The Grand Final stage is upon us and what a day it shapes to be!
For the second year running, rivals Darebin Falcons and Diamond Creek Women’s met in a Youth Girls final – this time it’s the Under-19 Youth Girls finale. Despite a second-placed finish, the Falcons earned the direct access to the Grand Final with a runaway 27-point win in the second semi final. The Creekers responded emphatically last week with a 41-point triumph over South Morang.
In the Under 17 Blue competition, undefeated Eltham takes on Montmorency at Diamond Creek’s Coventry Oval. The Panthers have won 14 straight games in 2013 and beat the Magpies by 57 points in the second semi final a fortnight ago. However, led by a best afield display by Zac Allen, Mont bounced back last week to beat West Preston by three points.
It’s Diamond Creek v Whittlesea in Under 17 Red – teams who both upset West Lalor in the finals series after finishing second and fourth on the home and away ladder respectively. Given neither has lost a final in 2013, an epic battle awaits.
South Morang and Diamond Creek meet in the Under 16 Blue premiership decider after first-placed side Montmorency exited the finals race in straight sets. The last clash between the sides was a thriller, with the Lions saluting by a solitary point in a Round 11 thriller.
After finishing atop the home and away ladder, Hurstbridge and Epping meet in the Under-16 Red Grand Final. Daniel Jarvis kicked five goals in the Bridges’ 44-point win over the Blues in the second semi final, before a best afield effort by Daniel Rodriguez helped Epping bounce back in its preliminary final win last week.
South Morang Gold and Montmorency meet in the first ever Under-16 Youth Girls Grand Final, where the victor will be looking to make history. Both ended the home and away season with an 8-4 record and little has separated the sides all season, although the Lions have won the past three meetings between the teams.
The Under 15 Blue Grand Final pits South Morang Blue against Mill Park at Lalor Reserve. South Morang Blue will be the favourite heading in, although that will count for nothing when the first ball is bounce. The Lions prevailed by 79 points in the duo’s second semi final clash, thanks largely to a six-goal to zero first quarter. Mill Park bounced back wonderfully last week with a 19-point win over Epping, led by Steven Christou and Nashvin Sanjiven.
Fourth-placed Montmorency continues its late charge for this year’s Under 15 Red premiership when it takes on minor premier Research at Coventry Oval. The Magpies have already accounted for Greensborough and Wallan in this year’s finals series and are playing with great confidence. Research has lost just once all season and beat the Magpies by four goals when they last met in Round 11.
Lalor has also come from fourth place to reach the Under 15 Green Grand Final where it will face the highly-rated Hurstbridge outfit. The Bloods have comfortably beaten both Mernda and Thomastown in this year’s finals series and beat the Bridges in their most recent encounter. However, Hurstbridge will be freshened by a week’s rest after winning the second semi final over Mernda a fortnight ago.
The Under 14 Blue Grand Final is one of the most highly anticipated games in the WaterMarc Junior Finals Series, with Northcote set to face Epping. Northcote created the biggest upset of the finals series when it ended the Blues’ long winning streak and will be looking for a similar result this week. Epping bounced back from that disappointment with a huge win over South Morang Blue in the preliminary and will be looking for redemption against the Cougars at Huskisson Reserve.
In the Under 14 Red competition its Keon Park v West Preston in the big dance. Both sides won 11 of 14 games in the regular season, although the Stars were five goals too good when they met a fortnight ago. The Roosters responded with a 10-point win over Diamond Creek last Sunday and a close match awaits this weekend.
In the Under 13 Blue competition, South Morang Blue takes on Laurimar for a chance to be crowned premiers at Epping Recreation Reserve. The Lions had the week off after they defeated Eltham by 22 points in the second semi and will be looking to burst out of the blocks after enjoying a nice break. The Power had to play in the preliminary final against Eltham and prevailed by eight points. They will be coming into the Grand Final on the back of two gutsy performances in the finals series.
The Under 13 Red competition sees Montmorency meet West Preston Roosters at Crispe Park. The Magpies will be coming into the final with great confidence having beaten this week’s opponent previously on the big finals stage, by 74 points in the semis. The Roosters will be bringing some slight momentum into the decider after they defeated Greensborough by 10 points in the preliminary final. They will now be looking to reverse their big defeat in the semis.
