Aussie Rules
By
FLGOFF Pete Nugent
The
ADFA Rams Football Club upheld its reputation as one of the premier
ADF Football Clubs by taking gold at the recent Eastern Conference
University Games in Coffs Harbour.
The
games represent the opportunity to qualify for the national games
held later in the year, and with only three positions up for grabs,
ferocity of competition was ensured.
ADFA entered teams in other sports, but it was in AFL where the
fitness and strength of the Rams proved the greatest deterrent
to teams from a wide range of universities along the Eastern seaboard.
ADFA were drawn nicely in the pool matches and on the first day
of competition fought hard to overcome a gallant University of
Canberra 79 - 29 and later that afternoon, Macquarie University,
with a 70 - 6 demolition.
The Rams took a strong mid-field into the competition and it was
their familiarity with each other’s play that saw ADFA win
the vast majority of possessions from the breakdowns.
On the second day, it was the combination of ruckman Rodney Davis
and midfielders Damon Stefani, Justin Taylor and Tim Spackman
that set the platform for wins against University of Technology
- Sydney (48 - 16) and Cumberland University (41 - 20).
The wins in the pool matches provided top position for the Rams
but victories in the quarter and semi finals were required to
guarantee a position at Australian University Games.
By this stage, other teams were beginning to gel and it turned
out to be the Rams strength on the ball that was the critical
factor in the remaining three fixtures.
ADFA survived a late scare by University of New South Wales (50
- 37) in the quarters and the Australian National University kicked
the opening three goals before slowly being overcome (76 - 59)
in the semis.
With a position at the nationals now confirmed, attention turned
to the gold medal match.
Charles Sturt University had been strong all week and boasted
several Sydney league players.
They started strongly and it wasn’t until mid-way through
the first period that ADFA registered a point. In the end, it
was possibly the more accountable game that the Rams played that
edged them ahead of their rivals (61 - 30). Best on ground in
the final, Ash Wallin, sealed the win with a monster 60m torpedo
and celebrated in style.
Despite a margin of 31 points, Rams coach Darian Macey praised
their opposition.
“They were a little unlucky with injury, but we marked up
on those that we knew Charles Sturt would centralise their game
through and I guess in the end, we just had a little more left
in the tank,” coach Macey said.
ADFA were rewarded with several players in the merit team including
Joe Stockl and Luke Baker who together kicked 27 goals for the
competition and centre-half forward Derek Sonogan who proved a
handful to opposition backlines all week.
