Saturday was what football is all about, three tough fought games of football which saw Ballina come away with 2 wins. Unfortunately after a nail bitting finish going into extra time our Women failed to come up with the goods.
After having all three sides finish first or second in the respective competitions we had been expecting big things. Three loses in the semi-finals was not on of those expected things. The players and coaches got together and planned to hit the training track hard. Then mother nature opened the skies and dropped 200mm of re think your game plan. The oval was underwater so the coaches decided to hit the Ballina pool and use the chance to recover a few sore bodies. Thursday rolled around and the players arrived at training with the expectation we would use what dry ground we could find and make do. To everyone’s surprise the ground was dry and looking pristine, this lead to full ground drills and the ideal test to put players through their paces and get game day ready.
Saturday saw players and spectators arriving early to set up for a big day of football. Tweed came out firing in the first quarter and caught Ballina off guard. Ballina was looking lost on their feet and didn’t manage a major in the first quarter. This saw Tweed taking the lead at quarter time. I don’t know what the coach said at quarter time but it worked. Ballina came back onto the ground an looked like a new team, the boys put 4 goals on the board to Tweeds's 1 which saw Ballina with the lead as half time. The game continued this way to the end with Ballina piling on goals thanks to some great leading and kicking by Luke Cornwell up forward who finished the day with 6 to his name. Final scores 11.10.76 to 4.3.27 and Ballina had one win on the board.
Tweed women started with the same energy as their reserve men’s and again Ballina was looking flat footed. Tweed managed 3 goals with Ballina only scrapping through with 3 points, the wind had picked up enough to make a difference and Tweed had capitalised. A change of ends saw Ballina with the wind and the girls were looking to build. The defence was on point and Tweed didn’t manage a single point however Ballina squandered some of their opportunities and only managed 1.4 for the quarter. Tweed was still holding the lead at half time. With ends reversed Tweed was looking goo with the wind, but Ballina wasn’t going to make it easy. Both teams worked hard with both teams managing 2 major each, but Tweed extended their lead with an 8 point buffer at 3/4 time. This was do or die for Ballina and everything had to be put on the line, the defence was again on fire and our girls managed to hold Tweed scoreless again. Unfortunately like the 2nd quarter Ballina missed some easy chances in front of goal but did enough to bring the scores level. The game went into overtime and the crowd was buzzing with anticipation to see who would come out on top. Over time came and the girls gave it their all from both sides, Tweed looked to have a little more in the tank with Ballina starting to slow and they capitalised on it kick 2 goals 2 and taking the game from Ballina. Final scores 4.13.37 to 7.9.51. Our women gave it their all and we couldn’t be prouder of the season they have put together, we wish them all the best in the off season and hope to see many smiling face return for next year looking to go one game further.
The senior men’s match was always going to be hard. All season the two teams had been trading victories with one and other, so everyone knew this wouldn’t be a walk in the park. The first quarter had bodies crunching and teams training clearances from the centre. Neither team managed to be very effective in front of goal and after the first quarter siren blew Ballina had the lead by 1 point. The coach got into the team noting defensively we were holding the pressure but players were looking loose through the guts. Tweed must have received a good word from the coach because they hit the 2nd quarter running. Half way through and their midfield had managed to 2 slot 2 goals from outside 50 with Ballina struggling to get the ball forward. Joe ward and Trav Clark took it upon themselves to change the tide of the game and clearances started going Ballina’s way. The forwards were making direct leads and targets were being hit. Ballina put on 3 goals in the closing 5 minutes to take a 1 goal lead at the major break. We knew we had to carry the closing momentum into the next quarter and boy did we. Ballina looked unstoppable in the third quarter and put another 4 goals on the board with Tweed only managing 1. Three quarter time and Ballina held a 4 goal lead. Some inspiration talk at the break and the boys were pumped, we could feel victory in the air but knew we had 20min left to control. Tweed clearly had the same feeling despite being down and came out hard. They were wining centre clearances and some easy mistakes by the Ballina back line saw Tweed storming home. 10 minutes left in the quarter and Tweed were back within 4 points, Ballina players were looking tired on their feet and Tweed were running with passion. A centre clearance by J.Ward saw Ballina push forward and manage their first major of the quarter. Tweed turned and answered straight away pushing direct into their forward line and managing a goal from 20m out. The boys were fighting hard and leaving nothing behind, Ballina pushed forward again managing to snag a major, the boys were up and about and waiting for the siren. After fighting it out of the middle Tweed got their hands on it pushing wide, the ball went to boot and they slotted a goal from outside 50m. Both teams were throwing themselves at each other with players quickly looking spent on their feet. Tweed managed another point closing the margin to 3. Tweed were attacking and just outside the 50m ark, looking to kick inside when Jesse leads pushed from the forward flank deep into defence cutting it off. Ballina switched out wide but a fumbled ball saw it coming back inside defensive 50. The ball came towards goals but was knocked through for a minor. The margin was now down to 2. Jeremy Jago stood in the square looking to kick out and Ballina was flat, the boys had spent everything, and the leads weren’t coming. He kicked long to the pack and Colin O’Brien managed a mark, looking long down the line the ball hit the pack and dribbled out and over the line. Players pushed from all over the ground to get the boundary throw in, the ball was up and the tap came inboard, Ballina got their hands on it first and the kick went long and high into the forward line. The ball had barely hit the ground and the siren sounded. Ballina had won managing to hold on by 2 points.
It was a great day of football all round and the crowd was certaintly treated to a spectacle. Next week is the big day, Ballina reserves and seniors will take on Byron in both games. All games are being held at Byron and we hope to see plenty of red and black down there in support of our teams. We have a good feeling that we will be adding some more bling to the trophy cabinet in 2018.
Last Modified on 09/09/2018 10:45