Today we farewell our great friend Shaun Kelly, and as a tribute we dug through the archives to bring you some of the great man’s best work – the famous Friday Preview, in all its 10,000-word glory.
Here is an edition published on the 24th of August, 2007 via EFL.org.au:
And so, it arrives. As a player, you turn up to training on a rock-hard ground to do ten 400 metre sprints a night in November, when you should be having a game of beach cricket and a barbecue, and train on nights in the middle of June on which Antarctic explorers would have sat in front of the fire and locked the door, to reach times like this. The air becomes different, the sun starts shining, you’re playing on unfamiliar grounds and all of a sudden the crowds double in magnitude.
And as a player, coach and spectator, all roles which I have lucky enough to fulfil at this time of year, you certainly sense that excitement in the air. There’s absolutely no feeling in the world like finals football, and I’m so excited that the finals are once again upon us. We got a taste of the action with last weekend’s Junior Grand Finals, and I know I got to see three ripping games of under-age football which has got me pumped and primed for the senior finals to commence. And whilst Division One and Two have to wait another week for this feeling, tomorrow marks the commencement of the Division Three and Four Finals, so now that I’ve nailed two introductions in a row (yippee!!), let’s jump into a look at this weekend’s action.
DIVISION ONE – Round Eighteen
Blackburn vs Ringwood
Pretty sure that both teams will be pretty happy to see 5pm tomorrow night roll around, as they put 2007 in the history books once and for all. Blackburn probably have more to be disappointed about, given that they were all but cemented in fifth spot after defeating East Burwood in Round 11, but then didn’t get another chance to sing their club song until they again fronted up against the Rams last weekend. It wasn’t all smooth sailing last Saturday for the Burners either, as they found a pride-seeking East Burwood a tough team to toss, especially as when Blackburn booted nine goals in the second quarter, the Rams were right there with them with eight goals, but when the final siren sounded, it was Blackburn nine points ahead, and singing their club song for the eighth time this year. With Graeme Johns again missing from the Blackburn side, ex-Ram Chad Neilson popped up to haunt his old team-mates with five goals, whilst the consistent Michael Rainey booted four to force his way into the top ten goalkickers in Division One. Luc Matthews found his way back into some of his best form, Tosh Elder and Simon Lang continued their consistent seasons, and Mick Prendergast controlled the ruck duels for the day. Ringwood came into last week’s clash against Norwood choc-full of confidence after their first victory of the season last weekend, and their fans would have expected big things, but come half-time, it was the same old story for the poor Redbacks – a thousand miles behind and losing distance rapidly. Norwood’s nine-goal to one second quarter didn’t help things, nor did the Norsemen putting the foot down after half time to run away with a 115 point victory. Good to see Adam Parsons out on the field after a nasty shoulder injury against East Burwood the week and kicking three goals for the Redbacks as well, with Dave Burmeister and Alan Stride both impressive for the Redbacks. Reality says that Blackburn wins this one, and wins it easily. Round 18 matches, though, have a tendency of not really being representative of the rest of the season, and there may yet be one final twist left in the Redbacks season before they depart Division One ranks yet again. A lot of work needs to be done over the off-season to get the Ringwood Football Club back on its feet again, to give the Redbacks a chance to get some quality players into their system to aid in the rebuiliding of the club in a Division Two environment. Player retention needs to be a key priority for the Ringwood committee as well, given the amount of senior players that either left the Redbacks or retired at the end of last season, and a couple of big names landing down at Jubilee Park will certainly help!! Blackburn can, despite their second half of the season, look back on season 2007 as the year in which they finally consolidated their spot as a Division One side, and took huge steps towards respectability in the EFL’s premier division. Rainey and Ryan Carafa have been outstanding finds, and had Johns and Stefan Denadic both not spent the best part of the second half of the year watching on, then I may well have had the need to carry the Panthers’ epitaph over for a couple of weeks. A tall defender and another quality midfielder would go a long way towards helping Blackburn out next year as well – then again, I struggle to name a side who wouldn’t welcome these two elements. But to tomorrow, and this one, unfortunately, is a no-brainer. BLACKBURN to win easily, and it would be remiss of me not to thank the Blackburn Football Club for their hospitality at last Sunday’s Junior Grand Finals – the Burners did a fantastic job in hosting the day, their staff worked tirelessly to ensure a day to remember for our up-and-coming stars and they created an atmosphere I would loved to have bottled. Well done Blackburn, and thank you.
Croydon vs East Burwood
Those Round 18 differences may again be on show in this game tomorrow, as whilst Croydon will enter this game as heavy favourites, East Burwood would love to cap of a year that will quickly be forgotten at Ram Land with a victory. It’s been a while between drinks for both of these sides as well, so there’s going to be a pretty happy set of Pleasant Sunday drinks going on at the winner’s clubrooms once the sun has set on their season’s this weekend!! Croydon found it a touch warm in the kitchen against finals-bound East Ringwood last weekend, with a scorching eight goal to nil second quarter by the Roos putting the kibosh on any hopes Blues coach Greg Freemantle had of a fairytale victory against his old side. Whilst Croydon came out firing after half-time, booting six goals to three in the third quarter, they forgot to note that scoring at both ends of the ground is a prerequisite to success in football, and again failed to fire a shot in the final quarter as the Roos bounded away to an eighty-four point victory. Zac Kelly was Croydon’s best player with three goals, former Redback Rohan Frost made an impressive debut in Croydon colours after being given a VFL leave pass, and Jarrad Wright again stood out for the Blues. East Burwood’s story was a touch different last weekend, as they matched Blackburn for most of the day, but just couldn’t get their noses in front when it counted. Nine points was the deficit for the Rams at the end of the day, making it two close losses to the Burners this season after their seven-point Round 11 defeat for East Burwood. Particularly more galling for Ram fans would have been the sight of former favourite son Chad Neilson booting five goals for Blackburn against them last weekend. Still, eight goals to captain Damien Yze and continuing solid performances from James Ivory, Matthew Sharpe and Steve Perri would have pleased East Burwood supporters. Interesting to note that these two sides last faced off in a Round 18 encounter back in 2003, a year when East Burwood played off in the Division One Grand Final, and Croydon fairly smacked the Rams in said Round 18 encounter. Things were a touch closer in their Round 9 encounter, as Croydon prevailed by a solitary point in the dying minutes of the contest, and I can see tomorrow panning out in a similar vein. Yze will obviously be the key to the game, as he has been in all of East Burwood’s fixtures this season, and the job will likely fall to Chris Grant, who has had a sensational season in the Blues backline and would love to keep the Rams captain quiet to press his claims for a place in the SEN Division One Team of the Year which will, of course, be announced at The Main Event function at the Knox Club on Wednesday, September 19th (there’s my contractually-required cheap shill for this week!!!). If Croydon can fire early and make the most of any first-quarter opportunities, then it may set the tide flowing for the rest of the game. Frost would be a welcome re-inclusion in the side, although with the Casey Scorpions playing their last Reserves game of the season this weekend and Frost being one of their better contributors for the season, it’s highly unlikely he will be seen again at EFL level this weekend, therefore the task of kicking the Blues a winning score falls to Cam Buckland, Nick Chamberlain, Nick Handley* and the fleet-footed Blues midfield. Close game coming up, but CROYDON should come out victors thanks to more avenues to goal and better skills than the Rams, who will be wearing the clash jumper this weekend for those of you making the pilgrimage to Croydon Oval and wondering just who the heck it is the Blues are playing!!!
