Finals, Footy & Feral Weather - Clapham Qualifiers Deliver

As we approach Grand Final day this Saturday, we recap the Qualifying Finals from last week.

What a weekend of footy, eight games, two venues, wonderful weather...ahem, and great support for the participants.

The "but can they do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke" phrase is often bandied about when discussing fancy-dan overseas soccer players (god, look what hanging around with you guys has done to me...soccer - whatever next), on Saturday in the Qualifying Finals it was a case of "but can they do it on a swamp in Clapham" - now I appreciate that it is a winter sport in Australia, but how often has it ever been like it was on Saturday?

To answer the question, yes they could, and the first three games put on a damn fine show at entertaining the initially sparse (well you would stay in if you had a choice) crowd in attendance. That isn't to say the final game wasn't entertaining, it was just dry and sunny.

As it turned out, we had four different winners in the Qualifying Finals, meaning we will have four clubs represented on Finals Day - two teams from the Demons (with the Men's Premiers having already qualified), plus one each from the London Swans, Hawks and Wildcats.

So, how did they play out.

The opening game saw the Wandsworth Demons take on the London Swans in the Men's Socials. The Demons were the minor premiers but only on percentage, and had beaten the Swans in their regular season encounter. In a game that started in heavy rain and on a pitch covered in water it was the Swans who adapted quickest and struck the first blow. A set shot on the right saw Nic Dazeley shimmy passed the man on the mark and convert. The Dees fought back and settled into the contest and levelled with their own set shot from Rowhan McBride and the sides went in at the end of the first quarter with the Swans holding a 1.1.7 to 1.0.6 lead.

With rain continuing to pour the second quarter saw little in the way of goalscoring chances, although the Dees managed to fashion four behinds to take a lead into the big break, 1.4.10 to 1.1.7. Defensively the Dees were on top form, restricting the Swans to a handful of half chances, and despite averaging 38 points a game in the regular season the Swans were kept scoreless in the second half and the Dees were able to stretch away and progress to the final.

Pat Hurley's shot on the turn early in the third quarter and a set shot from Liam Dove on the 50 gave them a 3.5.23 to 1.1.7 lead at three quarter time, and in the fourth quarter a shot on the turn by Danny Radis was marked close to the goal line by Fintan McGrath, and that was that. A swampy 4.8.32 to 1.1.7 win for the Demons.

The rain continued to hammer down, in fact by the time Game 2 started it felt heavier - or maybe standing in the rain I was just weighed down by the water on the clothes. Anyway the Wimbledon Hawks clashed with the North London Lions in the Women's Conference.

The Hawks finished as minor premiers with a 100% record, and with both sides defensively solid (Hawks conceding just 25 points in seven games and the Lions 52) it was expected to be a tight game. That's not to say their wasn't some attacking potency on both sides, with the Hawks Mel Hogg and the Lions Amy Pattison free-scoring and topping the division goalscoring charts there was a likelihood of goals.

The weather put paid to that, neither side was able to put together their usual free-flowing footy as the ball began to resemble a brick in all but shape, and a dour midfield battle ensued. The effort was there and the game was always in the balance, but give the sides a dry pitch and its a belter of a contest.

Mel Hogg struck a couple of behind for the Hawks, and at half time they had a 0.4.4 to 0.0.0 lead. Visibility was proving tricky as the camera condom effectively meant breathing into a plastic bag and the glasses were steaming up. Fortunately Lions runner Larry Cullen was to come to the rescue with a peaked cap allowing visibility to return and oxygen to reach the parts it needed to reach - anyway I digress.

The Hawks stretched their lead to a massive five points early in the third period, before a set shot from Gabby O'Connor saw her with the only goal of the game and a 1.5.11 to 0.0.0 lead going into the final quarter. Despite the best efforts of the Lions in the final period, they were unable to trouble the Hawks notoriously stingy backline, and a couple more behinds saw them record a hard-fought 1.7.13 to 0.0.0 win.

Conditions were starting to improve - and when I say that, the rain was less heavy - for the third game, the Men's Conference. The Swans had finished top of the Conference table, with just one defeat in the regular season, that being against todays opponents the Wandsworth Demons, although they had exacted some revenge in the reverse fixture.

The Swans started like a house on fire and soon had the Demons on the back foot and Reed Jepson found Fergus Lappin inside 50 and the dangerous Swans forwarded converted to give the minor Premiers the lead. They continued to dominate, and division leading scorer Michael Batten stretched the lead, gathering the ball out wide, he shimmied inside his man and curled a delightful finish home with the outside of his right boot. The Dees finally started to gain some traction in the game but quarter time came with the Swans holding a 2.3.15 to 0.2.2 lead.

The Dees continued their revival when Oscar Gibbins was given a free shot after the Swans were penalised for holding and converted from an angle. Joel Dale then found Jack Nichols for the Swans and after the Dees were marched back, he converted from close range to re-establish the Swans control. The big break saw the Swans with a 3.4.22 to 1.2.8 lead.

A tight third quarter followed, but a well worked moved saw Batten launch the ball into the 50, Lappin tap the ball down and Darcy Johnstone spun out of a would be tackler to score and the Swans extended their lead, and went in at the break 22 points clear, leading 4.7.31 to 1.3.9. The final quarter was less frenetic than the previous three, but with a good lead the Swans never looked like relinquishing their place in the Grand Final, and a further set shot from Lappin was the icing on the cake. The final hooter came with the Swans 5.8.38 to 1.4.10 winners.

You know you know you have had the luck of the draw when you are the last game, and bar one small puddle there is little indication of the monsoon conditions that had taken place earlier. That is how it was for the Womens Premiership, when the minor Premiers the London Swans took on the West London Wildcats.

The Swans were without defensive lynchpin (no pun intended) Emma Lynch, but still looked a solid side but the Wildcats would have been buoyed by victory over the Swans in the final game of the regular season.

With yours truly and his really crap skin frantically hunting for sunscreen (thanks Charley) the game began. The Swans looked confident and moved the ball about well, but were unable to seriously trouble the scoreboard, and the Wildcats struck first through Emma Davis, Dee Kelly's set shot out wide being marked by Davis close to the line, and they stretched their lead following a great pick up and finish by Lorna McCutcheon, and went into the break 2.0.12 to 0.1.1 ahead.

Saskia Taylor-Doyle in the middle of the field was becoming more and more influential for the Swans but the second quarter was overall a tight affair with little in the way of goalscoring opportunities, and with the Swans adding just a behind the Wildcats took a 2.0.12 to 0.2.2 lead into the half-time break.

The Wildcats turned up the heat in the third quarter and had the Swans stuck inside their own 50 but despite peppering the goal they were unable to hit the big points, although six behinds stretched their lead to 16 points and they went into the final quarter with a 2.6.18 to 0.2.2 lead.

An early goal by Niamh Leahy bought the Swans right back into the contest, but numerous missed shots were to prove costly, and despite their efforts they could only narrow the gap to seven points and the Wildcats ran out 2.6.19 to 1.6.12 winners.

Huge congratulations to all the winners who progress to Grand Finals day, for the vanquished their is another bite of the cherry next week in the Preliminary Finals.

Keep an eye out for tomorrow's blog which recaps the Elimination Finals out in Reading.