Grand Final Preview – Under 19s Division One
Image courtesy of Paul Carter https://linktr.ee/carter_capture or instagram @carter_capture
Written by Michael Shillito
We’ve made it to the final day of the season. For a while it wasn’t looking like we’d get a season in; but in the end we’ve managed to get a worthwhile season played. There’s some premierships very much worth winning, and the first is a clash between some of the most exciting young talent in Sydney as the Under 19s Division One premiership is on the line with Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs taking on the North Shore Bombers.
The Bulldogs have been undefeated so far this season, sweeping all before them in the regular season to go through undefeated; and following that up with a comfortable 24-point win over Sydney Uni in the Major Semi-Final.
The quest for the premiership is helped along if there’s a target up forward who is able to spearhead the charge on the scoreboard, and the Bulldogs have one in Mitchell Sciberras, who has already contributed 25 goals to the Bulldog cause this season. Another to watch is Harry Whitaker, who will be looking to add a premiership medal to go with his Kealy Medal as best and fairest in this division in 2020.
The Bombers dropped one game during the regular season, but had to do it the hard way in the finals. A 24-point loss to Sydney Uni in the Qualifying Final forced them into sudden death; but they fought back. After a 32-point win over Manly in the Minor Semi-Final, they turned the tables in a re-match against Sydney Uni in the Preliminary Final to record a 39-point victory and make their way into the competition decider.
Oscar Bird has been a focal point up forward for the Bombers this season, and the Bombers will again be looking for some high-flying marking power and for him to add to his 20 goals for the season. Around the ground, keep an eye out for Kale Gabila, who has been a consistent performer this season and has stood up when needed in the finals.
The two sides met once during the regular season, a game which saw the Bulldogs run out winners by 29 points at Henson Park in round 5.
The Bombers will be buoyed by a cracking win last week, and will be going in hard and you can expect to see them put up a fight. But the Bulldogs have been the standout team in this division all season; and it would be a stunning upset if they were to fall at the last hurdle and miss out on the undefeated premiership.
Prediction – UNSW-ES by 12 points.
Covid-19 Protocols and Ticketing
To enable AFL Sydney to effectively implement and operate a COVID safety plan, Grand Final days will be ticketed to ensure crowd numbers stay at or under 500 at any time. Tickets are not available to the general public and will not be issued on the gate. The only tickets available have been allocated to each competing team which they will share among players, officials and spectators. Entry into the venue will only be permitted to ticket holders. Contact your club for more information on how to secure a ticket, otherwise you can stream all the action live on our Facebook page.
Keep up-to-date with all AFL Sydney related news by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