* Nick Handley = star of THE HUDDLE Wednesday night … missed him on the Huddle, head to the shiny new Sportsline button on the right side of this page, not now, but later today, and a replay of his interview will be up there with coach Greg Freemantle
Donvale vs East Ringwood
Something tells me that the Donvale boys don’t particularly like having their internal clocks adjusted all that much!! They played Noble Park under lights last Saturday night, and starting a game five hours after their normal starting time must have seen the Vales a touch sleepy as they kicked things off after a gentle Saturday afternoon, as come half-way through the second quarter, Donvale still hadn’t forced the scoreboard attendant into action. By then, any hopes of victory had faded with Noble Park some seventy points in front already, and although Donvale matched the Bulls on the scoreboard for the remainder of the match, the damage had been done and Donvale succumbed to an eighty-three point defeat. Nick Grigg was a standout for the Vales with five goals, Col Sanbrook, Chris Jones and Matt Szewczuk (try spelling that one without having to cross-reference against the Donvale team-list) were all prominent and good to see Donato Deangelis making his mark again after a sensational start to the season. It goes from bad to worse for Donvale though, as they have to rebound against an East Ringwood side who last week locked down second spot on the Division One ladder with an easy victory against Croydon away from home. Kicking fourteen unanswered goals in the second and fourth quarters combined certainly did the Roos no harm at all, and certainly played its part in East Ringwood’s eighty-four point (or fourteen goal) victory. Impressively, the Roos were able to score heavily with sharpshooter Brendan Holowiuk held to just one goal for the day, with midfielders Chad Davis, Nick Gieschen and Josh Moore (five goals) in sparkling touch and Paul Grayling stepping into Holowiuk’s shoes to boot four goals. Congratulations, too, to young Roo Colt Marty Ekers who made his senior debut last weekend, and booted two goals in an impressive display. Don’t discount Donvale here, as there’s no doubt that coach Scott Grigg will be treating this one as the Vales Grand Final, and will have his boys aching for retribution after Donvale managed just one goal for the entire game against East Ringwood back in Round 10. It’s not being too demeaning, I feel, to label Donvale as probably the biggest disappointment of the season in Division One. Sure, they copped the rough end of the Heidelberg saga by slotting into the top half of the seeded draw when the Northern Tigers failed to join us this season, and lost some real talent in Brad O’Conner (to homesickness and an apprenticeship up Mildura way) and Ryan Power (overseas spreading the stereotype of Aussies loving a drink abroad) pre-season, but I expected much, much more from the Vales. Injuries hit them hard, I know that, but they showed so much promise when they knocked over Balwyn in Round 3, but then basically failed to fire a shot since. Not so East Ringwood though, who are shaping up as a serious flag contender, and to have the likes of Grayling, Davis, Marcus Buzaglo and Cam Taylor running into a rich vein of form at this time of the year is a real blessing. More words will follow about the Roos in coming weeks, of that you can be assured, but for tomorrow it’s EAST RINGWOOD comfortably, although the Vales will make a good fist of it in the first half.
Noble Park vs Balwyn
Hands-down Match of the Round in Division One this week, as the Bulls welcome their old rivals to the Bullring for the first time in several years, with plenty at stake. The winner of this one moves onto a Qualifying Final against East Ringwood at Bayswater next weekend, with the prospect of at least one more match to follow, whereas the loser travels to Ringwood next Sunday to take on Lilydale in an Elimination Final, with the Falcons high on confidence. Confidence, though, is something that Noble Park had in spades last weekend, as they followed up their stirring victory over Vermont the previous week with a solid opening 45 minutes of football under lights against Donvale last Saturday night that made the football world stand up and take note. Unlike their previous nocturnal appearance against Lilydale the fortnight before, the Bulls came to play from the opening bounce last Saturday night, and had piled on the only nine goals of the first quarter to leave Donvale stunned, humbled and scoreless, and already the best part of ten goals behind at quarter-time. The Vales finally woke up in the second quarter and got themselves on the scoreboard half-way through the quarter, but by then the Bulls had settled into a rhythm, and barely missed a beat on their way to a solid eighty-three point victory. Aaron Cole moved freely to boot four goals after a corked thigh had kept him from the ground for the entire second half of their previous week’s victory over Vermont, although he was upstaged up forward last Saturday by Daniel Kennedy. Kennedy continued a rich vein of recent form by booting five goals, as did David Velardo with four majors after seven against the Eagles a fortnight ago. Ziggie Alwan, Craig Anderson and Kris Barlow were all again super-impressive. Balwyn hosted Vermont last weekend for the first time, and wouldn’t have been impressed with their start as the Eagles got out to a commanding 33 point half-time lead. In the quest to keep their unbeaten home record for season 2007 intact, the Tigers ate away at the Vermont lead in the second half, whittling it down to seven points at three-quarter time, and in a last quarter that ebbed and flowed like two racehorses charging to the winning post, the Eagles bobbed at the right time and had their noses in front as they flashed past the finishing post, with the board flashing up a four point Vermont victory. Allan Murray was in scintillating form for the Tigers, booting four goals as by far and away the best player on the ground, Daniel Harford came to play and showed his undeniable class, defenders Seamus Billings and Tom Hooker were irreproachable and former Rams Adam Bester and Tim Howe were also both solid. I’m sure I don’t need to remind Noble Park or Balwyn supporters how big this one is, not just as the two clubs add another chapter to their hotly-contested rivalry, but because it could just be their season on the line here. I know if I were Shane Burgmann or Mick McGuane I’d much rather face East Ringwood next weekend knowing that if everything goes wrong there, that there’s always another game to follow in which to pull things together, than have to travel to Jubilee Park and take on a Lilydale side in a winner-takes-all affair that the Falcons will be primed for. Which should ensure that both teams arrive with all guns blazing tomorrow, set for a great game. The match-ups in this one are enough to make any footy fan salivate. The midfield battle alone is a must-see, with the home side throwing Kris Barlow, Rob Ferraro, Peter O’Brien and Craig Anderson on the ball to compete with Murray, Nick Ries (should he return to the Tigers side), Harford and Bester, with Matt Skehan taking on Matt Kennedy – two ruckman essentially vying for the one spot in the SEN Division One Team of the Year. Seamus Billings should go to Cole in the Noble Park forward line, with Tom Hooker a perfect fit for Daniel Kennedy and Brett Rose to try and shut down the dominance of Velardo. What Balwyn, then, need to counteract is when Barlow drops out of the middle about half-way through the quarter to more of a centre half-forward role, and ensure that the former Hawthorn star doesn’t take a hold of them. At the other end, Marcus Baldwin is quietly positioning himself as the number one focal point in the Balwyn forward line, which will attract the attention of Daniel Rigg, although Sam Cranage and Brad Smith demand attention, with Adam Morgan also floating in the area. Ziggie Alwan would be a great contest for Cranage, Heath Black could be the man for Smith whilst a man of Morgan’s stature presents a problem, and may cause a shuffling of the Bulls deckchairs. Round 9 saw Balwyn strike first blood in the EFL chapter of the storied Noble Park/Balwyn rivalry, with the Tigers winning by some 40 points after establishing their dominance early to lead all day, but have to hold off a determined Bulls outfit. This time around, though, it seems a much more polished Noble Park side that have taken to the field of recent weeks, and they’ll be buoyed by their recent successes. The Bullring is a daunting experience at the best of times for opposition sides, and there’s certainly a fair old road trip facing Micky’s men this weekend. Given what’s on the line, it’s almost impossible to call this one, but I’m here to make selections, not tell stories, and the recent form of NOBLE PARK is too good to pass up. Bulls narrowly.
