#DontGoQuietly
Can the Saints tame the Cougar or will University teach South Burnett a lesson?
After the excitement of running out in round 1, the gruelling and cold June training sessions and 19 rounds of regular games it all comes down to this.
Grand-Final day, the day when stars players shine, winning sides are remembered forever.
In a season that South Burnett recorded a club record 10-game winning streak, the year the Cougars unearthed future stars in Isaac Parker and Sam Purtill. It all comes down to this; the Division 2 competitions number one ranked attacking side up against the number one ranked defensive side for the 2014 Div 2 Premiership.
Where and when: Rockville Oval, Sunday 14th September 2:45pm
The six points
1. South Burnett have dominated the Cougars in season 2014, winning by an average margin of 32-points across their three meetings this season.
2. University is aiming for their 8th Division 2 AFL Darling Downs title with their last flag in 2012 and before that it was 1997 against the then Kingaroy. The Saints are gunning for their 4th, winning three flags as Kingaroy and their last in 2001.
3. South Burnett and University have never met at Rockville Oval, a venue that is vastly different to both clubs home grounds. Adapting to the Wilsonton wind gusts will be something players will need to understand early.
4. Finals experience will count in the decider. A majority of University lists played in last years Grand-Final and those that did will be important in this big game, as Grand-Finals turn some players into super weapons and others go missing.
5. South Burnett average 125.6 points per game, with their attacking unit the best in the competition. With the likes of Adam Bowater, Brad Edwards and Ty Snow, the Saints trio are the most potent in the competition. However the Saints attacking unit play against the number one defensive unit. The University defensive group have only let in on average 35 points per game this season.
6. The Cougars are statistically better starters, winning more than 50% of their opening halves. South Burnett however, are better finishers with the Saints winning more than 65% of their second halves. Any interesting statistic with four quarters of footy needed to win the flag.
Picking the Winner
It is predicted this will be a close contest, somewhere between 1-9 points should be the final margin. South Burnett have their local mayor on-board with Mayor Wayne Kratzmann twitting this earlier in the week . The final make up of the University side will come down to how their Division 1 side fairs on Saturday.
The final say
South Burnett go into this match as favourites, taking out the minor premiership and advancing first into the Grand-Final gives the Saints bragging rights and flag favouritism. However, University have played in this type of big game before and finals experience counts for everything in September.
The Cougars easily put the Highfields Lions aside last week and look prime for their charge towards victory.
Both sides boast experienced players along with energetic youth, the first five minutes will be important and both sides will be looking to their leaders to have an impact. For the Saints they will be looking towards Bowater, Keiran Snow, Ty Snow, Daniel Rogers and co. University will look to Isaac Parker, Brendon McDonald, Steve McLennan to have an early impact.
Each sides coaching staff will be important as well, keeping calm on the sidelines will be pivotal to teams on-field performance.
Last Modified on 15/09/2014 08:48
