Byron Bay won through to the Div 4 South grand final, with a 13.12 (90) - 7.8 (50) win over Tweed Coast on Saturday.
It was an arm wrestle all day, with the Tigers taking the honours early, with a three-point quarter time lead.
From there, though, the minor premiers kicked away and kept Tweed Coast goalless in the second term.
Not much could stop the run of the Magpies after the major break, who kicked nine goals to five for the rest of the match.
The Tigers finished strongly, but couldn’t kick themselves back into the game.
A poor conversion rate didn’t help the Northern Rivers side, who kicked 7.8 from 15 scoring shots.
Liam Afflick kicked six of the Magpies’ 13 goals for the match, in a strong performance.
Sam Mitchell was sensational for Byron Bay, while Luke Henschke, Robert Lee and Nick Patten were also standouts for the side.
Keiran Baker stood up for the Tigers in the second semi final, while Ashley Gemmill booted three majors.
While Byron Bay has the week off, having nabbed the first spot in the 2013 decider, the Tigers will face Ballina for the right to challenge the Magpies in the biggest match of the year.
The Bombers made a statement in their first semi-final, against Bond Uni, finishing with a 9.11 (65) – 5.8 (38) win.
Ballina, playing on their home ground, started well and were helped by a poor conversion from the students in the game, with a 4.3-1.4 advantage in the first term.
They only kicked five more majors for the match, but it was enough to see the Bombers over the line, and keep their season alive.
Benjamin Plummer was the best for the Bombers in the match, while Bond Uni’s Nick Russell was the pick of the losing team.
Last Modified on 06/08/2013 14:55
