Diamond Creek have advanced to the MC Labour Division 2 preliminary final following a hard fought 21-point win over Lower Plenty at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The balance of the game was left in the hands of either team to take throughout the match, and it was the Creekers who finished the game stronger, fending off a hungry Lower Plenty side to prevail 15.6 (96) to 11.9 (75).
It was a total team effort from Andrew Tranquilli’s side with Jack Empey and Nathan Searl standing tall in the defensive half and Tyler Barnes leading the way in midfield and at times, up forward.
The Bears had their chances throughout the match to run away with a win and had some solid contributions from Ben Paterson and James Elliot. Tom Keys was excellent, again filling in the ruck void left by the injured Thomas Blake.
But Diamond Creek’s poise in the final term allowed them to claim the triumph, kicking the last three goals of the afternoon to move one step closer to their first grand final appearance since 2017.
The opening quarter saw the scoring take off quickly for the Creekers, with Barnes kicking true for a major to open up the scoreboard.
A response by the Bears was imminent due to their fast-paced style of play. The forward tandem of Jonathan Zapantis and Billy Barden looked on song early each slotting home first term goals.
The momentum continued to swing as Nicholas Barro and Jack Prosser would both convert shots on goal to give the lead back to the Creekers before Zapantis and Barden would both kick their second of the afternoon to again give the Bears the advantage.
But it was Jayden Walker who made sure Diamond Creek had the final say of the term with a goal of his own ensuring his side’s deficit was under a goal at the first change.
Lower Plenty went on the attack in the second term in an attempt to open the game up. Alexander Alderton would kick truly before Corey Sleep produced a nice highlight, snapping from 40-metres out to increase the margin to 17-points.
However, the Creekers looked to turn the tone with some explosive ball movement and a refined backline that stood strong to make way for a game-changing five-straight goals.
Diamond Creek were suddenly out to a 15-point lead late in the half before a major from Paterson closed out the quarter and gave the Bears some much needed confidence heading into the halftime.
Efforts from Andrew Tranquilli’s side continued to be rewarded on the scoreboard in the third term, with Ryan Pingree and Brannelly each snagging their second majors of the match to quickly regain control of the contest.
The backline, which was led by Hugh Kavanagh and Matthew Lewis, continued to rebound Lower Plenty’s entries inside 50 that kept the game’s balance in the palm of the Creekers hands.
Barden and then Zapantis once again looked to create some momentum for their side, each kicking their third majors of the afternoon to try and spark a final quarter comeback on the stroke of half time.
Billy Barden made it a fourth just minutes into the final term to being the deficit to within a goal as Phil Plunkett’s side looked to be in the box seat to run away with victory.
With energy running rampant across the ground, goals would become a rare occurrence, particularly for the Bears who had multiple opportunities to take the lead, before Nicholas Barro was able to stretch the Creekers’ advantage back out to 13 points with a crucial major midway through the quarter.
Diamond Creek sealed their second consecutive finals triumph with two goals from Pingree, halting any hope of a late comeback from their opponents and in turn, securing a shot at the minor premiers in next week’s preliminary final.
