Minor Premiers the University Cougars will face off against the Dalby Swans in the 2012 Under 12 AFLDDJ Grand-Final. The Cougars will be looking for revenge after their agonising 1 point loss to the Swannies in the Qualifying final.
Dalby have the mental edge over the Cougars in 2012, recording wins in both of their last two meetings but University will know that they have what it takes to defeat the Swans.
Previous Results
Round 9 – University 4.6 (30) def. Dalby 2.5 (17) @ Baker Street Oval
Round 17 – Dalby 5.4 (34) def. University 5.1 (31) @ Owen Street Oval
Qualifying Final – Dalby 4.7 (31) def. University 4.6 (30) @ Rockville Oval
So, will University even the 2012 ledger or will the Swans take home the Silverware?
Way back in round 9, Evan Cooper (University) booted the only multiple goals when he kicked 2 for the game while team mates Douglass Coleman and Emmett Street both chipped in with 1 each. League leading goal kicker Tom Matthews was kept quiet only adding 1 goal to his tally while Jordan Richards kicked 1 in a best on ground performance for the Swans.
In Round 14 it was Tom Matthews who proved to be the difference as he bagged 4 and was supported by Jared Jeitz who kicked 1. University had 5 individual goal-kickers on the day as Doyle, Potter, Biglands, Haddad and Carlin got their names recorded by the goal umpires.
Matthews was again the difference in the Qualifying Final booting 3 goals to single handily give the Swans a Grand-Final appearance.
Fast-forward to the Grand-Final and both sides will be looking to their key talls up forward to put on a clinic.
Tom Matthews (Dalby) V Evan Cooper (University) – Though they won’t directly line up against each other on the field, both these players will be relied on heavily to kick goals. Matthews kicked an amazing 112 goals in season 2012 to take out the u12 leading goal kicker for the league while his nearest rival Evan Cooper kicked 38 to finish as the league runner-up.
But all of those goals go out the window for the Grand-Final.
Matthews will play majority of his game through the midfield like much of the season but will push forward to rest at different stages throughout the game. Tom’s work rate and natural ability to kick goals are his best attributes and the Swannies do rely heavily on his ability to work hard at both ends of the ground.
Cooper on the other hand is your traditional forward and no doubt Coach Brown will be looking to utilise Cooper one out inside 50. Evan takes a good overhead grab and kick goals from anywhere inside 50 and Dalby will need to find a good match up for the young forward.
More key match ups will be University’s Andrew Bani-Freeman and the Swannies Jordan Richards in the engine room. Both are similar type midfielders that work hard, get in and under the contest and can spark their respective sides with their natural leadership abilities.
Both will be a key to their side’s success and no doubt will go head to head at some stage in the midfield.
What Dalby need to do to win
Tom Matthews has been the Swannies number one player all year and is a major reason behind Dalby’s successful season. As we all know footy is a team game and Tom will need support, the likes Richards, Melbin, Peltz, Farquharson and Raux will need to get their hands on the footy.
Dalby have shown they have what it takes when the games are close; Round 17 and the Qualifying Final speak for themselves – only time will tell if they have what it takes on the big stage.
What University need to do to win
Firstly they will need to forget about the Qualifying Final loss and focus on the task at hand, as what has happened doesn’t matter on Grand-Final day. University have match winners all over the ground in Emmanuel Fallah, Killian Doyle, Andrew Bani-Freeman, Lincoln Bouttell and co.
The Cougars will need to stop Tom Matthews influence on the game and Doyle is probably the perfect match up for Matthews. Doyle can run all day and can match up with Matthews for size, after they stop his influence Uni just need to stick to what they have done all year and play their exciting brand of footy. They do this and well you just never know.
Time will tell the result of this encounter of epic proportion and there are only two things that are for sure; there will only be one winner and the Darling Downs will be named a brand new Premier at the fulltime siren.
Last Modified on 12/09/2012 09:10
