Premiership bid on track
By Ben Lonergan (Armidale Express, 12/08/2015)
The New England Nomads have one hand on the Tamworth AFL minor premiership.
Armidale’s only Aussie Rules team had been locked in a torrid battle at the top of the table with the Tamworth Kangaroos before the two sides met at Bellevue Oval on Saturday.
A clinical 124-66 win to the Nomads now has them a game clear of the Kangaroos on the TAFL ladder.
“That was a great game,” Nomads player-coach Zac Economou said.
“I’m really happy with that.
“We are in a really strong position now.”
The scoreline may appear lopsided, but the Kangaroos stuck it to the three-time defending premiers in the opening exchanges.
Economou’s men held a slender 29-20 lead after one quarter courtesy of some wayward kicking.
“We didn’t take the opportunities we should have and that’s why we weren’t in the dominant position we should have been,” he said.
“In saying that we really controlled the play.”
The Nomads turned the game on its head in the second stanza with a five-goal rampage to jump out to a 61-35 lead at the main break.
That was extended to 86-49 at three-quarter-time and 124-66 by the time the final hooter sounded. “We started to get on a run there in the second quarter,” Economou said.
“We really started to move the ball better.
“Guys like Jed Ellis-Clough started to take over.”
Dave Richards and Ellis-Clough did the bulk of the scoring for the Nomads with five goals apiece. “I actually though Dave was a bit flat in the first half,” Economou said.
“But he’s one of those guys who can kick goals from anywhere.
“He kicked a couple of fantastic goals in the second half. “And Jed had a fantastic game, especially in front of goal.”
Wulu Hall and Mark Spencer were two others who drew praise from Economou.
“Mark Spencer was absolutely fantastic for us,” he said.
“Wulu Hall was excellent with his pressure on the ball.”
Not for reproduction except by permission of the Armidale Express
Round 15 2015
| Nomads def. Roos | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | P | G | B | P | ||
| Q1 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 20 | |
| HT | 9 | 7 | 61 | 5 | 5 | 35 | |
| Q3 | 13 | 8 | 86 | 7 | 7 | 49 | |
| FT | 19 | 10 | 124 | 9 | 12 | 66 | |
Team:
- H. Clarke,
- H. Cook,
- T. Dickson,
- Z. Economou,
- J. Ellis-Cluff,
- M. Foley,
- A. Garraud,
- T. Granleese,
- W. Hall,
- T. Hunt,
- T. Keys,
- S. Macdonald,
- A. Mitchelson,
- Z. Old,
- J. Petrascu,
- L. Raymond,
- D. Richards,
- J. Shirley,
- S. Snowden,
- M. Spencer,
- P. Tobias,
- M. Woodward.
Goalscorers:
- D. Richards (5),
- J. Ellis-Cluff (5),
- Z. Economou (3),
- H. Clarke (2),
- M. Spencer (2),
- T. Dickson,
- W. Hall.
Award winners:
- M. Spencer (Players' Player),
- W. Hall (Coach's),
- J. Ellis-Cluff (President's),
- L. Raymond (Captain's),
- J. Shirley (Meehan's Plumbing Services').
