AFL Sydney & AFL Canberra – Men’s Pre-Season Club Invitational Week Three (Finals) Preview
Written by Sam Zikman (AFL Sydney)
Massive match day across the AFL Sydney and AFL Canberra Pre-Season Invitational, see below for all the scores;
| AFL Sydney Teams | Result | AFL Canberra Teams |
| Pennant Hills Demons 5.13.43 | Defeated | Eastlake Demons 5.4.34 |
| UTS AC Bats 17.9.111 | Defeated | Batemans Bay Seahawks 4.2.26 |
| Inner West Magpies 9.9.63 | Defeated | Belconnen Magpies 3.7.25 |
| St. George Dragons 5.5.35 | Defeated by | Queanbeyan Tigers 11.8.74 |
| South West Sydney Blues 13.10.88 | Defeated | Gungahlin Jets 1.0.6 |
| East Coast Eagles 17.8.110 | Defeated | Tuggeranong Valley AFNC 3.2.20 |
Following the completion of the first two weeks of the invitational we are now set for week three and the Finals! See below for a preview of this Saturday’s match ups;
Preview – Matchday Three:
12:00pm: Grand Final – Inner West Magpies vs. Queanbeyan Tigers
This match will be LIVE with commentary on the AFL Sydney Facebook Page – Click here. Tune in LIVE from 11:55am on Saturday.
The Big Dance… well of sorts – Lets go with the Pre-Season BIG DANCE between two undefeated teams in this year’s invitational series. The Inner West Magpies will fly the flag for AFL Sydney this weekend when the raiders from our nations capital the Queanbeyan Tigers descend on Sydney for the second time in two weeks, hoping to claim the much desired ‘Preseason Cup’ for the Canberra faithful.
Queanbeyan have been a powerhouse for many years and will bring plenty of finals experience into this match with the Magpies. Ben Klemke’s men on the other hand played a semifinal in 2022 but did not grace the field in September last season and will come in largely untested in ‘finals footy’. Despite this the magpies will be confident after dispatching with both Belconnen (AFL Canberra Premiers in 2023) last weekend and Batemans Bay in week one. The likely inclusion of Summer Series players including Leeroy Veerhius, Jake Rule and Blake Ciscato will be massive for Inner West, as they will look to control the footy from the midfield and big Leeroy in the ruck will support first use.
It will be a battle of different game styles with Queanbeyan seeking to run, use their foot speed and burn off the magpies while Inner West will have the bigger bodies around the stoppages and will seek to put physical pressure on the younger tigers.
After going 9-3 in the series AFL Sydney are confident our Grand Final representative while get the chocolates (and the oversized novelty cheque with the winner claiming $6,000 in prize money) on Saturday, however, Queanbeyan are not a team to be taken lightly.
2:20pm: Third Place Playoff – Pennant Hills Demons vs. UTS AFC Bats
This match will be LIVE with commentary on the AFL Sydney Facebook Page – Click here. Tune in LIVE from 2:15pm on Saturday.
Wow here we go, the third-place play-off fit for a Grand Final. The other two undefeated teams in the invitational do battle at 2:20pm on Saturday afternoon at BISP, with the dulcet tones of David Redden (The Voice of AFL Sydney) back on the airwaves.
Pennant Hills will be kicking themselves after poor accuracy last week vs. Eastlake cost them a chance to play in the 1st vs 2nd match up. The Demons proved themselves a team to be reckoned with in season 2024 after beating a very fancied opponent in Eastlake in matchday two. The demons won both games with class and look poised to have the most potent forward line across the league this season. Nick Hay has been racking up the shots on goal, however, the ‘chief’ needs to locate his radar ahead of facing Sydney Uni in Round 1. The key inclusion of Harrison Pitt from the Under 22’s series will be key and provide Ben Roberts another leading option up forward.
For the Bats, plenty of class has decided to call Trumper Park home in 2024, and if Hugo Birks and Koby Grass’ can bring their form from the VFL and Under 22’s series the Bat will not only give this 3rd place playoff a red-hot crack but the Bats may also find themselves playing Premier Division Men’s footy in September this season.
Bring on Saturday, and the Pre-Season Finals!