Ben Frilay Oval plays host to the Under 13 Green Grand Final which will be contested by Diamond Creek and Yarrambat. Diamond Creek had the week off after a good win over the Bats in the semis by 19 points. Yarrambat are coming off a thumping win against Eltham in the preliminary final and will bring significant momentum into the final despite a last-up loss to the Creekers.
South Morang Blue and Whittlesea go head-to-head as they fight to be crowned Under 12 Blue premiers at Epping Recreation Reserve. The Eagles are coming off a good win over Epping last week, with the final margin 32 points. The Lions took the short route to the Grand Final after they accounted for their fellow grand finalists by 21 points in the second semi.
In the Under 12 Red competition, Greensborough and Mill Park will meet at Shelley Street Reserve. Mill Park are coming into the clash off a confidence-building victory of Bundoora Park in the preliminary final, whilst the Boro had last week off after beating Mill Park in the semis by 45 points. They will use that result as background knowledge ahead of today’s game.
Mernda and West Preston square off in the Under 12 Green Grand Final at Ben Frilay Oval. Mernda will be full of self-belief after it defeated Montmorency White in the semis to the tune of 63 points. The Roosters have come from third place to make the Grand Final, after wins in the opening two weeks of the WaterMarc Junior Finals Series.
Crispe Park plays host to the Under 12 Silver Grand Final as Keon Park and Panton Hill play it out. The Stars enjoyed a break last Sunday after they accounted for their fellow grand finalists at the same venue a fortnight ago, whilst Panton Hill defeated Yarrambat in the preliminary final by 13 points to progress.
In the Under 11 Blue competition, the Grand Final will be contested by Eltham and Research at Coventry Oval. The Searchers had a good victory over South Morang Blue in the preliminary final and will be looking to bring some momentum from that win into the decider. However, Eltham had their measure in week one of the finals, where it prevailed by 31 points. The Panthers are looking for back-to-back titles, after they took out the 2012 Under-10 Blue premiership, also against Research.
Greensborough and Northcote will fight to be crowned Under 11 Red premiers when they play off at Shelley Street Reserve. The Cougars will be relishing this opportunity after they had a nail-biting win over Wallan in the preliminary final. They ended the Magpies’ season with a second consecutive one-point defeat – after Greensborough beat them by single behind a week earlier.
Ben Frilay Oval plays host to the Under 11 Green Grand Final between Mernda and Yarrambat. The Demons won the earlier final between the two teams by 34 points a fortnight ago. The Bats put that loss behind them and went on to defeat Hurstbridge by 23 points last week.
In the Under 11 Silver Grand Final, Lalor Reserve plays host to Montmorency Black and Laurimar Black. The Magpies are back from a break after they accounted for South Morang Gold in the semis by 14 points, with the Power also defeating the Lions by 6 points in the prelim.
The Under 10 Blue Grand Final sees Greensborough and South Morang Gold fight for the flag at Shelley Street Reserve. The Lions are coming off a solid win over Eltham by 37 points in the preliminary Final, whilst the Boro defeated their fellow grand finalists in the semis by only six points so this match is set to go right down to the wire.
Yarrambat and Montmorency will battle out the Under 10 Red premiership decider at Lalor Reserve. The Bats had the week off after they beat Epping by 57 points in the semis and will be full of confidence. The Magpies also defeated Epping in the preliminary final last week, winning a thriller by four points.
The Under 10 Green Grand Final sees Ben Frilay Oval host Mernda and Montmorency Magpies. The Magpies take form into the match after beating their fellow grand finalists by two points in the semis in a heart-stopper. Mernda put that heartbreaking loss behind it as it left Laurimar scoreless in a 51-point win last week, earning the right to a re-match with the Pies.
Finally, Coventry Oval plays host to the Under 10 Silver Grand Final as Wallan and Eltham go to battle for the crown. Wallan is fresh after it had the week off by accounting for Research in the semis. Meantime, Eltham was also victorious over Research in a convincing 46-point result in the preliminary final.
Good luck to everyone in action in a WaterMarc Junior Grand Final this week. Enjoy the day and may it be a memorable one for you.
