West Preston-Lakeside claimed the Division 1 under-19s premiership in a thrilling Grand Final against Greensborough at Preston City Oval.
The Roosters’ 6.7 (43) to 5.12 (42) victory completed their fairytale run to the premiership after coming from four spot on the ladder to claim the flag.
It was a thrilling end to a wonderful under-19 finals series, particularly by West Preston-Lakeside who beat Montmorency, reigning premier Northcote Park, minor premier Eltham and Greensborough in successive weeks to claim a deserved flag.
The Boro were gallant in defeat but will rue missed opportunities in front of goal after having four more scoring opportunities than the Roosters.
After making the Grand Final for the fifth straight year, the Boro were hungry for success after falling short in last year’s decider. But to the Roosters’ credit, they were able to grab their opportunities when they came and held on in a nail-biting contest.
It was a free-flowing game for the majority of the match and it was extremely entertaining as both teams’ defences stood extremely strong under intense pressure.
With so much at stake, nerves seemed to get the better of both teams early on, with both fumbling the ball a bit too often and making unexpected errors.
After 10 minutes without a goal, Adrian Natoli – who was later adjudged best on ground – broke the deadlock after picking up the crumbs off a pack and snapping it through for the first goal of the game.
Ben Mossuto was able to reply for Greensborough, drilling his set shot to tie proceedings. This was to be the final goal in a very low scoring quarter, with it all tied up at 1.2 (8) apiece at the first break.
The Roosters got off to the perfect start in the second term, with Natoli hitting up Jaylon Thorpe who threaded the set shot to give the Roosters a six-point lead early in the term.
The Roosters were gaining momentum, and they were able to benefit from this, with Thorpe taking a great high-flying contested mark and slotting the set shot to extend their lead to 14 points.
The Boro were able to respond though, with Jacob Pickett marking in the goal square and slamming it home to bring back the margin to eight points.
But the Roosters were able to finish out the quarter better, with Michael Tilmouth-Turner marking just before the siren sounded to signal half time. He kicked the goal from the top of the goal square to give his side a handy lead going into the second half.
Desperately needing the first goal to mount its comeback, Greensborough got the fast start in the third quarter with James Love kicking the goal after some great ball movement further up the field.
But just as the Boro were gaining momentum, West Preston-Lakeside goaled against the flow through Thorpe. His goal gave the Roosters a 16-point lead midway through the term, the highest margin of the day.
A goal to competition best and fairest Konrad Bruhn kept the Boro in the contest prior to three-quarter time.
Bruhn’s running goal brought the margin to eight points and was to be the final goal of the quarter as the Roosters went into the final term seven-point leaders.
Proceedings were tied early in the final quarter when Pickett provided Greensborough with the first goal of the final term.
The Boro were pressing and attacking, but were wasteful in front of goal, missing their opportunities which in the end cost them dearly.
After 15 minutes of contested footy and missed opportunities, Natoli received a free kick and he made the most of it, slotting the goal from 30m out to give the Roosters back the lead against the run of play.
The Boro continued on the attack, swarming their forward 50 but to no avail as the Roosters were able to hang on by one point, with the ball deep in Greensborough’s forward line when the final siren sounded.
Final score: Greensborough 5.12 (42) def by West Preston-Lakeside 6.7 (43)
