Local rivals South Morang and Epping will play off in the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 preliminary final for the chance to meet Banyule in the grand final.
Epping won its way into the second week of the finals by defeating St Mary’s by six points in the first semi final in tough conditions at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
After trailing by 13 points at the first break, the Blues controlled the game in the middle stages, but had to withstand a late fighback by the Burra.
The result continued a string of one-kick results between the teams. They ended the regular season with the Blues just one win ahead and an almost identical percentage.
Con Borg has now stepped down as coach of St Mary’s after four seasons at the helm and back-to-back finals campaigns.
The Blues’ preliminary finals combatant is South Morang. The Lions would be sorely disappointed with their efforts in going down in the second semi final to Banyule by 36 points.
The Bears won all aspects of the contest and took the shortcut to the main event. They will now watch on to see who their challenger will be.
This was Gary Hall’s first loss as coach and snapped a 12-game winning sequence that began after the Lions’ Round 5 loss to the Bears at R.J. Brockwell Oval.
Of interest is the two losers from the weekend – South Morang and St Mary’s – played out a tight Round 18 game at Mill Park Lakes Reserve, which the Lions won by four points.
Banyule finished the home and away season with a huge win over Heidelberg West, while Epping had the bye.
Another factor to consider in the lead-up to the preliminary final is that last weekend’s games were played in different conditions.
South Morang played in soft conditions on the Saturday, but the Whittlesea Showgrounds surface was quite heavy after significant rain fell overnight prior to the Sunday game.
This will be a challenge for Epping, whose players may be quite leg-weary and have a day less than South Morang to recover.
The Blues have beaten every team during the year except the Lions. They lost by 33 points at Epping Recreation Reserve in Round 3 and also in the Round 8 encounter at Mill Park Lakes Reserve by 37 points.
The regular season results should give South Morang some confidence. However, they also have to deal with the fact that they have lost the past three preliminary finals.
Every loss had a different aspect to it. In 2014, they lost to Reservoir who was clearly a superior team.
The 2015 campaign was looking more positive, but they had injury troubles at the wrong time. They lost the preliminary to Epping after a late goal by Shannan Ciavarella gave the Blues a grand final berth.
Last year, the Lions finished the year full of steam. But a surprise loss by Watsonia in the second semi final meant South Morang had to play the Saints in the preliminary final.
They lost by two goals to the eventual premiers in that game. A case could be made the best two teams played off in the preliminary final last year – with Epping succumbing to injuries in the latter part of the season.
Watsonia’s fortunes of 2016 should give some comfort to the Lions. The Saints entered last year’s finals on an eight-game winning streak and were front-runners for the flag as the finals began.
They then had an absolute shocker against Epping in the 2016 second semi final, but rebounded well and eventually scored a comprehensive win in the big one last year. South Morang will be hoping to do follow a similar pattern.
Tye Hall was a late withdrawal for the Lions in last week’s second semi final and fans will be hoping to see him back soon.
Likewise, Epping swingman Shane Wood missed last week and will be sidelined again this week as he serves the second of a two-match suspension. Both Hall and Wood were among the best when these teams last clashed.
Given the ladder position and the recent head to head results, tipsters may be inclined to go for South Morang. But the division has been very even at the top level in season 2017.
South Morang fans who come early will be able to see their reserves team play Banyule for a shot at reigning premier St Mary’s the following week.
