Round 11: Melbourne Royals Vs Northern Raiders

After the Royals’ second bye week, an opportunity presented itself in which the Roy-als could secure a playoff spot with certainty and likely get themselves a ticket to the Vic Bowl. With only two division-two games left and coming off a disappointing loss against the Monash Barbarians, the Royals were hungry for a win. The Royals won 35-30 the last time they met the Northern Raiders in their first match of the season, a big shootout in the first match guaranteed it would be a close one this time against the 2011 champions.

The Royals would receive the ball first and workhorse tailback Frank Matue was called on to carry the ball, returning from a hamstring injury. The Royals were stuffed fairly quickly by one of division-two’s premier defences and were forced to punt. The Royals defence came out and unfortunately gave up two penalties on their first two plays equalling 20 yards worth. This would not be a problem however with defensive ends Paul Stephanatos and Aaron Mapstone sealing the edges and receiving assistance from linebackers to stop the Raiders. The ball was turned over by both the Royals and Raiders offences on punts, as both teams displayed ball security but were unable to march downfield. The Royals defence continued to look impressive in the first half, with defensive end Paul Stephanatos sacking Raiders quarterback Matthew Jermy, and strong safety Michael van Gessel there to stop both the run on the edge and attempted passes. Neither side was able to put points on the board in the first quarter so the defensive battles continued.

The Raiders attempted to hit the sides of the field on short passes after feeling quick pres-sure from the defensive line, benefitting from the power added from previously injured guard turned nose tackle Adam Donohue, pushing the line of scrimmage back into the quarterback. The passing attempts were unsuccessful with cornerback Max Smith con-stantly ready for any incoming passes and lighting up the Raiders tailback after one was complete.

The Royals received the ball back, and began to move the ball downfield with solid work from the offensive line. The return of right tackle Liman Lee allowed a stronger running game down the sides, with right guard Larny Pasene dominating with strength as usual. Some runs down the field from both bruising running back Frank Matue and speedy QB Blair Black saw the Royals picking up yards before a series of penalties would put them in the red zone. The Raiders were flagged for multiple penalties consecutively including unnecessary roughness flags as Blair Black was hit after running out of bounds. The Roy-als were a few yards from a touchdown, and were able to put it in after missing a similar opportunity against the Monash Barbarians a few weeks earlier. A direct handoff to Frank Matue resulted in a short yardage touchdown. The Royals went for two points but were unsuccessful. The rest of the second quarter continued with both defences unwilling to give up many yards, and the Royals would go into half time with the lead 6-0.

Some half time adjustments were made, but the stingy Royals defence continued to keep the Raiders out of their end zone. QB Blair Black slung a few deep balls looking for his receivers who were fairly well covered, a few dropped balls resulting in some lost opportu-nities. Left tackle Daniel Griffin with assistance from guards Bryce Cilia and Norm Kortum managed to give QB Black enough time to make passes despite blitzes, however good coverage by the Raiders made it difficult to pass. Black was sacked numerous times by a strong Raiders defensive line.

The Raiders would receive the ball and got into the red zone looking dangerous after a pass down the middle from QB Matthew Jermy. However, free safety Ben Ly stepped up, intercepting the QB and running the ball back for another 10-15 yards before being brought down. The Royals had some successful plays down field, however were ultimately stopped by the Raiders defence. Fortunes were not much different for the Raiders offence however, struggling to move the ball on the ground and sacked twice by defensive tackle Jeremy Edwards. With time running out in the fourth quarter and the Royals with a tenta-tive lead, the Raiders returned to the aerial attack. However it would be cornerback Der-rick Tugiono this time intercepting the QB in a critical time for the Royals to retain posses-sion and let the game end on their terms.

The game looked over with seconds to go, however the Raiders were able to hit their wide receiver on the edge with room around him. Potential loomed for the Raiders to get a touchdown to win the game in the same way the Gladiators beat them last year. It was not to be though, as strong safety Michael van Gessel made the tackle as he had been doing all day on defence and special teams. The game ended with the Royals taking home a win 6-0 and a defensive shutout.

The Royals now have a certain spot in the finals and most likely will retain top of the ladder as they have all season and become regular season champions. This will ensure a spot in the Vic Bowl and the chance for the Royals to win the division-two championship. This week the Royals play the Gippsland Gladiators in Gippsland, a win would secure the Vic Bowl spot with certainty. The Royals have won two of their three encounters with the Gladiators, however are yet to beat them at home. Try and make it down to Gippsland this week, or stay tuned for Edition 12 of the Royals Newsletter to see the match report. Game starts Saturday 1.30pm!

