by Dale Shannon
Another do or die battle ensues when Woomelang Lascelles and Ouyen Untied face off in the Mallee Football League preliminary final.
Going into the game the Cats will be reeling after suffering a thrashing at the hands of minor premiers Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers, and the Demons take confidence from hanging on in a nail biting finish against the Giants. The mindset of the players from their semi-final clashes will be important.
The Cats have had the better of their opponents on all four occasions this year. On the most recent occasion, in the last home and away game 2 weeks ago, it was a 77-point deficit. However we saw the Demons turn around a massive deficit against the Giants, and this may just provide the conviction that the group needs to lead them to a victory.
Jason McGlynn was given a shutdown job last week for the Demons and they may need him to undertake a similar role. The Cats have a strong midfield group, lead by Trent Donnan. He may just find himself under close attention so will need support from the likes of Jack Shannahan and Jamie Church.
Alwyn Davey bagged 4 goals and was also prominent around the ground last time they met. The Demons will have done plenty of homework since, and will have determined the key match-ups all over the ground to make sure they are well poised to put their best foot forward.
The two keys for the Demons in their semi-final win were centre half back Jace Monaghan, and centre half forward Brad Vallance. Both players won their respective positions and they need to put in a similar performance to lift their side over the line.
Both teams have injury concerns. Pierce Liddle did not return to the field for the Cats after suffering what seemed to be a hamstring injury, and the Demons’ Kale Barker experienced a heavy knock in the first quarter forcing him out of the remainder of the game.
On the line is a berth in the definitive game of the Mallee Football League not only for 2016 but essentially forever. So there is not doubt both teams will leave nothing on the park when the final siren blows.
Last Modified on 08/09/2015 22:24
