Round 10 Report
ROCS' triple-header against Prince Alfred Old Collegians
The Campbelltown Memorial Oval was in perfect condition for ROCS' triple-header against Prince Alfred Old Collegians.
The C's bounced back from last week's narrow loss, and comfortably defeated Princes: 16.10 to 3.2. Mark Dzido was exceptional with a best on ground performance. Paul "Chuck" Norris (5 goals) was unstoppable. Tyler "Hollywood" Gava is improving as the season goes on, and Sam Moten played very well in his 50th game for the club. Jarrod Varley and Anthony Onofrio were others to impress, and Blake Mios chipped in with another 4 goals. It was pleasing to see skipper Matt Sauer back on deck, and the team also welcomed back Glenn Castellano and Elliot Shirley after lengthy lay-offs. So far this season, 52 players have represented ROCS at C Grade level.
Saturday was the C's last home game for the 2017 minor round, and will now be on the road until finals time. With 9 wins and one loss, the C's have regained top-spot, on percentage.
In a low-scoring affair, and despite some inaccurate kicking, the B Grade eventually defeated PAOC : 6.14 to 5.4. Will Mead was named best, followed by the consistent Chris Ash, Connor Deegan, Sam Tagg and Adam Richter. It was an important 2 points for the team. This time of the year, line-ups are generally adversely affected by unavailability due to injuries, exams and holidays, making the results of most matches difficult to predict. Coach Damien Polkinghorne has used 40 players in the first 10 rounds, and on Saturday was joined on the coaches' bench by his father, David. Currently sitting in second spot, having only lost the one game, the B's now face fourth placed Payneham Norwood Union, in yet another game that will help shape the top 3.
The main game was a tight affair for the first 3 quarters. Facing last year's premiers was always going to be a tough task, but Adrian Rocco's men got the job done : 15.12 to 11.6. The half-time scores were 7.7 to 6.2, and we led by 13 points at the last break. Heath Commane was the game's standout forward with 6 majors. Tim Baccanello and Tom Hurley were very good at ground level, whilst Tullio Dematteis and Michael Coad provided plenty of drive. Nick Dinham (3 goals) was also an important contributor, and others to impress included Jacob Gillbee and Ben Jonas. It was pleasing to beat Princes for the second time this season. Obviously the two teams are a fair chance to meet each other again later in the year, when the stakes will be even higher. The team now travels down the road to face seventh placed Payneham Norwood Union, who will be determined to stay in the finals race.
We haven't been away from Campbelltown for a while, and this weekend's round of matches will be a good test for our 3 teams.
Rino Cialini
Football Director
