The minor premier takes on the reigning premier in the 2019 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 Grand Final, with Greensborough and West Preston-Lakeside vying for the flag.
Regardless of the result at Preston City Oval this Saturday, a long-standing record will be broken.
Greensborough is aiming to become the first side to win the second semi final and then the grand final after a week’s rest since Bundoora in 2011.
Only one of the past seven minor premiers have gone on to win the premiership in first division.
Heidelberg recorded that feat in 2016, however the Tigers did take the long route to the premiership after losing the second semi – before bouncing back with wins in both the preliminary and grand finals.
West Preston-Lakeside is also looking to break a recent hoodoo and become the first side this decade to defend a Division 1 title. Not since Heidelberg completed a four-peat in 2009 has a side been able to win back-to-back flags.
The past three premiers to play off in the following season’s grand final have been beaten in the big dance, which includes Heidelberg (2010), Greensborough (2015) and Macleod (2016).
Greensborough has been the dominant side throughout the 2019 campaign and will enter the premiership decider as favourite after winning 18 of its 19 games throughout the season.
The Boro ended the regular season with a percentage of 197 – a remarkable effort given how competitive the top flight was – before romping into the grand final with a 98-point demolition of North Heidelberg in the second semi.
Anyone who has seen Greensborough in action this year will attest that it is a tough challenge to find a weakness in the team’s make up.
A testament to the club’s midfield prowess was on show at the 2019 Rosbrook Medal Night, where Tom Bell claimed the Frank Rosbrook Medal, while skipper Chris Clark finished in a tie for fourth place.
Charlie Molyneux didn’t feature prominently in the umpires’ voting, however the coaches considered him the best of the Boro midfield group, with only Heidelberg ruckman Sam Gilmore polling more votes in the Coaches MVP award.
Never this decade has a club entered a Division 1 grand final with a leading goal kicker with as few majors as Ben Fennell’s 28. Yet what was once viewed as a weakness is now considered one of the club’s biggest strengths.
The Boro kicked just shy of 200 points more than any other side during the regular season and the second semi final win reaffirmed their ability to share the load in attack – with Zak McCubbin, Ben Pannam and Molyneux each kicking four goals as their side piled on 22 for the day.
The Boro have had seven players kick 20 goals or more throughout the 2019 campaign. By comparison, West Preston-Lakeside has just two – although one of those is competition leading goal kicked Ahmed Saad who has booted 89 goals.
Despite the strength of the midfield and forward line, it could be argued that Greensborough’s biggest asset is in fact its defence.
The Boro this year became the only Division 1 side this decade to concede fewer than 1000 points in the regular season and have coughed up an average of just 50 points a game.
Nick Riddle’s match-up on Saad looms as being the most engrossing battle on the ground and will go a long way to determining where the premiership cup will head on Saturday night.
Jack Johnston has been as consistent as ever across half back and always performs well on Preston City Oval. This was highlighted again with a best on ground performance against North Heidelberg a fortnight ago.
Billy Bedford has relished his move to defence and has the ability to play on both big marking targets and smaller types, with he and Adrian Cataldo options to take Roosters’ fleet-footed members Matthew Vincitorio and Daniel Valeri.
While Greensborough has long been earmarked as one of this year’s grand finalists, the same cannot be said about West Preston-Lakeside, who has defied history to reach a second-successive appearance on the big stage.
After a 0-6 start to the year, the Roosters were more a relegation contender than a premiership threat. However, they have responded to a poor start to their premiership defence by producing one of the all-time great runs to book a grand final spot.
If they do go on to win on Saturday, the question would have to be asked – is this the greatest premiership win in the modern era, if not of all time?
Just making the finals was a massive achievement, but the Roosters have managed to back up week by week during the finals series and have now reached the last day of the season with consecutive finals wins over Montmorency, Heidelberg and North Heidelberg.
Since losing to the Bulldogs in last season’s qualifying final, the Roosters have won six successive games on Preston City Oval. They know what it takes to win big games on the ground and the added hype of a grand final doesn’t look like it will phase them in the slightest.
While Greensborough is likely to select the same 22 that featured in the semi final win a fortnight ago, great anticipation will surround the make-up of West Preston-Lakeside’s side for the premiership decider.
Matt Signorello is available for selection after Port Melbourne bowed out of the VFL finals race last week, while Ozgur Uysal is eligible after missing the first three finals through suspension.