Scoresby vs Norwood
For the second time in two years, the Magpies and Norsemen face off in their final games of the season, although this time around, there’s certainly less fanfare about the occasion, given that the match-up will take place in Round 18 at Scoresby rather than in a Grand Final in front of a 5,000 strong crowd at Boronia. One must feel for Scoresby at the moment, who could feel a finals berth beckoning at three quarter time last weekend. Thirty-two points clear of Lilydale, and with Steven Pimm on fire up forward, Tim Edmunds and Matt Krawczyk dominating the midfield and Rickie Hill and Jared Major on top down back, the game was Scoresby’s for the taking. Lilydale fired right up though, and in one of the most enthralling quarters of football for the season (which you will be able to listen to the dying stages of by clicking the SportsLine button to the right – a warning, though, don’t have the speakers up too loud, as the sound will be plenty loud enough!!), the Falcons flew home to pip the Magpies by a point, and end the Scoresby finals dream. A more disconsolate group leaving a ground you will not see, and tears were streaming down the faces of more than a few Magpies as they entered their clubrooms to a standing ovation from their loyal supporters (and three blokes in the grandstand above them wearing headsets). Pimm’s six goals kept Scoresby in the game right until the bitter end, and I was impressed with the maturity shown by youngster Kirby McConnon to slot a crucial goal from a tight angle in the dying stages of the final quarter. Norwood had to have their full wits about them last weekend as they travelled to Jubilee Park to face a Ringwood side still on a huge high after their first victory of the season last weekend. The Norsemen came to play, however, and by half-time it was the same old story again for Ringwood, as Norwood led by some 77 points. It didn’t stop there though, as the Norsemen continued on their merry way after half time to record their strongest victory of the season with a 115 point result. The interest was kept in the game for Norwood fans right until the end, though, as they counted off the goals big Stuart Mangin booted for the day. Ten was the final result, as Mangin celebrated a day out with the first double-figure haul by a Norsemen for many a match, and it certainly stretches the margin out when Brent English adds four goals and Scott Day drops in three. With Micky Witkowski and Jack Hill firing, it made for a good day for the Norwood fans, as they celebrated three wins on the trot for the first time since their epic 2006 season and setting themselves up for a chance to jump into eighth spot with a win and put the cherry on the top of a very, very impressive debut Division One season for the Norwood Football Club. But it’s not going to be easy, as if there’s one club that has the wood on Norwood, it’s the Magpies. The game proposes an interesting moral dilemma for Scoresby, though. They currently sit two points clear of Blackburn in sixth spot, and with the Burners almost gifted four points against Ringwood tomorrow, a Scoresby loss would see them fall to seventh spot, and into the bottom half of the seeded draw for season 2008. To tank, or not to tank, that is the question (Oh how I’m tempted to paraphrase the famous Hamlet soliloquy here, but that would serve to do little more than to reprise my high-school nerdiness!!). Knowing Kristian Bardsley, though, tanking would be the furtherest thing from his mind and the agenda of the Scoresby Football Club. There are some positives of being in the top half of the Division One seeded draw though. It would be easier to lure potential big-name recruits to the club with the prospect of two games per season against the best teams in metropolitan Melbourne. Plus, it’s one thing to make the finals, but another to perform in them, and at some stage, no matter what half of the draw you are in, you are going to have to beat the Vermonts, East Ringwoods, Noble Parks and Balwyns of the world to get anywhere, so why not have that added exposure to these teams to formalise game plans and prove your worthiness of a finals spot. Back to the game though – I’m tending to digress a touch towards the end of the season with these mind games that could occur, aren’t I? – which a couple of weeks ago, I would have pencilled in, circled and underlined Scoresby’s name. Now though, it’s not as clear cut. This is through no fault of Scoresby though, who, if anything, have solidified the character of their football club over recent weeks. It’s more the recent form of the Norsemen that makes things so intriguing, and the confidence boost that accompanies such form. At home, I’m tipping SCORESBY, but not by the run-away margin the Magpies saluted by in Round 5.
