by Peter Baird (Twitter: @frostybaird)
BALWYN or Noble Park?
Everyone has a view and tip on how the Division 1 Grand Final will play out and which team will be crowned the premiers.
Perhaps those with the best insight though are the men who coached against the two teams, squaring off in the Grand Final tomorrow afternoon.
I caught up with the other coaches from Division 1 and asked for their tips and views ahead of the big game.
Kris Barlow (Vermont – 3rd) Prediction – Balwyn by three points
‘Balwyn are simply the better team and should win. I would love to see the Bulls smash them, but both teams are great football sides and would be worthy premiers. I haven’t really thought a lot about the game since we were beaten last weekend.’
Denis Knight (Norwood – 4th) Prediction – Balwyn by 30 points
‘The head says Balwyn, but the heart says Noble Park. I’m going to go with my head and tipping Balwyn though. I think they’ve got too much overall class. Their forwards will be too hard to cover. They run hard through the midfield, they’re well balanced and they’re very hungry after winning it last year. Noble Park is capable of winning it but I just think Balwyn will come out on top.’
Damien Franken (South Croydon – 5th) Prediction – Balwyn by 10 points
‘I think that Balwyn will probably win. They’ve had a fairly good passage into the Grand Final and are fairly fresh. They’ve had the week off both last week and in the first week of the finals. The bigger ground at Bayswater Oval will suit their game style and fresh legs.’
Paul Mynott (Rowville – 6th) Prediction – Balwyn by 42 points
‘I think they’ve got too much class across the board and on all the lines. In every area they’ve got class. Noble Park is a good football side but I think that when push comes to shove, Balwyn will be very rested and they’ll be very fresh. Their forward line is classy, their centre line is unbelievably good and their backline is workmanlike with a couple of really high quality players coming out of there.’
Bernie Dinneen (East Ringwood– 7th) Prediction – Balwyn by 8 points
‘Noble Park was very impressive last week with their run and carry. They had great ball movement through their midfield, being able to lower their eyes with players like [Craig] Anderson, the ball use of [Stewart] Kemperman down back, [Sam] Monaghan through the middle and their ruckman [Vergim Faik] had a great game. They really impressed me last week and they impressed me the day we played them out there, so I certainly give them a chance. If I had to put my house on it though, Balwyn have lost only one game all year and have been the dominant team. They’re well coached and they’ve got not just good, but really, really good players on every line and I think their bottom five or six are a little bit stronger than Noble Park’s.’
Simon Rourke (Lilydale – 8th) Prediction – Balwyn by 21 points
‘Balwyn are probably the best side we played all year. They move the ball very well and really execute superbly. They are extremely well disciplined and stick to Daniel Donati’s game plan. I do give Noble Park a chance particularly if the weather gets a bit dirty, with their hard bodies but I just believe Balwyn are ready to go.’
Kristian Bardsley (Scoresby – 9th) Prediction – Balwyn by 30 points
‘I think they’ve been the best side all year. They’re very well structured. They have a very strong defense but also have the players up forward that are capable of kicking big scores. I give Noble Park a chance. In a two horse race they’re always a chance but with the evenness that Balwyn has right across the park, I think they will come out on top.’
Jon Knight (Knox – 10th) Prediction – Noble Park by12 points
‘We played Noble Park only a few weeks ago and they kept us to only one goal for the game. Their ball use was sensational that day. It’s going to be a flip of the coin really, but I’m going for Noble Park in a bit of an upset. Noble Park should go in with the mindset of not worrying too about Balwyn’s on-ballers and getting it themselves like they did in the second half against Vermont, where they just cut them to shreds. I thought their ball movement was clean and smooth going forward. If Noble Park can play it on their terms and generate stoppages where they can, their bigger bodies around the ball will be important ’
Peter Banfield (Blackburn– 11th) Prediction – Balwyn by 23 points
‘Balwyn has a very, very even spread and I believe their midfield runs a bit deeper than Noble Park’s. The likes of [Rennie] Gilchrist, [Ryan] McMahon and [Ben] Harris have the ability to impact the game and set up scoring opportunities when the going gets tough. That will be just a bit too much for Noble Park.’
Fabian Carelli (East Burwood – 12th) Prediction – Balwyn by 10 points
‘They’ve got too much depth in the midfield. I think they’ve got too much class across all the lines. Their experienced players like [Allan] Murray, [Ben] Harris, [Rod] Crowe and [Ryan] McMahon will get the job done, but if the Noble Park talls get a hold of them they may be in trouble.’
The Final Verdict: Balwyn – 9 Noble Park – 1
The coaches seem to favour Balwyn as a clear cut favourite heading into the big game tomorrow. Noble Park is definitely given a chance by most of the senior coaches, particularly if they can play in the same way that saw them defeat Norwood and Vermont over the last fortnight. The word ‘class’ though was a constant theme when most described the Balwyn Football Club. The Tigers will be hoping that that class and evenness will see them claim back-to-back Division 1 premierships tomorrow at Bayswater Oval, to emulate the feats of The Bulls in 2010 and 2011.