through the Glebe press.
A late run into the Glebe circle saw a shot very unlucky to miss the goal and at half time, the score remained 1-0.
The early stages of the third quarter were all Sutherland as the team strung together many passes to have the Glebe defence at sixes and sevens.
Unfortunately, this did not translate into points on the board and as well as we were playing, Glebe again started to win the field position battle. The weight of possession at our end of the field eventually was too much and Glebe picked up a handy field goal to take the score to 1-1.
Shortly after a Sutherland one-on-one with the Glebe goalie was hit wide, Glebe won a short corner and just as the shot appeared to be heading safely wide of the goal, the ball deflected off a Sutherland defender’s stick and past the goalie for a 2-1 lead to Glebe.
The three-quarter time team talk remained about sticking to the team strengths of wide play and passing.
As the whistle blew for the start of the final quarter, it was all Sutherland as the forwards rushed up the field. Within a minute we had a short corner, with the resulting shot by Isaak missing by the barest of margins.
The rest of the final quarter was characterised by a series of long hits to our forwards sitting high and to their credit, Glebe was able to defend each attacking raid and close out the game with a 2-1 win.
It was Glebe’s first win of the season and they were genuinely very excited and although we left the field with disappointment in our own performance, the true sportsmanship from the team was happy to see Glebe enjoying their first win of the season.
Points wise, it was a three-point display from Manolis this week who was very busy throughout the game. Two points went to Bronte who looked sharp and one point to Luke who was tireless in defence.
We move on now to a must-win game against Bankstown next week, where the team will need to be up on their toes from the opening whistle against the team sitting second on the ladder.
U13B Thorny Devils 7 Moorebank 1
It took a surprise early goal in the first quarter by Moorebank for the Thorny Devils to put their training into action:
Defenders held their position and cleared the ball out of danger.
Midfielders worked hard to push the ball upfront.
Centre Strikers moved the ball across to the post where a teammate was waiting to score.
A real team effort by the Thorny Devils delivered them a convincing 7-1 win.
Best and Fairest.2 pts each) Eliana Domrow, Luka Collins and Julian Krepp. Goals: Luka Collins 1 Julian Krepp 2, Hayden Kulibab 2, Jack Margetson 1 Jamie-Grace Pittello 1.
And an apology for missing your versus Bankstown match gallery last week so here goes:
Sutho U11A Geckos 6 Glebe Backs 3 Pictures: Rory Staples
Our team played a resilient Glebe team today who were short two players.
We were a little sleepy in the warm-up and unfortunately, this continued through the game. We still managed to get control of the game and score enough goals to get the win.
Glebe, to their credit, played really well and had improved since we last played them.
Hopefully, the team learnt a lesson to not just expect to turn up and win.
We can certainly play better with more tempo, so it will be interesting to see how the team plays next week.
B&F: Nick 3, Thomas 2, Sam 1. Goals: Nick 3, Tom 2 and Sam 1
Sutho U11B Blue Tongues 3 St George Randwick 3
The Sutho U11B BTs played the older and more experienced STGR team this week in the top of the table clash.
STGR came out really strong and our defence was well and truly tested right from the start of the game. But it held tight, thanks to Lincoln who was able to read the play and break it down and clear the ball through to our mids and forwards.
Early in the game he was able to successfully pinch the ball of a SGTR player and get the pass away to Ethan who was in the clear who was then able to take the ball into the circle and win us a short corner.
From this, we were able to score our first goal, by Caiden, who got the rebound off the goalie’s pads and slotted the ball into the corner of the net. Unfortunately, STGR turned this around almost immediately, getting the ball down the other end and into our goal.
Jack had a great game in goals this week and managed to stop quite a few decent shots by their strong strikers. However, they were able to get another goal in and it was 2-1 to STGR.
The game was evenly contested throughout. The ball was in their half, it was in our half, it was on the left, then on the right and in the centre.
Luckily, Ethan gained possession of the ball on the right and once again drove the ball into the goal, but while it was blocked by the goalie the rebound was pounced on by Audrey who found the back of the net, making the score was 2-2.
STGR had an excellent positional play and with 2 high strikers moving around a lot. Our defenders had to really keep an eye on where they were and who they had to mark.
STGR were able to take advantage of a momentary lapse in our defence and got the ball to an open player on top of the circle who scored another great goal.
The time was ticking down and the intensity lifted another notch. With only a couple of minutes to go, we were again on the attack with the ball moving from the right, then to the left.
With 20 seconds to go, Audrey won possession, took a very quick pass to Ethan who was leading into space on the right. With only 6 seconds to go, Ethan skilfully worked his way into the circle and took a shot on goal; the angle wasn’t great and all the defenders were coming at him but it went in for a 3-3 draw as the whistle blew game over.
The kids learnt a very valuable lesson that the game is not over till the final whistle blows -and games can be won, lost or drawn in the final second of the game.
Best and fairest points this week went to Audrey, Jack and Ethan.