Vermont vs Lilydale
If not for the stakes involved in the Noble Park/Balwyn clash, then this game had every right to be crowned as Match of the Round in Division One this week. Instead, it’s going to have to settle for a close second, but what a second option this is. The Eagles continued their unbeaten run on the road this season, bursting the Balwyn home bubble at the same time with a four-point victory that also secured the 2007 Division One Minor Premiership for the Eagles, which carries with it the invaluable prize of having the first week of the 2007 Finals Series off, and watching to see who they will face in the Second Semi Final at Bayswater the following week. This, incidentally, marks the Eagles 18th time they have headed the Division One ladder at season’s end, which Vermont have managed to convert into a Premiership victory on 14 occasions – a remarkable statistic. Rowan Williams was the best Eagle in last week’s match, with skipper Brad Cullen, defender Grant McCarthy and on-ballers Leigh Morse and Dean Stephen not far behind. Ventured out to Lilydale last Saturday in anticipation of one of the game’s of the season as the Falcons hosted Scoresby for the right to contest the Division One finals this season, and I wasn’t disappointed (as anyone who caught last Saturday’s broadcast of the game will attest to!!). The Falcons seemed dead and buried at three quarter time, being thirty-two points in arrears thanks to a Cam Linford snapshot at goal right on the three-quarter time siren, but forged a comeback Lazarus would be proud of (for those of you with a biblical bent) to take the lead for the first time in the match when Steve McDonald swung through his third goal for the quarter as the clock ticked over into time-on in the final term. Scoresby tied things up again not long after, which was the cue for Falcons co-captain Chris Murphy to storm down the railway wing at the LSO, linking up with Luke Armstrong to drive Lilydale deep into attack and force through the go-ahead behind. Scoresby moved the ball back into their forward line quickly, but the siren beat them to it, and the LSO erupted with the Falcons a point in front as the siren sounded, securing their place in this year’s Division One Finals Series. Linford was fantastic for the Falcons, as was Adrian Cox through the middle of the ground. Andrew Walsh was great in the ruck, Steve Kenny gave the Falcons a real forward target and McDonald’s four goals changed the game. Now, onto tomorrow’s game. Interesting scenario, too, given that the result will have little to no impact on future proceedings this season, save for maybe which colour shorts the Falcons will wear in their Elimination Final and which changerooms they will use. What it does do, though, is allow Vermont a chance to maybe rest any players that may have little niggling injuries, and give them two weeks to recover before their next game. To do so, though, risks flirting with form and confidence levels, which is never a good thing come this time of season. But I’d expect the Eagles to go in full tilt tomorrow, not just to tune themselves up before the finals, but to honour one of the legends of the Vermont Football Club in Mark Cullen, who plays his 200th game in purple and gold tomorrow. A five-time Eagle premiership player, “Chubbs” and brother Brad have been the epitome of Vermont for over a decade now, dating back to when I used to get excited Sunday morning phone calls in my teenage years growing up in Portland from my Melbourne-based uncle who regaled me with yarns about the skills of the lad the Eagles had picked up from Carlton. Mark, congratulations mate, continue to make every post a winner as you have for so long now. Despite Cullen’s milestone though, it’s not going to be easy for the Eagles tomorrow. I expressed some concern about Vermont coach David Banfield’s constant interchange rotations not allowing players to settle into their games in last week’s Preview, and it was interesting to hear last week that young Dean Waller, who came into the Eagles side last weekend when Simon Frankish withdrew through injury, started on the ground but was interchanged inside the opening two minutes. Far be it for me to cast a negative shadow over Banfield’s coaching tactics – after all, his record speaks for itself and far outweighs anything most others have achieved at a local level – but as I mentioned last week, I feel that these constant interchange moves may be a touch unsettling for some players, who feel that they would rather rest in a forward pocket or the ilk. The Eagle midfield will need to be at its absolute sharpest to counteract the hard-running Falcons this weekend though, especially with David Jackson rejoining the Lilydale senior line-up after an impressive return from injury in the Reserves last weekend. There’s also some fair size amongst the Falcons, given that Steve Kenny and Dan Toohey are spending a fair bit of time down forward, then when you add the likes of Walsh, Daniel Breese, Brad Condor and Grant Braden to the mix, you start to wonder what’s in the mountain water up Lilydale way!! Got a gut feeling that this may be Lilydale’s day – after all, what better time is there to notch up your first ever win over Vermont – but I’ve made it a rule never to tip against VERMONT at home, such is the respect I have for the Eagles, and on a day where they honour one of their greats, the Eagles should rise to the challenge and hold off a gallant Lilydale.
DIVISION TWO – Round Eighteen
Knox vs Mitcham
Just what the Mitcham Football Club needs. It’s been the year from hell for the Tigers, starting with demotion to Division Two for the first time in their existence, rolling into several heart-breaking losses after being in winning positions, followed by the resignation of coach Daniel Bellissimo and the continuation of the search for the season’s first victory which, with just one game to go, has proved fruitless, and resulted in yet another demotion. Then, just when caretaker coach Brad Slater turns his attentions from last week’s 115 point drubbing at the hands of Montrose – a team a fair way removed from the finals race – they consult the fixture to find a trip to Knox scheduled for the last game, who defeated the Tigers by 107 points in Round 9, and who are coming off a 33 goal, 168 point defeat of Rowville last weekend. Makes things a touch difficult, I think you’d agree. And with the Falcons settling their side for a tilt at the Division Two premiership this year, expect Knox to show no mercy tomorrow. The Falcons had thirteen goalkickers last weekend, eight of them multiples led by coach Stuart Wynd’s seven, and that was with regular contributor Daniel “Daisy” Adams absent from the scorecard, and Adam Slater spending most of the second half away from the goalface as coach Wynd pulled rank in the battle for the Knox goalkicking honours!!! Mitcham were jumped early by Montrose last weekend and never recovered, with the Demons streeting away with a ten goal opening quarter and never looking back. Andrew Heard’s three goals were a positive for the Tigers, as was the form of regular contributors Glenn Bolton, Scott Glover and Luke Higgins, with Jarrod Andreatta also impressive. The Mitcham Reserves are also in for a tough time of it tomorrow, as they have to defeat the first-placed Falcons to claim a finals berth after being in the top four all year, else fifth-placed Montrose will swoop and claim fourth spot. Tipping there’s not going to be a lot of joy for the senior Tigers tomorrow in their Division Two swansong, as whilst they won’t go down without a fight, they’re fighting in a different weight division to KNOX, who will win this one by a technical knockout early in the bout.