Around the league

Saturday morning started off down in Corio, with the Bay City Buccaneers hosting the Monash Warriors. The Buccaneers played their usual strong brand of football and were hard to stop on the ground. The Warriors picked up a few injuries during the game and trailed be-hind 7-0 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors managed to get a touchdown in the fourth quarter and decided to try and win the game with the two-point conversion with five minutes left in the game. The ball was tipped and the Buccs took home the win.

Sunday morning the Gippsland Gladiators travelled to Footscray to play the Monash Barbar-ians. The Barbarians have come into their own in the second half of the season and took home the win 14-6. Barbarians running back James Pho continuing to play well, punching in a touchdown as well as Kieren Dwyer throwing for a touchdown. The Gladiators were unlucky on a punt, the snap going over the punters head and causing a safety.

The afternoon game saw the Western Crusaders host the Berwick Miners. A hard fought game saw the Crusaders eventually come out on top, 20-14. The Crusaders continue to fight for the best spot in division-one and display a strong offensive line.

NFL Comparisons

This week Royals Newsletter looks at the fast players of the defence, the defensive backs. Charged with the duty of stopping the big plays, these guys can be a quarterback’s worst nightmare when trying to pass.

Cornerback: Max Smith – Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers.In his second year with the Royals, Max Smith looks to lead the Royals cornerbacks. Smith hails from Pittsburgh like Taylor’s team and most notably sticks to his receivers like glue. Smith uses solid positioning to prevent the receiver from getting near the ball, as unlike Taylor, Smith is not one of the taller corners in the league. Smith and Taylor both show good run support in addition, coming in for back up and shutting down their receiver whilst not coming up with as many stats as opposing quarterbacks stay away from their side of the field.

Cornerback: Derrick Tugiono – Johnathan Joseph, Houston Texans.The most notable quality about cornerback Derrick Tugiono, is like the Texans player, this guy is fast. Tugiono displays rare speed, able to keep up with just about any receiver in this league, even if he did lose them, he can chase them back down. Like Joseph, Tugiono is rarely out of position and displays a good knowledge of the game from his history in juniors with the Croydon Rangers. Tugiono is able to fight through blocks and will throw himself on the line to make tackles on top of his speed and positioning at the cornerback spot.

Cornerback: Lionel Ong – Tramon Williams, Green Bay Packers.Unlike Williams, Ong is in his first year. Ong brings some height to the Royals cornerback roster and is still learning each week. Like Williams, Ong possesses speed and burst, and will usually knock balls out of the air that are thrown his way or pick off lobbed balls. Both players have a good feel for the run, but could do with improvement on angles as well hold tighter man coverage. Ong will be called upon frequently by the Royals and is a rookie to watch coming into the end of the season, as he possesses greater size allowing him to play a different style of cornerback.

Strong Safety: Michael van Gessel – Craig Steltz, Chicago Bears.The reason strong safety Gessel is compared to Craig Steltz is due to his ability to play the run, seeing him fitting in at linebacker as well as strong safety. Gessel spent time in the off-season getting stronger and faster and its shown this year, as his additional experience sees him cover players well and have a good understanding of the play like Steltz. Both Steltz and Gessel continue to be quality defensive players that are likely to only get better, and turn into top players at their position.

Free Safety: Alex Gossage – Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati Bengals.Gossage, like Nelson is a fluid mover and shows his best side of coverage in the zone. Both players use their speed, and cover large areas if needed to with good range. Gossage, like Nelson has become better at reading the run but could do with more size across him to re-ally be an effective run stopper. Gossage remains an interesting player to keep an eye on through out the rest of the year as he becomes more comfortable with the difficult position.

Free Safety: Ben Ly – Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens. This guy is just a joy to watch play football. Like Reed, Ly is a speedy athlete with the ability to disengage from blockers and make the play anywhere on the field. Ly, like Reed will light players up on the field, attacking the ball with absolute speed and ferocity. Ly and Reed will always make at least one big hit during every game he plays , hitting offensive players at full velocity. Not only is Ly a threat to players’ safety on the field as a tackler, but also is a highly effective pass stopper. Ly is frequently intercepting opposing quarterbacks that throw near him or covering receivers, preventing any deep balls.

OFF THE FIELD with adam watson

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Writer//Editor Jeremy Edwards

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