Thomastown took the short cut to the Division 3 Grand Final with a huge win over Reservoir in the second semi final at Shelley Reserve.
The Bears ran rampant after half time with 14 goals to five on their way to a 75-point thrashing of the Mustangs.
The 22.13 (145) to 10.10 (70) result belied the relatively close inside 50m count. But the Bears were ruthlessly effective when attacking.
Michael Khoury booted six goals, including four in the third term. He was ably assisted by Dylan Fuller, Anthony Calafiore and Chris Leo – who all slotted three.
The Bear forward line has been at its best since Round 16, when Khoury and Leo have both been in the team.
Down the other end, Thomastown’s defenders were on top, with Luke Fellows, Andrew Lozanovski and Adrian Lesar all doing well and being amongst their team’s best.
Thomastown coach Dean Sinclair said he was “over the moon” after the big win.
“We were confident in our ability to run out games in the second half,” he said. He also noted that one or two changes would be possible for the Grand Final – despite the brilliant team effort.
Toby O’Meara was the most likely forward option for Reservoir with two majors. He also missed a couple of other difficult chances.
Once Thomastown transferred the ball outside of defensive 50m, the it was often able to transfer the ball the length of the ground. Daniel Chadwick was very good on the inside of the packs and his disposal was exemplary.
David Folino, who stood up in the absence of injured captain and midfield general Anthony Fazzari, was given the best on ground award. With the game in the balance in the third term, he was deadly by foot and involved in numerous scoring involvements.
Despite occasionally going wide to the dead pocket with the wind after the interval, the Bears wrested total control of the game with six goals to two in the third quarter.
The resultant 46-point lead at the last change was always going to be too much for the Mustangs – even though they were coming home with the use of a handy breeze.
Reservoir was restricted with five yellow cards during the afternoon. The most significant of these was to Ryan Docherty.
Adding to the Mustangs’ troubles were injuries to Jason Dal Santo and Brent Lovett. Coach Ross Terranova will be hoping that both are right for the preliminary final.
At the last change, Terranova made the observation that Thomastown had been first to the ball. Indeed, the Mustangs appeared to be reactive at times.
The Bears really finished the game off in the last term. With the Mustang bench rotations thwarted by a combination of yellow cards and injury, Thomastown took full toll into the breeze with eight goals to three.
Justin Kuchel played his best game for the year for Reservoir and his contested marking was a highlight. Cameron Rooney had some good patches in his first senior game since Round 7. He should be better for the run.
On a positive note for Reservoir – they live to fight another day; and the reserves team held on to win by 30 points. Four players with senior experience – Matthew Crump, Adam McLaughlin, Ben Mowlam and Corey McGregor – all performed well.
Thomastown earn the week’s rest, while Reservoir heads to Epping Recreation Reserve next Saturday to contest the preliminary final.
It must be scratching their heads about how to beat Thomastown. But first, they will need to win at Epping to get another crack at the flag favourites.
Final score: Thomastown 22.13 (145) def Reservoir 10.10 (70)