Montrose vs Bayswater
There’s always one Round 18 match between non-finalists that shapes as a real doozy every year, and this is it for 2007. Montrose were ultra-impressive last week, clinical in their demolition of Mitcham. The Demons booted ten goals in the first quarter, then led by seventy-six points at half-time as the game was all but over. To Montrose’s credit, though, they didn’t stop at that, booting five goals in both the third and fourth quarters to record an impressive 115 point victory. Nick Tennant extended his lead at the head of the Division Two goalkickers table with another six goals, and regular helpers Matt Wright and Michael Edwards booted five and four goals respectively. Chad Rogers was also superb for the Demons, as were Jye Goodman and Jayden Weatherly. Whilst Bayswater’s victory last weekend wasn’t even in the same ball-park as Montrose’s points-wise, one could argue that the Waters win was more impressive, given that they faced a finals-bound team in Doncaster, led all day, and withstood a late charge from the Sharks to record a seven-point victory. Matt Hayhurst led the charge with six goals to bring up his half-century for the season, a remarkable effort and one that will be hard for the selectors of the SEN Division Two Team of the Year to ignore (read that as: he’s in my team!!), Steve Squires added four and Jonathan Merry and Brad Skerke were both fantastic. It’s traditionally a pretty close encounter when these two sides meet, as evidenced by the eight-point margin (in favour of Bayswater) between the two sides in Round 9. Interestingly, it’s been more than three years since Bayswater last travelled up to Montrose Reserve – their clash last year that was scheduled to be at Montrose was transferred to Pinks Reserve in Kilsyth due to Montrose’s ground being deemed as unplayable by Montrose’s local council (and I was at that one, so no correspondence will be entered into!!) – and given the home ground advantage that the Demons usually hold on their patch, they are entitled as such to enter the match as favourites. Back in Round 9, one of the keys to the Bayswater victory was Tristan Purss constantly dropping back into the hole to cut off the steady stream of football directed at Tennant, and Purss did a mighty job with Tennant kicking just the one goal for the afternoon. Keeping the Montrose coach quiet will be paramount to Bayswater’s game plan tomorrow, however things may be a touch different. At Bayswater, there’s plenty of space to drop back into on the big ground. Montrose Reserve, though, is a fair bit smaller, and more conducive to shoot-out’s, meaning that the dropping-back tactic may not be as effective. Besides, as I mentioned last week, if this tactic is working and holding Tennant down, then Tennant must make the decision to make someone else the focal part of their forward line, with the ball going through Wright at every opportunity, or the direct opponent of the man dropping into the hole to make him pay. Home ground advantage sways me towards MONTROSE in Tennant’s 350th EFL game ending their season on a high note.
Doncaster vs Wantirna South
This is almost the perfect lead-in match to the finals for Doncaster as I see it – a similarily skilled opponent, with multiple forward options and a gun midfield, and whom you have already had a shoot-out with this year (which Doncaster won by seven points). Despite what the scores say, Doncaster’s recent form hasn’t been that bad, even though they returned empty-handed from their trip to Bayswater last weekend. With star forward Josh Lumicisi watching on thanks to accepting a set penalty for a misdemeanour the week before against Mitcham, inaccuracy didn’t help Doncaster’s cause early in the piece, as whilst the Sharks had nine scoring shots to four for the opening quarter, it was Bayswater who led by five points at quarter-time. The Waters increased their lead to twenty-one points come half-time, but Doncaster replied with a nine-goal third quarter to close to within three points at three-quarter time. Unfortunately for the Sharks, they couldn’t bridge that gap, and ended up going down by seven points. Chris Annakis booted four goals for the Sharks, with Brad Neil enjoying the goalsquare to himself to kick three goals, and lightning-quick young Sharks Sean Byrne and Matt Carlson both impressive. Upon hearing of Wantirna South’s victory over Mulgrave last Saturday, the first thought I had was “If only Baysie had knocked over Mulgrave last weekend”. Not that I wish any ill will towards the Mulgrave Footy Club, but it would have meant that our Division Two finals race would be going down to the last round, with the Devils just a game behind Mulgrave and with a superior percentage. But alas, it was never meant to be, despite Wantirna South’s seventeen-point victory against Mulgrave last Saturday, a game in which the Devils led from go to woe. Eight goals from Daniel Beddome was a huge factor in the victory, as were the performances of Mark Dimashki, Paul Cameron and Andrew Teakel, and great to see skipper Michael Jamieson return in recent weeks after a seemingly season-ending injury earlier this season. Pretty sure Doncaster coach Rod Mitchell would be super-keen to get a victory in the bag tomorrow, as I’d doubt very much that he’d want to go into the finals based on a month of footy where the Sharks only victory was a six-point win over a struggling Mitcham!! The Sharks can start to employ some structures that will hold them well into next week, especially defensively where they will have to contend with Beddome (Mitchell’s the man to take him), Rod Woodford (with Peter Wood as his shadow), Jamieson (Matt Schimmelbusch to take care of him) and Luke Galliott (Ben Woodham or Luke Jackson) all as credible forward targets. With Lumicisi still missing for another week, it gives a chance for someone like Jarrod Best to float closer in towards goal than usual, and try and jag a couple to boost the confidence, with the emphasis on the forwards making the most of their chances. The midfield is going to have to run hard against a talented Devils outfit as well, which will hold the Sharks in good stead for a meeting with the slick Mulgrave line-up the next week. Only problem with this whole plan is, that I’m tipping the upset to occur!! Since Round 11, the only teams to knock over WANTIRNA SOUTH are top two sides Knox and South Croydon, and whilst I feel that this is a game that Doncaster should win, similar to last week’s clash against Bayswater, something tells me that the Devils match up well with the Sharks, and will have that final game mentality (you know the one, wanting to go out on a high with a victory to make the Mad Monday beers go down easier…I mean, to aid for recruiting for next year!!) to ensure they narrowly scrape over the line tomorrow.
Mulgrave vs South Croydon
Ah hah, now we start to approach something interesting!! Just between you and me, there could be a little something in this game tomorrow, given that there was a fair bit of angst emanating from their Round 9 clash. Match of the Round in Division Two this weekend, as we have two finals-bound sides that will look to gain any advantage over the other with a possible Preliminary Final showdown beckoning. Mulgrave took a week off the winners list last week, as Wantirna South knocked over the Lions by seventeen points at Walker Reserve last Saturday. Mulgrave were behind at every change, but remained within arm’s length of the Devils all day without being able to land that killer blow. Adam Booth enjoyed some time up forward after being used in a variety of positions over the past few weeks, booting three goals, and Brad Rooney chimed in with three majors as well. Scott McLeod, Scott Mills and Dane Andonov were all good for Mulgrave last weekend, and all three will need to be on the top of their games if they want a win to enter the finals on top of, as South Croydon were clinical in their destruction of North Ringwood last weekend. 119 points was the final victory margin for the Doggies, with 30 goals kicked for the day. Lucas Murphy and Justin Minogue got six each of those goals, Paul Rees returned to the South Croydon line-up after an early-season ankle injury to kick four goals, and young duo Nic Molnar and Matt Jones were both fantastic again. The South Croydon side is starting to take on a bit of an ominous look again, with Rees and David Salce rejoining the side last weekend, and the sheer amount of goals being kicked up forward, with, of course, Michael King leading the way with 71 goals from the pocket and an absolute lock for the SEN Division Two Team of the Year. The Doggies are the kind of side that will really trouble Mulgrave in my belief. They run hard, they have an on-field general in Lucas Davies to butt heads and compete all day against Mulgrave ruckman Allan Cleven, and they have their mosquito fleet down forward and on the ball that will cause any side problems. Both teams have to be sure that tempers don’t flare over too much, given what is coming up for both sides next weekend. If a team’s structure is just a little bit out, especially in Division Two this year where all four finalists, but especially Knox and South Croydon, seem to sense opposition weakness and capitalise on it, then it’s not going to be hard to find yourself in a world of hurt. I can’t see how Mulgrave can turn around a 100-plus point defeat from their Round 9 clash, especially as the SOUTH CROYDON team has only gotten stronger since then, so it’s the Doggies to enter next week’s Second Semi Final against Knox on the right note, and gain that small psychological edge that so many people talk about (but is seldom used to an advantage in finals, let’s be perfectly honest).
