By DAVID NAGEL
CRANBOURNE has a preliminary final date with its arch-rival Narre Warren after ending Berwick’s season with a 41-point victory in Sunday’s first semi-final at Holm Park Road.
The grand final match-up of the last three season’s has been brought forward a week this year, after Beaconsfield stunned the Casey Cardinia league with a dramatic one-point victory over the Magpies in Saturday’s second semi-final.
Cranbourne started fast, and then had all the answers, riding a seven-goal second term, and a team-ethic as good as any this season to snuff out Berwick’s best challenge.
The Eagles extended their 17-point margin at quarter time to 40 by the main break with Team of the Year half forward Michael Theodoridis kicking four for the quarter, while Marc Holt, Anthony Vella and Tim Smith chimed in with one apiece.
Cranbourne’s midfield was right on top, particularly through the middle phase of the quarter, where three clearances resulting in three goals in the space of three minutes.
Berwick did close to 27 points in the second half, but it was a chase made in vain as the Eagles remained focussed to score an impressive victory.
“That’s what we can do when we really apply ourselves,” Cranbourne coach Scott Sutherland said.
“We work on it, week in week out, but sometimes we don’t know what Cranbourne side is going to turn up.
“Today we got the side that was really switched on and I thought our movement through defence, into our midfield and then down to our forwards was good, really good and that’s the standard we need to maintain.”
Sutherland said the team aspect of the performance impressed him most.
“It was a true team effort,” he said.
“I asked my assistants to name a top five, and everyone came up with a different list because it was such a great team effort. We’ll need that type of effort again next week, and the week after that, we look forward now to taking on Narre.”
Theodoridis kicked six, and Smith three, but it was the three goal effort of Vella, who played as a defensive forward on dangerous Berwick half back, Luke Sheppard, that was a real key to the victory.
Stu Morrish was superb down back, while Leigh Holt and Matty Weller – who had a great duel with Jordy Andrews – were other valuable contributors.
Berwick, both in ladder position and style of play, has improved from last year. Nisbet will be disappointed his side couldn’t maintain the ridiculously high standard set at the start of the season, but there are some promising signs.
Madi Andrews is a fantastic leader; young ruckman Jake Gains has been magnificent in the ruck while Jake Yields and promising forward duo, Mitch Johnson and Jordy Andrews still have plenty of years on their side.
BEACONSFIELD sent the premiership race into chaos after a thrilling one-point victory over Narre Warren in Saturday’s second semi-final at Pakenham.
The Eagles can now sit back and relax, clear in the knowledge that this week’s preliminary final between Narre Warren and Cranbourne will be the most hard fought in years, as both sides look to book a place beside Beacy in the grand final at Berwick on September 20.
Beaconsfield’s direct passage to the grand final was put on hold, as goal umpires conferred with scoreboard attendants to see if Hayden Stagg’s goal – with the last kick of the match – had in fact drawn the Magpies level as the scoreboard suggested.
Initially the Magpies went up as winners, before the scores were corrected and the final act of an amazing day of football was complete.
The Eagles’ leaders were magnificent – Norm Walker Medal winner Scott Meyer was the best big man on the ground, while Daniel Mislicki, Ben Kerrigan, Tyson Mitchem and Kris Fletcher not once took a backward step. Fletcher’s three goals, and Mitchem’s two, were important to the end result but their ability to burrow in and show their younger team-mates the way really did set the standard for the afternoon.
For the Magpies, apart from their defence, led by Ben King, Jake Richardson and Ryan Morrison, a couple of midfield warriors in Michael Collins and Dylan Quirk, and the last gasp heroics of Stagg … there was very little to write home about.
