Elimination Final: Goals, Grit & Whole Lotta Guts

Day Two of our Qualifying and Elimination Finals weekend took us out of London for the first time, and over to the lush green surface of Kings Meadow Playing Field in Reading, where the Roos hosted a truly fantastic day of Elimination Finals footy, with four fantastic games.

Opening proceedings was a tense tight encounter between the South East London Giants and the Wandsworth Demon in the Women's Conference. The Giants secured their play off place on the last day of the regular season and were to go on and upset the third placed Demons in a low scoring encounter.

The Dees started positively but were met with stern resistance from the Giants, for who Dayna Richman in the heart of the defence was a seemingly unpassable object, mopping up any Dees attacks. Having weathered the storm it was the Giants who struck. Ellie Hyner linked up with Jing Coulson and the ball dropped to Lexie Spokes who converted under pressure from the Dees defence. The Dees had a great chance to level it up but Katie Whitefield saw her shot blocked and the soccer follow up by Cayne Schooley was also blocked and the Giants went in at the end of the first quarter with a 1.0.6 to 0.0.0 lead.

The Dees started the second half on the front foot with Whitefield and Schooley dominating proceedings, but bar a couple of behinds, which narrowed the Giants lead they were unable to hit the target, and half time saw the Giants with a 1.1.7 to 0.4.4 advantage and all to play for in the second half.

The physical nature of the game was evident in the third period with a couple of accidental headknocks left players from both sides crumpled on the floor. Fortunately all particpants were able to continue and play went on. The Dees were on top in the early stages but the ever dangerous Hyner struck from distance to increase the Giants lead and from there, their confidence flowed and they started to get on top, and at the end of the third quarter they had a ten point lead, 2.2.14 to 0.4.4.

With the Demons more desperate in the final period, calm heads were called for and in England international Susie Carr the Giants had the perfect player for the job. Drifting left and right, mopping things up and generally doing all the right things, Carr marshalled her troops and they added a couple more behinds to record a 2.4.16 to 0.4.4 win and set up a Preliminary Final against the North London Lions.

Game 2, in the Men's Socials was an absolute cracker between the Sussex Swans and the North London Lions, but after only five minutes you could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be a one-sided encounter. The Lions were out of the blocks like Usain Bolt, and in the opening attack Thomas Fraser took a mark wide on the right and converted to give them the early lead. Minutes later and Fraser launched a ball into the 50 where Joshua Richmond took a flying mark and also converted to put some distance between the sides. The Swans hit the scoresheet with a few behinds but come the end of the quarter the Lions led 2.1.13 to 0.5.5.

The Swans were back into the contest properly early in the second quarter when a drilled ball into the 50 by Andrew Lambropoulos saw Henry Marshall claim an uncontested mark and slot. The Lions though were still dominating the ruck with the giant Jackson Hickey and even gianter Luke Hickey having much the better of Swans skipper Joe Moore and the Lions restored their advantage when Luke Hickey won the ruck, flicked the ball into Jake Whatman who converted from a tight angle, giving a half time score of 3.2.20 to 1.6.12 in favour of the Lions.

The game turned in the Swans favour in the third quarter, Moore started to get a handle on the ruck, and with that the Sussex boys had more possession and were able to make serious inroads into Lions territory. Bradley Ginns took a tremendous mark as the Swans streamed forward, and found Luke Cowling who converted from close range, and shortly after it was Ginns himself marking and scoring to take the Swans ahead. With the Lions being held scoreless we went into the fourth quarter with just six points separating the sides as the Swans held a 3.8.26 to 3.2.20 lead.

The Fourth quarter was a cagey affair with little in the way of scoring opportunities, but the Swans stretched their lead when having weathered some stiff Lions pressure they broke away on the right and Patrick Borg scored to put them into the Preliminary Final courtesy of a 4.9.33 to 3.3.21 win.

So yes, avid reader it's the time again - we thought a once a season occurrence but no, its busk time - are we all ready for some Swan on Swan action in the Preliminary Final. It was a close, but wind affected game in the regular season with the Swans coming out on top (yes yes I know, but do your research, Play HQ will tell you which Swans). It should be a great match.

Having lost to the Sussex Swans on the last day of the Women's Premiership regular season, the Wandsworth Demons were out for revenge in Game 3, and a first quarter bombardment effectively took the game out of Sussex's reach.

