Monday, 15 September 2003
This year’s Sydney Australian Football League Grand Final sees North Shore Bombers represented in all three grades. First Grade will be taking on UNSW/ES Bulldogs, Reserves and the U18’s both play the Pennant Hills Demons.
In first Grade we will see a rematch of the 2002 encounter that saw UNSW/ES take home the prize. The teams met for the first time in 2003 in round two where UNSW/ES hosted the Bombers at the Village Green. In a very close contest it was the bombers who were able to come away with the victory by just one goal.
Seven rounds later the teams clashed again at Gore Hill oval and in a stark contrast to the previous match the Bombers ran away with the game. With the Bombers winning eight in row and playing confidently they were able to out kick the Bulldogs by twelve goals.
Round sixteen was the last time that the teams would meet before the finals and with the Bombers still undefeated it looked ominously like the round nine clash. Unfortunately for North Shore it was not to be the case. The Bulldogs, not intimidated by the Bombers undefeated record, beat North Shore by three goals.
North Shore has had a solid season loosing only two games all year coming in round 16 and 17. In the second semi final they showed that they were back in form and demolished St George by a convincing margin. The Bulldogs on the other hand have had to fight their way into the grand final the hard way, and in a very close match on the weekend snuck in by a mere two goals over the Crows. This weekend’s game promises to be one of the most interesting Grand Finals that the competition has seen in recent years and with nothing between the teams picking the winner is no clear cut task.
The bulk of the side from last year’s Grand Final defeat is still in tact at North Shore and the pain of that loss has not yet been erased despite the stellar year thus far. The Bombers realise, much like Port Adelaide, that the minor premiership means very little and rest assured they are ravenously hungry to make amends for 2002.
The undefeated reserve grade Bombers take on Pennant Hills after the Demons slid in to the Grand Final with a one-point victory over East Coast in the weekend’s preliminary final. The Bombers have met the Demons twice this year and have a 100% record against them. With the first match washed out it wasn’t until round eleven that the teams met. In a one-sided fixture the Bombers out played and out scored their opponents to win by 14 goals. The last round of the competition was their second meeting and like the first it was an all Bomber affair as they won by six goals.
The Bombers reserve grade secured their spot in the Grand final with a convincing win in the second semi final over East Coast. North Shore kicked thirteen goals to three in what looked like a training run for a reserve grade side rumored to have been capable of challenging many of the first grade teams in this year’s competition. Pennant Hills on the other hand had a extremely tight game to secure themselves a Grand Final berth and with only a week to recover, the Bombers, fresh from a weeks rest, are the short priced favorites to win an undefeated Premiership.
In what has been a very successful year for the North Shore club it was the U18’s that ensured a North Shore Bombers Grand final trifecta with a win over East Coast. In a tight match from start to finish the Bombers were just more hungry for a position in the decider than the Eagles. The bombers took the match by three goals. They take on Pennant Hills this weekend and with the Demons beating them a week earlier in the second semi-final they hold a slight advantage over the Bombers.
The Demons are studded with potential stars in their line up and deserve the tag of favoritism, but beware the wounded Bomber. North Shore’s pride was dented with their loss to the Demons and they hold plenty of aces up their sleeve with all players eager to make amends.
We look forward to seeing all Bombers supporters past and present out at Monarch Oval Cambelltown this Sunday from 9.40am to support what potentially could be the icing on the cake to one of the greatest Bombers years in the clubs history.
Last Modified on 27/04/2008 12:56