Grand Final Day Wrap!
Last Saturday saw the conclusion of the AFL Sapphire Coast season, With Berrambool Oval hosting the 2019 Grand Finals.
With the sun shining throughout the day, we saw 6 fantastic games of footy. See below for match results and Best on Ground for all grades, as well as match reviews from our local media!
Under 12s
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermagui Breakers | 0.1-1 | 1.3-9 | 1.4-10 | 2.5-17 |
| Merimbula Diggers | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0-6 | 1.0-6 |
The Bermagui Breakers completed one of the most successful SCAFL seasons in recent memory on Saturday by winning four premierships on grand-final day in Merimbula.
The under 12s started the day in perfect fashion with a 2.5 (17) to 1.0 (6) win over the Merimbula Diggers. Edoardo Cementon and Flynn Kelly were the Breakers’ goal kickers.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermagui Breakers | 2.3-15 | 2.5-17 | 6.11-47 | 9.13-67 |
| Pambula FC | 3.0-4 | 4.3-27 | 4.3-27 | 4.3-27 |
The Breakers won the under 12s, under 14s, reserve grade, and women’s grand finals to beat Pambula’s haul of three premierships in the 2017 season.
Bermagui’s only grade to not win the premiership this season, the under 16s, fell in last weekend’s preliminary final.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narooma Lions | 1.4-10 | 4.7-31 | 5.11-41 | 5.15-45 |
| Merimbula Diggers | 0.0 | 1.0-6 | 1.0-6 | 2.0-12 |
The Narooma Lions have a premiership-winning side in 2019 after the under 16s capped off an undefeated season with a 5.15 (45) to 2.0 (12) win over the Merimbula Diggers on Saturday, August 31.
The Lions’ inaccuracy stopped the match from becoming a blowout, but the minor premiers never looked threatened as they cruised to a 33-point win.
Callum Jackson and Max Caldwell both kicked two goals for the Lions, with Jack Westoll bagging the fifth goal.
Under 16s’ coach, Peter Hodge, said he was proud of the way his side played.
“There were certainly a few nerves before the game, but they were alright once the siren sounded,” he said. “They took control of the game early, but Merimbula’s defence was pretty good.
“They put a fair bit of pressure on us. They were playing a spare man back, and we were having a bit of trouble getting around him.”
Hodge believes the under 16s’ undefeated season was built on the training track.
“We did a fair bit of running during the season, so the boys were all pretty fit,” he said. “Some of them played first grade throughout the year, but it’d been a few weeks since then.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermagui Breakers | 4.3-27 | 4.3-27 | 5.4-34 | 6.6-42 |
| Merimbula Diggers | 0.0 | 4.0-24 | 5.2-32 | 6.2-38 |
The Bermagui Reserves jumped the Merimbula Diggers with four unanswered goals in the first quarter, but the Diggers played their way back in the second with four goals of their own.
The match became an arm wrestle from that point, but the Breakers did enough to win 6.6 (42) to 6.2 (38).
Nickolas and Paul Lazzaro were the main focal points for Bermagui, kicking three and two goals respectively.
| Bermagui Breakers | 1.0-6 | 2.1-13 | 5.4-34 | 5.4-34 |
| Tathra Sea Eagles | 1.1-7 | 2.1-13 | 3.1-19 | 5.2-32 |
The women’s grade delivered another tight final, as Bermagui held off the fast-finishing Tathra Sea Eagles 5.4 (34) to 5.2 (32).
The Sea Eagles kicked the only two goals of the last quarter, but couldn’t find a match-winning third.
Possibly the most amazing stat from Bermagui’s day was the fact that only the under 12s entered the finals series as minor premiers.
Club president Phil Summerfield said it was a special day not only for the club, but the town of Bermagui.
“No team has won four premierships in one season like that, and no team has won the club championship without a senior side,” he said. “It’s pretty history-making for our town.”
Summerfield hopes this season will springboard the club to senior success down the track.
“We try to be inclusive, and make people feel wanted and a part of the club,” he said. “We’ve changed the culture and the fabric of our whole club, and it’s more of a family club now.
“We’re probably a couple of years off having a competitive senior team, but we’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the future if our young guys stick around.”
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merimbula Diggers | 5.1-31 | 6.4-40 | 9.7-61 | 10.10-70 |
| Tathra Sea Eagles | 2.0-12 | 5.0-30 | 5.1-31 | 7.4-46 |
The Merimbula Diggers have claimed their first senior premiership in a decade on Saturday.
The Diggers were the team to beat from the outset of the 2019 season and maintained that same form and fitness to defeat the Tathra Sea Eagles 10-10-70 to 7-4-46.
Despite a bruising physical encounter that caused tempers to boil over a few times, the Sea Eagles just couldn’t match the Diggers in high-flying mark contests as the home club dominated aerial contests.
Merimbula’s pace was also deeply impactful as even when Tathra found a little open room to move, players from the home team appeared to flood in from all directions with dizzying speed.
The match focused largely out of the middle where the hosts got good snap kicks out of the contest where play quickly progressed to Merimbula’s attacking forward, who took some dominant marks to get good range on the Tathra goals.
The Diggers fired in four early goals before Tathra got into the contest with two six-pointers of their own late in the opening quarter, but the hosts were firing ahead with a near-20-point lead.
Coach Matt Molkentin, Dylan Jordan and Daniel Worden all used their height to great advantage, while well placed kicks bode well for the hosts from the outset.
Through the middle Noah and Jedd Martyn used their pace to outstrip the Sea Eagles and a 10-point deficit at half-time was as close as the Sea Eagles would get.
In the back half of play, Merimbula’s season-long fitness came to the fore as the club kept pace throughout play and – with a vocal crowd surging them on – piled on 20 points in the third quarter, while containing the visitors to just a solitary behind.
With a 30-point advantage into the last stanza a solitary goal and a single behind against the wind were enough for Merimbula to deny the Sea Eagles any way back and secured the 2019 premiership flag.
Senior Men’s Best on Ground: Ethan White, Merimbula Diggers
On behalf of AFL Sapphire Coast, we would like to say a massive thank you to Jason Raeck and Richard Janson, and everyone from the Merimbula Diggers who made this day so successful by hosting!
Congratulations to all clubs on another successful year! Bring on 2020!
*Match Reviews written and published by Jacob McMaster & Joel Erikson – Narooma News https://www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/
