By: Lachlan SHIRLEY

 

GEELONG Rangers proved to be the most successful club over the Geelong Region Grand Final weekend with all five of its teams being successful, while Surf Coast was the most unsuccessful club with all six of its teams coming Runners-up in their respective grand final appearances.

PHOTO:The victorious Geelong Rangers' Women's team, following their Division 1 Grand Final triumph over the Deakin Ducks last Saturday (Photo: Mark Tizard)

Aided by the fact the Finals were being hosted at their Myers Reserve home ground, the Rangers Boys’ U13A, U14A, U16A and U16B teams ran out victors in their various Grand Finals while the Senior Women’s Division 1 team also took out the first prize in their Final against Deakin Ducks.

Elcho Park Cardinals and Surfside Waves were the next two most successful clubs over the weekend, both coming away with two Grand Final winning pennants apiece.

The Cardinals’ Boys’ U12 Kangaroos and U12 Wallabies/Joeys teams proved victorious in their respective grand final appearances while their Boys’ U16B side was defeated 1-0 by Rangers in their grand final match up. Added to that, the Cardinals’ sister club North Geelong FC’s U14 Girls’ side took home a gold medal as the Warriors won their grand final match up 3-2 against Bell Park.

The Waves, meanwhile, had two successful teams in the senior section of the competition with the Men’s Division 1 and the Women’s Division 2 sides coming out triumphs in their respective grand finals.

Barwon as a club had one loss and one win from the weekend with its U13B Boys winning their Final while the Girls’ U16 side wasn’t so lucky as they were defeated in their Final.

Bell Park’s U12 Girls’ side was the only successful Bell Park team over the course of the weekend while their Girls’ U14 side and Men’s Division 2 teams were both defeated in their respective grand finals.

Corio had one team crowned grand final champions – its Men’s Masters outfit. Apart from that, no other Corio team made an appearance. On the final weekend of the season.

Corio Bay’s only grand finalist won its match when the Men’s Division 3 team ran out 2-1 winners in a thriller after extra time against Bellarine Sharks.

FC Leopold secured its first ever Grand Final victory in just its second year of existance with the Men’s Division 2 team comprehensively defeating Bell Park 4-2.

Lara United had only one team out of three crowned Grand Final with its U16 Girls’ side defeating Barwon to claim the Grand Final winners’ prize champions for the second time in a row. The other two Lara teams, Boys’ U13A and Women’s Division 2 side, both came Runners up.

Bellarine Sharks and Barwon Heads each had only a Men’s team qualify for the Grand Finals weekend, with the Sharks losing their Division 3 clash and the Barwon Heads’ Masters’ team going down to Corio in their final.