North Ringwood vs Rowville
This time last year, it was all about survival in Division Two for North Ringwood. Today, as you read this, the Saints aren’t in much better state – they’ve lost two more games than last year – yet they remain safe in Division Two for another year. No thanks at all to last week’s result, though, as the Saints got nice and towelled up by a South Croydon side wanting to make a statement leading up to the finals – which they did by dropping in thirty, count ‘em, thirty, goals whilst the Saints could manage just ten to go down by a whopping 119 points. Five of those ten goals came courtesy of the boot of Brendan Vaughan to take his total to 55 for the season, with Charles Pardo and Brock Ferguson also trying their darndest to stop the South Croydon onslaught. But if you want to talk onslaughts, then you need to start talking about the Knox and Rowville game from last Saturday where the Falcons booted an amazing thirty-three goals against Rowville, at Rowville, to defeat the Hawks by a mammoth 168 points. The Hawks were powerless to stop the Knox juggernaut, if you will, as the Falcons led by 85 points at half time, then bunged on an eleven goal to one third quarter to really make things interesting!! Still, Justin Davis, Glen DeBlecourt and Nick Cox were gallant for Rowville, with Cody Morris booting three goals. Not much separated these two sides in their Round 9 encounter, with Rowville winning by eight points on the back of five goals from Ray Sibly in his senior debut. Given that Sibly has returned to the Rowville two’s as they prepare for the finals, it means that Murray Silver, who failed to kick a goal against the Saints in that Round 9 encounter, will have come onto the radar of Brock Ferguson, the Saints designated defensive stopper this season. With Leigh Dawson, Brandon Allison and Matthew Knight all missing from the Rowville backline last week, one can see how Knox managed to boot so many goals, and Rowville would be hoping to get at least one of these three back (to mind Vaughan, at the very least) to shore up their defensive end. Tomorrow also represents the final game for Paul Mynott as the coach of the Rowville Football Club, which, given the success that Monster has brought to the Rowville Football Club and the service he has given the Hawks, there would be no better parting gift from the Rowville faithful than a win in his last game as coach. Looking at the other view on that one, though, Rowville haven’t won a cracker since Mynott’s resignation was announced at the end of July, and with a backline vulnerable on an opposition ground tomorrow, it may be a case of “same old story” for the Hawks, who, like Blackburn in Division One, were not all that long ago looking like certain finalists (rumour has it ‘Monster’ might even pull the boots on one last time as well!). But how the wheel can turn in football, and unfortunately for Rowville, I can’t see them getting over NORTH RINGWOOD unless they do something pretty quickly about shoring up their back half, which is a shame as Mynott deserves to go out on a high.
DIVISION THREE
Second Semi Final – Walker Park, Mitcham
Saturday 25th August, 2:10pm
Doncaster East vs Boronia
It’s the Second Semi Final matchup that most of us expected since Boronia were knocked over by Templestowe back in Round 16, but it comes with the Hawks having been displaced at the top of the Division Three ladder last week for the first time since Round 11, thanks to a fired-up Coldstream wanting to end the season on a high, and defeating Boronia by ten points. The Hawks trailed all day in a fairly high-scoring contest, which saw Lukas Appleby kick four goals for Boronia to take home the Trophy Town Division Three Goalkicking title with 57 goals for the season, one more than Upper Gully’s Grant Noonan, but in the end surrendered top spot. Ben Van Dort and Leigh Bridges were both standouts for Boronia, with Matt Heenan and Ben Dadswell also chipping in. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Doncaster East last week either, as they took on the Waverley Blues and trailed for the best part of the first three quarters as the Blues looked to end their season on a high note. But the Lions rallied, kicking six goals to three in the final quarter to win by sixteen points, and take the Division Three Minor Premiership in the process. Emil Parthenides was next to unstoppable, booting eight goals in a virtuoso display. Gary Sammartino and Adam Molinaro also starred for the Lions, whilst Leigh Murphy was his usual consistent self. As a result, we have this humdinger of a Second Semi Final, where one of two teams that didn’t play finals in season 2006 is going to win their way straight into a Grand Final, and a chance to move up into Division Two ranks. And, interestingly enough, both teams come into this game a touch under their absolute best. Doncaster East will be without captain/coach Cameron Gillett thanks to a broken arm, as well as centre half-back Damian Munivrana, leaving some match-up difficulties in the Boronia forward line. Mick Devine will almost certainly go to Appleby, with Mitch Craig, who spent some time in the backline guarding up and coming Blues forward Robert Hartfield last Saturday, may be the man assigned to go with Boronia centre half-forward Dylan Sloane, who can be very damaging when allowed to roam free. Interestingly enough, Lions coach Cameron Gillett seems to think, according to Gavin Casey’s article on the Doncaster East/Waverley Blues matchup from last weekend that he feels that Boronia may have to adjust their line-up to account for the size of the Doncaster East forward line, which is a more than valid point when you have the likes of Emil Parthenides, John Blias, Ash Neville, James Baranello and Molinaro to rotate through the forward line. However, without accounting for the matchups that I have mentioned above, Gillett still has to worry about Brett Rattray and Scott McKenzie as pinch-hitters up forward for Boronia, who are both big, big boys, and which may have to force Gillett to re-think his strategy should Boronia get on top early. The key to what Gillett was saying, though, is that he is backing in his midfield to beat the Boronia midfield, and any midfield that has Murphy, Alex Theodorou, Gary Sammartino and Saade Daher as their main components is going to win their fair share of contested ball. But Dean Grice, Pat Garrity, Matt Buzinskas and Glenn Stevens are no slouches themselves, which will make for an enthralling opening fifteen minutes of the game. The Appleby match-up could be the one that makes or breaks Gillett’s whole game plan, though, as Apples exploded for 10 goals in Boronia’s 68 point Round 10 victory over Doncaster East, although in fairness to the Lions, this was at a time when they were riddled by injuries, and dropped three games in the space of four weeks. What has impressed me about both sides this year is the pressure created by both teams on the opposition’s ball carriers, forcing them into making mistakes and turning the ball over. Doncaster East are the masters of midfield pressure, but Boronia are certainly no slouches in this area either. This one is going to be won and lost in the coaches box, I feel, as both teams are very evenly matched talent-wise, and it’s the individual match-ups that could make or break the game. Apart from Craig McKenzie, Boronia don’t have any other really recognised tall backs, which could be a concern for the Hawks should their coach Darren Linkins not have done his homework. Now, for tip time. Don’t know if it’s just me, but both teams seem to be a touch wobbly going into such a crucial game tomorrow. Boronia’s formline over the last month, save for their victory over Upper Gully a fortnight ago, hasn’t been anything too flash, and the loss of Gillett and Munivrana makes me worry about the Lions ability to keep Doncaster East to a losing score. It’s going to be a doozy, ladies and gents, and you can catch all of the action LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE on Radio Eastern 98.1FM from 1:00pm tomorrow afternoon. Very nearly a toss of the coin match, but I’m going with DONCASTER EAST, who may have too many avenues to goal for the Hawks to effectively cover, to win by under three goals and advance to their first Grand Final since the 2005 season.
