EPPING booked its place in its second-consecutive Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 grand final after a dominant 37-point second semi final victory over Watsonia.
The 13.13 (91) to 9.0 (54) win at the Whittlesea Showgrounds puts the Blues in the hot seat to return to Division 2 for the first time since 2014, after falling short in last year’s decider against Reservoir.
Leigh Judd, Shane Wood and Josh Stavely were superb for the Blues, attacking the football ferociously, while the return of Michael Robertson paid dividends, with the key defender thwarting many Watsonia attacking thrusts and rebounding with vigour.
Jarryd Allan, Matt Crompton and Adrian Alfonsi were among Watsonia’s best on a disappointing day for their club, who had headed into the semi final on the back of eight-consecutive wins.
Scrappy conditions were the setting at the Showgrounds as the first quarter commenced.
Alfonsi opened the scoring after a strong contested mark before Lucas Aquilina and Josh Stavely fired back with two majors in two minutes, thanks to some great defensive pressure from their teammates.
A hard and aggressive first term saw the Blues lead by eight points at quarter time.
A great interception in the middle of the ground by Crompton saw Levi Moss open the scoring for the minor premiers in the second quarter, closing the margin to just two points.
But that was as good as it got for the Saints, with Wood, Josh Stavely and Jason Stavely all converting majors at the other end, as Epping returned to the form that saw it win nine-successive games in the middle of the season.
Harry Walker converted a much-needed free kick for the Saints, however Leigh Judd fired back quickly to give the Blues a 24-point lead at half time.
The rain came down hard as the third term got underway. However, the wet weather didn’t slow down Epping’s attack on the ball as Aaron Willitts and Kevin Kiernan both snapped early goals to put their side in a commanding position.
The scrappy conditions made it difficult for the usually slick Saints to move the ball on quickly, however late majors to Allan and Andrew Kidd reduced the margin to 27 points at three quarter time – injecting some hope for the minor premiers.
The rain cleared as the final term commenced, but conditions were still wet under foot.
Epping continued to dominate through the middle of the ground and sealed its win early in the last quarter – kicking the first four goals of the game, led by Willitts adding a further two to his tally.
With its fate sealed, Watsonia fought the game out and added respectability to the scoreboard as Hayden Mitchell, Spencer Briggs, Alfonsi and Allan combined to kick the next four goals to cut the deficit to 31 points.
Leigh Judd was able to put the icing on the cake for Epping, booting his third goal late in proceedings as the Blues charged towards their fourth grand final in the past six years.
Watsonia will take on South Morang in the preliminary final at Whittlesea Showgrounds on Saturday, after the Lions overcame a half-time deficit to beat St Mary’s in the first semi final.
Epping will enjoy a week off, having taken the short route to the grand final.
Final score: Watsonia 9.0 (54) def by Epping 13.13 (91)
