This was a great grand final, with both sides giving their all to win premiership glory and as a spectacle it was magnificent to see the key players from both sides turning it on for the large crowd. Barnes and McNamee kicked seven goals apiece and their displays are what people pay good money to see and they were not short-changed in Saturday’s decider.
In the opening term the Redbacks were more accurate than the Saints kicking 6-1 to the Saints 3-5 to hold a fourteen point lead at the first change. It was champagne football from the first bounce, with the foot skills of both sides delighting the crowd with their accuracy and both sides hitting targets while under great pressure.
In the second quarter the Saints took it right up to the reigning premiers and at the long break found themselves with a one goal advantage, which only for bad kicking could have been greater. Most who witnessed the 2012 decider went there hoping to see a good game but most thought it could be a one sided affair, but the Saints to this point proving them all wrong, with most now undecided at which way the final result may go. Both sides went to the half time break with some effected by the warm conditions and a good break was what they were looking for. McNamee was leading by example and ended the term with four goals, Aaron Motlop was making life difficult for the Redbacks as was Stewart. Wedderburn had good contributors in Polglase, McHugh and Tonkin but there was some serious thinking to be done to resurrect their game which to this point was being dominated by the less fancied opposition.
Wedderburn whipped off the Saints lead in the opening minute of the third quarter and just moments later the Saints took another body blow when Nick Baldwin was reported for a tripping offence. This left the Saints a man down and the Redbacks should have taken full advantage of this, but it took them until late in the quarter to finally break away and establish a lead over the Saints. Playing one man short the Saints done a good job to hold the Redbacks for as long as they did but when Herdman and Barnes both kicked goals the Wedderburn side kicked out to a 26-point lead at the final break in play, with most thinking that their lead would be enough to see them record back to back premierships.
How wrong everybody was, the Saints proved all good judges wrong and showed a great fighting spirit to claw back the lead of the Redbacks. With ten minutes left on the clock and a deficit of 19-points it looked like the Saints fairy tale season may have come to a close but they rallied to reduce the lead back to 7-points and it was game on as the precious last minutes ticked away. There was desperation on both sides but the pendulum had swung in favour of the Saints as they had the momentum and were looking the goods, until Barnes kicked the Redbacks only goal for the quarter. With about two minutes to go Motlop slotted through his third for the quarter to reduce the margin back to 8-points. McNamee then took a strong mark and converted for full points, but time was quickly running out and in what would turn out to be one of the last passages of play, Coghlan turned on his left into an open goal but his kick missed the main target and there was only a point the difference just prior to the final siren of 2012, Wedderburn would hold on to take out the flag for the second year in a row, in what will be remembered as one of the great grand finals in the history of the North Central. St Arnaud who almost pulled off the rags to riches season must be congratulated on their effort and for their successful rebuild of a team that failed to win a game just one season earlier and their future looks positive if they can continue to build on their efforts of 2012.
Final Scores Wedderburn 16-12= 108 def St Arnaud 15-17=107
Best for Wedderburn: S. Barnes, B. Herdman, B. DeAraugo, H. Polglase, R. McHugh, R. Tonkin. Goals: S. Barnes 7 (103 for Season), B. Herdman 4, R. Tonkin, D. Benaim, B. Rose and S. Terhill 1 Each.
Best for St Arnaud: J. McNamee, A. Motlop, S. Motlop, T. Petrie, L. Stewart, N. Coghlan. Goals: J. McNamee 7, S. Motlop 4, A. Lantjin 2, J. James and N. Coghlan 1 each.
Reserves
St Arnaud 12-8=80 def Donald 7-4=46
Under 16’s
Donald 10-7=67 def Birchip-Watchem 7-3= 45
Under 13’s
Wedderburn 7-11=53 Def Birchip-Watchem 2-7=19
Last Modified on 24/09/2012 00:18