First Semi Final – Walker Park, Mitcham
Sunday 26th August, 2:10pm
Upper Ferntree Gully vs Nunawading
Hang on a minute, stop the presses. Is it just me, or are you getting the strangest sense of déjà vu?? Didn’t I talk about this game last week?? Well, as a matter of fact, I did, as Upper Gully and Nunawading reprise their Round 18 clash in Sunday’s First Semi Final at Walker Park in Mitcham. Upper Gully will enter the match as favourites on the back of their 27 point victory over the Lions at Kings Park last weekend. Upper Gully started the better, leading by 14 points at quarter-time, but Nunawading drew to within a point at half-time and were threatening. All of that changed pretty quickly in the third quarter, though, as Tate Hickleton started to come into the game for Upper Gully, booting three of his five goals for the day in the third quarter to ensure that Upper Gully went in thirteen points clear at three-quarter time. A four goal to two last quarter saw Upper Gully take the points for the second time this season over the Lions, this time by 27 points, to set up Sunday’s re-match between the two carry-over finalists from season 2006. What will be interesting to know, though, is if either side left anything up their sleeves last weekend. Grant Noonan kicked five goals, as he tends to do often against Nunawading, with Robert Papp as his opponent, who has spent much of the year in the forward line, and is in fact Nunawading’s second highest goalkicker with 30 goals for the season. Does Papp get the job again, or has Nunawading coach Brett Davidson got other plans up his sleeve for Noonan?? In the few times I’ve seen Upper Gully this year, Noonan hasn’t made much of an impact thanks to some tight-checking opposition players playing with the sole edict to punch the ball away from the big man at every opportunity. The Waverley Blues took it another step further by also dropping ruckman Rod Van Hattum into “the hole”, but Upper Gully started to use his direct opponent more as the go-to man in the forward line, causing the Blues to make the switch. But I feel it’s not so much Noonan that Nunawading has to worry about, it’s stopping the supply by getting first hands on the ball through the midfield. Where Upper Gully have impressed me this season is through their hard work and gut running through blokes like Tim Riseley (who I’m a huge wrap for), Ash Hards, Adrian Tapscott and Dom Di Mascio. Nunawading have the cattle to match Upper Gully in Marco Bello, Andrew Goland, David Weerden and the under-rated Brendan Sharpe, who has been fantastic as the Lions main run-with player, and if they can cut the supply to Noonan, then their job is half-done. Stopping Tate Hickleton and Matt Petracca is just as important for the Lions as well, especially when you look at the stats from their earlier meetings this season. In Round 9, Upper Gully kicked 26 goals for the day, 16 of which were kicked by the trio of Noonan (8), Hickleton (4) and Petracca (4). Last weekend, Upper Gully scored 18 goals for the match, of which the aforementioned trio booted 13. Get my drift?? Noonan’s the big match-up, and I don’t see anyone in the Nunawading side, save for maybe Michael Britten, with the height and strength to go with Noonan. I’d slap a tagger straight onto Hickleton, who can be so dangerous if left for even half a second, which is where Sharpe or maybe Luke Small come into the mix, and I’d throw Ash Polak onto Matt Petracca. At the other end, Sam McCallum is the Lions’ main focus, with Leigh Collier his likely target, but the danger man could very well be Dennis Porcellato, who has kicked seven goals in his two appearances against Upper Gully. Matthew Streit or Tom Eddy could be called into action here – probably Streit would be my choice, as Eddy would be a good match-up for David Hay. Something tells me that not everything was exposed last weekend, and that one of the sides (and I’m favouring Nunawading to do so here, given the savvy of coach Brett Davidson) is going to throw something from left-field at us. If Nunawading can stop Upper Gully’s run, then they are a huge chance here, but I just worry about that big fella up forward, and no Nuna defender that measures up – on the tape measure. Therefore it’s UPPER GULLY for mine on Sunday, narrowly, to advance to the Preliminary Final next weekend.
DIVISION FOUR
Second Semi Final – Tormore Reserve, Boronia
Saturday 25th August, 2:10pm
Whitehorse Pioneers vs The Basin
In all reality, no-one in the Eastern Football League was going to start to measure these two sides until this weekend. From the opening weekend of the season, it was expected that the Pioneers and Bears would be the top two sides in Division Four this year, and the preceding eighteen matches would merely be a formality. As such, it’s time to get out the red marking pen and the ruled line paper, and commence the examination. The Whitehorse Pioneers have had a fantastic season, being the only team in the Eastern Football League to go through the home-and-away season undefeated, and didn’t they put the exclamation point on it last Saturday against the Glen Waverley Hawks. Often top sides fall into the trap of simply going through the motions when faced with a lowly side in the final rounds before the finals, but the Whitehorse Pioneers suffered no such complacency when facing the bottom of the table Hawks last Saturday. The result?? A 41-goal afternoon for the Pioneers, with 13 in the second quarter and 21 of those coming in the second half whilst keeping the Hawks goalless. 226 points was the final winning margin for the Pioneers, and didn’t they share the love!! Jacob Paulka booted thirteen goals (before taking out the Pioneers Best & Fairest for season 2007 – well done Paulks), Karl Lewicki booted nine (and wouldn’t Surrey Park be bleeding watching that performance) and Jacob Daley four goals to join the irrepressible Zac Tarr and Luke Nichols amongst the Pioneers better players. And that was without leading goalkicker (or at least he was before the game) John Dinicolantonio in the side last weekend, keeping with his home-and-away strategy of playing once every two weeks!!! The Basin didn’t have it quite as easy, although they still won comfortably against Surrey Park, but with Andrew Cowlishaw out of the side with a suspected hamstring injury. Still, it sets up one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes of the season. The Whitehorse Pioneers, obviously, have the 2-0 advantage in head to head clashes against The Basin this season, but in a quirky twist, the Pioneers have managed to score 99 points on both occasions against the Bears, with The Basin’s own score fluctuating by just two points (61 in Round 3, 59 in Round 13). Weird, huh?? And that’s with no player kicking more than three goals in either game!! With The Basin going out of the finals race in straight sets after finishing on top of the Division Four ladder in 2006, it’s exactly this scenario for which Ben Holmes was recruited to the Bears, and as such he will definitely be a player to watch tomorrow. Expect Holmes to line up across centre half-forward, with Scott Graham his likely opponent. These are the sort of games that Bears co-captains Luke Anderson and Matt Smith also stand up in (although “Spocky” Smith may not have the fondest memories of last year’s Second Semi Final after leaving the game with an eight-match suspension), and they’ll be crucial components of the on-ball division for the Bears, but it’s their backline that may need the most attention. With Paulka, Lewicki, Dinicolantonio, Daley, Dylan Tempany and Paul Fiorenza in the forward line and midfielders like Jamie Carpenter and Adam Barker who love to run and kick goals, there’s would struggle to be a team out there with the defensive capabilities to shut down so many different elements. Smith, Luke Watson, Leigh Haslem and Paul Bruton will lead the charge, and it will be interesting to see what defensive match-ups Bears coach Darren Searle employs tomorrow. The midfield battle should be a cracker as well, as both teams employ attacking midfielders who love nothing more than to run and kick goals, and the wide spaces of Tormore Reserve should allow for exactly that to occur. The Basin will be wired for this one, and with Cowlishaw likely to return, they will have a much needed extra target forward, which will help. The WHITEHORSE PIONEERS deserve to go in as favourites given their extraordinary season, but none of that matters any more – just ask The Basin about what happened twelve months ago. Still, the Pioneers should win, by 4-5 goals.
