The Elimination Final was held at Leitch Oval in Narrabri between the Eagles and the Bulldogs. A very wet afternoon did not stop the Eagles from soaring in their first final. For the Bulldogs it was going to be a long day without several of their stars including big Sam Naismith. The Eagles got the jump on the Bulldogs in the first quarter kicking 5 goals to 1 goal. It could have been worse for the Bulldogs however as the Eagles also kicked 7 behinds for the quarter. So in the conditions one could be excused for thinking that a 28 point lead at quarter time could be a good omen for the game. But in true Bulldog style they fought their way back into the game in the second quarter. It was a golden run for them kicking 6 straight goals and holding the Eagle to 3 goals. This left the Eagles holding a 10 point lead and feeling just a little shaky. For the Bulldogs though they were feeling a lot more confident at the main break and even though they only had the bare 18 players available knew they could pull off the upset of the year. The third quarter was a tight struggle with the Eagles kicking 3 goals 4 behinds to the Bulldogs 3 goals 2 behinds. So at the last break the Eagles had a 12 point lead and the last quarter was looking like it was going to be classic struggle. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs though they finally ran out of legs and luck in the last quarter as the Eagles asserted their power kicking 6 goals and holding the Bulldogs to 1 goal. In their first finals experience the Eagles tasted victory and now next week they face the Saints in Inverell. For the Eagles Tim Cooper kicked 9 goals for the second week in a row and Mark Barrow was their best player. And for the Bulldogs their best player was Pat Lebreux and their leading goal kickers were Chris Gee and Tom Lather.
The Qualifying Final was at Bellevue Oval in Armidale and again it was a wet and miserable afternoon. Both the Nomads and the Inverell Saints finished on equal points at the end of the home and away with only percentage separating them. That percentage gap might have shown yesterday that there could be a little more distance between them than first thought. Both teams were good defensively in the first quarter with the Nomads just a bit better holding the Saints to 1 goal 3 behinds. They were able to kick 3 goals 3 behinds themselves and take a 2 goal lead into the first break. After feeling each other out in the first quarter in the second quarter things got more interesting. The Nomads had limited shots at goal in this quarter but kicked straight scoring 2 goals 1 behind. However the Saints could have set themselves up nicely as they peppered the goals having 8 shots. Unfortunately for them they weren't straight kicking 1 goal 7 behinds and the Nomads lead at the main break was still 2 goals. In the third quarter, known as the premiership quarter, the Nomads started to assert their authority. They held the Saints to 2 goals 1 behind and kicked 3 goals 1 behind themselves. This increased their lead to 20 points at three quarter time and in the conditions a match winning one. The last quarter was a dour struggle for both teams with the Nomads holding the Saints to just 1 behind. I don't think the Saints have ever been held goalless in a quarter before and the Nomads need to be commended for this. They only scored 1 goal themselves however and that will be something that Coach Brendan Meehan will look at before next week. In the end it was a worthy win to the Nomads by 27 points. This means the Nomads will now travel to No.1 Oval in Tamworth next week to take on the Kangaroos in the second Semi Final, major Semi, with the winner hosting the Grand Final. And the Saints will be hosting the Eagles in the First Semi Final, Minor Semi, and for the loser the season is over. The Nomads best player was Hamish Pearce and Adrian Walsh and Ben Julien Kicked 2 goals each. For the Saints their best player was Jono Elphick and Stewart Walker kicked 2 of their 4 goals.
Last Modified on 28/08/2011 10:15