Signorello was a standout in six appearances for the Roosters between rounds 6 to 11 and helped kickstart the club’s campaign, while Uysal has bounced back strongly after missing last year’s grand final through injury and has booted 22 goals in 16 appearances.
Great intrigue has also surrounded the availability of Collingwood-listed defender and reigning club champion Sam Glover and 2018 grand final hero Mark Kovacevic. Neither has featured in the finals series but would be hard to leave out if fit and raring to go.
Certainly, tough decisions will need to be made in regard to selection, however it is a good problem for Rob Maiorana and his coaching staff to have at this time of the year.
While West Preston-Lakeside will be aiming for club history in its quest to take out back-to-back flags, it is worth noting that this is a much different side to the one that took out the 2018 premiership – making their achievement to reach the grand final even more noteworthy.
Aidan Tilley is one certain starter and the 21-year-old looms as one of the key figures in the grand final.
Tilley has already forged a reputation as a big-game player and was outstanding in last year’s grand final win over Macleod. A testament to his importance to the side is the fact that the Roosters are undefeated in the 11 games he has played in 2019.
If the adage rings true that defence wins premierships, West Preston-Lakeside will have the confidence that its backline can hold up just as well, if not better, than Greensborough’s.
Led by the likes of Nathan Valladares, Jackson Clarke, Joel McDonald and Nick Robortella – the Roosters’ defensive unit has been outstanding during the finals and has conceded just 99 points across the past three weeks.
They will need to be at their best this weekend to halt a Greensborough outfit which has booted 34 goals in the two match-ups between the sides this year.
The 2019 head-to-head record is certainly on Greensborough’s side, with the Boro victorious by 73 points when the sides met under lights at War Memorial Park in Round 5, before romping to a 62-point triumph in the return fixture at J.E. Moore Park.
While the Round 11 fixture blew out late, West Preston-Lakeside did lead at half time after throwing down a mighty challenge across the opening two quarters.
With a chance to rewrite history beckoning, the 2019 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 Grand Final has all the hallmarks of being a memorable contest.
Will minor premier Greensborough crown its season with its 19th senior premiership? Or will West Preston-Lakeside claim back-to-back flags for the first time in its history?
LIVE STREAM: A live stream of the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 Grand Final can be viewed on the Northern Football Netball League Facebook page, while a broadcast can be heard on 88.6 Plenty Valley FM.
DOWNLOAD: A high-definition digital download of the grand final can be purchased at www.nfnl.sportscastcloud.com.au seven days after the game for $22.00.
GREENSBOROUGH
18 wins – 1 loss
Points For – 1941, Average For – 102
Points Against – 956, Average Against – 50
Average Winning Margin – 55
Average Losing Margin – 2
Leading Goal Kicker – Ben Fennell (28)
Most Times in Best – Charlie Molyneux (15)
WEST PRESTON-LAKESIDE
13 wins – 8 losses
Points For – 1747, Average For – 83
Points Against – 1544, Average Against – 74
Average Winning Margin – 42
Average Losing Margin – 42
Leading Goal Kicker – Ahmed Saad (89)
Most Times in Best – Luke Lirosi (15)
HEAD TO HEAD IN 2019
Round 11: West Preston-Lakeside 10.12 (72) def by Greensborough 20.14 (134)
West Preston-Lakeside
Goal Kickers: A. Saad 3, M. Dufficy 2, M. Vincitorio, A. Federico, M. Signorello, I. Constantinidis, L. Lirosi
Best Players: A. Federico, M. Tobin, G. McDonagh, J. Clarke, M. Dreher, M. Signorello
Greensborough
Goal Kickers: B. Fennell 4, C. Molyneux 3, T. Smith 3, A. Stellas 3, T. Bell 3, B. Pannam, J. Ireland, Z. McCubbin, T. Brindley
Best Players: C. Molyneux, T. Smith, N. Riddle, T. Bell, J. Ireland, A. Stellas
Round 5: Greensborough 14.18 (102) def West Preston-Lakeside 3.11 (29)
Greensborough
Goal Kickers: M. Merkel 4, D. Marcon 2, C. Molyneux 2, A. Stellas 2, T. Stead, R. Garrard, T. Smith, Z. McCubbin
Best Players: N. Riddle, C. Molyneux, D. Marcon, B. Bedford, M. Croxford, T. Stead
West Preston-Lakeside
Goal Kickers: O. Uysal, M. Marotta, M. Ercolano
Best Players: J. Clarke, L. Lirosi, N. Valladares, J. Tadd, M. Dreher
