EFL Media’s Tim Fitzsimons previews the Division 2 preliminary final…
DONCASTER EAST (2ND, 15-3, 0-1 in finals) v MOOROOLBARK (4th, 10-8, 1-0 in finals)
A spot in the grand final is up for grabs for one of Doncaster East or Mooroolbark when the sides meet in Saturday’s preliminary final at Tormore Reserve.
Doncaster East come into the clash following a disappointing performance in last weeks semi final against Knox where they went down by 33 points. Their third quarter fade out cost them dearly as the Falcons were able to pile on the pain, kicking seven unanswered goals to make the task too difficult for an unlikely Doncaster East comeback.
One positive that the Lions can take out of the loss was the fact the side stood up to the intense pressure early on and with scoring hard to come by in blustery conditions, they were able to take a slender lead into the main break, proving that they can perform under the finals heat.
Although the conditions were tough out at Tormore reserve, the Lions only managed eight goals for the day, their lowest tally for the year and as the heaviest scoring team across the season, they will be keen to rectify that this week and put unrelenting pressure on Mooroolbark’s defence.
Mooroolbark will be hoping to ride the wave of momentum into Saturday’s match after a thrilling two-point win over Lilydale in the knockout semi final last week.
The Mustangs came home with a wet sail in the final quarter, turning around a 15-point deficit and despite the ball being locked in Lilydale’s forward line for an extended period late in the game, they managed to defend strongly and prevent a Lilydale goal to progress through to the preliminary final.
Losing the competition’s leading goal kicker Kire Talevski before the first bounce due to a back injury didn’t falter the Mustangs. They went into the encounter with three talls in the forward line and Georgiou, Beddoes and Stephens played their roles in the absence of Talevski kicking a handy six goals between them.
Although Mooroolbark have been somewhat inconsistent over the course of the season, they have been in reasonable form of late. They have won three of their past four encounters with their only loss coming by a mere three points in round 17.
With Talevski almost certain to return for the big clash, it will be interesting to see how the Mustangs set up in the forward and whether they can adjust accordingly from last weeks win without the star forward.
LAST TIME THET MET:
ROUND 16
DONCASTER EAST 15.10.100 def. MOOROOLBARK 21.9.135
In what turned out to be a shoot-out, Mooroolbark surprised many onlookers with an upset 35-point victory away from home at Zerbes Reserve.
Talevski and Roth and Georgiou combined for 14 of Mooroolbark’s goals while Sholakis was the Lions best on the day with three of his own.
