2013 Division 1 Season – Week 6

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Central Coast Sharks

The West Sydney Pirates retained their undefeated tag despite an uninspiring win over the Central Coast Sharks in Week 6 of the Gridiron NSW 2013 Division season.

It was another early start for the Pirates in Week 6 as they travelled to Berkeley Sports Club, past Wollongong, for the 10.00am game against the Central Coast Sharks. Despite the 39-6 win to the Pirates it was a sub-standard performance and something that needs to be addressed, and quickly.

The First Quarter saw neither team take control, but it was a converted Marlou Tacugue Touchdown run which had the Pirates up by 7-0 as the period came to a close.

The Second Quarter was a case of missed opportunities and mental errors and it wasnt until the final two minutes of the half that the Pirates skipped away thanks to two converted Touchdowns, both passes to Dean Toskoski. The score at the half was 19-0 in favour of the Pirates.

The Second Half started on a positive note for the Pirates as they took the opening kick off and marched down the field on a mixture of run and pass plays. But all the good work was brought undone when they were unable to score any points from the Sharks 1 yard line. The inept display was compounded as the Sharks moved the ball downfield with apparent ease and capitalised with a long TD pass to bring the score to 19-6. A strong run by Jason Gangaram resulted in an unconverted Pirate Touchdown to extend the lead to 25-6 as the Quarter ended.

Whether the Pirates were sparked into action, or fatigue started to tell on the smaller Sharks squad – perhaps a combination of the two – the Pirates kicked into gear in the final period. Touchdown passes to Ash Best and Reece Fitzgerald blew the score out, and some stronger defense by the Pirates meant that the Sharks were unable to add to their total, leaving the final score at 39-6 in the Pirates favour.

The Pirate Offense was patchy to say the least, and it was mainly mental lapses which saw them squander good field position and potential scoring opportunities.

The Defense seemed to be a yard too slow all day and were lucky that their opponent also suffered from mistakes or penalties which killed drives.

Quite frankly, the score flattered the Pirates and was not a true indication of the quality of the game. It was a performance best forgotten in the hope that a higher standard emerges in the weeks ahead.

2013 Division 1 Season – Week 5

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North Western Predators

The West Sydney Pirates remained undefeated in Week 5 of the Gridiron NSW 2013 Division season when they beat the North Western Predators in a tough and physical encounter by 23-12.

The Pirates hung on to their unbeaten tag with a bruising 23-12 win over the North Western Predators in Week 5 of the GNSW competition.

Defense dominated the proceedings, especially early in the game, and it was the Pirates who opened the scoring with a Safety when Russell Pearse blocked a Predators punt through the back of the end zone for two points. That was to be the only scoring in the First Quarter which ended with the Pirates up by 2-0.

The Pirates extended their lead in the Second Quarter thanks to two converted Touchdowns, one on the ground to Greg Evers and the other through the air to Reece Fitzgerald. The Pirates skipped away to a 16-0 lead before the Predators hit back late in the quarter to score an unconverted TD. The score at the half was 16-6 in favour of the Pirates.

The Second Half was also a test with both teams intent on hitting hard and hitting often. A powerful run by Jason Gangaram resulted in another converted Pirate Touchdown to extend the lead to 23-6, but once again the Predators hit back with their own score to close the gap to 23-6. That was to be the final score as the Fourth Quarter saw neither team able to capitalise on their opportunities.

The Pirate Offense was solid without being unspectacular. Reece Fitzgerald had a handy game with 5 receptions and a score, many of them critical catches which kept the Pirate Offense on the field. The running game did enough to keep the chains moving thanks to solid contributions from all the Backs.

The Defense was solid too, with Sisco Diaz leading the tackle count and generally being a disruptive force throughout the game. He was ably assisted by John Maumau (6 tackles and a QB Sack) and Shannon Lynch (6 tackles).

Once again the Pirates suffered a number of injuries during the game, especially in the Second Half when players were often called on to play out of position just to fill gaps. In that context it was a gutsy win and something to build on in the weeks ahead.

For the second week in a row a Pirate player was taken to hospital by ambulance. This time it was Linebacker, Sean White, who suffered a fractured rib, torn cartilage and heavy bruising. Our best wishes go to Sean for a speedy recovery.

2013 Division 1 Season – Week 4

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Wollongong Mustangs

The West Sydney Pirates won again in Week 4 of the Gridiron NSW 2013 Division season when they defeated the Wollongong Mustangs by 28-13.

The Pirates were at home for their Week 4 game against the Wollongong Mustangs and they retained their unbeaten 2013 record with a solid 28-13 win.

The Pirates opened the First Quarter with a powerful running game and that was to be the tone and tempo for the entire game as the Offense set a Club Record for rushing yards with over 400 yards on the ground. Marlou Tacugue (170 yards and two Touchdowns) and Greg Evers (123 yards) both got into triple figures, and they were ably supported by Jason Gangaram and Dean Toskoski behind some outstanding blocking by the Offensive Line.

The passing game was not left out either, but it was a more selective passing game that contributed over 100 yards and two scores, both to Dean Toskoski.

The Pirate Defense faced a pass first, pass second, and pass third opponent so with virtually no run game to defend were able to sit back and knock down passes and make tackles as required. Jeremy Ghattas had an impressive game at Linebacker, making 7 tackles and picking off a pass to close out the First Half.

With so much yardage on Offense and being able to play a one-dimensional Defense the biggest concern was the mental errors which led to missed assignments and silly penalties. Offensive drives stalled or were killed off by a costly penalty and the scores given up by the Defense were a result of missed coverages or miscommunication.

This is definitely an area that the team must improve on, and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.

A win at home though is important, and it keeps the team momentum building which is of huge importance as the season continues to unfold.

A sub-plot to the game was the number of injuries sustained by Pirate players, none more serious than the injury to new Defensive Back, Pete Goudie. Pete was returning a Wollongong punt when he twisted awkwardly in a tackle which resulted in him suffering a broken leg and torn ankle ligaments. It was a freak accident which left a dark spot on an otherwise positive outing.

Our best wishes go to Pete for a speedy recovery.