Fish Creek bounds into grand final

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Fish Creek bounds into grand final

FINALS football is a whole new game in which ladder positions and the number of wins for the season are no longer factors when you step out onto the ground.
Fish Creek found out very quickly on Saturday that the Allies are a real threat, as the Allies took it right up to the minor premiers Fish Creek for much of the day.
The Kangaroos went into the game without their ball magnet and 2016 league best and fairest Tom Cameron, who sustained a leg injury the week before.
The Allies were at near full strength, with Ben Mayers the only obvious exclusion from the side.
Toora’s ground was a picture, but the wind was difficult to negotiate.
DWWWW won the toss and elected to kick with the wind advantage to the southern end and the match got underway.
The opening quarter was a defensive battle between both sides with neither side able to break the shackles.
The opening score was a behind to the Allies in the fourth minute and only two minutes later the Kangaroos had the opening goal to Seccull who pounced on a loose ball sinking the slipper onto one from close range to open the Kangaroos accounts. DWWWW evened up through Bergles midway through the quarter and the game continued to be a very intense defensive battle.
At the first break the scores were locked at 1.2 apiece.
The second quarter was more of the same with both sides playing hard contested footy and neither able to break the shackles on the scoreboard.
That was until the Fish Creek captain Callan Park produced a little piece of magic that had the opening goal of the quarter from a freakish snap for goal that finally broke the shackles.
Nothing changed however, and there would be no opening of the flood gates on this day.
The only other goal for the quarter would be an encore performance by the Fish Creek captain Park when he once again snared the ball deep in the forward pocket and snapped truly for his second to give the Kangaroos a tiny little bit of breathing space going into the main break 12 points up.
The second half continued on as the first half had been with neither team able to take any real ascendency on the game.
DWWWW, led by its small brigade of Edgerton, Atkins and McKenzie, were in everything as was Coates, Harfield-Park and Smith for Fish Creek.
The first part of the third quarter was tight with neither team able to score, but Fish Creek threatening.
The second half of the quarter was an about face and the Allies started to get on top and with a stiff breeze they were able to firstly bridge the gap on the scoreboard and then for the first time in the match they were able to hit the front and extend their lead out to nine points going into the final quarter.
The final quarter, although not reaching the lofty heights that were expected, was enthralling.
It was a ding dong battle between two sides desperate to win a spot in the grand final.
Fish Creek went straight into attack and the ball stayed there for much of the quarter.
It reduced the margin slightly, registering several behinds but was having some difficulty with the wind.
It’s kicking for goal and around the ground disposal was inconsistent; on the other hand the Allies were taking their opportunities and kept the pressure right on their more fancied opponent.
A couple of goals to the Kangaroos had them in front again and they looked as though they were taking control through the second half of the quarter.
A 13 point lead to Fish Creek was reduced to seven when Bergles got his fourth for the day, but Fish Creek still looked as though it would hang on.
A further behind to the Allies had the margin to one straight kick going into the final couple of minutes of play.
When a 50m penalty was paid against Fish Creek for a late tackle, the Allies’ Sabec was on the goal line kicking for goal, after kicking truly and when the siren sounded only a minute later the scores were even.
The umpires had the situation in hand and both sides were informed that they had to play an additional five minutes extra time kicking to each end and that there would be no break in between.
Supporters of both sides were on the edge of their seats as the match started into overtime.
This would be the best 10 minutes of footy that the Kangaroos would put together all day.
Straight into attack against the wind, it was firstly Seccull who marked and kicked a great long goal from the 50 kicking into the wind.
The Kangaroos goaled again shortly after and then hit the post not long after that and after the opening period of extra time the margin was out to 13 points.
The second period of extra time was played just as hard as the rest of the game had been but the Fishy team continued to make the play and when Chad Macri scored a goal for the Kangaroos the game was over; Fish Creek winners by 19 points and into its third grand final in succession.
The Kangaroos have a week off now while the Allies will take on Toora, which had a strong win against Stony Creek, at Foster next Saturday.

Dash for it: Fish Creek player Blaine Coates made a hard lead with the ball, while teammates fight off Allies opponents.

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Posted by on Aug 30 2017. Filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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