SYDNEY AFL PRELIM FINAL 2012
Article and Prelim Final photos by Michael Shillito.
Balmain prevailed in an enthralling Preliminary Final over Pennant Hills to book a berth in the Grand Final against UNSW-ES on Sunday afternoon at Blacktown International Sports Park.
Pennant Hills had gone down narrowly to the Bulldogs in the Second Semi last week, but had another chance to qualify for the Grand Final. Their opponents were Balmain, who had got to the game with back to back wins over St George in the Elimination Final and North Shore in the First Semi.
Pennant Hills defender Seb Parker was celebrating his 150th game, and a run-through banner was prepared for him to celebrate the occasion.
The Demons got off to an explosive start, getting the centre break. Stephen Wray’s long kick sailed out on the full, but the Balmain free was intercepted by Matt Carey who went back and put the opening goal of the game on the board.
The Dockers replied quickly, with Thomas Matson bursting through a congested pack after a boundary throw-in to score. For the next ten minutes, the ball travelled from end to end before Matt Round found himself at the end of a chain of hand-passes to drill the ball through and give the Dockers the lead.
Honours were even in the first quarter, with the Dockers four points ahead at the first change. And it took just 20 seconds for the Dockers to add six points to their lead, with Ben Taggart snapping truly from the boundary. Ted Widmer replied for the Demons, but the momentum was swinging Balmain’s way. Taggart quickly got his second, and was denied a third by a poster. Brad Plug found himself unattended to take an uncontested mark 30 metres from home, and the Dockers were out to a three-goal lead.
But every time the Dockers looked like pulling away, the Demons would fight back. It wasn’t looking good for the Demons when Brandon Jack went for a run, taking two bounces before losing the ball. A quick snap by Alex Goodall lifted the Demons. The Demons intensity lifted, and Josh Barty exemplified the lift in Demon spirit as he put in a blistering tackle to bring down Adrian Hill. The Demons found runners in space, with Tim Wales finding Nick Campbell; and after Campbell put the goal through, the margin was back to seven points at half time.
The Pennant Hills run continued in the opening minute of the third term. Brandon Jack showed some of his silky skills as he sidestepped the Balmain tacklers before slamming a goal through to cut the margin to one point. At the other end, Damian Dell’Aquila landed a crunching tackle from behind on Aaron Cottrell as the Docker was running into an open goal.
But at the seven minute mark, Taggart flew high over two opponents to mark on the forward pocket. It was a tight angle, and Taggart went for the checkside but made no mistake.
The Demons were denied a reply when Alex Goodall was pinged by the umpires for running too far. At the other end, Taggart was ridden in the back and took advantage of the free to add another. Brad Plug faced minimal resistance to mark and add another; and then Taggart kicked his third for the quarter, the Docker lead was out to 25 points.
The Demons were in trouble on the forward line, as Nick Campbell, Sam Widmer and Luke Bilbe put down chest marks within a minute; before a snap by Matt Carey gave the Demons a much-needed goal deep in time-on. And they should have added another, when Campbell was awarded a free within kicking range. The siren sounded as Campbell was lining up his kick, but he missed and the Demons were 18 points in arrears at the last change.
Day was turning into night, the floodlights had taken over from natural light. The Demons’ prospects were looking darker in the early stages of the final quarter. For five minutes the ball was camped on the Demons’ forward line, but they could manage only behinds to show for their efforts. And against the run of play, the Dockers got their first inside 50 at the five minute mark of the quarter, with Taggart being unable to hold a mark but knocking the ball to an unattended Troy Luff in the square.
The Dockers were 21 points ahead and looking on their way to victory. But last week in the Second Semi, a late surge by Pennant Hills breathed life into a contest that looked dead and buried; and the same would happen again, as the Demons came back hard midway through the quarter.
At 11 minutes, Matt McCamey forced a turnover and snapped truly to throw the Demons a lifeline. Three minutes later Stephen Wray fired off a lightning handball to Brant Jack before getting it back and snapping on the run, bringing the pro-Demons crowd to their feet. And when a long, penetrating kick found Luke Bilbe, who kicked truly from 30 metres, the Demons were back to within a point with still plenty of time left on the clock.
The nervous tension was rising. Tom Mabon had a chance to steady the Docker ship after receiving a free kick at the edge of the goalsquare. But somehow he managed to miss from 10 metres. However, from the kick-in, Aaron Cottrell regained possession, milking the clock before going short to Taggart. The big Docker took his full allotment of time before kicking his sixth goal, enough to ensure a spot in the Grand Final.
The final margin was nine points. Ben Taggart finished with six goals, and along with Tom Matson and Kristian Pearson were among Balmain’s best. For the Demons, Cameron Smith, Damian Dell’Aquila and Matt Carey were prominent performers. It had been a successful season for the Demons, but a place in the Grand Final would elude them. For the ninth year in the last ten, the team that lost the Second Semi would also lose the Preliminary Final.
And so Balmain, for the second year in a row, are through to Sydney football’s biggest day. Last year they were belted by Sydney Hills Eagles, but now they have a chance to right that wrong. For much of the season, a Grand Final berth looked out of reach; and the Dockers had to get to the Grand Final the hard way, with three sudden-death finals. But they made it.
The Dockers were relieved more than jubilant to take the win, with a low-key singing of the song in the rooms after the game. As they know only too well, they haven’t won anything yet; and UNSW-ES are rested, ready and waiting for what promises to be a tightly-contested and closely fought Grand Final.
