Grand Final: New England Nomads v Inverell Saints at Bellevue Oval, Saturday 2pm
It all comes down to one match to decide the 2013 Tamworth AFL Premiership. The Reigning Premier New England Nomads against the 2012 Runner Up Inverell Saints. The two sides finished 1 and 2 on the home and away ladder and both come into this match on the back of big wins last start. The Nomads smashed the Saints in Armidale a fortnight ago but the Saints rebounded to put away the Roos last week, setting up this mouth watering clash. The two sides contested last year’s decider, which was won by the Nomads, and that result has started a 5 match winning streak for the boys in Green over the Sapphire Citizens. However, any player will tell you a Grand Final is a different kettle of fish altogether. Significantly, no side has gone back to back in the TAFL since the 2002/03 Kangaroos. There will be many battles over the course of 100 minutes that will decide this match, and here’s a rundown on the key match ups.
Nomads Forward Line/Saints Back Line
The league’s best offense against the best defence sees the Saints desperately trying to find a way to restrict the Nomad forwards. The twin tall threats of Simon Stubbs and James Boatfield have been difficult for any team to contain this season and throw in Jed Ellis-Cluff they have attacking weapons everywhere. That is not to mention Dave Richards and Weston Whitby who can easily slip under the guard of any team. Whitby carried the attack 12 months ago in the 2012 Grand Final and will be looking for another repeat this weekend. The Saints have some tall timber of their own down back, and you could expect to see Sam Kimmince and Chris Schneider get the job on Boatfield and Stubbs. Veteran Matt Harrison will probably line up on Whitby with speedster Scott Fermor probably the only Saints defender quick enough to go with Richards. The Saint that takes Ellis-Cluff is the biggest question mark, with Mitch Black and Peter Dunlop possible candidates. Hamish Bird went head to head with Ellis-Cluff earlier in the season and shut him down for a half of footy in Inverell, but the question is how much the Saints would loose in forward punch. There will be some mouth watering match ups at this end of the ground, and it will probably come down to the individual pieces of effort that decide who wins that battle. I’m going to give a slight edge to the Nomads forwards at this end.
Midfield Battle
The engine room of both sides and where it all begins. The Saints were ultra impressive out of the centre last week against arguably the best midfield in the comp and they will carry forward plenty of confidence from that. Justin Pay was strong all day and has had a stellar year as Saints captain, with Hayden Chappel and Mitch Hall adding a touch of class on the fringes. The Saints have Hamish Bird’s pace and efficient disposal out wide to utilise and the development of Dallas Baldwin will give the Saints some drive forward. Toby Tollis has shown tremendous improvement in the ruck, but did struggle against the big body of Tim Snelling a fortnight ago. If he can lift and provide first use to his runners, the Saints will get good service into their forward line. The Nomads are no slouches in the middle either. Snelling has been a revelation in the ruck with his experience and nous around the contest proving invaluable. Riley Connor will never shirk a contest and can deliver the ball on a platter to his forwards, while Haoni Morell provides a bit of starch and grunt. Together with Jon Freund, the pair combine to slow teams down through the middle and hold the footy up in support. With Zac Wells and Luke Raymond prowling on the flanks, the Nomads have class across the middle and precise disposal forward. I’m going to give a very slight edge here to the Saints midfield, just because of how dominant they were a week ago.
Saints Forward Line/Nomads Back Line
The area of the ground a fortnight ago that the Nomads had total control over was their defensive unit. Led by coach Tom Granleese and Captain Clinton Ballagh, so much of the Nomads attack starts from deep in their own 50. They are experts in switching play and have the ability to wear down forwards, especially if they don’t want to chase out of their own attack. Ballagh will renew acquaintances with Chris Whitton, who was back to his best last week. However, a fortnight ago, the Saint was lucky to get a kick against the miserly Nomad defence. Mike Gould has produced another outstanding year, culminating with an accurate 9 goal effort last week. He missed the Major Semi, and his presence may be enough to lift the Saints this weekend. Granleese may take the job, or Zac Economou who loves the challenge of the big stars up front. Rusty Brien was pushed forward last week, and together with KJ Te Velde form a formidable small and mobile Saints forward line. Benji Julien and Jon Frost are the most likely to pick up the jobs on the small Saints forwards and will need to be on their game to restrict their presence in front of goals. The X Factor for the Saints may be what they do with their extra tall up front. If young Tollis pushes forward, the Nomads don’t have a great match up to his size and speed. It is impossible not to give the edge to the Nomads back line here, simply because of the way they dealt with the Saints attack last start, however the Saints will want to snag a few early to plant the seed of doubt in the defender’s minds.
Final summary
The season record for the Saints is not great reading. The Nomads have accounted for the Saints 4 times this year, with each result climbing in value. It is hard to see the Saints being beaten by the cricket score they were in the Major Semi, but strange things can happen in a Grand Final. Despite the massive improvement last week, the Saints will harbour bad memories of that effort in the wet a fortnight ago, and will need to expel any of those demons before this weekend. The Nomads also run the risk of heading into this clash a little over confident and cannot afford to take the Saints lightly. I think it will be much closer than last start, but the Nomads just have the edge across the paddock.
TAFL Tipster – The Nomads by 20 points
Last Modified on 28/08/2013 12:49