The Demons led throughout in windy but fine conditions and eventually prevailed 13.12 (90) to 7.7 (49).
Panton Hill had finished on top of the ladder for the first time since 1972 and kicked with the wind first but was outscored by Mernda into the breeze which help set up the Demons’ win.
In fact, the Demons kicked 7.4 of their 13.12 total into the wind. Their secret was a superior run and spread – consistently finding players in open space.
By comparison, the Redbacks were more static in their ball movement and often forced short or wide in order to find a teammate. Also, their workload wasn’t shared enough. Mernda’s fringe players contributed more than those of Panton Hill.
Most pleasing to Mernda coach Brett Wilson would have been the pressure his team applied to the Redbacks’ ball-carriers. Under such pressure from Matt Aquilina and others, the Redbacks made numerous skill errors.
Twice with the wind, they kicked across goal and turnovers resulted in easy Mernda goals.
The midfield battle was pretty even with Benn Parker, Ben Strongman, Abe Williams and Simon Amore doing well for Panton Hill. But finding a path to goal was difficult.
Leading goal kicker Joffa Byron was kept in close check by Christian Cawsey, with help from fellow defenders such as Marcus Saddington. Often, Byron seemed to be double-teamed and the resultant spoil was whisked away by small defenders Luke Howard and Joel O’Reilly.
Byron was goalless at half time. In the first quarter, he missed one gettable set shot, but spotted up Strongman with a perfect pass for a goal. He was more productive in the second half and his tally of three puts him on 99 goals leading into the preliminary final.
Redbacks skipper Will Box was taking contested marks down back, while Brendan O’Connor was doing the same further afield. Playing coach Dean Haydock worked into the game well as it progressed.
Unlike Panton Hill, the Demons had numerous avenues to goal. Tim Anderson was lively up forward and kicked a great goal on the run in the first quarter from a severe angle.
Rohan Davies was responsible for several scoring assists while Matthew Rees recovered from a heavy knock early on to be amongst the best.
Jacob O’Donnell kicked two first-quarter goals and finished with another in the last. David Hutchinson won plenty of the ball and used it to good effect. The cleaner use of the ball by Mernda was a feature on the day.
After establishing a handy nine-point lead into the wind at the first break, the Demons wasted opportunities in the second term when they kicked 1.6 and some other forward thrusts found the boundary line.
Panton Hill was finding it difficult to score in the term, but managed to soak up time on the clock with some precise short kicking in defence. Mernda should have wrapped the game up by half time, but left the door slightly ajar.
Once again, however, the Demons outscored the Redbacks when kicking against the breeze in the third term. They seemed to have a match-winning lead of 27 points at the last break and coming home with the wind at their backs.
But the Redbacks kicked three consecutive goals early in an eight-minute burst in the final quarter to draw within 15 points.
Their ball movement was long, direct and precise during this time and it was the only time they dominated play. Their brief revival appeared to be ended by a Brendan O’Connor kick which slammed into the post.
A 14-point deficit resulted and Mernda controlled the contest thereafter. The sealer, if it was needed, was produced when Anthony Volpe kicked truly from a set shot.
But the best was yet to come. Luke Drakes had done well for the Demons, but snuck forward late to take a mark of the year contender. His hang time was impressive as he took a screamer in the goal square and converted from point blank range.
Nathan Mills then goaled on the siren to secure a 41-point victory. Ironically, he had missed a shot from a free kick on the half time bell.
The Redbacks put the queue in the rack late once the game was lost by resting some midfielders in preparation for the preliminary final next week.
Earlier, Mernda also progressed to the Grand Final in the reserves with a win over St Mary’s in an entertaining contest.
Final scores: Panton Hill 7.7 (49) def by Mernda 13.12 (90)
