MATCH PREVIEW: Aspley v Sydney Uni

NEAFL ROUND 11

Saturday, June 13, 2019
Aspley Hornets (7th) v Sydney University (5th)
Voxson Oval, 12pm

SUMMARY

Only one win separates these two finals hopefuls after Round 10, so both Aspley and Sydney University have plenty to play for when they meet this Saturday at Voxson Oval.

A win for the Hornets would see them likely sneak into the top six in what would be a major turnaround to their season from six weeks ago.

Similarly, the Students have a had a strong year to see themselves in fifth place, and can further solidify their spot with consecutive wins.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

Round 1, 2019: Sydney Uni 15.17 (107) defeated Aspley 9.6 (60) at BISP
Round 11, 2018: Aspley 13.10 (88) defeated Sydney Uni 11.9 (75) at BISP
Round 7, 2018: Sydney Uni 11.19 (85) defeated Aspley 11.9 (75) at Voxson Oval

TALKING POINTS

1. The Students enjoyed a 39-point win over the Thunder last week and showed plenty of class in their last quarter. The Territorians lead by six at three-quarter time, then Sydney Uni piled on 8.1 to the Thunder’s 0.4 in the final term to give them a resounding win. The young Uni list have proven throughout 2019 that they can keep cool heads in key moments, and it’s a feature of the Students’ game that the Hornets will need to watch out for.

2. Aspley Hornets hero Matthew Payne rocketed himself into contention for his fourth NEAFL MVP award, polling nine votes against Redland and jumping into 10th place with 27 votes. The odds are stacked against him nabbing his fourth medal in 2019, but if Aspley’s trend of late-season surges of form continues, it’d be silly to rule him out.

3. When these two sides met last in Round 1, Sydney University dominated from the start, and ran away 47-point victors at Blacktown. Jack Dimery and Jake Veale had days out, both amassing 35 touches, while Tristan Davies and Josh Stern kicked nine goals between them. The margin could well have been far greater, with the Students having 32 scoring shots to the Hornets’ 15. It’s a memory no doubt still in the back of Aspley’s mind, and drive them to flip the script this time around.

STATS THAT MATTER

Aspley hang their hat on their ruck work. Despite the score deficit, last time they played, the Hornets had triple the hit-outs of the Students, lead by duo Jake Spencer and Will Wolbers. The Students have struggled in 2019 with rucking consistency, with none of their ruckmen managing to play every match. Jake Spencer is currently tied for third in average hit-outs. With such dominance from the bounce, the Hornets need to start turning these taps into clearances to get their revenge over Sydney University.

ROOKIE WATCH

Students’ forward Josh Stern received the Round 10 NEAFL Rising Star nomination following his five-goal effort against the NT Thunder. The 20-year-old also collected 16 disposals with nine of them contested, five tackles and two inside 50s. The former Swans Academy player is the second Sydney Uni player nominated and is a reason to watch this Saturday on his own.

PREDICTION

Aspley to get back on track. Hornets by 10.

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