First Semi Final – Tormore Reserve, Boronia
Sunday 26th August, 2:10pm
Eastern Lions vs Heathmont
Since Heathmont knocked over the Eastern Lions a fortnight ago at Fairpark Reserve, this has been the favoured combination for Sunday’s First Semi Final, however Forest Hill made sure to propel themselves well and truly into the mix as well, and sat just 0.96% outside the top four last week, with percentage to play a big part in the finals race. So Heathmont, who were facing Kilsyth, decided to press the hyperspace button from the word go. Jets forward Mick Aitken entered the game needing three goals to bring up his century – got them in the first ten minutes, sparking a crowd invasion at H.E. Parker Reserve!!! The Jets booted ten goals in the opening quarter to lead by 45 points at quarter time, meaning that to take over fourth spot, Forest Hill needed to have a lead (or winning margin) some 18 points greater than Heathmont’s. When the Jets lead got out to 77 points by half-time, with no signs of slowing, one or two in the Forest Hill camp may have started to get nervous, especially seeing as the Zebras were just 37 points ahead of the Ferntree Gully Eagles at the same time. Things got a little more dire for the Zebras when Heathmont booted six goals to one in the third quarter, then downright desperate when the Jets slammed home eight goals to one in the last quarter to finish the day on 30 goals, a 154 point win, and a 12% gap between themselves and Forest Hill, who finished the season in fifth place. Oh yeah, and Mick Aitken ended the day with not just the three goals he needed for the ton, but an extra 12 just to make sure he was over the line – 15 for the day taking his total to 38 over the past three matches. Well done Mick, phenomenal stuff mate (and to think, here I was three weeks ago telling him to get a wriggle on with it!!). The Eastern Lions didn’t want to be left behind in the scoring stakes, though, as they conjured a 96 point victory over Chirnside Park, with seven goals to one in the first quarter putting paid to any talk of the Lions missing the finals. And in a classic case of “anything you can do, I can do better”, Lions spearhead David Mazins booted 14 goals against the Panthers last Saturday (OK, it’s not better, I know, but cut me some slack – I wanted to use the quote!!). And just for a change, Paul Capper and Chad Mitchell were the Lions best players!!!!! Round number three of Lions/Jets battles so far this season, with the teams locked at one win apiece, both of which were Radio Eastern radio games. Therefore, we thought, why buck the trend, so it’s down to Boronia I go with microphone in tow, to bring you all of the action LIVE on Radio Eastern, which of course is located at 98.1 on your FM dial, from 2:00pm on Sunday – yep, we’re on the air on Sunday this week, and for the following two weeks as well!!! Single-figure margins separated the two sides both times, and I’m tipping that tomorrow may be no different. Lions captain Leigh Rankin has done a pretty good job on Aitken both times this season, holding the Jets spearhead to four and five goals respectively, by playing him extremely close and not allowing Aitken the space to run and jump. Therefore, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, if Aitken is being closely checked, then Andrew Malcolm must stand up to give the Jets a focal point up forward. If that’s the case, it’s up to the young Jets midfielders not to be too Aitken-conscious, which you would expect after he’s kicked goals from seemingly everywhere over the previous three weeks, and to use Malcolm, Daniel Baker or Anthony Witkowksi as much as possible to drag some of the focus away from Aitken. At the other end, the Lions forward line could swell immensely depending on last night’s Selectors Table meetings. With Mazins and Andrew Gilbert already taking up huge amounts of space in the forward 50 and Sandor Redzic to come back in after suspension, it was interesting to see big Max Gasparroni, who shot down the Jets in their Round 7 encounter, have a run around in the Lions reserves last weekend, and it poses the question to Lions coach Frank Lesiputty (who will be celebrating his 40th birthday on gameday – happy birthday Frank!!), do you bring the big man in to play alongside Mazins and Gilbert, with the weather forecast to be fine on Sunday, and instruct Steven Armstrong and Steve Dix (if available) to sit at their feet all day?? Either way, it’s going to make for some sort of a contest, and I can’t wait. With nothing separating the two sides on two different occasions this year, it makes tipping a hard prospect, but I just feel that the EASTERN LIONS will have too much variety up forward for the Jets backline to handle, and as such will advance to next Saturday’s Preliminary Final.
Whew, we’re finally done. I thought that by dropping five games this week, it would result in some sort of significant reduction in ramblings. Trust finals time to bring out my analytical side and ensure that the 11,000 word barrier was still breached!!! Still, that’s the last big one of the year, as the Division One and Two home and away seasons are just 29 hours away from being in the can. Going to be a cracking weekend of EFL action – as you would imagine with the fair dinkum stuff starting off – and I can’t wait for it to get under way. Time for me to start preparing for the weekend, as the fork approaches for another week. Have a top one, and best of luck to all finals participants. I’ll be out and about all weekend, and hope to see you around the traps. Until next week, though, stick a fork in me, I am so very, very done!!
