A six goal to one opening half set the tone for Banyule’s Marbuilt Division 2 under-19s premiership, defeating Laurimar by 46 points at Preston City Oval.
The Bears registered 14 scoring shots in the first two terms, keeping the Power to just one goal in the process, before powering on in a big final quarter to win 11.13 (79) to 5.3 (33).
It was a similar match to the meeting between these two clubs a fortnight ago where an eight goal to one first half allowed the minor premiers to complete a 58-point victory.
This is Banyule’s first premiership in the under-19s competition, with the club making two previous grand final appearances in 2015 and 2016, both which resulted in losses.
Liam Chambers was given the best on ground medallion. Chambers played 12 senior games for Banyule this season, before playing some big roles in the side’s two under-19s finals games.
Tom Rigoni and Benjamin Rossi combined well up forward to kick three majors each with Joel Perugini also producing a solid performance.
For the fourth time in four battles this year, Laurimar were unable to get a hold of the Bears, as despite a two goal to nil third term giving Power fans some hope, they were no match for the strong Banyule outfit.
Forward Nicholas Storer kicked three majors. It caps off a great 2022 campaign for Storer who kicked at least one goal in his 18 under-19s games this season, he also made four senior appearances with Laurimar.
Banyule flew out of the blocks in the opening quarter, kicking 3.4 while keeping the Power scoreless to take an early advantage at quarter time.
The second term followed the same suit, and if it wasn’t for inaccurate goalkicking, the margin could have been greater for the minor premiers. The Bears registered seven scoring shots to one, allowing them to claim a 38-point half time advantage.
The Power put together an improved performance in the third quarter as they looked to keep themselves in the match. Laurimar had one less scoring shot than the Bears, but Banyule kicked four behinds and no goals while the Power kicked 2.1 to reduce the deficit to 29 points heading into the final change.
Although Laurimar were able to kick another two majors, Banyule managed to go another gear in the last quarter, kicking a further five goals to seal what would be one of two victories for the club on the day, with their senior side also prevailing in the decider.
