A thrilling preliminary final between Laurimar and South Morang awaits with the Northern Football League Division 3 preliminary final tomorrow at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
South Morang progressed to the preliminary final for the sixth-consecutive year with a strong 32-point win over Kilmore at the Whittlesea Showgrounds in the first semi final.
The Lions established a handy lead after kicking two quick goals early in the second term and then stifled the Blues’ forward thrusts for the rest of the afternoon.
South Morang had players set up in all the right spots whenever Kilmore tried to advance with a long kick. Reece Jones, Ben Muscat and Mitchell Kalpakis intercepted most of the long balls towards the forward 50.
When Kilmore did get a look at goal, it was often a shot from wide out or under pressure. Despite this, the Blues needed to do better than 13 consecutive behinds and only kicking one goal after quarter time.
The Lions led by 21 points at the main break and Kilmore had the aid of a slight breeze in the third term. It felt like the Blues were still in it if they could kick a few with the breeze and build momentum.
But a volley from Rohan Buzzini from deep in the forward pocket went
straight through and it just felt like it was South Morang’s day from
then on. And it was.
Buzzini slotted three for the day in a good showing. The best tall
forward option for the Lions was Jake Potter. He booted two majors.
Chris Ryall is a leading best and fairest contender and shone as the best player for Kilmore in the club’s first finals appearance since 2002. So, it was a comparatively successful year despite the disappointment on the day.
The second semi-final pitted Panton Hill against Laurimar. It was one apiece during the season, but the Redbacks were heavily favoured to win this contest after they had drawn away from the Power in Round 16 at Laurimar Reserve to win by 36 points.
While both teams had injury problems on the day, Panton Hill has recovered better since that day and took a fuller compliment of players into the game.
The Redbacks seemed to have control of the game but were not able to land the winning blow until late in the contest.
Laurimar was full of grit and determination all day. The Power drew level twice midway through the final term before falling eight points short after a Daniel Freeman tackle led to a Rhys Boyden goal – his fourth for the day.
Ethan Frawley played two games for the Northern Knights in 2019 and showed his class with a polished display for the Power.
Panton Hill’s 2013 best and fairest Nathan Hendry has been in good form in the regular season and impressed once more – switching between being loose in defence and providing some midfield drive.
The preliminary final at the Whittlesea Showgrounds sees Laurimar play South Morang. The Power surprised to the upside in 2018 when making the finals in only their second year in the senior competition. Few outside the club had any such expectations.
But new 2018 coach Justin Sherman and his team justified the internal confidence within the club and won their way into the finals with a win in the last round of the 2018 regular season.
They were underdogs in the first semi final against South Morang and went within a whisker of a victory – losing by five points.
2019 brought much higher expectations for Laurimar. The Power were expected to finish in the top-two and achieved that feat after being in top spot until the very last round.
After losing narrowly to Panton Hill last weekend, the next step in the young club’s progression is to win a final. Can they do it?
South Morang has made every preliminary final since 2014 – despite being written off more than once in that time frame. The Lions have won only one of those five preliminary finals, however, and would like to make amends in that regard.
History suggests that the second semi final loser has the upper hand in Division 3 preliminary finals. Only two of ten first semi final winners have progressed through to the grand final. But it should also be noted that six of the ten preliminary finals have been decided by two goals or less – including the past four.
The last convincing win in a preliminary final was back in 2014 when Reservoir defeated South Morang by 36 points. But the Mustangs had defeated the Lions by a whopping 82 points in the final round of the season and were the hot favourites going into that finals clash.
The 2019 ladder would suggest a comfortable win to Laurimar. The Power finished four and a half wins and 35 percent ahead of South Morang. But the Lions look to have peaked at the right time and won the previous encounter between the sides by 50 points in the final home and away round.
Laurimar struggled with injuries on that day and its fans will feel the result was not a true reflection of the side’s capabilities.
With player unavailability a problem, the Power went into the second semi final with a very inexperienced line-up. Those players coming in who lacked experience performed pretty well – with William Di Pietro the standout.
Laurimar supporters will be looking for the team to be bolstered by some regular players coming back this week. Adam Dennis would be one who is a chance.
Josh Williamson must also be close, but he has not played since Round 10 – against South Morang, coincidentally. The Power won that game at Mill Park Lakes Reserve by seven points after trailing at every other change.
The good news is that both teams seem to have escaped unscathed from the first week of finals.
With the weather likely to be kind, a great spectacle and a close finish is expected for the many fans who attend.
The curtain raiser is also full of interest – with the two of the new clubs in the league attempting to get a team into a grand final for the first time. Old Eltham Collegians faces off against Kilmore for the right to play Heidelberg West in the reserves grand final.
LAURIMAR
14 wins – 3 losses
Points For – 1434, Average For – 84
Points Against – 989, Average Against – 58
Average Winning Margin – 39
Average Losing Margin – 31
Leading Goal Kicker – Josh Williamson (34)
Most Times In Best – Mitchell Thompson (14)
SOUTH MORANG
10 wins – 6 losses – 1 draw
Points For – 1318, Average For – 76
Points Against – 1145, Average Against – 67
Average Winning Margin – 40
Average Losing Margin – 39
Leading Goal Kicker – Alex Colaidis (39)
Most Times In Best – Tye Hall (13)
HEAD TO HEAD IN 2019
Round 18: Laurimar 9.9 (63) def by South Morang 16.17 (113)
Laurimar
Goal Kickers: J. Cecil 2, M. Golby 2, M. Brennan, J. Leather, M. Thompson, J. Lewis, J. Lawson
Best Players: L. Wilson, M. Thompson
South Morang
Goal Kickers: A. Colaidis 6, J. Hewson 2, B. Brown 2, J. Potter 2, M. Dickson, L. Shelton, L. Golledge, T. Hall
Best Players: L. Shelton, A. Colaidis, A. Lazaric, T. Hall, B. Brown, J. Potter
Round 10: South Morang 7.6 (48) def by Laurimar 7.13 (55)
South Morang
Goal Kickers: J. Potter 2, T. Hall, L. Golledge, A. Colaidis, A. Lazaric, J. Renehan
Best Players: R. Buzzini, N. Bell, B. Muscat, B. Power, B. Brown, M. Kalpakis
Laurimar
Goal Kickers: M. Brennan 2, J. Lawson 2, J. Sherman, B. Deed, M. Thompson
Best Players: M. Thompson, L. Wilson, M. Brennan, W. Ratje, B. Kotas
