With speed and skill, the Dragons were able to break away for the Parramatta team leading into the half time break and again poured on the pressure scoring early in the second half. Parramatta however were not done and on the back of Daniel Barton’s leadership mounted a spirited comeback resulting in scoring with a minute to go to bring the game back to just one touchdown. However, the Doyalson line, while bending wasn’t going to break, and they used their guile and experience to ensure that Parramatta were going to be denied, just like in 2017 when both teams faced each other in the Grand Final. Both teams will look toward the State Cup and will both be quietly confident of taking home the big one. Doyalson with the added pressure of being the first team to win the State Cup, Vawdon Cup and Country Championships in the one year. In the WPL, the juggernaut that is the Manly Women’s open really flexed their muscles and complete outclassed a luckless East's Roosters. The level of intensity and flow that the Eagles produced would have wiped away any opposition on the day and honestly would have pressured some of the MPL teams such was their level of skill, ability and pressure. Indeed, it was the defensive pressure that allowed for the northern beaches girls to set the platform for their ruthless attack. They never let the Roosters settle or even get into their play. It wasn’t that the Roosters played bad, they just weren’t allowed to play by the pressure constantly placed upon them by the Sea Eagles. They simply did not let up in either attack or defence an it did not matter whom of their 14 players were on the field their was not drop in any aspect of their The Doyalson Dragons MPL, Manly Sea Eagles WPL and Easts Roosters Mixed Division 1 all repeated this 2017 victories when each won their respective divisions in the 2018 version of the Vawdon Cup. With the grand finals being played at a new venue due to field works at the Velodrome and weather conditions playing havoc with the final’s series, Chifley Reserve at La Perouse produced beautiful conditions, if not a little blowy, for the events finale, with some 14 divisions fighting it out to be the 2018 Championships. In the MPL the Dragons backed up their Country Championships win with a close and hard-fought victory over the Parramatta Eels 7-6. The Eels might have felt a little unlucky with two close calls going against them resulting in a two-touchdown swing that may have seen the result reversed. Doyalson however did show why they are currently setting the benchmark Men’s Open play with some outstanding attacking play and a defence that when under pressure stood up to the task. play. It was running touch at its best and the likes of which we have not seen since the heady days of the monumental Rooster v Sharks tussles. This however was the most dominate display of Women’s touch football than many of the greats their to witness could recall seeing. The Manly girls have sent a very strong message to all their challenges for the State Cup that they are not ready to relinquish their crown yet. In Mixed Division 1, after a sluggish and uncharacteristic error riddled first half the East's Roosters kicked into gear in the second period to claim their 9th Vawdon Cup title in succession. A feat not rivalled in the 34 yr history of the division. Their opponents the Canterbury Bulldogs certainly had the ability to challenge this Mixed Dynasty but at times lacked both patience and ball control to sustain the pressure needed to halt the Manu Wakely machine. OncetheyhadclickedintogeartheRoostersjustrolled on and showed why if you run a play that is successful, keep running it until the defence can halt it. The issue for the Dogs was that they could not stop the same plays run by the East's team. While the scoreboard looked dominate, the Roosters weren’t as slick as they have been in previous years, so the question now is, can they repeat at State Cup and if they can capture 10 straight Vawdon Cups in 2019. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Western Suburbs CROFT CUP (Point Score Championship Manly Warringah Sea Eagles MPL-Doyalson Dragons 7 d Parzramatta Eels 6 POF - Scott Bundy Doyalson Dragons OWEN LANE SHIELD (Minor Premiership) Doyalson Dragons WPLManly Warringah Sea Eagles 10 d Easts Roosters 2 POF- Elesha Te Paa Manly Warringah Sea Eagles LISA NEAL SHIELD (Minor Premiership) Manly Warringah Sea Eagles MXD D1 Easts Rooster 12 d Canterbury Bulldogs 4 POF Jack Lewis & Jess Shanahan Easts Roosters RUSSELL/GREGORY SHIELD (Minor Premiership)Easts Roosters MD1 - UNSW Bullets 7 d Sydney University Stingers 2 POF- Rohit Prasad UNSW Bullets WD1 - Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 6 d Parramatta Eels 3 POF- Sariah Paki Manly Warringah Sea Eagles INCLUSION LEAGUE D1 Hills Hornets 12 d Newcastle Knights 5 POF- Kevin Hynh Hills Hornets MD2 Western Suburbs Magpies 6 d Central Coast 5 POF – Liam Tompi Western Suburbs Magpies WD2 South West Raptors 5 d Hornsby Lions 3 POF- Sophie Petrou South West Raptors MXD D2 Carlingford Cyclones 10 d Appin Warriors 9 POF - Noel McClean Carlingford Cyclones & Jane Skinner Appin Warriors MD3 Balmain Tigers 5 d UNSW Bullets 3 POF - Terry Joe Balmain Tigers MD4 Bankstown Sports 9 d Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 5 POF- Katoe Mairi Bankstown Sports BYL -BalmainJnrs Tigers 3 d Easts Roosters 2 POF- Sam Zammit GYL 1 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 12 d Parramatta Eels 5 POF- Kiiahla Duff Manly Warringah Sea Eagles GYL 2 Hills Hornets 5 d Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 3 POF- Eleanor Fairhurst Hills Hornets 32 | Keeping In Touch 2018 A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING 2018 VAWDON CUP