When his side lost to Rupertswood by 28 points in the final home-and-away match of the Riddell District Football League, Diggers Rest coach Shaun Sims observed that things would be different in the finals.
And so it has proved.
In week one of the finals, the Burras achieved a 100-point turnaround against Sunbury Kangaroos to set up a second meeting with Rupo in three weeks – an elimination final at Rockbank’s Ian Cowie Reserve last Sunday.
And this time the Burras came to the fore to dominate the contest, 6.17 (53) to 3.2 (20), and knock Rupo out of the finals in straight sets.
For the Burras it wasn’t just a win, but the way they did it . . . they kept Rupo’s powerful forward line goalless in the first half.
They tackled in numbers and forced Rupo to make mistakes.
Had they kicked straight, the margin would have been much greater.
Sims said it was all about playing good football at the right times.
“We’ve thrown players around during the year because of injuries and it’s given more flexibility come finals time,” he said.
“We kept them to two points in the first half. We tackled the best we have all season and the perceived pressure forced them into turnovers.”
Sims praised the work of his defenders, especially Matthew Krul and Jason Williams.
“We played Krul in defence a couple of weeks ago and it worked really well so we decided to put him on Dan Jordan today,” he said. “Jase was brilliant and he kept rolling off his opponent to help out on Jordan.”
For Rupo coach Ben Jordan, it was a disappointing end to the season.
“We didn’t adjust to the [windy] conditions last week and there was a repeat of some of the issues today,” he said.
“We won a lot of the ball but didn’t use it well and it was a frustrating game to watch.
“If we don’t use the ball properly, you generally don’t get the score on the board.”
Jordan said the next step for the club was to start winning finals, something it had yet to do in the RDFL.
“This season is another step in the right direction for the club,” he said.
“We’re still a young club with not much experience and that has probably showed out the last two weeks.”:”
The Burras now play Riddell on Saturday for a spot in the grand final against Romsey.
“It doesn’t matter [the Burras’ win over Riddell earlier in the year],” Sims said.
“Whichever team goes in with the right mindset and does the simple things right will win.”