The North Mackay Saints finished off the 2007 AFL Mackay season in style, by taking the flag in the Manpower CQ Forklifts Grand Final at Harrup Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon against Whitsunday Sea-Eagles.
The match started with all the vigour of a Grand Final clash, with both teams playing hard at the ball in the initial stages to send possession from one end of the field to the other. The deadlock broke quickly, with Whitsunday posting the first goal from the boot of Jason Evans.
The lead in the first quarter see-sawed, with North Mackay controlling most of the ball but failing to post scoreboard pressure, missing several set shots for goal. The weight of possession proved too much for Whitsunday by the end of the first quarter, although the backline lead by John Ryan defended grimly to prevent many scoring opportunities to trail by only 9 points.
The second quarter started off where the first finished, with attacking raids by the Saints resulting in goals to Tim Ellis, Craig Dowdell, and two to Matt Daniels who ultimately kicked six for the match. The running wasn't all with North Mackay, with Whitsunday right in the match, controlling much of the second quarter through outstanding ruck work by Jordon Edmeades and clean-up by Joel Morrow at centre-half-back.
By the end of the first half, the big crowd on hand at Harrup Park had been treated to a tough, fast paced contest, with the match not out of the grasp of the Sea-Eagles, as they proved last weekend against Mackay City, with the Saints leading by 17 points.
They call the third quarter the premiership quarter, and North Mackay proved just that with a crushing display of teamwork to kick six goals in the quarter, and leave Whitsunday scoreless.
Dominating in the ruck, Andrew McMahan who took out the ???? Medal for his best on ground performance, aided the Saints to move the ball into their attacking zone with relative ease through Jamiel Muhor, who had come into the match under an injury cloud, but performed strongly on the day. Scoring options were a plenty, with goals shared between John Price, Matt Daniels, Craig Dowdell, Dan Sheridan and Peter Farrant.
The Whitsunday forward line went missing, such was the pressure from the Saints. One attacking raid by the Sea-Eagles was quickly shut down when not one Whitsunday player, although three Saints defenders, could be found in their attacking 50 metre.
By the end of the quarter, the game appeared all but won with a nine goal lead coming into the final period, and all the momentum with the Saints.
Down, but not out, Whitsunday lifted to kick three more goals early on in the quarter. But with the flag in their grasp, the Saints peppered the goals with scoring shots, four of which resulting in goals, to finish the match 65 points ahead.
North Mackay 4.5, 7.10, 13.11, 17.19 (121) def Whitsunday 3.2, 5.5, 5.5, 8.8 (56)
Reserve Grade Final
The Reserve grade clash between Mackay City Hawks and North Mackay Saints was a battle royal between two traditional rivals, with the Hawks running out 25 point winners.
There was a 13 minute "softening up" period in the first quarter, where a sole behind was the only score posted. The game opened up in the final minutes, with North Mackay posting a major, and Mackay City controlling most of the possession without inflicting any scoreboard pressure to lead by just three points at the first break.
The Hawks, who came into the match as favourites, looked flat in the second quarter, and suffered from indiscipline to lose control of the possession they had held. The Saints retook the lead, and continued to pile on the pressure to go to the main break eight points ahead.
The Hawks proved the premiership quarter philosophy true, coming out after the main break with cool heads to boot four goals to the Saints one, and swung the momentum back into their favour. With the lead changing hands three times, the crowd was on the edge of their Curly Bells as the Hawks went to the final break 11 points ahead.
The wave of Brown and Gold continued into the final quarter, as the Hawks dominated possession, with John Zulic kicking two more goals to add to his four for the match, for the Hawks to spoil the party for North Mackay.
Mackay City 1.4, 1.7, 5.8, 8.11 (59) def North Mackay 1.1, 3.3, 4.3, 5.4 (34)
Saints Premiership Story
The North Mackay Saints have broken a three year premiership drought, by winning the 2007 Manpower CQ Forklifts Grand Final last weekend, ending the Whitsunday Sea-Eagles three year tenure as competition front runners.
This year's premiership flag is the eighth for North Mackay, which is one of the foundation clubs in the AFL Mackay competition, starting in 1970. Their success in recent years has been capped by three successive premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and grand final appearances in 2005 and 2006, both times falling short at the hands of Whitsunday.
The Sea-Eagles, who were looking at emulating their 1993 - 1996 successes by achieving four successive premierships, were outclassed by a Saints outfit that have been the benchmark of this years AFL Mackay competition.
Harrup Park Stadium was awash with Red, White and Black on Saturday's Grand Final, as the club fielded teams in every grade played. The Under 12 and Under 14 teams set the stage for a North Mackay white-wash, with dreams on this historic achievement quashed by old foes Mackay City, who took the Under 17 and Reserve Grade flags.
Speaking after the game, Whitsunday captain John Ryan acknowledged North Mackay's performance this season as the form club in the competition, and commented that the Saints win would have tasted all the more sweeter against the team who had deigned them twice before.
In thanking his team, Saints coach Darren Gwynne gave special mention to two long serving club members; club stalwart Lorna Coad, who has tirelessly worked behind the scenes to prepare the team each week for more than 20 years; and 300+ gamer Chris Dunbar, who after missing a chance to be selected in the senior team, proved his club spirit by running water to his team-mates on the day.
All eyes will now turn to the 2008 season to see in the North Mackay Saints can continue their success.
Last Modified on 10/01/2009 18:15