A preview of week two of the 2014 WaterMarc Junior Finals Series.
There were no surprises in the Under-18 Girls competition last weekend, with South Morang progressing through to the Grand Final after a comfortable win over Diamond Creek Women’s. Tikka Amos and Kristen Crkovska (seven goals) were superb in the Lions 15th straight win.
It sets up a huge showdown in this week’s preliminary final with Diamond Creek Women’s now set to take on Darebin Falcons for the second spot in the premiership decider. The Falcons were too good for Mernda last week in a 42-point result, with Rechelle McSwain booting seven goals. It was Diamond Creek who prevailed when these sides met last, winning a tight affair by 15 points.
The Under-17 Blue preliminary final will be played between Diamond Creek and Research in what looms as a thrilling contest. Despite the best efforts of Tyler Barnes and Thomas Mills, Diamond Creek was unable to rein in Montmorency in last week’s second-semi final, going down by a narrow 13 points.
The Searchers progressed to this week’s fixture after scraping by South Morang by a mere three points. Trent Warren was a standout with three goals in a low-scoring affair. The Searchers were too good when they last played the Creekers, winning by 52 points.
Eltham meets Whittlesea in the penultimate week of the Under-17 Red competition, following two semi finals that were decided by less than a goal. After winning the minor premiership, Eltham was unable to take the short route to the Grand Final after succumbing to a nail-biting three-point loss to Hurstbridge at Barling Park. Both Luke and Harrison Russell were amongst the best for the Panthers, who will look to bounce back this weekend.
After leading by 21 points at the final break, Whittlesea did just enough to scrape past Diamond Creek in a five-point thriller. Braydon Avola’s three-goal performance won him best on ground honours for the Eagles, who set up the win with a four-goal to nil third quarter.
The Under-16 Blue preliminary final will be played out between Mill Park and Montmorency, with the winner set to take on undefeated South Morang in next week’s Grand Final. Despite the best efforts of Brandan Vella and Joseph Torcaso, the Stallions weren’t able to halt the Lions in last week’s second semi final.
In one of the tightest games played in week one of the WaterMarc junior finals series, Montmorency prevailed over Eltham by a goal to make it into this week’s showdown. The Magpies overcame a 14-point deficit at quarter time, despite kicking a wasteful 1.9 in the final term. They went down by a big margin the last time they came up against Mill Park one month ago.
Thomastown and South Morang – the second and third placed teams on this year’s ladder – square off in the Under-16 Red preliminary final. The Bears led by five points at three quarter time in last week’s second semi final but couldn’t hold out a fast-finishing Greensborough, who booted five goals to one in the final term.
South Morang got off to a flyer in it its 15-point first semi final win over Hurstbridge, racing out to a four-goal lead at quarter time and never looking back. Michael Tullio was a superb performer in the win, while Mathew Ceravalo booted a team-high three goals.
After losing to South Morang for the fourth successive time, Epping will be looking to find its way into the Grand Final when it takes on West Preston in the Under-15 Blue preliminary final. Last weekend’s 31-point loss was the second consecutive week the Blues went down to the Lions, but they will fancy their chances of atonement this week after romping to a big win the last time they took on the Roosters.
In an absolute heart-stopping result, West Preston advanced to this week’s preliminary final on the back of a one-point win over Wallan in the first semi final. The Roosters led at every change and were able to cling on to victory, despite the Magpies kicking four of the final six goals of the game.
In such an even competition, the Under-15 Red preliminary final pits Diamond Creek against Eltham, where just one game separated the top three teams during the home and away season. Last week Diamond Creek succumbed to Yarrambat in the battle for the first place in this year’s Grand Final, and the Creekers will be looking for a quick bounce back when they run out this Sunday.
Eltham enters the game on the back of a nine-point win over Mill Park, where the biggest lead at any change was just 10 points. Matthew McLennan booted five of his side’s nine goals for the day, while Clay Woolacott put in a dominant performance.
It’s Bundoora Park against Keon Park in the Under-15 Green preliminary final, where the winner will advance to play Whittlesea in next weekend’s premiership decider. The Thunderbolts were unable to contain the Eagles in a 37-point defeat at Lalor Reserve last Sunday, where they were unable to register a goal until the third quarter. They do take some form into the game, however, after winning the second half.
Keon Park will be out to cause an upset as it looks to secure a Grand Final place after finishing some two wins behind Bundoora Park in the regular season. The last outing between the sides was a tight battle, with the Thunderbolts prevailing by just two goals in a result that sealed their top-two place.
Diamond Creek Women’s will use its second chance when it takes on West Preston in the Under-15 Girls competition. After last week losing to the still undefeated Montmorency outfit, Diamond Creek Women’s will be looking to emulate their last-up win against the Roosters, when they won by 15 points. The result could have been larger, with the side registering some 10 more scoring shots.
West Preston advanced from the first semi final after winning by six goals against South Morang at Crispe Park. The Roosters did the damage early, kicking six goals to one in the opening half of the game. Bridgette Hallal was a standout in the win, kicking a game-high three goals, while Chloe Oakley and Ciara Fitzgerald were both able to kick multiple goals in the result.
Montmorency meets Laurimar Black in the Under-14 Blue competition with the side’s looking to advance through to the Grand Final to take on South Morang. The Lions last week claimed a 15th straight win after beating the Magpies in a close 17-point result. Braedyn Gillard and Riley Sheriff both played great games for Montmorency despite losing out on the scoreboard.
Laurimar Black takes good form into the preliminary final after a big win over West Preston in the first semi final. It was a runaway win for the Power, who turned it on in the last quarter with eight goals to one. The Power were also victorious in their last outing against Montmorency, claiming a 32-point home win when the sides met in late June.
Research competes against Wallan for the second spot in this year’s Under-14 Red Grand Final, where the winner will play Mill Park. The Searchers were unable to take a win out of last week’s game against the Stallions, losing the second semi final by 46 points. Harrison Jones was the Searchers best in the loss, while Julian Yammouni also played well for his side.
Wallan caused a slight upset when it ran away with a 22-point win over Greensborough in the first semi final, keeping the Boro to just one goal in the opening three quarters. Tye Prewett was superb with four goals in the victory. The Magpies were defeated by five goals in their last meeting against Research, but will look to overturn that result this weekend.
And in the Under-14 Green preliminary final, Diamond Creek takes on Lalor. The Creekers were handed a heavy defeat by South Morang Gold in last week’s second semi final, but will be looking for redemption when they take on the Bloods this weekend. They have winning form against their opposition, after claiming a tight eight-point win when the sides last met each other.
Lalor progressed through to the preliminary final after a 17-point win in last Sunday’s first semi final. It was a superb effort by the Bloods who had to overcome a 25-point deficit at quarter time after failing to register a score in the first quarter. Mahmoud Abbas was Lalor’s best in the win.
Good luck to all teams in action this weekend and congratulations on progressing through to this stage of the final series.
