The Camden Cats Division 2 side accounted for bottom of the table Randwick City Saints with a 9-goal victory in a tough and at times fiery clash at Fairfax Reserve. The win sees the Cats’ winning streak extend to 9 games.
Camden started the game well making the most of its early possessions on the scoreboard. The Cats took a 39-point lead into half time, punishing their opposition with quick transitions from defense into attack that were mostly led by dependable back men Mark Maher and Brenton Sommerville. In the second half, Camden Coach Chris Hughes made a few positional changes, throwing backman James Bottin-Noonan up forward and the man mountain delivered kicking 2 memorable goals. He was well supported up forward by Matt Withers, Matt Lecek and goal sneak Blake Pearce, whilst Rhys Newham was again a potent scorer with 3 goals. In the middle, Mark Halteh and James Broadbent led the charge for the Cats, supported well by ever-improving ruckman Billy Wylie. In a tough and physical last quarter, Camden scored six goals to Randwick’s one, running out 56-point victors. The win sets up a mouthwatering top of table clash with rival Manly next week.
The Cats Division 4 side took on rival Campbelltown, with both teams desperate for a win to stay in the hunt for a finals birth. The game was tough, hard and physical; everything you would expect from the local derby. It was a low scoring affair all day, with both teams inaccurate on the scoreboard. Michael Kennedy, Vicc Musgrave and Ben Reid starred for the Cats in the middle and around the ground, whilst Ben Laid and Ben “Sparrow” McDermott were rock solid down back. In a tight and nail-biting final term the Cats were able to make the most of their opportunities, eventually winning by 12-points and retaining the Rowley Cup. Stephen Mann was again the focal point for the Cats with three majors, whilst Ben Yakimov impressed in his return from injury with a number of run and carries, hard hits and two fantastic goals, the second one sealing the victory for Camden late in the last quarter. Next week Div 4 takes on top of the table Holroyd-Parramatta.
Camden’s Division 5 side was looking to avenge its 15-goal loss to Penrith from earlier in the season when the two sides met on the Cats’ home turf. In a scrappy first half, Camden’s backline stood strong against a barrage of opposition inside 50s, only trailing by 22-points at half time. After some choice words from Coach Paul Love at half time, the Cats responded with a 5-goal to 3-goal third quarter, a strong second effort and goal by James “Snowy” Surridge one of the highlights. In the final quarter Camden’s strong tackling, ball pressure and desperation were a highlight as they rallied late in the game, just falling short by 3 points. Veteran Ben Wright scored 4 goals for the Cats, whilst first year player Tim Georgiou was one of Camden’s best with 2 goals. The Cats were also well serviced by ruckman Cam Thomas and first year players Jordy Lee and Joe Rawlins.
Next weekend sees the Cats Division 4 and 5 sides travelling over to Gipps Road to take on Holroyd-Parramatta, whilst the Camden first grade side takes on rival Manly for the third time this season at Fairfax Reserve.
Last Modified on 05/07/2015 20:42