Adele Arnup scored from a set shot after only two minutes and it set the stall on what was a dominant first quarter, with the Dees camped in the Swans 50 and only gallant defending kept them at bay. The Swans broke again the when Lolita Viska scored and when a set shot from Viska dropped short and was marked by Arnup who scored on the angle there was daylight between the sides. Viska scored from a set shot as the Dees ended the quarter 4.3.27 to 0.0.0 ahead.

Credit to the Swans who didn't throw in the towel and a much more competitive second quarter saw them get a point on the board, but another Viska set shot stretched the Dees clear, and they lead at the half time break 5.5.35 to 0.1.1.

Samantha Wilkins scored early in the third quarter for the Dees, and Schooley (doubling up on the day) shrugged away couple of would be challenges to only to see her shot on the run marked by Natalie Meehan who scored. We headed into the final period with the Dees 7.7.49 to 0.2.2 ahead. With Liz Gordon marshalling her troops superbly and off the back of some superb marks by Arnup the Demons were in cruise control. Arnup rounded off the goals in the fourth quarter collecting a ball on the run and firing between the uprights, giving a final score of 8.8.56 to 0.2.2.

Despite being outgunned the Swans should be proud of their efforts, for the Demons it is a Preliminary Final clash with the minor Premiers the London Swans. The Swans are an impressive looking side, but if the Demons are in this mood the game could be too close to call, as borne out by the regular season results which saw a 16-7 win for the Swans and a 15-7 for the Demons.

Rounding off a fantastic weekend of footy, and a wonderful day at Reading, we had the Men's Conference with the Wimbledon Hawks up against the Shepherds Bush Raiders. The Hawks had won both regular season fixtures so were looking for the hat-trick, whilst for the Raiders there was the hope for a first win of the season.

The Hawks started brightly and the imposing Billy Glasgow crashed home a set shot early on to give them the lead, and they followed this with a set shot on the right from Jacob Wheelahan. A set shot by Kyle Hayes bought the Raiders back into the game, and a superb weaving run and finish by Ethan Murray bought the scores level. Both sides swapped behind, but the Hawks grabbed the initiative with the last play of the quarter when Myles Hudson was dragged down and from the resulting set shot put the Hawks back in front. We went in at the break with the scores 3.2.20 to 2.2.14 in favour of Wimbledon.

Jesse Rosomacki bought the Raiders level, before Hamish Coulton restored the Hawks lead after great work by the diminuitive midfield duo of Mitchell Bloomfield and Oli Hobin. Coulton scored again shortly after, a superb low pick up saw him handpass into Glasgow, a swift return ball cut out the Raiders defence and Coulton converted on the slide. Myles Hudson converted from wide on the left and the Hawks had blown the game wide open, and took a 6.5.41 to 3.2.20 lead into the big break.

Early in the third quarter and indiscipline looked like it was to be the Hawks undoing. Jeremy Schoenmaker from the Raiders was twice marched 50 metres up the field for a set shot from inside the square, and almost immediate Glenn Burns was marched forward 50 and the Raiders scored again and were right back in the contest. Could they maintain the momentum? Had the Hawks become complacent? Would the double marching snap them from their slumber? Was it going to rain again? Would they run out of food at the Parma Medics truck? This and many other questions were on the lips of the spectators (well they were on mine, and I am sure the more knowledgeable amongst you were thinking the same thing). The Hawks got back on track with their own 50 metre march forward, I believe for not returning the ball correctly but that is one of the nuances of the game I am still learning, anyway...moving on... Bloomfield fired into Wheelahan who marked and scored from close range, before Brendan Moldrich converted for the Hawks and despite a better overall performance, the Raiders still trailed by 19 moving into the final period. Hawks up 8.6.54 to 5.5.35

Hayes gave the Raiders hope early in the fourth quarter with a well struck set shot, but when Drew Le Roy found Billy O'Loughlin who converted on the turn the Hawks were back in control, and they had the final say after a challenge on Bloomfield saw them marched forward, Bloomfield quickly found Moldrich who put the seal on a 10.7.67 to 6.11.47 Hawks win.

The Demons are up next for the boys from Wimbledon, on their own patch in the Preliminary Final. Both sides have a win apiece in the regular season, so once again a game that is too tight to call.

Roll on next week's Preliminary Finals!