EFL Media’s Tim Fitzsimons previews the Division 3 preliminary final…
RINGWOOD (1st, 14-4, 0-1 in finals) v HEATHMONT (5th, 12-6, 2-0 in finals)
A place in the grand final against Park Orchards is up for grabs with Ringwood and Heathmont battling it out at East Burwood Reserve for that opportunity.
Ringwood’s nine game winning streak ended at the hands of Park Orchards last week in heartbreaking circumstances. The Redbacks gave up an 18-point lead in the last quarter, going down by just one solitary point and missing out on a direct route to the grand final.
Trent Farmer stood up in the loss, kicking seven of Ringwood’s 12 goals in a brilliant display up forward but the Redbacks will be hoping for a more even spread this week without having to rely on the star forward. They have proved they are capable of this, winning three games without him late in the season.
Heathmont have been the surprise packet in the finals, winning two in a row to progress through to the preliminary final from fifth position.
The Jets were gutsy in a low scoring slog at Central Reserve last week against Templestowe and with just 12 goals kicked for the day between the two sides, they managed to sneak home by four points in what turned out to be a memorable day.
With the competitions two leading goal kickers in Farmer and Kevin Clark in each side, the forward lines of both sides look very dangerous so expect the pressure to be on both defences to nullify their outputs.
If the forecast for Saturday stays the same with a wet day predicted, the liveliness of Clark may be important with wet conditions suiting a small, quick forward as the ball will likely be on the ground for much of the day.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND 12
HEATHMONT 4.12.36 def. by RINGWOOD 14.10.94
The Redbacks were too good back in round 12, coming away with a 58-point victory on the road.
Daniel Jordanov and Anthony McCann were terrific for Ringwood while it was Brent English once again leading the way for Heathmont in the disappointing defeat.
