FINALS PREVIEW – Men’s Premier Division
Article by Michael Shillito
We’re into the finals, and the tension is rising. A long season has got us to this point, and only the top five remain. One team will be eliminated every week until we have our winner, and the stakes for every game are high.
This is the time when legends are created, when the truly elite stand and deliver. It’s finals time!
QUALIFYING FINAL
DETAILS
WHO – UNSW Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs vs. North Shore Bombers
WHEN – Saturday, 26 August 2017 at 3.50pm
WHERE – Blacktown International Sportspark
HEAD TO HEAD
Round 6
North Shore Bombers – 4.2 5.6 8.14 10.16 (76)
UNSW-ES Bulldogs – 2.5 6.8 9.13 11.15 (81)
Round 18
UNSW-ES Bulldogs – 3.2 7.4 13.6 15.6 (96)
North Shore Bombers – 1.2 4.3 6.5 8.9 (57)
Our finals begin with second versus third, a twilight encounter at Blacktown between two teams that have enjoyed plenty of success already this season, but with a hunger for more.
UNSW Eastern Suburbs return to the Premier Division finals for the first time since 2013. It has been an amazing season for the Bulldogs, one that has exceeded their wildest expectations.
They surged through the middle of the season with a winning streak that kept pace with the ladder-leading Sydney University. A three-game losing streak followed, but that was broken last week with a handy win over North Shore.
Jack Hardman kicked four for the Bulldogs last week, and the club will again be looking to him to make a contribution on the scoreboard to help them to a winning score.
Also keep an eye on Max Lower and Jarrod Wachman, two players who have emerged as key contributors for the Bulldogs this season.
North Shore have also enjoyed plenty of on-field success in 2017, with a six-game winning streak in the second half of the year moving them from mid-table to the double-chance zone before they went down to the Bulldogs last week.
Watch out for Jack Campbell and Hamish MacDonald, two young Bombers who have stood up well and made useful contributions for the club this season. Jimmy McKenzie in the midfield has also been in impressive form, and the Bulldogs will need to keep him quiet.
Both clubs have been nurseries of top talent in recent years, having played off in the last two Under 19s Division One Grand Finals. Both clubs will be competing in the finals in that division again this year. At each clubs, we are seeing players make their way seamlessly from the Under 19s into senior footy.
This game is not sudden death. The loser will live to fight another day. But for the winner, there is a chance to play off next week, to go straight through to the Grand Final.
The Bulldogs have beaten the Bombers twice this year, firstly in a thriller at Mortgage Choice Oval and then by a bigger margin last week. This may give them a psychological edge, but the Bombers may have a few tricks up their sleeve to play now when the stakes are higher.
ELIMINATION FINAL
DETAILS
Who – St. George Dragons vs. Pennant Hills Demons
When – Sunday, 27 August 2017 at 3pm
Where – Blacktown International Sportspark
HEAD TO HEAD
Round 5
Pennant Hills Demons – 5.3 11.6 14.10 20.13 (133)
St. George Dragons – 4.3 9.5 13.7 17.11 (113)
Round 12
St. George Dragons – 5.1 6.2 10.4 13.6 (84)
Pennant Hills Demons – 1.8 1.13 4.18 8.21 (69)
St George and Pennant Hills have enjoyed plenty of success in recent seasons and again they have made it through to the playoffs. But in a clash between fourth and fifth, only one will make it through to the second week.
It has been a curious season for St George, at times looking like carrying all before them only to suffer a run of defeats that sent them back to the pack.
Three losses in their last four games, including their worst loss was last week when they went down to East Coast Eagles by 104 points, means they do not enter the finals in the best form.
The Dragons, when in form, are capable of better than that, and they will have worked hard this week to turn their fortunes around. They have the manpower to make a significant dent in this finals series.
The likes of Ben Jones and Dom Michalak have featured time and again in the Dragons’ best player list, after a season of leather poisoning. If former AFL players Earl Shaw and Dylan Addison take their place in the team this week, the big-game experience they bring with them, will make a big difference.
Pennant Hills have also had a roller-coaster of emotions this season. Just a few weeks ago their hopes of making their 14th finals series in a row were looking slim. Luckily for them, they found a way to get to the finals, and hit their best form last week with a comprehensive 112-point win over UTS.
Watch out for Stephen Wray and Tom Edmonds, two Demons who have shown good form at this time of year previously and will be looking to guide the Demons once again.
Matt ‘King’ Carey is another who can produce his best footy when the pressure is on, and the Demons will be looking for him to stand and deliver.
These clubs have had plenty of finals action in recent years, and played off in Preliminary Finals three years in a row from 2013 to 2015. The Demons won through on all three occasions, but the Dragons made it through to the Grand Final last year.
The two sides have split their meetings this year. The Demons got up in a high-scoring shootout at Mike Kenny Oval, but the Dragons took advantage of some wasteful Demon finishing to reverse that result at Olds Park in the return game.
Both clubs have had a bumpy ride this season. The winner will live to fight another day, but for the loser, the season is over.
Expect a no holds barred clash between two desperate teams, fighting as though there is literally no tomorrow.
