A fantastic weekend of football at Eltham Central Park saw St Mary’s move one step closer to a Grand Final appearance, while Old Paradians won a spirited elimination final to keep its season alive.
St Mary’s has booked a date with minor premiers South Morang in the second Qualifying Final, after claiming a 26-point win over Northcote Park.
The contest started out even, but an electric second term from the Burra set them up for victory, piling on five goals and keeping the Cougars scoreless during the period.
Youngster Tom Eames was electric during the dominant term from the Burra. The youngster proved to be a handful for the Cougars defence, taking several multiple contested marks inside 50 and slotting three goals in the period.
Facing a daunting 41-point deficit at the main break, Anthony Palmer’s men needed to close the gap during the premiership quarter, and that they did. They were the better team during the period, and goals to Ben Armstrong, Michael Amad and Ricky Fandrich saw them reduce the margin to a manageable 23 points at the final break.
The momentum continued early in the final quarter, when Michael Amad provided the first goal three minutes into the term which saw them trailing by only 18 points. Amad’s duel with Burra star Dom Akuei was one of the highlights of the day. The nerves in the Burra camp were quickly dismissed however, with Will Dean finding a near immediate response to give his side some breathing room.
The result was put beyond doubt at the 18-minute mark of the term, with Eames slotting his fourth goal in the process.
The most dominant player of the day was St Mary’s Ruck Huon Macgibbon. The big man was too good at stoppages, winning 37 hit-outs to go with his 21 disposals and eight clearances. Nicholas Dean also put in a strong performance, finishing with 15 disposals and two goals. Eames was the most potent forward on the day, leading all comers with four majors.
The Cougars were left to rue a slow start, but Jordan Perry (30 disposals, 11 clearances, seven tackles) and James McArdle (28 disposals, seven rebound 50s) and Michael Amad’s three majors were the standout performances. They’ll need to respond this week however to avoid being bounced out in straight sets.
Old-Paradians proved too strong for Whittlesea in the Elimination Final on Sunday afternoon, running away 29-point winners and bringing the Eagles season to an end in the process.
An even first term saw the pair of sides go goal for goal, but a quick snap from Rufus Jones right before the siren meant the Raiders had a seven-point advantage at the first break.
Zane Anderson slotted the first goal in the second quarter, after receiving an off the ball free kick close to goal to bring the margin back to just one-point. The Raiders closed out the term with the next two majors, via Mitch Kane and Jones, resulting in a 13-point lead for Ben Turner’s side.
Old-Paradians were the dominant team during the premiership quarter, but despite adding to their lead, the Eagles were still within reach at three-quarter-time. The Raiders won the inside 50 count 15-6 during the period, keeping Whittlesea to just one behind but their own inaccuracy in front of goal saw them only manage a further two goals despite the territory dominance.
A hot start to the final term saw the Raiders seal the deal. Two goals within the opening five minutes through Elias Stapleton and Liam Mcveigh saw the margin get out to 40-points, which ultimately proved too big of a task for the Eagles to come back from.
Connor McDonald continued his outstanding season. The Ruckman was a dominant force, accumulating 25 disposals, 11 of which were clearances and a goal. On top of that, he remarkably had 47 hit-outs as well. Captain Kyle O’Sullivan too was instrumental, having 29 disposals (19 contested possessions), 12 clearances and six tackles.
While Whittlesea’s prime movers were busy across the afternoon and included Mitchell Andrews with 29 disposals, Deakin Tennant and Thomas Falls with 24 disposals and Taidhg Bland with 22, the result was perhaps reflective of them sneaking into fifth spot in the last home and away round with a 50 percent win record on the season. There is however plenty to build on and they will fancy themselves as a finals contender again in 2027 under the guidance of new head coach Andrew Fairchild, who takes the reins from Garry Ramsay.
The Raiders now turn their attention to Northcote Park, with a fascinating Semi Final to take place at Eltham Central on Sunday.
