James Szabo takes a look at the South East and North West Division Grand Final games.
SOUTH EAST GRAND FINAL
Shepley Oval will play host to one of the most evenly matched Grand Finals from all the VWFL divisions, as Mornington do battle with Beaconsfield this Saturday for the title as best club in the South East.
The sides undoubtedly deserve their spot in last game of the year, after finishing first and second respectively at the end of the home and away season.
Mornington finished on top after winning 12 of their 14 games, while Beaconsfield ended the season just underneath them with ten wins and 4 losses.
Mornington will be coming into the Grand Final after a week off, beating Beaconsfield two weeks ago in the Semi Final by just 11 points.
The game was the third time these sides had met this season, with Mornington winning the first clash in Round 2 by three goals and Beaconsfield getting revenge with a 31-point win in Round 6.
While the Bulldogs will have confidence having beaten Beaconsfield two weeks ago, the Eagles will still be on a high after overcoming a tough Rosebud outfit by eight points in last week’s Preliminary Final.
Georgia Anderson, Madeleine Martin, Millie Shone, Jade Hough, Amanda Torrington and Sophie Dickson were all good performers for Beaconsfield in their win and Katie Angelis bobbed up with a couple of goals to improve her impressive record.
Angelis kicked 44 goals in the home and away season and, along with Shone, Hough, Martin and Sarah Allingham, put in a number of strong performances throughout the year.
Mornington have stars of their own they’ll be relying on this weekend, including Aneen Groenewald, Georgia Speedy, Laura Noonan, Ginger Parker, Hannah Lewis and Vicki Sanford – who all played a big role in the win against Beaconsfield in the Semi Final.
Renee Dun will also be one to watch, after she kicked 27 goals in 14 games.
The up and down results from previous meetings and the top form both these sides have produced this season, means this clash promises to be an exciting encounter.
It looks to be an extremely intense first quarter, with the last three times these sides met proving the team who leads at quarter time, will go on to win the game.
The game starts from 5.30PM this Saturday, 20 August at Shepley Oval and will be live video streamed on vwfl.com.au HERE.
NORTH WEST GRAND FINAL
Manor Lakes will aim to perform a remarkable double-victory over Melton Centrals in the VWFL North West Division Grand Final, after their opponents finished the home and away season undefeated.
Melton Centrals won 14 consecutive games during the year, before losing a nail-biting Semi Final to Manor Lakes by one point two weeks ago.
The win meant Manor Lakes would head straight to the Grand Final, while Melton were left to face Shepparton FNC in a knockout Preliminary Final last week.
Melton lead all day to record a hard-fought seven-point win over Shepparton and secure a chance of redemption against Manor Lakes for the flag this weekend.
Shireace Newton, Chelsea Forbes, Linda Morren, Louise Martino, Kate Saleta and Claire Rollinson were the best performers for Melton in their win and will need to be at their best again on Sunday.
A consistent season from Alanna Porter, makes her one to look out for this weekend, as well as Jaime Nankiville who kicked an outstanding 45 goals from 13 games.
Manor Lakes will have to rely on their own stars to put on a show this weekend if they want to lift the cup, having lost to Melton twice this season – by 13 and 29 points respectively.
Manor Lakes will look towards Jessica Court, Amanda Masterton, Cara Dunshea, Saphyre Swanson, Carley Smith and Christie Stone, who were the key performers in the one-point victory two weeks ago.
Having gone undefeated throughout the home and away season, Melton could be seen as slight favorites heading into the Grand Final.
However, the impressive Semi Final win from Manor Lakes, means this one will be tough to call.
The game starts from 12.00PM this Sunday, 21 August at Coburg City Oval and will be live video streamed on vwfl.com.au HERE.
Last Modified on 20/08/2016 10:11