By DANIEL MOSCA - Division 2 Seniors
THE Caroline Springs Lakers are on their way to the Division 2 Grand Final after dismantling the North Footscray Red Devils to the tune of 70-points in the Preliminary Final on Saturday.
What looked to be a tight battle between two of Divisions 2's elite teams coming in, ended up being the total opposite as the Lakers steamrolled the Red Devils from the opening bounce and never looked back.
They will now face the Yarraville Seddon Eagles, who beat North Footscray last week in a six-point nail-biter to earn a trip straight through to the Grand Final.
Caroline Springs, despite not being favourites coming into the game, suffocated the minor premiers from the get-go with their pressure and played the game on their terms all day.
The Lakers proved to be too strong for the Red Devils in the centre, particularly in the clearances and hard-ball gets as their midfielders dominated possession and controlled the tempo.
Along with their midfield, they were boosted by a standout performance from forward Mathew Sutton, who poured in eight goals for the Lakers.
It was particularly satisfying for Sutton, who was shut out when these two teams last met in round 17 and left the game early after being struck by defender Tyson Bock.
This time though, Sutton caused all types of problems for North Footscray's backline and had his way with whichever defender attempted to deny him.
Meanwhile, North Footscray's dominant season comes to a disappointing end.
Despite finishing the home-and-away season with the best overall record in the league, they now suffer the reality of going out in straight sets, losing back to back games against Yarraville Seddon and Caroline Springs.
The game started out with the Lakers imposing their will on the Red Devils out of the middle, being first at the ball and finding targets with precision going forward.
They held North Footscray scoreless the entire first quarter and after Jason Degabriele found Sutton in the goal square for his third goal of the term, they had a commanding 33-0 lead as the first quarter came to an end.
North Footscray would hit back in the second quarter through forward Kaine Williams, who bagged three of his four goals in the term.
It was the Red Devils best stretch of the day as they took advantage of the wind and sliced into the lead.
After midfielder Nathan Richardson forced a turnover and found Williams in the goal square for his third goal of the quarter, the Lakers lead was 25-points going into half-time and North Footscray looked poised to make it a contest.
Unfortunately for them, they couldn't carry momentum into the second-half as Caroline Springs once again carved them up in the clearances department.
The Lakers kicked 12 goals to four in the second half to put the Red Devils away for good and earn themselves a Grand Final appearance.
They will meet the Yarraville Seddon Eagles who they bested by 76-points when they met in the last round of the season.
Last Modified on 29/08/2016 15:40