For the third time in 3 years, the Inverell Saints and Tamworth Kangaroos battled out the Major Semi Final of the TAFL. And once again the match lived up to the billing as both teams traded leads throughout the match and with just a minute to go the match was still up for grabs. But as was the case in 2009, the Saints prevailed by 12 points and set up a home Grand Final for the third time in the club's history.
The match started with plenty of intensity as both teams fought for early possessions, and it was the Saints who got the early jump, with goals to Jason Gobbert, Joe Kimmince and Mick Corcoran getting the Saints out to an 18 point lead. But true to form, the Roos refused to lie down and fought back into the match, kicking 5 of the next 6 goals to take the quarter time lead of 7 points with all the momentum.
The break couldn't come soon enough for the Saints who were looking under the pump for the first time in a while. This trend continued for the early part of the second, as the Roos opened up a 2 goal lead and threatening to take the game right away from the Saints. However, it was the Saints turn to take back the match, lifting in intensity around the footy and kicking the last 4 goals of the quarter to take a 4 point lead into the long change.
The third quarter became an out and out battle for every possession, with both teams refusing to take a backward step. Goals became very hard to get as the ball rebounded out of both defensive 50s at regular intervals. It took an individual piece of brilliance from Gary Hadland to get the Saints out to a 2 goal break that they maintained to the siren to set up an enthralling final quarter.
The Roos got the crucial first goal of the last quarter, however the Saints responded, kicking the next 3 to open up a 24 point buffer with 15 minutes left in the match. After managing to to miss a golden opportunity to open the lead up to 5 goals, the Saints saw their lead disappear as the Roos proceeded to kick 3 unanswered goals of their own to get the margin back under one straight kick. But a strong mark preceeded Jason Gobbert's 9th goal with 90 seconds on the clock and the Saints were home.
Gobbert was outstanding at full forward with his 9 goals, ably supported by Jono Elphick who was at his mercurial best across half back. KJ Te Velde and Peter Dunlop did great jobs playing defensive midfield roles, whilst Shaun Mansbridge and Sam Kimmince did their bit to hold the defense together.
The Saints now have the weekend off before facing the winner of the Roos and New England Nomads match in a fortnight's time in what should be a great day at Varley Oval on September 11th.
Last Modified on 30/08/2010 09:41